Western sanctions against Russia have not only failed to destabilize the country but are now causing significant harm to the countries that imposed them, including Germany. This is the view of Sevim Dagdelen, a German MP from the Left Party (Die Linke), who wrote an op-ed for the Berliner Zeitung, published on Friday.
Dagdelen highlights that Russia’s economy has successfully weathered the restrictions and is steadily adjusting to the new economic realities. She notes that even the Russian auto industry is recovering, with Chinese companies stepping in to replace German manufacturers who have left the Russian market.
In contrast, Germany’s economy has been negatively impacted by the sanctions. Dagdelen points out that the country’s economy has shrunk by 0.3% in the last quarter, and stagnation is also threatening the Eurozone. Meanwhile, Russia is forecasted to grow by 2.5% this year. This reality challenges the notion that the sanctions would ruin Russia, as German policymakers had hoped.
According to Dagdelen, the German government’s support of these sanctions is actually harming the domestic economy. She accuses the government of acting like a “kamikaze pilot,” replacing sound economic policy with dubious morality and seeking approval from Washington. She further argues that the sanctions have contributed to double-digit inflation in Germany and the increasing cost of living for its citizens. Furthermore, the sanctions war has resulted in a significant redistribution of capital, benefiting large corporations while ordinary Germans suffer from a drop in real wages.
Dagdelen criticizes the German government for not prioritizing diplomacy and calls for Berlin to distance itself from Washington and NATO. Instead, she suggests forging closer ties with BRICS, a rival economic bloc that includes Russia and is set to represent nearly 40% of global GDP after admitting new members in early 2024. Dagdelen believes that Germany should respond to the new multipolarity in the world by pursuing a sovereign foreign policy that is not subordinate to the US and NATO. She sees supporting the BRICS peace initiative as a first step towards freeing Germany from the socially and politically fatal paternalism of the US and towards achieving democratic sovereignty.
In conclusion, Dagdelen’s op-ed highlights the failure of Western sanctions against Russia and the negative consequences they have had on the German economy. She advocates for a shift in Germany’s foreign policy that prioritizes its own economic interests and seeks closer ties with alternative economic blocs.
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