ℹ Allergy information: Personal comment. May contain traces of satire.
Freedom of education under attack: Trump's attack on Harvard as a warning signal
The only thing missing is that we (Germany) supply weapons to our other friends (the USA) instead of just to Israel. Their antisocial, racist, anti-democratic, disgusting president is just as mendacious as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Or Bebe, as the former has been calling him since last weekend. The joint use of bunker-busting bombs against a common enemy, Iran, has redistributed the seats in the sandbox of the super-rich and powerful. Fritze is talking himself up in his government statement today. However, talking it up is actually an understatement. Europe is only watching from the right-hand sidelines. 1Is this Trump's war now? | The Trump Effect #16 | auslandsjournal - the podcast 🌐 https://youtu.be/0Fs4UjexJ7s
Defence. Anti-Semitism, what bullshit. He is a miserable war criminal. Why doesn't anyone speak out about the harrowing reality? Instead, our chancellor and our foreign minister tell us that we are friends. No, but they certainly aren't. Netanyahu's Israel has no right to exist. There is no room for its heinous atrocities against civilians, children, women and generations of peaceful people in the world I want to live in.
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The Trump administration's decision to ban Harvard University from accepting international students marks a dramatic cut in academic freedom3ZEIT: Trump wants to deny foreigners entry to study at Harvard 🌐 https://www.zeit.de/news/2025-06/05/trump-will-auslaendern-einreise-fuer-harvard-studium-verwehren . Around 6,800 international students are affected, including around 550 Germans4SWR: Because of Trump: Harvard dream of a Trier student in danger 🌐 https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/trier/stoppt-trump-politik-trierer-student-malte-terboven-an-harvard-universitaet-in-den-usa-102.html .
This measure is being taken under the pretext of national security concerns and the accusation that Harvard is promoting anti-Semitism and co-operation with China5Focus: Trump decides to ban international students from elite university from entering the country 🌐 https://www.focus.de/politik/auslaender-sperre-fuer-harvard-trump-beschliesst-einreiseverbot-fuer-internationale-studenten-der-elite-uni_7681624a-1390-4ae0-a6f6-04e4d1eefd1a.html . Harvard legally defends itself against this politically motivated retaliation and calls it unconstitutional6Tagesschau: Trump wants to deny foreigners entry for Harvard studies 🌐 https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/amerika/usa-trump-einreisebeschraenkung-studierende-harvard-100.html .
I find this development extremely dangerous. That's how it starts. Anyone who doesn't fit in politically is made to fit in. Or flies. Flies home. Judgements no longer seem to have any force for President Trump. The executive is complying. Or flies along, or rather sits on the street like the more than 275,000 other US government employees who did not suit Trump and therefore had to leave their posts without further ado.
US Agency for International Development (USAID): More than 99% of employees made redundant
Voice of America: More than 99% of employees made redundant
AmeriCorps: 93% of employees dismissed
Consumer Protection Bureau (CFPB): 85% of employees dismissed
Ministry of Education: 46% of employees dismissed
The kicker: At the US Nuclear Security Agency NNSA around 300 employees were fired before the redundancies were partially cancelled the following day, as those responsible apparently did not know what tasks the dismissed employees had.
The systematic dismissal of over 275,000 US government employees shows the extent of the authoritarian approach7Is this Trump's war now? | The Trump Effect #16 | auslandsjournal - the podcast 🌐 https://youtu.be/0Fs4UjexJ7s .
International crimes and international isolation
The Trump administration's measures against Harvard and other universities appear to be politically motivated interventions carried out under the pretext of security concerns. They jeopardise academic freedom and international exchange, which not only affects the students concerned, but also the reputation of the US education system.
8The Guardian: Fresh attack on Harvard intensifies chaos for international students in US https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/23/trump-harvard-international-studentsGerman policy is caught between historical responsibility towards Israel and the growing criticism of its actions in the Gaza Strip. 9Tagesschau: End of the Gaza blockade "flimsy" https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/asien/deutsche-hilfsorganisationen-gaza-100.html
Germany has traditionally emphasised Israel's security as part of its raison d'être. At the same time, the German government is expressing increasing concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. A government spokesperson criticised the latest aid deliveries as "far too little, too late and too slow" and called for immediate and comprehensive supplies for the population. 10One year after Hamas terrorism The dilemma of reasons of state https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/innenpolitik/israel-deutschland-staatsraeson-100.html ' 11Reuters: Berlin says aid that entered Gaza this week is 'too little, too late' https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/berlin-says-aid-that-entered-gaza-this-week-is-too-little-too-late-2025-05-23/
There are different positions within parliament. MPs from the SPD, the Greens and the Left Party continue to call for an end to arms deliveries to Israel as long as the humanitarian crisis continues. 12Initiative by Red-Red-Green MPs - Stop arms deliveries to Israel https://taz.de/Initiative-von-Rot-Rot-Gruen-Abgeordneten/!6082234/ In contrast, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group emphasises solidarity with Israel and warns against one-sided criticism13Tagesspiegel: "New government must position itself clearly": MPs from SPD, Greens and Left no longer want to supply Israel with weapons https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/neue-regierung-muss-sich-klar-positionieren-abgeordnete-von-spd-grunen-und-linken-wollen-israel-keine-waffen-mehr-liefern-13622962.html
Jan van Aken and the Left Party call for an end to arms deliveries to Israel and criticise the blockade of the Gaza Strip. They are in favour of compliance with international humanitarian law and a political solution to the conflict. 14Left-wing party discusses arms deliveries to Israel https://www.bundestag.de/presse/hib/kurzmeldungen-1074936 15Deutscher Bundestag, Drucksache 21/141: Minor interpellation by Nicole Gohlke, Lea Reisner, Ulrich Thoden, Gökay Akbulut, Desiree Becker, Katrin Fey, Vinzenz Glaser, Charlotte Neuhäuser and the parliamentary group Die Linke - German arms deliveries to Israel and the consequences for the population in Gaza https://dserver.bundestag.de/btd/21/001/2100141.pdf
The international legal situation in Gaza has deteriorated dramatically. In a comprehensive 296-page report, Amnesty International concludes that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip16Amnesty: Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza 🌐 https://www.amnesty.de/pressemitteilung/israel-gaza-genozid-voelkermord-palaestinenser-innen-amnesty-bericht . Human Rights Watch documents systematic war crimes and crimes against humanity17Human Rights Watch: Israel's crimes against humanity in Gaza 🌐 https://www.hrw.org/de/news/2024/11/14/israels-verbrechen-gegen-die-menschlichkeit-gaza .
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has been warning of ethnic cleansing and genocide since March 202418ZEIT: UN Special Rapporteur sees signs of genocide in Gaza 🌐 https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2024-03/un-sonderberichterstatterin-hinweise-voelkermord-israel 19OHCHR: Special Rapporteur warns of mass ethnic cleansing in the West Bank 🌐 https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/03/tragedy-foretold-and-stain-our-collective-humanity-special-rapporteur-warns . The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes.
A UN commission establishes that both parties to the conflict are committing war crimes: Israel through deliberate attacks on civilians and systematic starvation of the population, Hamas through terrorist attacks, hostage-taking and torture20UN Commission finds war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israeli attacks 🌐 https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/10/un-commission-finds-war-crimes-and-crimes-against-humanity-israeli-attacks .
German politics past, present and future: between reason of state and human rights
German politicians are showing the first signs of changing course. For the first time, Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed clear criticism: "What the Israeli army is now doing in the Gaza Strip - frankly, I no longer understand with what goal"21Deutsche Welle: Germany and Israel: The tone is getting sharper 🌐 https://www.dw.com/de/deutschland-israel-friedrich-merz-kritik-gaza-nahost-staatsraeson-v2/a-72679787 . Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul announced a review of arms deliveries to Israel, but met with resistance from the CSU22Spiegel: Johann Wadephul announces review of German arms exports 🌐 https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/israel-johann-wadephul-kuendigt-ueberpruefung-deutscher-waffenexporte-an-a-86e34767-c958-43c2-b3d8-8de4302f9623 .
Germany has approved arms exports worth 485 million euros to Israel since 7 October 202323TAZ: Arms exports to Israel: A long list of deliveries 🌐 https://taz.de/Ruestungsexporte-nach-Israel/!6088528/ . In its first five weeks, the new black-red government authorised further deliveries worth almost four million euros24WELT: Black-Red government authorises arms exports worth four million euros to Israel 🌐 https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article256274062/waffenlieferungen-schwarz-rot-genehmigte-ruestungsexporte-in-hoehe-von-vier-millionen-euro-nach-israel.html .
Social change: the German public is turning away
The German population is showing a clear turnaround in its attitude. According to the latest ZDF political barometer, 80 per cent of Germans do not consider Israel's military action to be justified if it causes high numbers of casualties among the Palestinian civilian population25Spiegel: Gaza: 80 per cent of Germans criticise Israel's actions 🌐 https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/israel-gaza-konflikt-deutsche-bevoelkerung-kritisiert-laut-umfrage-israels-vorgehen-im-gazastreifen-a-da6630fa-8c9c-43a7-9fbf-2c0fd88a68cd . 73 per cent see the impact on the civilian population as unjustified26Tagesschau: ARD-DeutschlandTrend: Criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza grows 🌐 https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/deutschlandtrend/deutschlandtrend-3480.html .
When it comes to arms exports, 43 per cent are in favour of a limit and 30 per cent are in favour of a complete stop. Only 17 per cent are still in favour of unchanged arms deliveries27Statista: Survey on German arms exports to Israel in 2025 🌐 https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/1615302/umfrage/umfrage-zu-deutschen-waffenexporte-nach-israel/ .
Redefining the raison d'état: human rights as a compass
The reason of state proclaimed by Angela Merkel in 2008, according to which Israel's security is part of Germany's reason of state, needs to be critically reassessed28International politics: Why Germany must (re)define the reason of state 🌐 https://internationalepolitik.de/de/warum-deutschland-die-staatsraeson-neu-definieren-muss . A modern interpretation must place universal human rights at the centre and cannot be misused to unconditionally support acts that violate international law.
The Human Rights Forum, whose members include the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, is calling for the German government to change course. It is Germany's "duty under international law" to prevent a possible genocide in accordance with the Genocide Convention29TAZ: NGOs against weapons for Israel 🌐 https://taz.de/Israel-und-Gaza/!6011255 /.
Threat to academic freedom
Trump's action against Harvard fits into a worrying pattern of restrictions on academic freedom. The Academic Freedom Index shows that Germany is also losing ground in terms of academic freedom30Tagesspiegel: No longer free to express your opinion at universities 🌐 https://www.tagesspiegel.de/wissen/deutschlands-wissenschaft-verliert-an-freiheit-nicht-mehr-frei-an-universitaten-ihre-meinung-zu-aussern-13347565.html . The handling of pro-Palestinian protests at universities and restrictions on freedom of expression are contributing to this decline.
As an important partner in international educational exchange, Germany should send a counter-signal. With over 405,000 international students, Germany is an attractive place to study31MiGAZIN: Germany in the exchange boom 🌐 https://www.migazin.de/2025/02/25/studieren-grenzen-deutschland-austausch-boom/ . In the long term, these students contribute eight times more to public budgets than the state invests32DAAD: International students - an opportunity for Germany 🌐 https://www.daad.de/de/der-daad/daad-journal/themen/2025/internationale-studierende-chancen-deutschland/ .
Human rights as the foundation of democratic foreign policy
Current developments highlight the need for a values-based foreign policy. Neither Trump's authoritarian attack on freedom of education nor the systematic human rights violations in Gaza must go unchallenged. Germany faces the challenge of redefining its historical responsibility: not as unconditional support, but as an obligation to uphold universal human rights and prevent war crimes - regardless of the perpetrator.
A modern German reason of state must be committed to protecting the human dignity of all people. This means both condemning the Hamas terror of 7 October and clearly naming Israeli war crimes. Only in this way can Germany fulfil its responsibility and act as a credible actor for peace and human rights.
The time of unconditional solidarity with governments is over. Solidarity must be shown to the suffering people - the Israeli hostages as well as the starving civilian population in Gaza. Germany must finally have the courage to put human rights above political consideration.
