All condemn the Russian attack on Ukraine. For the left, however, this is no reason not to criticize NATO at its party conference.
Janine Wissler was re-elected chairwoman at the party conference of the left in Erfurt with 57.5 percent
“It's about striving for a great power, it's an imperial conflict and not just since the attack on Ukraine.” This is how Janine Wissler talks about Russian President Vladimir Putin at the federal party conference of the left in Erfurt (Thuringia). At the same time, the re-elected chairwoman warns “not to forget Russia's role in Chechnya, in Syria, but also the support for dictators in Kazakhstan and Belarus”.
Janine Wissler: “It was a mistake that NATO not to be dissolved”
At the same time, the 41-year-old emphasizes that a consistent peace party – by which she means the left – must also make it clear that the war has a history. She is alluding to NATO. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the North Atlantic Defense Alliance continued to expand eastward. Wissler thinks the opposite would have been true: “It was a mistake not to resolve it.”
Some leftists go even further in their criticism of the West, speaking of “imperialism” and “playing down” NATO. However, the majority supports the course of the party leadership – in the words of the chairmen: “The criminal war of aggression cannot be justified by anything.” Of course, the solidarity of the left applies to the people in Ukraine, “who fear for their lives, who had to flee, who had to leave relatives behind, who have lost everything”.
Solidarity with the “brave people in Russia”.
At the same time, she is showing solidarity with the “courageous people in Russia who are taking to the streets against this war and for peace”. That is why all bridges into Russian civil society are important right now. Russia cannot be equated with the Kremlin, said Janine Wissler. However, if town twinning were suspended and Russian cultural workers were uninvited, “then that would send the wrong, fatal signal”.
The Left Party chairwoman accuses the federal government of not orienting itself towards “value-based foreign policy”, but towards “geo-strategic interests”. This can be seen in dealing with Saudi Arabia, a country that has been involved in the war in Yemen since 2014 and has long been supported with arms deliveries from Germany.
Gregor Gysi calls for “a lot more diplomacy”
The left strictly rejects the 100 billion program for the armed forces decided by the federal government. The “turning point” proclaimed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz is a “gigantic rearmament”. Armament spending continued to rise worldwide, but: “You didn't prevent this Russian attack through deterrence,” says Wissler.
That's how the former Left Party chairman and foreign policy spokesman for his parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Gregor Gysi, sees it. Germany caused World War II and never again has the right to earn money from wars. “But as the fifth largest arms exporter in the world, we make money from every war – whether it's in the Middle East, Africa or anywhere else.” According to Gysi, real peace policy means a return to de-escalation, disarmament, much more diplomacy, a reconciliation of interests and strict compliance with international law.
Fear of a world war with nuclear weapons
Janine Wissler calls for everything to be done to prevent a further escalation of the Ukraine war and to come to a negotiated solution. Her party rejects the delivery of heavy and offensive weapon systems. “We are addressing the many people who are thoughtful and don't want to bow to this apparent lack of alternatives in military logic.” Many people in Germany are afraid “of the slide into a third world war, of the use of nuclear weapons”.
< p>The left rejects the build-up of the Bundeswehr and German arms exports
On the subject of sanctions, the left partly supports the course of the federal government when they are directed against oligarchs and the military-industrial complex. Because that could weaken Putin's power base and build up pressure. “An immediate gas embargo, on the other hand, would have dramatic consequences for the population and also for jobs in this country,” warns Janine Wissler. That would lead to dramatic social upheaval.