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Comment by hunglee2 | Hacker News Reader

German investment again going to foreign companies, the very opposite of strategic sovereignty. The Trump era should be enough evidence that there are no friends in geo-politics, just temporary alliances of convenience.

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That was only 4 years, hardly an era.

we are living the Trumpian timeline, nonetheless

Trump was yet another demonstration that Americans can't be trusted.

Going a bit far there

Not really.

He left off "Putin and Xi are more trustworthy." That's what he is implying, just doesn't have the courage to come out and say it.

Also hardly anomalous. Trumpism didn't vanish just because Trump lost the election, rather it's become mainstream within the political establishment. Every four years now the world has to wonder whether the coin is going to land again on sane or crazy.

Germany and strategic sovereignty… Looking at gas pipes, they have an alternative understanding of sovereignty.

Well, if you have any alternative than gas pipes please let us know. Germany is already pushing for green techs. And, gas coming from another part of the continent is always more expensive than neighboring countries? Yes, they shouldn't have dismantled Nuclear Power. But after an incident in Japan, many people were nuclear phobic so can't blame politicians alone?

That being said, I do agree that paying 5.5bn of taxpayers money to foreign tech is silly. Such money can be easily used in investing local companies which will provide more employement and ROI to Germany.

Germany could have been using existing pipes through eastern europe. That would have been damn nice insurance from Russian aggression.

And for nuclear, IMO „nuclear phobia“ was financed from the same pockets as sea pipeline.

an unstated and unrequited aspiration for sure.

Increasing trade with Russia is a good strategy. No need to follow America to WW3 or a new cold war.

A $10 billion pipe sitting empty is good strategy?

Sitting empty due to American meddling.

Come on now.

Selling off allies in eastern europe to Russia is a good strategy? That's a good way to start WW3, on Russian side...

Increasing trade with Russia is the most effective way to avoid a war. When goods and services don't cross borders, armies will.

Russia was one of Ukraine's largest trade partners, how did that work out for Ukraine?

Not to mention in the case of Germany, Russia's army would be obliterated by NATO if the warfare was purely conventional.

Fun thing is, USSR was contained with little trade. For the past 30 years we had trade and now we have Ukraine war.

Same for China. It was contained for some time. Then West propped up China via trade and now China is starting to flex it's muscles.

Not when that trade directly props up an active war machine.

I guess we should stop trading with USA because of Iraq then.

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