Germany commemorates reunification and is free of war debt. On Sunday, Germans marked the 20th anniversary of reunification following 40 years of separation following World War II with celebrations across the country, including a much-anticipated speech by President Christian Wulff. President Wulff took the occasion to call for acceptance and integration of Turkish and Arab Muslims into German society, stating “Christianity doubtless belongs in Germany. Judaism belongs doubtless in Germany. That is our Judeo-Christian history. But by now, Islam also belongs in Germany. First and foremost, we need adopt a clear stance: an understanding that for Germany, belonging is not restricted to a passport, a family history, or a religion.” The reunification anniversary also marked Germany’s final payment of €70 million, to honor the original 1919 Treaty of Versailles that was signed as a commitment to making war reparations. Totaling €300 billion in today’s terms, the debt has taken 92 years to repay. Meanwhile, wars currently being waged are proving to be even more costly. A new study by Nobel Economics Prize laureate Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard University Professor Linda Bilmes forecasts a doubling of previously estimated costs to the US economy of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, stating that they could go as high as US$6 trillion.
Germany, we laud your celebration of peaceful unity as well as your honorable repayment of past war reparations, as we also send our appreciation for President Wulff’s message of respect for all people and beliefs. May your nation’s exemplary actions encourage governments across the globe to choose peace as the way to save precious lives, as well as funds to be directed instead toward the betterment of society and preservation of our planet.
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