dr 0 gergen senior lecturer in law at middlesex university laying out tonight's how the clock is definitely working against westminster tonight dr we appreciate your insights thank you. for you know they really want to kick you out when they are willing to get into bed politically with people they have despised for years well that could be going through the mind of italy's far right interior minister. 2 former political rivals the anti establishment 5 star movement and the center left democratic party well they're now attempting to join forces to create a new coalition government and to avoid a new election but what is really forcing these photos to become friends is their desire to leave bales of being the elder politics and out in the cold. he exudes call the gist of it conti has been on a wild ride 3 weeks ago he lost his job as prime minister when italy's governing

coalition fell apart now he's been tasked with putting together a new government. the country is in a very delicate phase we must put the political uncertainty triggered by the government crisis behind us as soon as possible we're facing critical economic problems. but i think that when it comes to shoot. the new coalition partners the antiestablishment 5 star movement and the center left democratic party make strange bedfellows many italians don't see the marriage lasting long. and so ok we're not going to get to that i think this agreement is a bad thing you know look at them because they have haiti to each other for a long time and now they have 14 an alliance so i really don't think it's a clever thing. i know some of the convened are not very sure because i don't think they will last long. because the differences are obvious and i think there are huge

differences in the political programs of the 2 parties. the clear loser so far is far right league party leader matteo he pulled the plug on the last coalition by removing his party's participation he was widely seen to be angling for new elections but the new coalition puts a vote off for now i mean pick you up i would force those who are afraid of elections can run away for a month 6 months or a year. but not forever. the only thing that unites them is their hatred of the league know your. the drama is likely to settle down in the coming days conte said the new government's most urgent task is to come up with a budget for the coming year. and joining me now from rome is journalist seem a good to us it was good to see you while what are the situation in italy right now i mean we've seen multiple failed attempts in recent years to form

a stable italian government is this going to be the magic combination. i think that's the question everybody's wondering i mean at some stage 14 months ago when we saw on the 5 star movement getting together with the far right party everybody thought well that these these 2 are populist parties so perhaps the last we've seen that fall apart and now it's anybody's guess as to how long this coalition will last in terms of the government but for the moment you've got and then he has the mandate now to form this government yes to put together who's going to be hitting the different ministries book parties and going to be jockeying for positions on top of that they've got to come up with a particular program to which they will have to put this new government to a vote of confidence in both houses of parliament for the moment however we've seen a positive reaction as far as the markets are concerned on thursday we some of the

bond yields fall to one quite a wreck was low so clearly the markets believe that this grouping is at least more positive towards the european union as the perhaps the last one yeah that's a positive sign for sure and what about the interior minister matteo selvi i mean it it's almost like it's a machiavellian move that he made right bringing down this government surely he didn't think that he was going to end up being out of the next government but that's what is apparently going to happen has he been completely pushed out of politics with this. well not completely pushed out but definitely pushed out of government and then as you said a gross miscalculation on his part now he has actually referred to what's happening now is a test of democracy and he believes that the italians have been stolen off their right to an election in order to decide to leave now he believes that this government in his words was appointed by brussels appointed by the big powers

within europe by france and germany and not by talents themselves for the moment though the president said there are a lot had the right to find a new prime minister and to give him the mandate in order to continue and that's why he's seen infante hoping that they will go forward and the priority be the budget for 2020 but mr salvini is not going to go quietly into the night he said you cannot get rid of this boss and his party supporters to gather together and call for a deal process on october 19th and let you go outside of italy are saying that this proves that the populace they can not govern oh it's been reported that way in italy well even in italy i think the view is that they just want to see a government come together and to avoid going to another vote the feeling among regular italians is that there was frustration with the pull the plug on the

government because they didn't want to see it happen so quick and we saw some of his popularity fall as a result of this now we'll have to see how the democratic party and what together with what was once the arch rivals and whether mr salvini wants to see that fall apart and whether he will then come forward in a fresh election for the moment all right we'll just have to see what ministers they're going to put forward what programs and whether it's going to be approved in the house of parliament all right similar to reporting. thank you. well the united states is launching a unit in charge of its defense operations in outer space the name space command its president trying to build the new defense into t. in a ceremony at the white house today analysts predict space may become an area where future conflicts are waged many believe space command is a precursor to donald trump's plans for an entire new wing of the u.s. military called space force here is part of what trump had to say today the dangers

to our country constantly evolve and so must we now if those who wish to harm the united states to seek to challenge us in the ultimate high ground of space it's going to be a whole different ballgame we're going to stay here on earth in good washington d.c. our bureau chief there alexander numbs he's on the story for us tonight good evening to you alexander i mean this does does sound a little bit like star wars tell me what is the difference between space command and space force. well space force is the future at least according to president trump he wants to create a totally new and potentially independent branch of the u.s. military military to oversee all military operation in space but to achieve this goal he needs congress he needs congregational approval congressional authority and congressional funding and that can take years and of course there are

a lot of people critics questioning this adventure as they call it so therefore the trump administration has decided to move forward with establishing the space command it's and you need as you have mentioned operating on that the umbrella of the u.s. foreign consist of 87 people and it will draw all forces from all services in the u.s. military. how always opposed to a marriage and what space command is is preparing for all xander are we talking about space ships in. battle with each other i mean what is the white house in vision. well at the moment we are talking about satellites the u.s. nation's reliance on. difficult to protect satellites that provide.

intelligence and sniff again that provide communications and all their capabilities that are vital to the us military and the u.s. economy and the u.s. is accusing nations such as russia and china for example accusing them that they are trying to develop new weapons anti-satellite weapons and laser weapons and other offensive capabilities to disrupt and destroy you ass satellite so therefore the white house says it's very important now to focus on deterrence and defense and space and what about alexander we know the j.f.k. john the kid that he's known for saying in the sixty's we want to put a a man on the moon in that decade because of what the soviets were doing now in china is in outer space is that a motive for trying to push ahead with space command in space for.

yes i think that you're totally right china is a very good example because for example in 2018 china so plus the united states in the total number of space launches china has also managed to land a rover on the backside of the moon and by doing so they showcase a technical and technological advantage china has been accused of trying to. hijack. satellites operate and russia is another example russia has been accused of trying to jam g.p.s. signals that are important for nato military drills so that's why the white house says that it is essential to establish a space force in order to counter russia's and china's attempts to outsmart the gas in space all right our own white our washington bureau chief and he's under

phenomenal the story with us tonight the latest on space command alexander thank you and back here on earth u.s. president drunk he has threatened to pull out american troops from here in germany if berlin fails to boost its defense spending and it would be a big deal 35000 american troops are permanently based here in germany in addition a similar number of civilians both americans and germans work in jobs that are linked to the u.s. military presence other european countries hosting significant numbers of u.s. troops or italy as well as the u.k. though neither have quite as many as germany belt sign of your japan who's the most american troops of any country except the united states at the moment poland we know troops favorite european countries said it has no permanent u.s. military base a reporter for being funded more went to rome stein the biggest u.s. base here in germany where most locals want the americans to stay put.

a key american outpost in southwestern germany. ramstein airbase the biggest u.s. air force base abroad. just what takes place there is kept secret even 70 years after the base was founded. it is impossible to get any closer to the air base the entering the compound is a high security zone and we certainly weren't allowed to enter the base itself with a camera team instead the u.s. military gave us some of their own video footage from inside. the u.s. military shows how munitions and weapons are stored supplies for fighters in syria mali or afghanistan. paratroopers

practice jumping fighter pilots set off from here on their missions to africa asia and the middle east. defending germany only plays a smaller role according to this expert on the us this is not. of course is a bit of protection but at the same time history teaching importance of ramstein for u.s. foreign policy and security policy to not be underestimated. and it's not just the air base the biggest american military hospital outside continental united states is also nearby doctors and health care workers train here for emergencies and for working in a war zone wounded soldiers are brought here from all over the world. very. soon they will be relocating not to poland but closer to the airfield. a new hospital costing around a $1000000000.00 will be billed more modern and better equipped. forest at the edge

of the airbase has already been cleared. the mayor of the large investment alone means there will be no move. you never know what will get used or not but i can't see it happening. the u.s. has also invested a lot in modern warfare in recent years the air and space operations center is located at the airbase it's one of the u.s. military's data. it is now an open secret that i'm stan plays a central role in the u.s. drone strikes important information on targets are related to the u.s. via out i'm stein opponents of the base are unhappy about preparations for war are being made in germany for them a us withdrawal would be a reason to celebrate. but most people in the disagree.

grown together over the decades as seen at the german american friendship fest. among the guests form and active members of the military who don't believe the air base will be relocated. in europe for the whole american forces and not only europe africa middle east everything is centered around. and that's why this place is going to stay here i will need to leave we're in a good time only here. look carefully at the air base more than a 1000 buildings many of them underground the place for that reason they can't move it all to poland. the trump administration's threats to relocate or something people cannot imagine will ever happen. that joint location is too important for both americans and germans. and the day is almost done the conversation it continues on twitter. you can follow me it. don't forget to use our

hash tag every member whatever happens. is another day. good international talk show sewer journalists discuss the topic of the week judges

are bracing for a clinical earthquake as to the eastern states go to the polls just searching support for the right wing and amount to a litmus test for the federal government and for beautification 30 years later to find the country. quadriga next d.w. . 120 photos and. micheaux knox grandfather left behind. where they come from. what they show. the young filmmaker embarks on a journey to find the answers piecing together a period of history. 939 my journey. came from the summit.

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germans are bracing for a political earthquake this coming weekend as 2 states in the eastern part of the country regional elections that could see right wing populists surpass mainstream parties to become the strongest political force in one or both states a dramatic surge in support for the alternative for germany party known by its german initials a would send shock waves that could up end politics not only in regional capitals but also in berlin nearly 30 years after the fall of the wall it looks as though east and west could be growing further apart rather than together. why that is is our topic this week here on quadriga and here are our guests. on line she says german society is just beginning to deal with the disappointment and trauma eastern germans experienced after the fall of the wall many people felt their experiences had been ignored the a.f.p.

feeds off these feelings. and it's a pleasure to welcome my colleague michele knight she's chief political editor here at g.w. she says most of all these elections are about what options will be on the table when i think of america's final coalition government leaves office and we're very pleased to have alan posner back on the show he's an author and commentator for the daily newspaper. he says a generation after the end of nazi. germany experienced an anti-authoritarian threefold a generation after the end of communism east germany is experiencing for terry and led by old men. so let me ask all of you and i'll start with you and if i may to please explain for us the importance of these elections because we're talking about 2 states brandenburg and saxony that in fact have just over $6000000.00 residents all together that's well less than 10 percent of the german

population so why all the attention. because germany is a federal state so the state just like the united states. so these states may be or even a small state on a big state they have a voice in the upper house of parliament the blueness hard so it's important simply for constitutional reasons the 2nd is that if the becomes the biggest party in one or both states they may force the other parties into a kind of horrible hold coalition with the s.p.d. the cd with the greens the anyone who isn't. mixing together in order not to form a coalition with with the f.t. with the far right and this is this would be terrible for democracy would be would be awful if if this would lead to a sort of stampede of democratic parties so anything but a f.t. . it doesn't only feeds their pride and would lead i think their.

people who wonder why should i vote for not vote in other regional nations rather devote for them in order to teach the other pond is a lesson and show it can you just pick up on that your opening statement that in effect the shock waves of a surge in support for the f.t. would be felt in the capital berlin as well as in the states themselves why is that is this kind of a litmus test for the 2 mainstream parties the conservatives and the social democrats in a way it's a fast forward of the decline that we've already seen in the past general elections that may well be on the horizon particularly for course junior coalition partner the social democrat s.p.d. who have been having waves of nervous breakdowns politically over the past couple of years and who are very much struggling to actually somehow stay within this coalition if they get another slap in the face of the ballot box and that could

well set off a chain of events that would see course self declared final term in office come to an hold so that's what's at stake nationally let's just spell that out the s.p.d. has been governing in fact ever since reunification as the leading party in brandenburg here telling us if they lose that status this coming sunday we could well see what them pull out of the federal coalition early elections i don't think one single event will be enough i think it's just as interesting to see whether they actually how far below the double digits they go in the neighboring state of saxony because if they in the worst case scenario fail the 5 percent threshold and that would be complete catastrophe is such a loss of political status and we're ready seeing what essentially is a political standoff between the s.p.d. now interim leadership they're currently in a leadership struggle seeing or was 2 dozen candidates going for that top role.

so that could see a standoff between kind of the established leadership on the grassroots of the party and we're really seeing a posse struggling to keep itself together let alone the coalition government now let's go back to these 2 states themselves. and we've just heard this is a litmus test in a sense for the federal government is it also a litmus test for reunification 30 years after the fact. i would say that i think reunification there has been so much migration within germany i think almost 5000000 people. they moved from western germany to eastern germany and vice versa obviously too so i do think that our country is united but there are still many issues in which you can actually see that use in germany is still as far along as western germany. in regards to economical status financial security all of

these things and obviously also politically the f.t. is much stronger in these cuts in these states than it is in western western states but i have to say i don't agree with you on that it would be a catastrophe for democracy if the left party and the city you went into a coalesce in book i think it's actually quite interesting. contests trees for democracy if not interesting they're just raised on the list. what you need in new york chrissy is is. a balance between right and left and and if you have the seed you really forming a coalition with what used to be the communist governmental body and use germany just to prevent. to avoid going into a collision with a de then i think democracy really is beings stood on its head and it. interesting

though it might be to see it's within its head that's not something something i'd like it would also be hypocritical because quite frankly the if de is not worse than the left part you have both pseudo toted totalitarian. anti democratic anti west anti nato anti european parties and i don't agree with me i just come back to the question of the unification and the success of reunification validate her has said that in many ways east and west absolutely have integrated and converge but michel if we look at surveys recent surveys we see significant divergences in political attitudes for example one survey shows a great deal less support for democracy itself in the east than in the west i think it's 42 percent of east germans said they're enthusiastic about democracy compared with 75 percent of west germans to what do you attribute that kind of

divergence and in fact less than half support in east germany for the system itself well essentially because in the eastern part democracy didn't deliver the goods it delivered new roads it delivered infrastructure but it killed tens of thousands of jobs and i think it's safe to say that for east germans if you saw this complete turnaround of the political system in $89.00 the price was a very high $1.00 to pay and there's a lot of debate in germany about these broken biographies. people who never really found their feet professionally again. this essential breach of what they thought was kind of a path towards within safe jobs i mean that's one thing that you need to deliver. right now the government is discussing and that will probably go ahead a package worth $40000000000.00 euros to pay for restructuring of industry

related to coal most of that will be in these eastern states just to put it into perspective the finance minister reckons that a crisis the size of the financial crisis would cost germany 50000000000 euro so that is a lot of money that is now sent east but the experience of people in the east is that money didn't really solve the structural problems i want to come back to the economics in just a moment but. looking at your opening statement talking about an authoritarian revolt say a little bit if you would about political attitudes in the east what did you mean by that and does that mean you see this far right party the a f t as a north or a terry and party. yes i'd like to go to court you said because to say the democracy didn't deliver is simply wrong of course we delivered you live democracy itself we delivered freedom of speech we delivered freedom of movement we

delivered freedom of expression we delivered a party democracy of which works as proved by the fact that the d. and the old left are allowed to take part in parliamentary elections the whole point if i make my if i say oh i'm for democracy as long as i'm as i'm ok as long as the as the economy is ok then i'm not a democrat and that's the trouble with the with the germans generally in 933. $3233.00 when economy went downhill the americans voted franklin d. roosevelt and the germans were voted hitler and now after. from 33 to 89. east germany was under. the under fascist then communist rule they didn't know anything about democracy they never learned about democracy they weren't taught about democracy and now they're revolting against democracy and it's the old men

who never bothered who never question themselves who who were who in fact agreed with the system would be their peace with the system now they found another outlet for their horrible anti democratic attitudes it's just a terrible terrible thing we were much too lenient on them after reunification of you actually that's exactly the point this is the thing that east germans resent if you travel to saxony to them democracy didn't deliver on their expectations of what they think the real thing promised and the last thing they want right now from politicians is to be elected on how democratic they are and whether their opinion is valid or not and this is exactly what leads to such broad support. for the far right whether you agree with it or not it's a phantom phenomenon and it's that i think that they do it they want their experiences to be validated they were.