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Europe
and
the Middle East
FOCUS
OF
ATTENTION
FOR
ll®§3S
by
Gene H. Hogberg
T
HE
world, as the new
year dawns, is poised on
the brink of momentous
change.
Fast-paced events are already
unfo lding in Wes tern Europe
and in the Middle East as t he
world head s into the politically
s to rm-fi lled mid I980s .
The stage has been set by two
major events. The first was the
stunning collapse in September of
the West German government and
the fall from power of its widely
res pected chancellor, Helmut
Schmidt.
The second occurred at the same
time. H undreds of Palestinian civil–
ians perished in a massacre in West
Beirut , Lebanon. World opinion
turned against the state of Israel,
which was held responsible for not
preventing the pogrom carried out
by its troublesome Lebanese allies.
Let's first look at these events in
some detail. Then we can see how
these two seemingly unconnected
events have set in motion a pro–
found change in world alfairs.
Schmldt Era Over
On September 17, the 13-year-old
2
national coalition of Social Demo–
crats (SPD) and the Free Demo–
cratic Party (FDP) in West Ger–
many carne to an abrupt end, with
the resignation of four FDP cabinet
members.
The development, rumored for
sorne time because of irreconcilable
differences between the SPD and
FDP, also brought to a close the
eight-year r ule of C ha ncellor
Schmidt.
After ·an October 1 "construc–
tive vote of no confidence" the
opposition conservative parties,
the Christian Democratic Union
(CDU) and its Bavar ian affi liate,
the Christi a n Socialist Union
(CSU), assumed power once
again- linked in coali tion with the
Free Democrats, who, in effect,
swapped partners.
Many política! analysts, howev–
er, appear to have doubts about the
new chancellor, Helmut Kohl. Herr
Kohl is a successful though not par–
ticularly colorful pol itician. He has
steadily marched up through the
ranks of party leadership to become
C DU chairman. But he may not
have, believe his detractors, what it
takes to stand up to expected stiff
challenges ahead in the nation,
plagued by economic slowdown and
increasingly polarized politics.
Labor union leaders, for exam–
ple, have warned they may a rder
rank-and-file members into the
streets to protest planned cuts in
social spending. Leftist studen t
groups are certain to protest louder
than ever, as the day approaches,
Bonn's decision to accept the sta–
t ioning of new N ATO nuclear mis–
siles by the end of 1983.
West Germany has nevertheless
taken a decisive step away from 13
years of leftward-drifting socialism.
Its leadership is back in the center–
right position once again.
It
will
continue to progressively move to
the right over the years.
The Social Democrats, now in
opposition, are expected to move
farther to the left , possibly even
attempting to incorporate the so–
caBed Green movement (which is
composed of younger Germans
who focus on single issues such as
the environment , antinuc lear
power and ant i-NATO, among
others).
Thus the s tage is being set for
even more political fireworks in the
Bundestag in Bonn.
lf
Herr Kohl
fa ils to provide the leadership
needed to meet the cha llenges
ahead, especially from the radical
left , there is always Franz Josef
S t rauss, CSU chairman and Herr
Kohl 's chief conservative riva l,
ready to offer his more dynamic
s tyle of leadership.
After nat ional elections, perhaps
in March, the CDUfCSU hopes to
win a clear majority. In that case
the weakened FDP would no longer
be needed and may in fact disap–
pear on the national level.
At that time, predícts
Business
Week,
H err Strauss will "emerge,
in a purely Christian Democratic
government , as fo reign minis ter
and
power broker."
And perhaps
a lso as vice-c hancellor , which
would be a stepping-s tone to the
top position denied him in the elec–
tion of October, 1980.
Europeans Furious at Israel
Meanwhile, in the Middle East,
Israel's war in Lebanon against the
Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO) unleashed an unprecede nted
amount of criticism from all quar–
ters in Europe.
The governments and the news
media of France, West Germany,
It aly and other countries have
soundly condemned the Israel í mil–
itary campaign that led to the
expulsion of the Palestine Libera–
tion Organization from West Bei–
rut.
Nevertheless, the Jerusalem gov–
ernment might have escaped rela–
tively unharmed had the massacre
of Palestinian civilians not taken
place.
Israel was blamed for permitting
the carnage, since the Israelí
Defense Force had moved in to
West Beirut ostensibly to keep
warring factions apart.
Without a doubt, the Israelí mil–
itary blundéred by entrusting to its
Lebanese Falangist allies the job of
rooting out s traggl ing PLO soldiers
in two urban Palestinian camps.
Instead, the Falangists took re–
venge, slaughtering hundreds of
Palestinian women, cbildren and
the elde rly for the murder of Presi-
(Continued on page 43)
The PLAIN TRUTH