Yesterday I wrote in the German magazine Stern that the SPD is probably the European political party most captured by the Kremlin’s influence. Is there no one left among the old guard of the social democrats that doesn’t have the wool over their eyes? This Zeit commentary from Helmut Schmidt is an alarming reminder of how effective Putin’s rhetoric is. From Spiegel:

How Dangerous Is America? By Gabor Steingart in Washington, D.C. Helmut Schmidt, the former German chancellor who initiated the US arms buildup against the Soviet Union during his term in office, considers today’s Russia to be less dangerous than the United States. This is as surprising as it is provocative.