Quietly at first but less so now, Germany is breaking out of its postwar identity ”“ the assumptions and understandings that held it in place for 60 years. Germany is shedding the past, busting old taboos and being more assertive. What an evolving Germany will look like in 20 or even five years is unclear, but will have profound consequences for Europe and the West. Much of the recent breakout is due to a rising German industrial base achieved by elbow grease, niche market savvy, and, as is often said here, by “doing our homework.”
Germans have looked around lately to find they have the preeminent world-class export economy in Europe. No one else comes close. German precision tools are coveted in Asia and Russia like Fabergé eggs. Germany is building much of the Summer Olympic and World Cup facilities in Brazil. The next generation of Eurostar trains linking the Continent and Britain will be made by Siemens of Germany, not, as they traditionally have been, by Alstom of France ”“ a blow to French pride.
So the Germans seek to by-pass us by educating and training themselves, making quality goods at competitive prices and doing their homework, and what is more it seems to be working. How outrageous – who do they think they are?
Mind you, they will still be held back for a bit by the millstone they took on in reunification, and by joining the Euro. The Greeks, Spaniards, Portuguese and others will sort them out, I expect.
As [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v5QCGqDYGo]Your Job In Germany[/url] taught us:
War,
Fake Peace,
War,
Fake Peace,
War,
Fake Peace?
Just a little joke there. I always find the tenor of these articles amusing in that they play up the idea that Germany’s rise as an economic power is vaguely nefarious before getting down to the boring nitty-gritty of why Germany does well in the marketplace.
I do agree with 1. though. The PIIGS economies are probably going to weigh down Germany for some time, that is unless it breaks out of the Euro and brings back the DM.