f the Federal Republic of Germany for this position.
Author of numerous books, notably co-authoring Stephane Courtois’ Black Book of Communism, Germany’s most prominent political activist has been a guiding light for many countries confronted with the problem of lustration—exposure of the former communist functionaries and secret agents and banning them from government posts. Failure to undertake lustration caused ambiguous outcomes in many post-Soviet countries, including Russia and Ukraine.
In recent years, Joachim Gauck’s activism has been focused on the Foundation Against Oblivion and for Democracy, which he chairs.
The former pastor, who enjoys the highest rates of popularity among the German public, never joined any political party. Described as a Liberal-Conservative by the German press, he was picked as a presidential candidate by the Social-Democratic Party (SPD) and the Green Party in June 2010, after the resignation of President Koehler (CDU), but lost to Merkel’s candidate, Christian Wulff (CDU).
After Wulff himself was forced to resign in February over claims of various financial irregularities, it was Merkel’s coalition partner, the Free Democrat Party (FDP), which decided to unilaterally endorse Gauck, forcing Merkel to give in to avoid a greater coalition crisis.
Gauck, who is known for his Atlanticist views, is a member of the Atlantik Bruecke, which supports European–American dialogue and alliance, and he has also been a vocal advocate of a free-market economy. He criticized the “Occupy Movement” and the anti-capitalist debates for an “unspeakable daftness,” arguing that he “indeed had already lived in a country where banks were really occupied.”
Germany’s new president is also a co-signatory of the Prague Declaration on the Crimes of Communism.
Unlikely to stumble over a controversy regarding Afghanistan like one of his predecessors, Horst Koehler, and seemingly immune to personal attacks, he has clearly voiced his support for the military intervention in Afghanistan, which he views as a necessary fight against terrorism. In the eyes of German public opinion, it also helps that the mission in Afghanistan is backed by a U.N. mandate and therefore seen as justified. After incriminating reports of the Stasi Archives were leaked to WikiLeaks, Gauck strongly criticized that organization, calling it a clear violator of the law and a threat to society.
Germany’s new president is a man whose formative experience was the fight against communism. He has both a moral compass and a spine. He does not fear to address difficult issues, knowing where he stands and acting accordingly.
After the loss of Vaclav Havel, Europe might have found a successor and a reliable ally to perpetuate the freedom agenda and cooperation on both sides of the Atlantic.
Nathalie Vogel is a German analyst currently living in Washington, D.C.
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