Chancellor Merkel, did you learn nothing from Hitler's invasion of Poland?

Just because you don't recognize another government doesn't give you the right to order an invasion of the country. I thought this point was settled by the victors in World War II but obviously not. Yet even Hitler didn't resort to gibberish to rationalize invasions. So at least have your defense minister read Mein Kampf before she makes Germany the laughing stock of the Arab Street -- and any college debating society.

From Reuters, today:

Germany's defense minister ruled out on Tuesday any cooperation between German forces due to take part in the military campaign against Islamic State in Syria and President Bashar al-Assad or his troops.

Speaking shortly before Germany's cabinet meets to approve the deployment of Tornado reconnaissance jets, refueling aircraft, a frigate and up to 1,200 military personnel to the region, Ursula von der Leyen defended the plans.

"The top line is: there will be no cooperation with Assad and no cooperation with troops under his command," von der Leyen told ARD television.

However, that did not exclude the possibility of including some of those currently on Assad's side in a long-term solution for the country, she said.

And I see Minister Ursula was just getting warmed up:

"We must avoid the collapse of the state of Syria," she said, adding that mistakes made in Iraq, when groups who had been loyal to Saddam Hussein were excluded from joining the political system after his defeat, should not be repeated.

"But let me be clear - there will be no future with Assad," she stressed.

Ursula von der Leyden doesn't strike me as a Syrian name, so by "we" was she referring to the voices in her head? 

If you don't like the polling results, which consistently find a majority of Syrians in the country supporting Bashar al-Assad, this still wouldn't give Germans the right to invade a sovereign nation.

Now if you believe President Assad is a monster who needs to be killed, where is Germany's declaration of war? Or do you believe that citing propaganda by Assad's opponents is all your regime needs to justify the invasion of his country and reorder it to Germany's liking?

Or are you trying to justify a completely illegal military action against another country because you fear Islamic State will attack Germany? In that event what makes you assume the attacks must be plotted from Syria? Why not Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan? Or for that matter, Belgium?  

Come to think of it, has your defense minister considered bombing Brussels?

That is what it's going to come to, if Minister Ursula's twaddle isn't halted. Soon any bunch of fools with sufficient funds will be able to 3D print a mechanized army to invade a country that strikes them in need of liberating. Which puts humanity right back to the year 1939.

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