Germany’s Choice: Will It Be America or Russia?
Grinin greets his guests in polished German — the only sign that it isn’t his first language is a slight Russian accent. He embodies the close relationship between Germany and Russia, which he invokes during our conversation. Grinin’s father and father-in-law fought on the front during World War II. This is his third diplomatic posting in Germany. He was in Bonn in the 1970s and in East Berlin during the period surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall. He is very familiar with Germany and has kept a close eye on today’s top politicians, in some cases for decades. “The Germans,” he says, “are closer to the Russians than any other nation in Europe.”
“For the Germans, the United States is the evil father who ought to be slugged in the face. Russia, on the other hand, is like a little brother to the Germans, one that has to be coddled.”
Kaminer believes that the pedantic Germans, who are always thinking of the future, have an underlying yearning for the Russian present, for the art of forgetting tomorrow, and for the wild and unruly character of his fellow Russians.
Hardly any statement in recent years has attracted more attention and notoriety than former Chancellor Schröder’s characterization of Putin as a “flawless democrat,” seemingly denying his authoritarian tendencies.