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Far-right AfD now Germany's most popular party as country rejects US State Department criticism, suspends arms exports to Israel over Gaza

Far-right AfD now Germany's most popular party as country rejects US State Department criticism, suspends arms exports to Israel over Gaza

The big news today is the fate of Europe, which could be decided far away from Europe, without Europe early on a Friday evening local Swiss time in August. At 6:30 pm in Switzerland, Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to appear alongside US President Donald Trump at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. No one knows precisely what will go down exactly beyond Putin preening and Trump delighting in the global spotlight. Previous meetings between the two have been something of a rigorous demoralization exercise for American patriots, including former US Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European and Russian Affairs Fiona Hill who said she thought of faking a seizure to get out of the Helsinki confab in 2018.

The state of Alaska, which belonged to the Russian Empire until 1867, has not made quite so many global headlines since a proto-Trump Vice-Presidential candidate by the name of Sarah Palin, then the state's governor, appeared on the scene back in 2008. In those days, the parody version of her played by Tina Fey on the US comedy sketch show "Saturday Night Live" was so spot on that when Fey, as Palin, said, "I can see Russia from my house," people no longer knew whether it was Fey or Palin who said the now infamous line.

From the Swiss capital, the Alps make it so we might not be able to see Russia from our house – part of the problem, one could argue. But the signs of Russian influence are unmistakeable and near everywhere. The far-left agitates under the banner of old school Marxist-Leninism without irony or knowledge and the far-right pushes similar messages under the banner of "peace" or "frieden" in German, which is arguably the language's most meaningless, decontextualized word for in such a context it means peace with aggression done unto others. At least one popular weekly newspaper parrots the messages of the Kremlin and its allies. It was not more than two and a half weeks ago that Switzerland welcomed the sanctioned Chair of the Russian Federation Council and Putin confidante Valentina Matvienko, the first such visit to Europe by senior Russian officials since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2014. And so on.

Welcome to the new Alpine Security Monitor. Currently in its pilot stage, you can still sign up and subscribe (and become a paid subscriber!) for weekly updates on security and geopolitics as it concerns the Alpine region, namely Austria, Czechia, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland (ok, little Liechtenstein and Monaco too when merited).

BERLIN, GERMANY – AfD now the most popular party in Germany

  • Politico reports Tuesday the German far-right AfD is now polling at 26% of the vote according to the latest Forsa Institute for Social Research and Statistical Analysis poll.
  • The Christian Democrats, the party of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, is polling just below AfD at 24%.
  • The leader of the AfD, Alice Weidel, lives in Einsiedeln, Switzerland.

 

BERLIN, GERMANY – German government rejects US State Department report criticism

  • Deutsche Welle reports the German government rejected the criticism of the US Department of State that human rights and free speech are "under threat" in Germany and European countries in its annual human rights report for 2024 released Wednesday.
  • German Deputy Government spokesman Steffen Meyer said, "There is no censorship in Germany," and added, "We have a very high level of freedom of expression in Germany".
  • The State Department report notes, "Significant human rights issues" in Germany, including "restrictions on freedom of expression and credible reports of crime, violence, and threats of violence motivated by antisemitism".

 

BERLIN, GERMANY – Germany suspends arms exports to Israel over Gaza City plans

  • The Times of Israel reports Germany has opted to suspend further defense exports to Israel of matériel that could be used as part of the country's plans to occupy Gaza City "until further notice," citing a statement by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
  • In a statement, Merz said the release of Israeli hostages and ceasefire negotiations "are Germany's top priorities" but the decision to suspend military equipment exports "marks a major change of course" as Germany is "one of Israel's staunchest international allies." The Times of Israel reports Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Merz in a phone call that Germany is "rewarding Hamas terrorism".
  • Reuters notes it is the first time since German reunification in 1990 that the country "has acknowledged denying military support" to Israel, but the move comes as Merz faces public pressure as well as his junior coalition partner, the Social Democrats. The AP cites Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) data that German companies supply 30% of Israel's defense imports, mostly naval weapons, and SIPRI analyst Zain Hussain said he believes the stoppage will only be a temporary, "limited measure".

 

BERLIN, GERMANY – Military aid package for Ukraine to use 'new NATO supply line'

  • The AP reports Wednesday that Germany intends to work with Ukraine's Western allies to supply up to $500 million in military assistance to Ukraine using a "new NATO supply line."
  • Germany's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense said the focus of the aid would be "critical air defense capabilities" and would be based on "Ukraine's priority needs".
  • Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Germany has delivered €40 billion ($47 billion) worth of military equipment and support to Ukraine – a far cry from the 5,000 helmets initially on offer.

 

DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY – Rheinmetall chief: Spending surge will drive tank prices down

  • The Financial Times reports Tuesday Armin Papperger, the CEO of German tank manufacturer Rheinmetall, told the paper that he expects European defense spending surges to drive down the price of tanks "in the coming years," contrary to the fears "that ballooning European defence budgets would lead to price inflation and poor value for taxpayers".
  • Papperger said the cost of armoured vehicles and artillery systems "will go down and not up," and cited the already dropping cost of ammunition with expanded production capacity.
  • The company expects "thousands and thousands" of orders for products including the Boxer and Puma vehicles as well as Leopard 2 tanks in the next year.

 

PARIS, FRANCE – Macrons' investigation finds Candace Owens' ties to far right, Russia

  • The Financial Times reports the French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte hired investigators with the firm Nardello & Co. to look into the background of US far right podcaster Candace Owens as they prepared to sue her, finding links "to French far-right personalities and her popularity in Russian state media."
  • The Macrons filed suit against Owens over a podcast series that drew millions of listeners which asserts "outlandish, defamatory and far-fetched fictions" that the French First Lady was born a man. Their lawyer Tom Claire told the paper the Macrons decided to sue out of a "desire to understand why an American conservative podcaster had taken an interest in them," adding the research was done to "help explain to a jury the context" of Owens' claims.
  • The investigation showed that while a Spanish blogger posted "the idea" in 2017, it was not until 2021 that the accusation gained traction in France after the editor-in-chief of a far-right publication Faits et Documents named Xavier Poussard helped spread the conspiracy theory. Owens podcast called "Becoming Brigitte," borrows its title from Poussard's book and has been covered by Konstantin Malofeev's Kremlin-linked Tsargrad TV. RT also posted about Owens more than 30 times since 2018. Owens also interacted on social media with Russian Kremlin ideologue Alexander Dugin (who tweeted supportively of her Monday) and Marine Le Pen's niece Marion Maréchal. Additionally, Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, was a guest at Owens' wedding.

 

PARIS, FRANCE – France acknowledges suppressing Cameroonian independence

  • The Guardian reports Wednesday that French President Emmanuel Macron sent a letter to Cameroonian President Paul Biya dated July 30 acknowledging his country's role "in decades of violent repression of independence movements in Cameroon".
  • The letter was disclosed Tuesday to the public through a joint Franco-Cameroonian commission tasked with investigating the French colonial era suppression of Cameroon's independence movements between 1945 and 1971. Biya served as the prime minister under the French-aligned postcolonial government of Ahmadou Ahidjo from 1975 until 1982.
  • What's not in the letter: "Macron did not apologise or mention any form of reparations."

 

PARIS, FRANCE – France opens investigation into Israeli rabbi who threatened Macron

  • France24 reports that French authorities have opened an investigation into Rabbi David Daniel Cohen at the behest of Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau after a video Cohen posted online expressed "threatening remarks" regarding Macron's decision to recognize a Palestinian state.
  • Writing on X, Retailleau said the "abhorrent threats" were "totally unacceptable" and that he had contacted the government's online Pharos platform which monitors "dangerous and criminal online content" and referred the case to the justice system "under Article 40 of the criminal procedure code".
  • In the video, Cohen instructed Macron to "prepare his coffin" and said Macron's decision was an expression of "profound anti-Semitism," equivalent to "declaring war on God". France's Chief Rabbi Haïm Korsia called the remarks "abhorrent and intolerable" and said Cohen "has never held any rabbinical position in France, was not trained by nor graduated from France's rabbinical school".

 

PARIS, FRANCE – France stops renewing work visas for Israeli airline El Al's security staff

  • The Times of Israel, citing a French government source, reports France has stopped renewing the work visas for Israeli airline El Al's security staff.
  • The official reason for the suspension of the work visas is the security screenings carried out by El Al staff on members of France's diplomatic corps at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport prior to boarding.
  • While the halt on work visa renewals is currently under discussion with France's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the security staff for the Israeli airline are effectively prohibited from working legally in France.

 

MAISON-FEYNE, FRANCE – Recall of soft cheeses after two die from listeriosis

  • Reuters reports soft cheeses made by the dairy firm Chavegrand are being recalled in France after two people died from listeriosis infection with others reportedly falling ill after consuming Chavegrand products, which are sold in supermarkets nationwide.

 

VIENNA, AUSTRIA – UN launches inquiry into disappearance of deported Syiran man

  • Reuters reports the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances opened an inquiry into the whereabouts of a 32 year old Syrian man who was deported from Austria in early July and has failed to make contact with his family or attorneys since then.
  • The UN committee requested in a letter dated August 6 that Austria "make formal diplomatic representations to the Syrian authorities" to determine whether the unnamed individual is alive and whether he is being held in what conditions "and request diplomatic guarantees to ensure his safety and humane treatment".
  • According to Reuters, the 32 year old man "was the first Syrian national expelled from European Union territory since the fall in December of President Bashar al-Assad to rebels," and notes, "Rights groups raised concerns at the time of the man's deportation on July 3 that he risked inhumane treatment".

 

BERN, SWITZERLAND – Switzerland expands sanctions list against Russia

  • The Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research announced Tuesday that it had extended the sanctions list against Russia over its war against Ukraine.
  • In doing so, the Swiss government said it "adopted a series of amendments introduced by the EU as part of its 18th package of sanctions" against Russia and that the measures would take effect the same day they were announced.
  • The expanded list includes an addition 14 individuals and 41 entitities and said they are now subjected to having their assets be frozen and "a ban on the provision of economic resources" as well as being barred from entering or transiting through Switzerland. Additionally, 105 vessels from third countries, known as Russia's "shadow fleet" as these vessels are responsible for the transit of Russian oil and military matériel, are now subject to a purchase, sale or service ban. 

 

BERN, SWITZERLAND – Swiss colonel suspended for passing information to Russia

  • SRF (Swissinfo in English) reports last Friday that a colonel in the Swiss Armed Forces who was assigned to the Swiss delegation of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was suspended for passing information to Russia in the summer of 2024.
  • As a result of the allegation that the Swiss colonel in question handed a document to Russia that was shared across the OSCE a few hours later, the Swiss Department of Defense said the colonel was recalled to Switzerland at the end of last year.
  • According to SRF, "Several people familiar with the case suspect that the Swiss authorities only reacted so harshly due to pressure from other countries" but the channel's Investigativ research indicates "the case is not only being investigated by the Federal Department of Defense (DDPS), but is also an intelligence matter." Additionally, "military criminal authorities" are involved. Switzerland is set to assume chairmanship of the OSCE next year.

 

BERN, SWITZERLAND – Switzerland coming to accept it will pay more for F35s

  • Swissinfo reports Wednesday that Switzerland was unable to secure a fixed price for its acquisition of 36 F35s produced by Lockheed Martin following conversations with "high-ranking representatives of the White House" and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
  • Now that Switzerland has worked its way through the major stages of grief, the Federal Council has communicated that "The fixed price of CHF6 billion for the jets, which has been repeatedly communicated by the Federal Council, is therefore no longer valid." As a result, Switzerland must accept "that the price per production batch corresponds to the value negotiated between the US government and Lockheed Martin".
  • While it is unclear what the sum total Switzerland will pay for the jets, the additional costs range from 650 million to 1.3 billion Swiss francs ($807 million to $1.6 billion). While the Swiss Defense Ministry has been tasked with evaluating options by November, the Federal Council said the country "reaffirms that it remains committed to the procurement".

 

BERN, SWITZERLAND – Defense Minister says open to US procurement to offset tariffs

  • AFP reports Swiss Defense Minister Martin Pfister said Sunday that his country is "open" to procuring defense matériel from the US and has "not to call into question" the acquisition of 36 F-35A fighter jets in an effort to reduce the "whopping" 39% tariff US President Donald Trump placed on Switzerland one week ago.
  • The Swiss government is "seeking more talks" at present after last ditch efforts by Swiss Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter, who currently holds the country's rotating presidency this year, in Washington with US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio failed to make headway in reducing the steep rate.
  • In what is being described as a "horror scenario" for Swiss businesses, entire sectors from watchmaking to industrial machinery as well as chocolate and cheese are in jeopardy as a result.

 

BASEL, SWITZERLAND –Trump execution sculpture will not be shown at train station

  • Swissinfo reports a sculpture of US President Donald Trump wearing the stereotypical US prison uniform of an orange jumpsuit strapped to a white crucifix-like bed similar to the ones used for lethal injections in the US will not be shown at the Basel train station's Gleis4 gallery because "The large crowds expected to have been drawn by the sculpture, as well as the feared disruptions, posed too great a safety risk".
  • Gleis4 said it came to this decision on its own without the intervention of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB).
  • The fate of the public exhibition of the sculpture by British artist Mason Storm entitled "Saint or Sinner" in Switzerland is unknown.

 

LAMPEDUSA, ITALY – At least 26 migrants drown at sea in shipwreck with 60 survivors

  • The New York Times reports at least 26 people drowned in the Mediterranean Wednesday after two boats capsized off the coast of the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, with the death toll expected to increase.
  • Search and rescue teams are at work to recovery operations, with 60 rescued at sea following the journey from Libya, according to Italian UNHCR spokesman Filippo Ungaro. Italian news media report a baby and three teenagers are among the victims.
  • The surviving 56 men and four women told rescuers that as one boat began to take in water many people shifted to the second boat causing it to capsize from the additional weight.

 

ROME, ITALY – Italy grounds German migrant rescue charity's aircraft over incident at sea

  • Reuters reports last Friday Italy has grounded an airplane, Seabird 1, used by German migrant rescue charity Sea-Watch, after the Italian Coast Guard informed the country's National Civil Aviation Authority about an emergency incident at sea in which the "pilot had failed to notify relevant authorities".
  • In response, Sea-Watch put out a statement accusing the Italian authorities of "a new escalation in the Italian government's fight against civilian human rights observation in the Mediterranean." Additionally, the NGO added the decision stemmed from an incident in which "the aerial monitoring crew had documented how the Italian authorities ignored the distress calls of a ship in distress for an entire day without sending help. Two children died as a result," with the case attracting "a great deal of attention in Italy."

 

DIAMANTE, ITALY – Two dead, 14 hospitalized amid botulism outbreak

  • The New York Post reports two middle aged individuals are dead and 14 are in the hospital after eating "sausage and turnip top paninis" tainted with toxic botulism sold at a food truck in the town of Diamante in southwestern Italy, the second such outbreak in a month.
  • The 33 year old owner of the food truck, Giuseppe Santonocito and his three employees who made the sandwiches are under investigation.
  • Officials ordered a halt to sales of the commercially-produced paninis nationwide and are testing the other items sold at the truck.

 

MOUNT VESUVIUS, ITALY – Wildfire closes Mount Vesuvius while Pompeii stays open

  • CBS News reports firefighters with the aid of the Italian army battled a wildfire through the weekend that erupted last Friday on the southern slope of Mount Vesuvius known as Mount Somma, resulting in the popular attraction being closed to tourists.
  • The vulcano that erupted there nearly 2,000 years ago buried the ancient city of Pompeii in 79 AD, preserving the site that is now a popular tourist attraction.
  • While the smoke could be seen from the archeological site of Pompeii, the preserved Roman city remained open to tourists.

 

PRAGUE, CZECHIA – Beijing severing all ties with Czech president over Dalai Lama visit

  • Politico reports Beijing announced Tuesday that it is "severing all contacts" with Czech President Petr Pavel following his visit with the Dalai Lama last month.
  • During a press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Pavel's meeting "harms China's sovereignty and territorial integrity." Lin labeled the encounter a "provocative action" and said, "China decides to cease all engagement with him".
  • Pavel met the Dalai Lama on the occasion of his 90th birthday on a private trip to India where he resides in exile.

Stay safe and remember also the fate of the Uyghurs!

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