German Parliament Speaker Wolfgang Schauble recently called for the expansion of the military’s overseas operations and insisted that Germany should not leave everything to the French and the Americans.

The Bundestag president also stressed that military means do not necessarily always achieve goals, but do not go without showing the military capability. Schauble also supported the positions of German Defense Minister Anger Kramp-Karen Bauer, who called for more German military responsibility in foreign operations.

Concerning these decisions and the remarks of the Berlin authorities, it should be noted that since Donald Trump’s inauguration as President of the United States and his actions towards NATO and his European allies, and the emergence of differences between the two sides of the Atlantic, Europeans, especially Germany, have come to the conclusion that they realized that they could no longer count on Washington to secure them for at least a four-year or eight-year period, so the thinking that was already put forward to create a European army was reinforced.

There have also been problems within the European Union, meaning that the cooperation between the French and German leaders, formerly Angela Merkel, with the former French president, has now weakened under Emmanuel Macron and problems have developed between the two sides. Another problem that we have seen is the Brexit as the British withdrawal from the European Union has created some difficulties and obstacles.

All of these obstacles have joined hands to make the Germans think whether they should always wait for the United States to secure Europe and Germany, or should they do it themselves. At the same time, Berlin thinks that Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union and the prospect of London and Washington becoming closer to one another after adopting new German policies in Europe, such as proximity to Russia and hostility to the US, can balance US relations. Will this provide security for them?

German leaders have decided to spend part of their military budget to deploy military forces to bolster defense of Germany and Europe, as the best defense for countries is to move their strongholds overseas. That is to say, if a country wants to defend itself, it must also be a military activist in its periphery.

In recent months, there has been talk of securing the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and various countries, from Japan to France, are planning to send troops to the area. In this situation, the Germans feel that a vacuum has been created and, if they do not act quickly, they may be in an unfavorable position.

In particular, it is expected that Donald Trump will remain president of the United States for the next four years, which would mean that he is likely to be in power for another five years, so the Germans have found that in the medium term, they can no longer hold sway over America. And they have to think of their own safety.

Berlin is therefore working to strengthen its own armies and the European military and is considering whether to play a role in critical areas, particularly around Europe, such as the Middle East.

This, of course, will not come from a country like Germany overnight, and they will have to spend more money. In fact, because German economy is in good shape, it can increase its military budget and continue to strengthen its military capability.

“The Syrian army has made good progress over the past two to three years, which was very important on the battlefield. The most difficult operation is Operation Idlib because it seems that there is a serious disagreement on military operations of Syria and Russia with Turkey in this region and the two sides have different strategies.

Referring to Erdogan’s remarks following the Syrian army’s advances in Idlib that under the Sochi Treaty Russia and Syria had pledged not to conduct military operations in Idlib and that if these clashes were not contained there would once again be military attacks, the Middle East analyst reiterated. Turkey seems to be practically opposed to Syria’s strategy of preserving its territorial integrity.

Pointing to the role of foreign countries in Syria’s success, he touched on the Idlib clearing and said the strategy of the United States and Israel is to keep terrorists active in the country to keep the Damascus government weak as before.

Describing the most important reasons behind Turkey’s stances, Ghanadbashi said Turkey is receiving EU funds for the refugees in that country. The country is presenting itself as an obstacle to the passage of immigrants and terrorists to Europe and is taking advantage of it.

“Besides, Turks feel threatened by the Kurds and have always been engaged in conflicts with them in various ways. As the Turkish Kurds present in Syria and Iraq, they do not want the Kurds in northern Syria to begin their actions against Turkey. That’s why they are sensitive to Idlib’s condition,” he said.

Referring to Russia’s critical response to Erdogan’s remarks that Moscow has fully adhered to its commitments to Idlib and fully implemented them, the expert said: “Turks pledge commitments to Syria and Russia at bilateral and trilateral summits but this collaboration, never becomes serious. In the current situation, Russia supports Syria against Turkey.”

Significance of Syria’s Success in Liberating Khan Touman

Ghanadbashi praised the success of the Syrian army in liberating Ma’arat al-Numan, Khan Tuman and areas of Idlib, saying the village of Khan Touman, now a settlement, was in the hands of terrorists who dominated the strategic Aleppo-Damascus road; So, to carry out the next operation, the Syrian government tried to reduce the dominance of the terrorists on the road, which was a successful operation.

He added that while Turks continue to criticize Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian government and do not seem to be happy with his rule, he described the Turkish authorities’ statements nothing new because when serious operations such as Operation Khan Touman take place and a stronghold is seized, Turkey voices harsh criticisms.

Syrian Army Advances Continue

The Middle East affairs expert on the prospect of a Syrian operation in Idlib despite Turkish threats said: Turkish people want calm and an end to the turmoil and criticize the government for its policies on Syria. For the past eight years, the Resistance Front in Syria has shown that despite Western demands, Arab and Turkish reaction has been able to contain the terrorists, and these advances appear to be continuing.

Noting that the forces opposed to Syria’s advances face numerous problems in their countries, he said. “The Israelis have a lot of problems domestically and against the Palestinians and the Lebanese, and the Americans have a lot of problems with Mr Trump,” he added. The Arab reaction is also helpless against the Yemeni issue, so despite the threats, it seems that these victories will continue.

German Parliament Speaker Wolfgang Schauble recently called for the expansion of the military’s overseas operations and insisted that Germany should not leave everything to the French and the Americans.

The Bundestag president also stressed that military means do not necessarily always achieve goals, but do not go without showing the military capability. Schauble also supported the positions of German Defense Minister Anger Kramp-Karen Bauer, who called for more German military responsibility in foreign operations.

Concerning these decisions and the remarks of the Berlin authorities, it should be noted that since Donald Trump’s inauguration as President of the United States and his actions towards NATO and his European allies, and the emergence of differences between the two sides of the Atlantic, Europeans, especially Germany, have concluded that they realized that they could no longer count on Washington to secure them for at least a four-year or eight-year period, so the thinking that was already put forward to create a European army was reinforced.

There have also been problems within the European Union, meaning that the cooperation between the French and German leaders, formerly Angela Merkel, with the former French president, has now weakened under Emmanuel Macron and problems have developed between the two sides. Another problem that we have seen is the Brexit as the British withdrawal from the European Union has created some difficulties and obstacles.

All of these obstacles have joined hands to make the Germans think whether they should always wait for the United States to secure Europe and Germany, or should they do it themselves. At the same time, Berlin thinks that Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union and the prospect of London and Washington becoming closer to one another after adopting new German policies in Europe, such as proximity to Russia and hostility to the US, can balance US relations. Will this provide security for them?

German leaders have decided to spend part of their military budget to deploy military forces to bolster the defence of Germany and Europe, as the best defence for countries is to move their strongholds overseas. That is to say, if a country wants to defend itself, it must also be a military activist in its periphery.

In recent months, there has been talk of securing the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and various countries, from Japan to France, are planning to send troops to the area. In this situation, the Germans feel that a vacuum has been created and, if they do not act quickly, they may be in an unfavourable position.

In particular, it is expected that Donald Trump will remain president of the United States for the next four years, which would mean that he is likely to be in power for another five years, so the Germans have found that in the medium term, they can no longer hold sway over America. And they have to think of their own safety.

Berlin is, therefore, working to strengthen its own armies and the European military and is considering whether to play a role in critical areas, particularly around Europe, such as the Middle East.

This, of course, will not come from a country like Germany overnight, and they will have to spend more money. In fact, because the German economy is in good shape, it can increase its military budget and continue to strengthen its military capability.