Tank Exports To Saudi Arabian Signal German Policy Shift

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is pictured here on May 25, 2010 during a visit with King Abdullah at the Saudi royal palace in Jeddah. In July, Merkel secretly decided to sell up to 270 modern tanks to Saudi Arabia. Her decision reverses decades of foreign policy dictating that weapons of war should not be sold by German companies to crisis regions. dapd

The Merkel Doctrine: Tank Exports to Saudi Arabian Signal German Policy Shift -- Spiegel Online

Berlin has said nothing about the reasons behind its decision to reverse decades of carefully considered foreign policy and export up to 270 modern tanks to Saudi Arabia. The sale has baffled many in Germany and abroad given the country's longstanding tradition of not selling arms to crisis regions. It may be only the beginning.

The walls of the Small Cabinet Room in the German Chancellery are paneled in reddish beech wood and a turquoise carpet covers the floor. Eight-centimeter (three-inch) thick bulletproof glass protects the chancellor from assassination attempts. There's something faceless about the room. It breathes discretion, as if it were made to keep secrets.

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My Comment: Germany needs oil like everyone else, so this "shift" in policy should not surprise anyone..