"In transition to an oligarchy": Joschka Fischer warns of the erosion of US democracy

"In transition to an oligarchy": Joschka Fischer warns of the erosion of US democracy Tagesspiegel 7 hours • 2 minutes read Joschka Fischer sees democracy in the US in danger. The former German Foreign Minister calls for a strong Europe to assert itself against Trump and Putin. Joschka Fischer, former German Foreign Minister, speaks about international politics at Lit.Cologne. For former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, the US is no longer a fully-fledged democracy. "It is still a democracy, but a borderline democracy, that is, a democracy in transition to an oligarchy," the 76-year-old Green Party politician told the German Press Agency in Cologne. He wondered why the Americans didn't realize that they had begun a process of self-destruction. Fischer said that observing this process was extremely painful. It was literally tearing at his core. "I was born in 1948, which means it's my world that's currently collapsing," said the former Vice Chancellor of the red-green coalition from 1998 to 2005. Despite all justified criticism, the US has always been the core of the West, "the guarantor of the democratic idea," the oldest democracy. Macron and Starmer commit "self-deception" Fischer said he was "delighted" that he was no longer an active politician and had to negotiate with Donald Trump. However, he was convinced that flattery would not get him anywhere with the US president. Politicians such as French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had recently been demonstratively friendly toward Trump and had sometimes showered him with compliments. "I consider that self-deception," Fischer said. "Trump is no idiot. He knows exactly what he's doing. And he also knows if someone is subtly trying to sell him something." Trump must be confronted with confidence. "Trump thinks in terms of power and ego," Fischer said. "Flattering him only applies to ego categories. That won't work. We Europeans must become a power. A military power. I never thought I'd say that publicly," Fischer said. But the fact is, you can only impress people like Trump or Russian President Vladimir Putin with strength. Fischer calls for European rearmament The urgently needed rearmament must become a European, not a national, project, Fischer warned. "We have no prospects as Germany, as France, as Poland. We are too small for that. Only together will we achieve something." For this to succeed, the EU member states must once again prioritize European integration, which has recently been sorely neglected. "Putin and Trump leave us no alternative," Fischer said. Germany plays a crucial role in this. He therefore hopes that the CDU/CSU-SPD federal government—should it come into being—will be successful, even if he didn't vote for it. He says this in the interest of Germany, in the interest of Europe: "There is no alternative."