"Inglourious Basterds": A German Fantasy, Not a "Jewish" One

Nearly eight million euros. Or more than eleven million dollars at the current exchange rate. That is the total amount of subsidies that Quentin Tarantino received from German public sources for his Inglourious Basterds. And on closer consideration, Inglourious Basterds is indeed a very German film.

See my new article on Pajamas Media here.

The SPD's Nightmare Summer Gets Worse

The German Social Democrats were already having a bad summer. And then chancellor candidate Frank-Walter Steinmeier decided to do a televised "townhall meeting." The result was this...


See my new article on NewMajority.com here.

The Double Standards of German Justice (Scheungraber and Demjanjuk)

Germany’s avid pursuit of the 89-year-old John Demjanjuk creates the impression that German authorities are vigilant about prosecuting Nazi war crimes. The recent conviction by a German court of the 90-year-old former Wehrmacht officer Josef Scheungraber reinforces this impression.

Josef Scheungraber at memorial ceremony (source: 3sat)

But closer consideration of the Scheungraber case shows precisely the opposite to be the case. It reveals the extremely high bar that has been set by German authorities for bringing charges against German suspects in Nazi-era war crimes cases. This high bar contrasts sharply with the extremely low bar that has been used in the case of the Ukrainian-born Demjanjuk.

See my new article on Pajamas Media here.

Socialist Party Discipline

Despite frequent denials, many signs suggest that the SPD would be prepared to form a government with the support of the "post-Communist" Left Party following the general elections in Germany in late September. The clearest sign is the treatment reserved by the SPD for four local representatives who rejected such a solution in the German state of Hessen last year.

See my new article on NewMajority.com here.

Why Did Germany Honor an Israel Basher?

Some have suggested that Germany’s award of the “Federal Merit Cross, 1st Class” to Felicia Langer was merely an unfortunate mistake: a matter of “inadequate research” on the part of German authorities. But a closer look at the circumstances surrounding the award reveals that Langer was honored not in spite of her anti-Israel invective, but precisely because of it.

See my new article on Pajamas Media here.

Who Said It? Europe Must Protect Us From "Anglo-Saxon" Capital

Which German politician said the following?

As a citizen, I would not like again to become the object of Anglo-Saxon financial capital. Germany does not protect me from this, but only Germany in Europe does.

For the answer, see my new post on NewMajority.com here.

"Chicago" Politics or EU Politics?

The Obama administration's call for Internet-users to flag "fishy" e-mails or websites opposing health-care reform legislation has sparked charges that the administration is engaging in "Chicago" politics. But if one considers more carefully what the administration has actually done, EU-style politics might be the more appropriate comparison.

See my new article at The American Spectator here.

Michael von Wedel: A German Anti-Terror Cop's Lament

Michael von Wedel was a counterterrorism agent in Germany's Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BKA). In 2002, he would be assigned the investigation of one Reda Seyam: a German-based Islamist and the presumed Qaeda financier of the 2002 Bali bombings. At one point, he would be ordered by his agency superiors to protect Seyam – namely, from the CIA. In his recent book, Die Abrechnung ["Settling Accounts"], Von Wedel writes that his investigations confirmed Seyam’s involvement in the Bali bombings. Nonetheless, no charges have ever been brought against Seyam in Germany, where he lives to this day on a reported €2300 a month in social benefits. Von Wedel, by contrast, was dismissed from his job at the BKA, charged with professional misconduct and was last reported to be living on a welfare check of €239 a month.

See my new article in Policy Review magazine here.

The Other Trouble with Mary: Mary Robinson and America

President Obama’s awarding of a Presidential Medal of Freedom to former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson has sparked widespread criticism. Commentators have pointed to Robinson’s role in the infamous 2001 Durban “anti-racism” conference and, more generally, to what has been suggested is a long record of bias against Israel. Oddly enough, however, little has been made of Robinson’s views on America. More specifically, her once-upon-a-time controversial criticisms of the Iraq war and the “war on terror” appear to have fallen into a memory hole.

See my new article on Pajamas Media here.

The "Good Arguments" of the Islamists?

"The Good Arguments of the Kyrgyz Islamists" -- This is the title of a recent report from Kyrgyzstan by Michael Ludwig of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The fact that Ludwig's local Islamist interlocutor identified the "extermination" of the Jews as one of the points of his party's program apparently did not give the FAZ editors cause to pause...

See my new post on the American Spectator blog here.

Terror Money Tracking Program Sparks German Hysteria

Most of Europe has reacted calmly to news that the EU plans to continue permitting US intelligence agencies some access to bank transfer data as part of the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program. Not Germany, however...

See my new translation of an article by Joachim Steinhöfel on Pajamas Media here.