“Europe as a global power”

Following the recent federal elections, the new German government and its cabinet of ministers is expected to be announced soon. Meanwhile, the country’s expected new chancellor Friedrich Merz has already pushed forward with a further militarization of the economy. Now, one of the expected ministers, Wolfram Weimer, responsible for culture and media, sparks debate in the country due to his both, conservative and militarist positions. The following article sheds a light on his ideological background. It appeared on the website German-Foreign-Policy.com here.Translation by UWI.

Wolfram Weimer, the designated Minister of State for Culture and Media in the Federal Chancellery, laments a “landslide loss of power” in Europe due to decolonization and praises an alleged “civilizing achievement inherent in world conquest.” The “bond to Christianity,” he further states in a “Conservative Manifesto” published by Weimer in 2018, represents “an important component of European identity”: “The baptismal certificate is the entry ticket to European culture.” The designated Minister of State for Culture had previously lamented a “cultural self-destruction” in which attempts are being made to “exterminate the old national instincts” “with numerous kebab shops, industrious immigration, and the homage to Kanak German.” In his “manifesto,” Weimer also mocks “the equal opportunity officers and integration consultants”—the “high priests of do-gooderism.” He is currently urging to take into account the AfD’s demands for immigration control. His positions are suitable for providing an ideological foundation for the formation of the EU and for an aggressively expansive global policy.

“The Conservative Manifesto”

Wolfram Weimer set out the central elements of his worldview several years ago in a book entitled “The Conservative Manifesto.”[1] In it, he makes positive references to classic values of conservative and right-wing circles—family, homeland, nation, and tradition—ascribes fundamental importance to Christianity, and praises old Prussian virtues (“diligence, loyalty, obedience, discipline”). Weimer complains that “the German Left” wanted to “throw overboard the supposedly outdated Prussian educational goals and replace them with a new canon of values,” including “goals” such as “equality, emancipation, and solidarity.” To enforce these values, he says, a “republic of virtue” was established, which regulates gambling, for example, and advocates for women’s quotas in certain areas: “They come along with quotas and bans,” writes Weimer, “the consumer and family advocates, the equal opportunity officers, and integration consultants,” just “like high priests of do-gooderism.” The conceptual parallels to the current policy of the Trump administration, which seeks to end equality policy in the name of the fight against social inclusion (DEI – Diversity, Equality, Inclusion), are obvious.

“Europe’s Decline Sclerosis”

The designated Minister of State for Culture and Media defines “Europe” as the Christian “West”; the “Conservative Manifesto” states: “The baptismal certificate is the entry ticket to European culture.”[2] The “bond to Christianity” represents “an important component of European identity.” Accordingly, German Romantics had already seen “the European cultural area in contrast to the Islamic-influenced Orient.” But now “Christianity… has been relativized, fought against, and ultimately abandoned for several centuries,” explains Weimer: “With this religious masochism, Europe is neutralizing its core cultural power.” “Europe” has even been suffering “for several years from a sclerosis of decline”; it has “capitulated” – “because it suspects that there will hardly be a comeback for Europe as a world power.” Weimer had already criticized a “cultural self-destruction” in the “states of Central Europe” in the magazine Cicero, which he published at the time. There are attempts to “eradicate the old national instincts with many kebab shops, diligent immigration and the homage to Kanak German.”[3] “In our big cities, millions of unemployed Muslims live in parallel worlds,” Weimer continued, calling the situation there “a Halloween of alienation.”

“Europe’s expansion power”

For Weimer, the need to put an end to this also arises from the fact that “Europe” has “given up on itself as an expansionist force” in global politics and is currently “no longer expanding spatially.”[4] “The age of European expansion (…) ended in 1945,” states the “Conservative Manifesto.” “Territorially,” “the spaces dominated by European capitals” are “becoming ever smaller.”

According to the designated Minister of State for Culture, the Portuguese-controlled Macau was the last colony to be returned to China in 1999 – incorrect insofar as numerous other territories, especially in the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific, are still held by European states as de facto colonies (german-foreign-policy.com reported [5]).

Regarding decolonization as a whole, he writes that “this landslide loss of power” was “not even regretted” in Europe. Yet, “Europe has collapsed territorially as a world power in just 60 years”; it has “lost what it had conquered within 600 years.” “Its own colonial history” is unfortunately now classified merely as “illegitimate expansion”; “its own civilizing achievement, which lies in world conquest,” is ignored.

“Cultural protest”

Weimer’s positions are suitable for serving as an ideological foundation for a tight internal formation of Europe and an aggressively expanding global policy. They are also compatible with the AfD. Weimer describes the AfD’s success as a “cultural protest”: “People no longer want unbridled mass immigration of Muslim men.”[6] However, “this issue” has not been properly addressed by “the centrist parties” for far too long; “the next federal government” must now catch up.

The presumed future Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, demonstrated on January 29 that he is fundamentally willing to cooperate, at least indirectly, with the AfD in the fight against migration. He introduced a motion in the Bundestag that – as was clearly foreseeable in advance – only received a majority thanks to the AfD’s votes.[7] Weimer openly opposed the AfD several times before the federal election, but primarily because of the party’s stance against NATO and the EU. This position, of course, is not irrefutable. Parts of the AfD have long been in favor of remaining in NATO.[8] The party had removed the demand for withdrawal from the EU from its program for the federal election.[9] Regarding the exit from the euro, which many in the AfD are currently calling for, party leader Alice Weidel stated at the beginning of February that it was “far too late” for this.[10]

The normalization of the AfD

Completely independent of the person of the designated Minister of State for Culture and Media, who is said to be an old acquaintance of the future Chancellor, the debate in Berlin about a gradual opening to the AfD is progressing. The designated chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Jens Spahn, recently argued that when filling committee positions in parliament, “the AfD should be treated as an opposition party… like any other opposition party.” Spahn met with public criticism for this, especially from the SPD and Alliance 90/The Greens; however, within the CDU/CSU parties, it was reported that “most people internally find the move correct.”[11]

Although Spahn emphasized that his plea only applied to the election of committee positions, it is a further step towards increasing the acceptance of the AfD and its normalization in the public eye. For example, the designated Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also agreed with him: “AfD candidates for committee chairs” who “have not attracted negative attention in the past” should be elected, said Wadephul [12]; after all, the AfD is the second largest parliamentary group in the Bundestag – “we must acknowledge this reality”.

Notes

[1], [2] Wolfram Weimer: The Conservative Manifesto. Ten Commandments of the New Bourgeoisie. Kulmbach 2018.

[3] Wolfram Weimer: The Multicultural Lie. Cicero, December 2004.

[4] Wolfram Weimer: The Conservative Manifesto. Ten Commandments of the New Bourgeoisie. Kulmbach 2018.

[5] See Colonies in the 21st Century (I) and Colonies in the 21st Century (IV) .

[6] “Then we’ll be rid of the nightmare”: Business insider warns and makes anti-AfD proposal. focus.de.

[7] See The High Flight of the Right .

[8] See Contradictory Approach .

[9] Dietmar Neuerer: The AfD’s Dangerous Euro Mistake. handelsblatt.com, January 12, 2025.

[10] “Far too late to leave the euro.” tagesschau.de 03.02.2025.

[11] Wulf Schmiese: Why Spahn’s proposal is not a cause for controversy. zdf.de 16.04.2025.

[12] Alisha Mendgen: After Spahn’s demand: Union struggles to deal with AfD in the Bundestag. rnd.de, April 14, 2025.