On Friday, the German Bundestag voted in favor of sending 1,200 Bundeswehr soldiers to Syria to support the US-led coalition in its fight against ISIL (also known as Daesh) militants in Syria.
German troops are expected to play a supporting role and will not take part in the combat activities of the anti-ISIL coalition. However, the move has been considered controversial by a number of German politicians as well as large parts of the country’s population.
According to American journalist Victor Grossman, the planned military deployment is aimed at extending Germany’s economic, diplomatic and military influence in the Middle East, rather than at fighting against Daesh militants.
“They [Germans] love the idea of sending troops and giving them orders. And whether some of the people will get hurt or killed, Syrians or even Germans, is less important than the spread of German influence,” Grossman said in an exclusive interview with Radio Sputnik.
Grossmann argued that German authorities would like to see Germany as a major world power again. Therefore, the country is getting involved in the political situation in Syria, despite the fact that the German Constitution forbids participating in wars on foreign soil.
“Yes, of course, constitutional law in Germany prohibits such adventures. However, ever since the war in Yugoslavia, nobody really cares about it,” Grossman said.
The fact that members of the Left Party, the Green Party and other parties opposed the decision is a good aspect, Grossman argued.
“It reflected the fact that a large portion of the population does not want to get involved in bombing within Syria, with a very questionable and dubious result,” the journalist said.
Earlier this week, more than 1,000 Germans participated in an anti-war rally under the banner ‘No to the Bundeswehr mission in Syria,’ held in the center of Berlin near the Brandenburg Gate, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported on Thursday.
A recent survey of polling institute YouGov revealed that 71 percent of Germans fear that the country’s involvement in Syria may increase the likelihood of terrorist attacks on German territory.
