Glenn Diesen - Greater Eurasia Podcast Max Otte: How Germany Destroyed Itself - No Turning Back
Jan 21, 2026
Max Otte, a political economist and former presidential candidate in Germany, shares insights on the decline of German national interests since the Cold War. He highlights how postwar re-education suppressed the notion of national interest, leading to a lack of diplomatic agency. Otte critiques the EU's institutional design and discusses the German Green Party's shift from pacifism to militarism. He warns of Germany's systemic decline and explores future scenarios, including the risks of a new Cold War amidst contemporary global shifts.
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Reeducation Shaped Postwar German Policy
- Postwar German elites were 're-educated' to tie national interest to NATO and European integration.
- This prevented Germany from independently defining its own national interests after WWII.
EU Design Weakened Germany's Leverage
- Germany accepted institutional designs that limited its relative power within the EU, benefiting others.
- Centralized EU rules became a regulatory burden that advantaged other nations at Germany's expense.
Fischer's 'Delude Germany' Moment
- Joschka Fischer publicly argued Germany should be 'deluded' to reduce its power and later became foreign minister.
- Max Otte treats Fischer's stance as opportunism that enabled a more transatlantic, interventionist Green Party.
