Germany Needs to Relaunch Its Industry: The War in Ukraine Must Continue

While the United States, Russia and China discuss the reduction of their nuclear arsenals, the European Union is moving in the opposite direction. At the forefront is Germany, which under the pretext of European defense is accelerating a dangerous rearmament and is working to delay the end of the war in Ukraine.

Germany's largest arms manufacturer, Rheinmetall, is converting two civilian plants currently dedicated to the production of automotive components into military production facilities. This is just one piece of a process of militarization of the German economy that does not seem destined to stop. While sales in the civilian sector have fallen, profits in the military sector have exploded: in the first three quarters of 2024, arms sales increased by 64.3%.

The war must continue, Germany needs it

This industrial reconversion is an unmistakable signal: Berlin is planning a long-term strategy that depends on the continuation of the war . It is no coincidence that Germany is the country that, after the United States, China and Russia, has increased its defense budget the most. This despite the enormous fiscal pressure that weighs on its citizens, forced to financially support the growing military involvement.

But German rearmament is not limited to industrial production. Friedrich Merz, a likely future chancellor, has openly declared the need to strengthen the country's military apparatus, breaking away from the United States and taking on a leading role in Europe's security. These are not just declarations: Merz has also stated that he wants to authorize the supply of Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine. These missiles, capable of striking deep into Russian territory, represent a very dangerous escalation, which could trigger a devastating reaction from Moscow.

A new geopolitical factor makes this strategy of industrial reconversion even more evident. Donald Trump has announced 25% tariffs on the European Union, declaring that the EU “was created to defraud the United States” and that he is now president. This decision marks the end of the export-at-all-costs model, hitting Germany particularly hard, which for decades has prospered thanks to its enormous export capacity. Berlin knows that its economic model is collapsing and sees the war industry as a way out: rearmament is not only a military strategy, but also an economic one.

Pressure on Trump to extend negotiations

Adding to the plausibility of this interpretation is the role of other European powers. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are preparing to pressure Trump to slow down negotiations with Russia and not speed them up too much . This confirms that domestic defense spending will increase across Europe, with the military industry set to take on a new central role. But while companies will revitalize, the same cannot be said for the men sent to the front, destined to pay with their lives for the decisions of an increasingly short-sighted and irresponsible political class.

The message from the German leadership is clear: the war must continue, at any cost . While Washington and Moscow consider halving their nuclear arsenals, Berlin is investing to fuel the conflict and drag Europe into an escalation with unpredictable outcomes.

This choice is not only irresponsible, but profoundly hypocritical. On the one hand, there is talk of security and strategic independence, on the other, a carnage is being financed and fueled that is draining Ukraine and destabilizing the entire continent. Germany, instead of seeking a diplomatic solution, is building a war economy, pushing Europe towards an increasingly militarized future. But those who will pay the price for these choices will not be the large shareholders of Rheinmetall or the politicians of Berlin: they will be the citizens of Europe, forced to support with their taxes a war they did not choose.

German Election Winner's Ties to Global Military-Industrial Apparatus

Friedrich Merz, the leader of the CDU and the next German chancellor, has a long career that intertwines politics and business, with significant ties to the global financial sector. After temporarily leaving politics in 2009, Merz has held senior roles at several companies and financial institutions. From 2016 to 2020, he was chairman of the supervisory board of BlackRock Germany, the German subsidiary of the world’s largest investment manager. Although he officially stepped down from this post in 2020 to focus on politics, his time at BlackRock has cemented his reputation as a leading figure in global financial capitalism.

In addition to his role at BlackRock, Merz has served on the boards of numerous other companies, including Deutsche Börse, AXA Konzern AG, and HSBC Trinkaus . These positions have allowed him to develop an extensive network of contacts in the financial and industrial world. His career as a corporate lawyer at the law firm Mayer Brown, which focused on high-profile clients in the financial sector, further strengthened his ties to the global economic elite.

This background suggests that Merz's current posture, oriented toward rearmament and industrial reconversion in Germany, may be influenced by his neoliberal economic vision and his ties to the financial sector. His experience in the business world could push him to promote policies that favor the defense industry as an economic engine, especially in a context in which the traditional German economic model, based on exports, is challenged by new geopolitical and commercial dynamics.

Furthermore, Donald Trump's recent imposition of 25% tariffs on the European Union represents a direct threat to the German economic model, which is strongly oriented towards exports. This situation may have strengthened Merz's belief in the need to diversify and strengthen the domestic industry, with a particular focus on the defense sector. The combination of external pressures and his professional background in the financial sector may therefore explain the current political and economic orientation of the German leadership.