In the great moments of transformation, nations fall not only because of their weakness, but because of their mismanagement of their weakness.
And it is precisely here that the gap between those who understand politics as a conflict of slogans and those who understand it as the art of managing balances emerges.
After World War II, Germany was a defeated, demilitarized, beleaguered, and overburdened country with international suspicion. And yet, in a few years, it has been able to move from a security burden to a pillar of stability in Europe.
The secret was not in power, but in what Henry Kissinger called: a strategy of humility.
What does humility mean in politics?
Humility here does not mean concession, nor refraction, nor acceptance of inferiority,
it means reducing rhetoric without lowering the target, offering reassurance rather than provocation, and managing fears rather than challenging them.
Adenauer didn't ask: How do I immediately restore German sovereignty?
He asked a smarter question:
How do I get others to accept Germany's return without being afraid of it?
He began to dismantle France's fears through the coal and steel project, invested American support without turning it into a noisy dependency, and treated the Soviet Union with caution that would prevent a clash without giving it hegemony.
🔆 Similarity with the Iraqi situation
Iraq today, albeit in a different context, is in a structural situation soon:
A country emerging from long conflicts, imperfect sovereignty, a field of regional and international competition, and external concerns from inside Iraq
An internal division is used as a pretext for intervention.
The problem is not the multiplicity of pressures, but the way to deal with them.
Often, Iraqi political discourse turns to:
Language that limits ability
Or a hub language that closes the balance doors
or sovereign slogans that don't have their tools .
Here is where the German lesson is clearly shown:
States that want to regain their sovereignty do not start with a clash, but rather build phased confidence.
strategic bases that could be dropped on Iraq.
1. Sovereignty is a path, not a decision: It is not restored in one go, but built gradually by shrinking the excuses, not doubling them.
2. Reassuring the outside does not mean betraying the inside : A smart state reassures without conceding, negotiates without provocation.
3. Managing concerns is more important than managing alliances: Coalitions change, and concerns actually drive policies.
4. The bridge state is stronger than the square state: Whoever puts himself on a spearhead, he is drained. And who improves positioning, it becomes a necessity for everyone.
5. Quiet discourse is a tool of strength, not a sign of weakness: In politics, it is not the one who raises his voice that is strongest, but the one who makes others need his stability.
conclusion
Germany's experience teaches us that countries are run not by impulse, but by cohesion.
And that humility, when conscious, is not a concession, but a highly intelligent strategy.
comments