Negotiating table to secure a deal with the brits many things have changed dramatically but one thing remains the same its the respects for the german chancellor and the popularity of. Also coming up tonight to their train to take out terrorists to rescue hostages germanys elite k. S. K special Commando Force but one unit is being dissolved on concerns of right wing sympathizers within its ranks how prevalent is it extremism inside germanys military. And then someone else said it was not meet you saying there are still jews you know you would know if it would eradicate the. Time another gun violent. One to our viewers on p. B. S. In the United States and all around the world welcome we begin the day with perceptions and pandemic in case you didnt notice 2020 is now half over and i am sure you noticed how difficult the past 6 months have been for the entire world when we 1st reported about a new coronavirus in china in the 1st week of january little did we know that a regional outbreak was about to become a global killer well the pandemic is now our shared reality tonight we examine that reality from both sides of the atlantic a new survey conducted in january and again in may of Public Opinion in the u. S. France and here in germany it reveals changes in transatlantic perceptions from geopolitics to trade to technology from pre pandemic to mid and deming in a moment ill speak with one of the surveys authors but 1st the european country which is seen to be stronger and better equipped to lead globally because of the virus well that country is germany chancellor Angela Merkels german. Angela merkel had grand plans for her final performance as european leader but then came corona since the pandemic started shes used every opportunity to stress what shes up against over the coming months the pain the mean. The pandemic with its economic downturn is the largest challenge in europes history the. Biggest crisis in the history of the European Union because its. New but its not an exaggeration to say that were facing the largest economic challenge in the history of the e. U. Depending on how she navigates europes coronavirus recovery political circles not just here in berlin will be redrafting her entry into the history books. With a no nonsense no cheerleading just get it done the response both inside germany and across europe both for health care d it leadership and her Economic Leadership has made clear that angola merkel is the leader that germany and europe needs right now not forgotten but on hold seems her old image as austerity chancellor who tried to push countries towards a common take on National Budgets she also failed in pushing for a joint migration policy. In a remarkable turnaround angle americal started crossing her own red lines by allowing joint e. U. Dead sending the signal that she is intent on Holding Europe together what ever it takes. Joint appearance with french president in manama mccaw saw her sacrifice what have been a german fiscal principle for years no joint e. U. Debt proposing the 1st 500000000000 of the corona Recovery Plan for the 1st time germany agreed to guarantee debt that mostly benefit. Other e. U. Countries like italy a potential game changer. We had the impression as watchers that germany e. U. Policy was paralyzed so now corona happened and the giants started to move and i think this is a very good sign. At the same time as europe struggles to stay out of the way as relations between the wild superpowers china and Donald Trumps america further strained by the crisis germany we dont know exactly what the world order is going to look like coming out of this will we have a cold war between the americans and chinese that is actually an open question right now and theres no question that how you respond to a crisis like that will be the most important line in the open to areas that are written for Many Political leaders around the world not just chancellor merkel so machall final months and chancellor rhee until she leaves office and let him 2021 will prove to be decisive im going to makeover the legacy is currently being written in real time as the savior of europe all of the lead to relate to europe descend into crisis on one. In just 6 months ago no one predicted the legacy of im going to america would be significantly shaped by a new coronavirus so much has changed in just the last 6 months lets bring in now brendan born brendan is manager of Transatlantic Relations at the Bertelsmann Foundation as one of the 3 organisations responsible for the Transatlantic Trends 2020 survey a friend and joins me tonight from washington d. C. Its good to have you on the day branded before we talk about this this big picture i want to stay here in europe and with the perception of germany for a moment in this report you write to the following that americans have and out why our view believing the u. K. To be the most influential country in europe both before and after the pandemic where as in both germany and france germany is the clear leader germanys influence has risen across the board since january now im wondering britain is this all because germany is seen as one of the countries that acted early and decisively to contain the virus is is that the reward that were getting now. Well brant thank you again for having me so in terms of germanys presence on the International Stage we we can see that germany really set the standard at the International Level with its Coronavirus Response course the response of chancellor merkel and her government in terms of allocating resources coordinating between the federal government and state governments clear messaging and a steadfast reliance on scientific expertise a bit injury. Now in terms of Domestic Support you see. Her ratings that skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic as the Approval Ratings of her parliament and so before that and they make germany was considered the most intellectual power in europe by her and she was french and german respondents but since the pandemic those views have increased in some cases by double digits i mean im a bigot on the other point in that quote americans see the u. K. As the most influential country here in europe and im wondering did they not factor in brags that when they were answering this survey of me france in germany consider germany to be the most influential country here in europe how do you explain this this disconnect with the us in the u. K. Certainly when we saw those results we were shocked since certainly as an american who were on these issues day in and day out. You know it appears as though the special relationship between the u. S. And the u. K. Influenced this 8 years. It appears to not have registered with the American Public and i think moving forward one of the full impacts and wrecks that are felt in 2021 that would certainly change but you know those results were reported 2 different times which which. I certainly can term stability results but in any case they were very surprising yeah i mean its it is is surprising we were talking in the newsroom that in the u. S. By a line in of or in an article or a news report on television youre more likely to see london then you are to see brussels for example your survey also looks at geopolitics globally let me show our viewers another quote from your report you write before the pandemic there was a consensus that the United States was the most influential country globally china and the European Union were nearly tied in 2nd place after the crisis the United States is still deemed most influential but chinas influence has risen significantly now this is about americas disastrous pandemic policies more than its about chinas successful pandemic policies would you agree or would you say its 5050 here. I would certainly agree and i think the United States the the response that weve seen in the United States has as really called into question the u. S. Is position on the International Stage certainly we saw that the influence of china is rising but interestingly we had a different question in the survey asked respondents to characterize that development and on in terms of a positive or negative and overwhelmingly before or before the bend to make there was a near majority each country that chinas rising influence on the global stage was was considered to be a negative development and in the wake of the coronavirus those negative views had skyrocketed again by double digits with which is fascinating is interesting and of course that has to do with the virus if you looked at your calendar today you know its july 1st were in the 2nd half of 2020 now the 2 most important events for transatlantic ties in this year and next year im going to say are novembers u. S. President ial election and next years german elections when uncle americal steps down. They have the potential to make this study that you and i are talking about completely out of date do you agree with the what do you how do you see that. Its an interesting point i think the survey results show you know it is certainly that there is consensus within the general public on a number of key issues within the Transatlantic Relationship. For Example International trade security the use of nato these are these are arguably the cornerstones of the Transatlantic Relationship and before the pandemic and after the pandemic those of us have not changed significantly and i think you know looking at the Current Administration which as you know is not exactly a champion of the Transatlantic Relationship. We see that the america that the administration doesnt necessarily represent the views of the American Public the well looking at the figures for. Nato who are supportive of nato for u. S. Involvement in in the security and defense of euro looking at transatlantic trade agreement there are clear majority in some cases super majorities within the american populace so i think moving forward of course november is very important when it comes to whether that whether that consensus will be a catalyst for cooperation between the United States and the European Union on those issues but its certainly refreshing now in response to you under the americans departure of course her or her response to the pandemic has certainly influenced the results weve seen in regard to germany in terms of germanys influence within europe and her departure departure next year will surely be felt than the Transatlantic Community as was on the International Stage yet it will be interesting to see what the Transatlantic Trends 2021 looks like when you guys put that out next year brandon born with the Betterment Foundation joining us tonight from washington brandon it was going to have you on the show and come back and talk with us again thank you thank you so much. It is a question that can make generals nervous and keep defense ministers awake at night is the military serving as camouflage for far right sympathizers germanys defense minister on the great she has ordered part of the countrys elite king s. K. Special forces to be disbanded military investigators announced this year that they suspected 20 k. S. K. Personnel of holding extreme or far right added to it but this is not a concern about the military elite by the political elite the problem begins at the start in basic training our reports on the one met a former soldier who agreed to tell us what he experienced as a soldier but only if we agreed to keep his identity secret he enlisted in the bundeswehr in 2050 then 18 years old he was proud to serve and motivated but shortly after the 3 month basic training he tells us his view of his comrades in arms changed and its use them only to joke about jews it was about long noses things like that. And someone else said it was not meet you saying there are still jews you know if it would be eradicated a. Long time another guy that. Another time one of the guys was telling us how he and his brother fool some refugees out of a link where he lived and went after them with sticks. He was really proud of that i butted in and said you didnt really say that. Did you. Have. To look he has acted as a. Unsystematic racist and right wing extremist remarks we tolerated or at least ignored the former soldiers says criticism from new recruits was not welcomed so he remained silent. Salad all one time and that when they were under massive pressure to fit in with the others not to stand out. If you do get thrown out thats what the system is like i said this is and i said this ill follow this team into schtick. One of. Our article system of ignoring the sentiments and active silencing of criticism in the ranks that is also what florian 5 a retired major experienced. It is against except when they know from personal experience that their superiors make them break the law and cover up crimes when they are forced into doing these things then of course they conclude that these are not isolated cases that is coming from the highest level and also reaches into the realm of politics. But i have to put it to you. Germany is Opposition Green Party has been tackling the issue for years and when this me said yeah its a constant problem that ive been trying to tackle on the Parliamentary Defense Committee servicemen and women complain that they cant speak out because it would damage their career. Weve seen a string of whistle blows exposing right wing extremism in the army i think in the end theyve been forced to leave and the bundesliga gangs and the issue has repeatedly made headlines in recent years numerous cases of right wing extremists in the ranks have come to light critics say the problem has not yet been recognized the structural and thats up to now no appropriate measures have been taken the coaling social democrats defend past reforms for. 3 years ago we brought in Structural Reforms to help root out extremism in. A moment theres still a backlog of cases moment and our awareness of the problem is not new its always been there but it will be and the he would be a snitch annoy me that if. Confronted with the experiences of the former soldier germanys Defense Ministry said it condemned under. Semitic xenophobia and extremist behavior of any kind by members of the army the defense minister said that anyone who remained silent is part of the problem and is complicit the Ministry Says it will now take steps to tackle the issue. The former soldier eventually turned his back on the. Now he hopes that things will finally change despite the bad experiences he has a clear vision for the german army. An. Open and honest ami who looks after soldiers who speak up when things are not runs. An army that doesnt just get rid of soldiers who break the mold hes in quest for them. If that happens he could even imagine going back into the only one day. Its interesting theyre hard to imagine a soldier has to remain anonymous when he wants to talk about the German Military well talk about this im joined now by thomas the gold hes a journalist and author who has written extensively on the german bund is very always good to have you on this show we know that there have been reports of j. F. K. Soldiers allegedly performing the nazi salute at a party 20 soldiers are suspected of far right ties how serious is this situation. Well its actually pretty serious it culminated in may when a soldier of the unit a Sergeant Major is almost sort of the lead followed weapons ammunition and explosives which had been taken from the special talks obviously and this person was a 20 year or so with the case k. With the elite Commando Unit so this really belled and thats why defense minister come cotton ball decided to to do something about it and did to start some kind of structural reform with this elite unit which is disbanding part of the Commando Force which is changing the instructions and similar things and it remains to be seen whether this will be successful what about the reports of missing ammunition and explosives is there any evidence that this was taken stolen for what we describe as terrorist purposes. Well the problem is the ammunition and the explosives found there was a Sergeant Major they were clearly taken from the bundeswehr and he obviously is arriving extremists so this implies there have been cases though that the lead soldiers took ammunition and explosives from. On the other hand elite units Commando Units and i think thats not unique of the moment have them some kind of lets say different understanding when it comes to rules even concerning ammunition and explosives so its not quite clear whether certain amount of or not booked were used somewhere in deployment or and in the system its not like we have were talking about 62 kilograms of explosives and quite an amount and of the general inspector of the armed forces said hes rather unhappy when he sings about this amount of explosives and right wing extremists that are bad bad makes and so until the end of the year. Kamandi is set up to do an inventor e of everything this unit owns and has on stock and in the books and i just ask you before we are out of time the German Defense minister has described the toxic Leadership Culture within germanys elite commando you know people hear that and wonder how was this allowed to develop and become toxic. Well because me obviously this Commando Unit was pretty much sealed off not only from the public and from other but as a unit as well they claimed that Operational Security the mons is certainly a mole and up to the ceiling it up and on the other hand there was no control and no higher ranks were able to control these forces to look into what was going on they were pretty much on their own and maybe this explains how this could happen thomas vigo that we appreciate your time in your insights tonight thank you youre welcome. Well thirtys in northwestern germany are preparing to ease the Strict Lockdown imposed in some districts after a qubit 1000 al break flared at a Meat Processing factory there people have been ordered to stay in their homes and are banned from traveling anywhere for many of those whove seen quarantine return patience is wearing thin but testing who was healthy and who was not there remains a major challenge. These employees of the tennis Meat Processing plant and other residents want out about 650 people have been restricted to this block on the outskirts of found a city of 25000 in western germany theyve been placed under quarantine. But this is set to change the mayor is preparing to lift the quarantine gradually but he still faces one big obstacle trying to figure out who is who and who is healthy. There are different lists of people who are actually living there and people who should be there but probably left before the corn teen who is likely headed home the. I met many in feral and in the neighboring larger city of also want out after all its Summer Vacation but numerous german holiday resorts will only accept travelers from high risk locations if they tested negative for the coronavirus this temporary testing facility is being run with the help of soldiers from the german army. Take about every day we test over 700 people here honestly weve yet to see a positive test thats some good news for a change or good news but people here are still angry especially at the management of the tennis meat plant which was ground 0 for a fresh outbreak of the pandemic in this region. Its their fault and the meat plant acted incredibly irresponsible that was to put it so the police in the city need to come down hard on them. For now the city has its hands full. It has to decide who may and may not be released from quarantine. Workers have to check people against lists of those whove been tested is this its still going to take quite some time weeks maybe months but until were done with everything by it will likely also take a long time until we finally have a vaccine or drugs to treat the illness medicament up until then local residents will have to live with lockdown restrictions. The day is almost gone the compensation continues online you can join us on twitter and remember whatever happens between now and then tomorrow is another day well see them at. A local. 19 pandemic disrupting supply. Next on d w. Enter the conflict with the defense of indias government is in the firing line the home of the brewers accused of badly hounding the coronavirus and lying about the use of battle between its own troops and Chinese Forces in the fall and the my guest this week from new delhi is sudan church of brady a member of the alpha house of parliament and the National Spokesperson for the b. J. Click so for. The 60 minutes detail. We know that this is very time for the coronavirus is changing the world changing. So queens take care of yourself keep your distance wash your hands if you can stay at how we do w. For here for you we are working tirelessly to keep you informed on all of our plans. Are all in this together and together make it. Stay safe everybody. Stay safe a safe priest stay safe. Covered id seen has become a synonym for disruption a Great Lockdown put the brakes on the World Economy drying up Revenue Streams for many firms and smashing Global Supply chain