Germany's Other Anti-American Political Party

I've written about Germany's Left Party - Die Linke - which, under the leadership of Sahra Wagenknecht and Oskar "Fuck the American Imperialism" Lafontaine, is reliably pro-Putin and anti-American.  But now they have company on the far right with Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) after the party members elected Frauke Petry as its new leader: 

Frauke Petry, who heads a national conservative faction within the fledgling AfD, won a clear majority at a two-day party congress in the western city of Essen, which gathered about 3,500 members.Some 60 percent of delegates backed Petry, whose faction has been battling Lucke, the AfD's economic neo-liberal leader for months, and criticizes him for focusing too much on European policy. [...](Petry) drew particular applause with remarks about "massive integration problems linked to the fact that a religion like Islam conveys a vision of the state that is totally foreign to that which we know in Europe".

But the AfD does not just hate Islam, it is also anti-American and pro-Russia. The foreign policy of the AfD is determined by Alexander Gauland, who is head of the party in Brandenburg. In an essay on Germany - US relations on the Afd Web site, Gauland complains that Germany does not act like a sovereign state and is mistaken that the so-called "Shared Values" (Wertegemeinschaft) with the United States has resulted in Germany blindly following the the lead of the US. 

Und da Deutschland heute ein souveräner Staat ist, wird es auch künftig von Amerika abweichende Entscheidungen treffen müssen. Das hat mit Aufkündigung der Wertegemeinschaft nichts zu tun, es hat allein mit der unterschiedlichen Beurteilung von Interessen zu tun. Wir verlassen nicht den Wertehimmel des Westens, wenn wir eine Politik ablehnen, die dazu führen könnte, dass deutsche Soldaten plötzlich an der Waffenstillstandslinie von Panmunion zwischen Nord- und Südkorea gebraucht werden.

 Gauland is also a big fan of Vladmir Putin and Russia,  In an interview with Die Stimme Russlands ("Voice of Russia"), Gauland praises Putin for preserving the traditions of Czar and for annexing Crimea.  His views on Russia earned him an invitation to meet with Russia's ambassador toe Germany.  The base of the AfD is vehemently opposed the EU economic sanctions on Russia and would like for Germany to leave NATO.

It remains to be seen whether Frauke Petry can transform the AfD to a mainstream populist party to the right of the CDU.  Or whether it devolves into an inconsequential right-wing extremist party aligned with the (neo-Nazi) NPD.  Right now, the chances for success appear to be slim.  A number of the moderates - including the AfD founder Bernd Lucke have left the party. 

Comments

[Zyme]

I like the way this party is heading to. A corrective to our political landscape which was in dire need for such a long time. If you look at our neighbour countries, it is easy to guess what can be a achieved mid term.

Of course now they have to weather the losses caused by Lucke's departure first. If they master this challenge however, the chances are with them. Hell, I might even become politically active again :-)

[David]

"Hell, I might even become politically active again."

@Zyme, I thought you were a regular PEGIDA marcher :)

[Zyme]

:-D

I would expect a lot of conspiracy theorists to be among those and I am far too much of an optimist for those who are above all afraid of the Occident's doom.

Also in general, both supporters of PEGIDA and its opponents seem far too militant for my taste. I would rather not spend my free-time on such gatherings.

But of course there can be worse developments in my point of view. Every political wing needs its men on the street :)