With this book, the author would like to take us on a historical and security policy journey into the 1990s. In it, he describes small and large events from his time as defence attaché from 1994 to 1998 in Poland. At that time, the Federal Republic of Germany was already in its fourth year of reunification, the Soviet Union had imploded and many former Warsaw Pact states were on their way to a hopefully better future in a free Europe. At the time, no politician had a blueprint for this changing Europe. The defence alliance NATO had lost its major enemy and was looking for new, promising tasks for the future. The USA, in a coalition of the willing, had overrun Iraq, a country experienced in war, with modern technology and operations and was dreaming of a new, Western-influenced era. With the 1990 Charter of Paris, the CSCE had also enshrined the inviolability of national borders and the right to freely choose alliances.
In 1993, the then German Defence Minister Volker Rühe began publicly campaigning for the admission of former Warsaw Pact countries to NATO. However, he met with clear resistance within NATO, especially from the USA. It was precisely at this time of upheaval that the author took up his post as a naval officer and defence attaché in Warsaw. A lucky coincidence for him was the German ambassador in PolandJohannes Bauch, who greatly appreciated the hands-on nature of his top military officer at the embassy and repeatedly supported him in the years that followed. Another stroke of luck was the trio in the Federal Ministry of Defence in Bonn with Minister Rühe, State Secretary Schönbohm and Inspector General Naumann, who took on a new hinge function. Poland from the very beginning and drove it forward themselves.
In over 80 short essays Spieker the rapidly growing trusting co-operation between German and Polish politicians, scientists, representatives of public life and the military. It would go too far to go into each of these small and large events. Perhaps this can be summarised:
- During his time as defence attaché, a vague commitment to NATO enlargement became a firm decision to join in 1999;
- In four years, the idea of a tri-national military corps becomes the German-Danish-Polish Corps based in Szczecin;
- On the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the city of Gdansk, the then President Poland Alexander Kwasniewski invited the German Federal President Roman Herzog;
- A separate military cemetery for German soldiers who died in the Second World War is opened in Warsaw;
- Germany and German soldiers in particular are helping with the Oder floods.
However, these major steps towards understanding would hardly have been possible without the many small steps towards understanding through visits, invitations, concerts, student and soldier exchanges, ship visits, joint military manoeuvres, training in the other country, etc.
In view of the current situation in Poland writes Volker Rühe in his foreword to this book: "He describes the time of change with a lot of heart and expertise Poland towards the West, a great time for German-Polish relations! His memories show that it was a stroke of luck to be Captain Spieker in a team with his wife in Warsaw. The book conveys confidence that, despite some irritations, even the Poland of tomorrow will successfully steer this course!"
Or from the greeting by Dr Andrzej Karkoszka, then State Secretary and 1st Deputy Minister of National Defence of the Republic Poland:"....It is a pity that now, at a time of "good change" in our country, we often forget this key historical role played by Germany."
It is good that Hartmut Spieker has set out as a contemporary witness to remind us all of these years of upheaval and the building of something new. May many of us take this book as an opportunity to take courage and bring about change on both a small and large scale.
Text: Heinz Dieter Jopp
Publisher: TWENTYSIX, Norderstedt - ISBN: 978.374.077.1751
The book is available in bookshops, both in hardback and as an e-book. It can also be ordered directly from the publisher and of course also on the Internet.
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