Germany suspends military approval for long stays abroad for men under 45

timokoesters

Here is an official response from the Bundeswehr (German): https://www.bundeswehr.de/de/organisation/zahlen-daten-fakte...

pixelpoet

Good, because I was seriously considering returning to NZ out of fear of being drafted into a war.

Frieren

We are told that we are in a state of preparing for war. When we will start restricting luxury items, unnecessary private jet travel, energy waste in crypto-currencies, etc.? Because it seems that for being so obsessed to be prepared for war the only ones affected are the working class. The rich are just wasting resources away like if there was no tomorrow. I just see austerity 2.0 to cut citizens rights, cut services to the working class and transfer as much wealth and power to the super-rich as possible. I am all for Europe being prepared for war. That is a necessity. So, I am all for better health care, better education, less dependency on foreign gas and oil, better funding for goverment programs ... real measures to be prepare for the worst and less bending over to rich foreign interests.

flohofwoe

This was pretty much a big media nothingburger. The rule isn't new, it existed for decades all the way back to the beginnings of the Cold War. Nobody cared back then (neither the people nor the army), nobody should care now (there are no sanctions). I guess some journalist was actually reading through the consciption law (as probably the only person on the planet), stumbled over that passage and turned it into an elephant.

09725290216

I cannot understand how German men can be expected to fight while women are exempt. It's pure sexism against men and also very insulting to women. I'm opposed to conscription in general, but I live in Sweden with gender-neutral conscription laws, and I would do my best to defend my country if it became necessary. If I were a man in an alternate version of Sweden with male-only conscription, I would feel so disrespected and devalued by the state that I couldn't imagine myself defending it, so I would either join a non-state-affiliated resistance group or flee the country. If I lived in Germany right now (even as a woman, but especially as a man), I would seriously consider emigrating to a more egalitarian country as soon as possible.

dude250711

How did Germany treat veterans of the previous major war by the way?

dust42

The law is still there though and thus its application can be resumed at any time without need of parliament approval.

PhilipRoman

Hah, based on the title I assumed it was exactly the opposite - that it was the automatic approval that had been suspended

tsoukase

We are too far away from the last real war in Europe, which was WWII, and forgot how massive thing it is. Let's start saying that a war or a preparation for it is an experience that cannot be expressed wholly by words. Our current life doesn't seem to be anything like that. That's because, IMHO, the war shenanigan is a forced artificial thing, imposed by background global forces just to sell some more weapons and spread some fear and worry. Not much more will happen.

scoofy

Perhaps a cautionary move for potential fallout from the Hungarian election?