Rethinking security?!
Discussion on peace and security policy issues

Armaments and disarmament, military missions abroad and other highly relevant security and peace policy issues have largely been pushed out of the public debate since the beginning of 2020 by the coronavirus pandemic. However, citizens have a right to know the parties‘ stance on these issues before the general election. After all, the new parliament and the future federal government are facing important decisions.

Moderation

Andreas Zumach, Geneva/Berlin
Journalist, UN correspondent for the tageszeitung (taz) and other media

The candidates of the parties represented in the Bundestag are invited from Bochum:

Axel Schäfer MdB, SPD

Fabian Schütz, CDU

Olaf in der Beek MP, FDP

Sevim Dagdelen MP, The Left Party

Max Lucks, Alliance 90/The Greens

The AfD party has not been invited.

We are presenting the following six topics for discussion:

– Should military spending in the federal budget really be increased to 2% of gross national product by 2024, as planned by the current federal government?

– Should the Federal Government sign the UN treaty banning nuclear weapons and then also end Germany’s „nuclear participation“ in NATO and enforce the withdrawal of US nuclear bombs from Germany, which the Bundestag had already demanded almost unanimously in 2010?

– Should the Bundeswehr continue to participate in foreign missions? And if so, in which missions and in which not?

– Should Germany continue to supply weapons all over the world, including to belligerent states, to areas of tension and to regimes that use these weapons against their own people?

– What does the goal proclaimed by almost all Bundestag parties to date that the EU must become a „global player“ or achieve „strategic sovereignty“ mean? Should the German government continue to support an increasingly military role for the European Union?

– How could the future German government improve Germany’s completely muddled and confrontational relationship with Russia?

The moderator Andreas Zumach will briefly introduce the topics and give the panellists the opportunity to comment. Afterwards, we look forward to questions and contributions from the audience.

v.i.s.d.P.: Dr Ralf Feldmann, Bochumer Friedensplenum, Bahnhof Langendreer, Wallbaumweg 108, Bochum