Ranga Yogeshwar in the podcast: “Let’s completely demilitarize Germany”

In April 2022, Ranga Yogeshwar was one of the first signatories of an open letter initiated by Alice Schwarzer to then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz , in which she and other prominent figures called for a halt to the supply of heavy weapons to Ukraine . The science journalist and author has remained true to his stance: In the most recent episode of the interview podcast Matzes Hotel, he responded to a question from interviewer Matze Hielscher: "Let's completely demilitarize Germany." And that doesn't mean he's a dreamer. He just wonders why the Russians should invade Germany. For what natural resources? "For wheat beer?"

A country like Germany, which has experienced so much war and suffering, must have understood that war is no longer the grammar of the 21st century. Every war waged today is not a winning war, Yogeshwar said. "Now they're starting to scare us: There will be war here again in 2029. Hey, stop it!" He reacts very emotionally to such statements. "We're ruining the future for our children and grandchildren."

Yogeshwar, like Richard David Precht in a recent top-level interview with Der Spiegel , doubts whether people in Germany are even willing to go to war anymore. "We've managed to change the mentality in this country. We no longer have the underprivileged young men who have no alternative but to serve. That won't happen anymore. Thankfully! Today, people say: What should I die for? For a border? For an ideology? No!"

Ranga Yogeshwar pointed out the gigantic economic interests he suspects behind rearmament. He recommends a visit to Villa Hügel in Essen. "This is the Krupp villa, and Mr. Krupp is the real winner of the First World War. Money was made there on the corpses of young men."

Ranga Yogeshwar: He avoids the question about Zelensky

When asked what he would say toUkrainian President Zelenskyy if he were sitting across from him now, Yogeshwar dodges. "I'm not a fan of narrow perspectives." He then links the topic of armaments to an area he truly understands: natural science. The logic of war follows a principle familiar from physics: induction. "If I arm, then I induce, so I generate armaments on the other side. And something crackles, at some point there are sparks."

Ranga Yogeshwar, born in Luxembourg in 1959 to an Indian engineer and a Luxembourg artist, is one of Germany's leading science journalists. He has received numerous awards, including an honorary doctorate from the University of Wuppertal and the Federal Cross of Merit.