“Truce now! Negotiations as soon as possible,” was the name of a recent appeal by German intellectuals, this time in Die Zeit. Some of them were the same people who had signed the letter to the Federal Chancellor in the magazine “Emma”. At that time, many talk show invitations followed, in which the intellectuals could talk primarily about themselves. Do you also constantly receive requests to sign public letters or appeals?
I think it’s right and important that there is a public discourse on arms deliveries, with different points of view. I signed the objection to the first open letter. And I’ve always liked to put forward my arguments because I can understand the goals of these intellectuals. But they do not think through their demands or have a poor understanding of the situation. Every time I’ve asked her: Okay, you want negotiations, how are you going to force Putin to the negotiating table? – I got no answer. That means it’s just a point of view, which of course is legitimate to express in a democracy, and I’m glad it can be expressed. But it’s not a real debate as long as that side doesn’t have any real arguments to put forward, other than a vague gut feeling that war is bad, and it’s not aimed at the aggressor, but at the defender.