By Can Çakır
Elon Musk’s open support for Alternative for Germany (AfD) and his joint program broadcast with AfD’s chancellor candidate, Alice Weidel, have become one of the key topics of debate in German politics in the past few weeks as the country heads toward elections.
The AfD has long been known for its distanced stance toward the US. With Trump’s new administration, is the party undergoing a shift in this policy? What are the prevailing thoughts within the AfD?
Can Çakır from “Aydınlık Europe”, the European supplement of Türkiye’s Aydınlık newspaper, interviewed political scientist Benedikt Kaiser from the AfD to discuss the party’s stance in detail.
We are publishing the interview in English translation.
The close ties between AfD politicians and members of the new Trump administration are currently a topic of discussion. AfD leadership attended the inauguration of Trump, showed an open support for Elon Musk, etc. How do you assess this?
Before the policy of the “firewall” (Brandmauer), the political distancing from the AfD at all parliamentary levels, collapses in Germany, it appears to be collapsing abroad. One could view this positively: as an expansion of the AfD’s sphere of resonance, as growing legitimacy, as a breakthrough against ideological constraints and ostracization. If “free speech” and the anti-woke are in advance, that too should be welcomed.
“Tech Bros” as pure capitalists
However, it is crucial to recognize the nature of this new form of “Broligarchy”, the overt fusion of tech corporations with US’s politics. The “Tech Bros” have their own interests for profit as pure capitalists. The policy of the US with the Trump administration has its own priorities. And the right-wing populists of the “MAGA” movement pursue their own goals. At present, these interests align with those of the AfD. But for how long? And what does this mean for Germany? Just because we share similar views on “free speech” and “ending wokeness” does not necessarily mean there is alignment in other areas such geo-economics, geopolitics, and beyond.
“A wide spectrum of patriotic and conservative currents”
Has there been a shift in the AfD’s perspective on the US after Biden? The party has a policy of “good relations with the Trump administration”.
As a broad movement encompassing a wide spectrum of patriotic and conservative currents, the AfD naturally includes differing interpretations. However, there is a consensus that anything would be an improvement after Joe Biden.
On one side, there are those who see Trump’s return as a long-awaited liberation from the grip of the US. I think this is a sort of illusion. It reminds me of an artificial Super Bowl atmosphere in a living room: People excite but without grasping the complex rules of the game. This is simply how it works: the powerless sometimes derive their strength from hoping that a powerful figure will emerge to break their own political impotence from the outside. In this sense, Trump takes on the role of a messianic savior figure, only in its secularized form as a US billionaire.
Another faction within the party, however, takes a more skeptical, realistic and grounded approach. Trump represents a raw, modern variant of Americanism. This is undoubtedly more palatable than the woke version of Americanism, but in the end, it remains to be an Americanism. One can work with it, but one should harbor no illusions. Trumpism could even end up extending the lifespan of global US hegemony.
Wagenknecht and the AfD
Are there also positions advocating for much distance from the US? What influence does this perspective have on the AfD?
Absolutely. And I believe that these positions favoring a sovereign German and European path must be represented more strongly than ever. In a multipolar world, we must free ourselves from Atlanticist subordination. However, achieving this requires a greater European awakening and a departure from the logic of vassalage.
As a party representing German patriotism, the AfD naturally has a duty to contribute to reassert the sovereignty of Germany. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) has shown itself capable of adopting a sovereign foreign policy stance. Considering that both opposition forces together could have up to 30 percent at the federal level, this certainly offers grounds for optimism.