Why Gerhard Schroeder is the man of the hour?

Ending hardliner Helmet Kohl’s longest grip in German politics, Gerhard Schroeder led the SPD coalition to victory in the 1998 election. Overnight, he was hailed as the catalyst destined to change the fabric of Federal Germany. That he did with characteristic elegance. Then and now he is the man of the hour!

Immediately after being sworn in as the Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder set in motion a phenomenal transformation, from conservative capitalism to liberal welfarism. His rule lasting seven years as the head of Centre Right Coalition was noteworthy in that he immaculately balanced diverge opinion of the constituent parties to focus on the Agenda 2000 alternatively known as the “Courage to Change”. Here are few highlights:

Reform was the crucial goal that underpinned his presidency. Firstly, it was to cut the cost of unwanted labour and at the same time utilizing the excess labour elsewhere in productive enterprises. Initially he cut and trimmed labour wages but at the end he enhanced these as productivity gains poured in. Integrating labour from the former East Germany was a Herculean task which he performed with excellence. His mantra: social welfare system must go hand in hand with geoeconomics pragmatism.

He was pacifist to the core. Along with French President Jacques Chirac, he opposed the American war in Iraq in 2003. By the same token he laid the foundation stone for German-Russian bon-homie. Back in the region, he sought to spread the benefits of the European economic success to others who have not joined the EU.

Schroeder in German means a tailor. He succeeded in stitching the Coat of German-Russian cooperation blending pro-German patriotism with Russia friendly pragmatism. Energy partnership with Russia was the lasting impression he left with the inauguration of Nord Stream pipeline. As a brilliant stroke in strategy amid geoeconomics he played a role of a viable intermediary between USA and Russia despite being dubbed as “Putin’s Man in Berlin”.

Ignoring heavy criticism as pro-Russian agent, Gerhard brought  economic miracle where cheap Russian gas was leveraged multiple times to bring in efficiency  in German manufacturing, technology, motor industry and not to forget the pharma segment.

Laudable achievement in economy apart, Gerhard laid the seed for multi-polarity, a concept that is in the lips of many geoeconomics analysts today. He enhanced diplomatic relationship with many countries promoting trade, finance and investment to and fro. Not only that, all the seeds  he planted during his tenure as Chancellor started to grow and bore the gains during his seven year tenure and later were transferred to his successor Angela Merkel whose 16 years at the helm made Germany a great European power to be reckoned along with USA, Russia and China.

Politician, Tailor, planter, statesman and master in geoeconomics, Gerhard Schroeder is the man of the hour Germany needs today in order to get out of the economic morass she is in. More than anything else, Germany has to get out from the vassalage of being an American Colony!

 

Cheers!

 

Muthu Ashraff Rajulu

Strategy Adviser

Mobile: + 94 777 265677

E-mail: cosmicgems@gmail.com

Blog:   Strategy Adviser