Olaf Scholz’s dithering is damaging Germany’s international image

raises many questions. Can violence be fought with violence? Can [true] peace only be established if force is not employed?” This pronouncement by raised a fair few eyebrows when tweeted, in a cryptic translation from the original German, by Germany’s delegation to . The delegation failed to explain that the chancellor had been speaking at a convention of German Catholics. It was a gathering of pacifists (who, as it happened, spent most of their powwow discussing whether Jesus was transgender). So perhaps Mr Scholz was questioning pacifism, rather than endorsing it? It was just one of countless examples of the German leader’s inept communication over the war in Ukraine.Germany is getting criticism from many sides for its apparent reluctance to with , which is tarnishing its reputation within the and . “Germany ‘breaks its promise’ to give Kyiv more heavy weapons,” declared a recent headline in the. “There is a clear absence of political will within the German government to deliver heavy weapons to Ukraine,” lamented Andrij Melnyk, Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, to , an online newspaper.