“Germany is in great danger”

Germany argues about migration – and at the same time ignores the danger that Donald Trump represents, says political scientist Timo Lochocki. He warns of a massive threat to German democracy.

For decades, Germany was able to rely on the United States, the western leadership power spanned its nuclear protective shield over the Federal Republic and its European allies. But with Donald Trump’s return, it should be over with excellent relationships, warns Timo Lochocki. Because Trump sees Europeans more than rivals than as an ally, says the political scientist. Now the US President has announced negotiations with Russia on the fate of Ukraine.

What does that mean for Germany and Europe? What is the greatest danger? How far would Trump go? And what can Germany do with its partners to prepare themselves? Timo Lochocki, author of the book “German interests. How we become the strongest democracy in the world“In conversation.

T-online: Mr. Lochocki, Donald Trump and Wladimir Putin now want to decide on the fate of Ukraine, Germany is preferably argued about migration before the Bundestag election. Is this appropriate for the dramatic geopolitical development?

Timo Lochocki: No, that’s even quite negligent. The topic of migration is important, but it is not the most important. In fact, it distracts from the fact that Germany is about to lose the two crucial cornerstones of its liberal democracy – the outer and inner sovereignty. Germany is in great danger, there is no doubt about that. However, this danger is – now – above all from the United States.

So ultimately from Donald Trump?

That’s the way it is. As we already see from Trump’s curious politics towards Gaza, he is a transactionist of the very first kindness, he thinks and is about dealing with deals that he likes that let him stand well and with which he or the USA make a lot of money. At least in his perception. Now we will experience how Trump – across our heads – strives for a deal with Putin when it comes to Ukraine. Will he be considerate of Europeans and Germany? I’m not afraid. Our outer sovereignty is endangered because a significant support breaks away with the USA under Trump. And that’s not the only problem.

You also spoke of a threat to Germany’s internal sovereignty?

Exactly. The American digital giants submit to the ideas of Trump’s authoritarian and right -wing populist government and change their terms of use accordingly. As a result, Germany’s inner sovereignty is immediately threatened, because at the latest from now on a large part of our communication space is controlled by private sector organizations that do not share the interests of liberal democracy. The EU will attempt to keep against regulations; But we see from the appearance of the US Vice President JD Vance at the AI ​​summit in Paris this week that the US government rejects the EU’s efforts and is looking for the open conflict.

With his platform X, Elon Musk actively encourages dismantling of liberal democracy.

It is absolutely dramatic, yes. Musk and Co. spread the right -wing populist and authoritarian ideal Trumps. But the worst thing is that they control the communication networks that could stop these destructive ideas; But now they will even reinforce them. In principle, this is as if around 50 percent of our West German press had been controlled by the Soviet KGB during the Cold War. An actor who was by no means friendly to us, an actor who obviously did not share the interests of the liberal Federal Republic.

Europe and Germany in particular are not well -fed at Trump today.

You can say that. Trump also decides whether the American atomic protective shield will remain tense across Europe. He has a lot in our hands, we have to admit that: For Trump, our security is not much more than negotiating mass towards an EU that he looks down at: he poker, the EU and Germany are absolutely blackmail. Because we need the US protection screen, Trump knows. And in contrast to previous US governments, he sees no direct US interest in the nuclear protection of Europe; He sees the nuclear protective shield as a pure negotiation mass. The EU and especially Germany should pay for it. It is highly questionable whether we can rely on this “mercenary deal”. It is as if Germany had had its atomic protective shade through India in the Cold War. We don’t have to lead this, the topics are far too serious. But if these two developments are not stopped, they threaten Germany in the long term much more than the AfD or the migration topic.