vorbild

There has been a strange culminating coincidence of following Germany’s example in the media echo-chamber of three diverse episodes and I am not sure what to make of it. The first two decisions came from the States but came in such a fashion seemingly unaware that of Germany’s contemporary hardships and debate over the same issues: the decision to award an outrageous prize to a former Swiss banking executive who was willing to disclose the practices of his old employers regarding US accounts, and the decision on the part of the state of New York to regulate circumcision ceremonies.
Regarding the former, not only does what the US tax authority did by putting its faith in the char- acterization of a jilted banker, probably dismissed from his post for cause, sound dangerously like the trust that the war-mongers and architects of the invasion of Iraq placed in dissident and informant Curveball (who told the planners exactly what they wanted to hear—German intelligence recommended that one ought to consider the source, incidentally), America is moreover choosing to traffic in stolen goods and jeopardize any established agreements to share information. Germany was put in agonies by the same breed of thieves and illegal sales. The later matter is certainly not a trivial thing and means a lot to a lot of individuals, but the repetition of the controversy on Germany’s proposed ban on circumcision carried out on solely religious grounds was nearly nauseating to hear, considering the subject, and sparked protests and counter-rallies. Even though the government recanted, somewhat, later, the anger is still fresh and repercussions are still being felt and relations need to be mended. The last instance was of a surprising and somewhat uncharacteristic protest on the part of the people of Japan. As Germany done in the immediate aftermath of the disaster of Fukushima, the Japanese demanded a phased drawdown of nuclear power. Japan, however, was fully cognizant of the challenges that Germany is facing and scramble to maintain energy for a hungry industrial sector and affordability for the public. The decision, in this case, was made by the people and not the government and had some time to incubate.