Geopolitics Podcast: Trump Arms Saudis, and Germany's Economic Miracle Ends
In the first episode of the podcast "Rzecz o Geopolityce", we analyze Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East, significant arms deals, and China's growing role in the Persian Gulf region. We also look at the serious challenges facing the German economy, including slowing growth, rising energy costs, and the digital lag that threatens Germany's position as a European economic leader.
Middle East, Money and the Influence PuzzleDonald Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates is behind us. How is the United States trying to strengthen its influence in the region? Will further agreements worth tens of billions of dollars, including arms and economic contracts, help?
- In the case of planned arms purchases by Saudi Arabia, the final sum turned out to be much higher than Donald Trump had previously announced - we are talking about about 142 billion dollars and the most modern weapons, which do not reach most countries. In the background, there is also the topic of energy cooperation, including nuclear cooperation, with the question of whether Saudi Arabia will not pursue a military program if Iran comes close to possessing nuclear weapons - says Jerzy Haszczyński from the foreign editorial office of Rzeczpospolita.
China is also in the game, systematically tightening energy cooperation with the Persian Gulf countries, becoming one of the main recipients of local oil and gas. It is also investing in transmission infrastructure and long-term energy contracts, including with Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Not even a decade ago, the German economy was considered a model of stability and technological perfection. Back then, we heard slogans about the “engine of Europe” or the “industrial heart of the continent.” Today, questions are increasingly being asked: is this engine not stalling?
In the background we have a slowdown in growth, an outflow of investments, rising energy costs. But there is also something that surprised me personally - the scale of the digital backwardness - says Dr. Krzysztof Mazur, economist and political scientist.
The fiber optic project in Germany is – to put it bluntly – disappointing. In education, schools, and the administrative system, Poland has overtaken them in many places. Young Germans are probably not always aware of how far the rest of the world has fallen behind them.
Dr. Krzysztof Mazur recalls an anecdote: in Warsaw, when a train from Berlin crosses the border into Poland, only then can you safely pay by card, because it "catches the network". This is a symbolic image. Germany, a country associated with perfect infrastructure, today lags behind its neighbors in terms of digitalization. The reasons can be found in many places. Politically - the German neo-mercantile model has dominated traditional industry, primarily automotive. Startup? AI? Networks? For Berlin, this is more of an addition than a strategic pillar.
The podcast "Rzecz o Geopolityce" is a new project carried out by the Rzeczpospolita editorial office in cooperation with the podcast Podróż bez Paszportu. A format about matters that matter. The host - Mateusz Grzeszczuk - invites people who really influence the debate on international politics to talk.
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