Telos Press author Matthias Küntzel was recently interviewed by the Times of Israel regarding a planned trade mission by the German Near and Middle East Association, or NUMOV, to Iran in December. Küntzel’s forthcoming book, Germany and Iran: From the Aryan Axis to the Nuclear Threshold, will be published by Telos Press in November.
Micki Weinberg, writing in the Times of Israel:
This continuity and lack of dealing with its historical past evident in NUMOV is relevant to understanding the current German-Iran relationship, according to Dr. Matthias Kuentzel, author of the upcoming book, “Germany and Iran: From the Aryan Axis to the Nuclear Threshold.”
In a telephone call, Kuentzel says, “In 1934 NUMOV was anti-Western, and today it is anti-Western.” The historian argues that German officials in the foreign office and chancellory, together with the support of prominent think tanks like SWP (German Institute for International and Security Affairs), are seeking to “make Germany more independent from American influence.”
“For them,” he continues, “Iran is a country of hope” where new forces like Russia and China rise on the geopolitical map. Through a relationship with Iran, Germany can distance itself from the Western camp and pursue a policy of what he calls “multipolarity.”
. . .
To . . . Kuentzel, the continuity of German anti-Western elements in the political and foreign policy sphere is vital to understanding why Germany is so reluctant to cut off trade and increase sanctions on Iran, and they fear Germany is moving too fast to trade and engage with Iran.
Kuentzel says, “In my opinion, while the shots in Sarajevo in 1914 ushered in the catastrophes of the 20th century, an Iranian bomb could well become the catalyst for the coming disasters of the 21st. That is why Germany should do everything to isolate the Iran regime as long as it continues to develop a nuclear weapon option.
“However, the opposite takes places: There is no other country in the Western world that holds such a close relationship with the terrorist regime in Tehran on a political, economical and cultural level. Germany of all countries,” says Kuentzel.
Read the full article here.
