Otfried Nassauer

Otfried Nassauer (August 20, 1956, in Siegen – October 1, 2020, in Berlin) was a German journalist and peace researcher, who interacted between civil society, mass media and politics. Over the course of four decades he had a profound impact on the public discourse in Germany and beyond about German and international military policy, especially in the fields of arms control and arms exports.[1][2]

Nassauer in 2018 at the Protestant Academy Baden in Bad Herrenalb

Life
Nassauer (right) with Fischer in 1992 at the book presentation of "Satansfaust"

Nassauer studied Protestant theology at the University of Hamburg.[3] Shortly after the founding of the political party The Greens in 1980 he joined its section "Peace and International Affairs" and its federal working group "Peace" as an independent expert. Three years later he became also an adviser on security policy in the newly formed coordination committee of the German peace movement.[4] When Angelika Beer – a leading politician of the Green party at the time – was elected to be a member of the Bundestag, Germany's Federal Parliament, Nassauer served as a close adviser to her, especially with regard to her membership in the defense committee.[5]

Protests at Büchel Air Base in 2008

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Nassauer organised a meeting between officers of the National People's Army from the military academy "Friedrich Engels" in Dresden and their West German counterparts from the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College in Hamburg.[6] Along with East German military members and peace activists he then attended events both at the NATO headquarters in Brussels and at the General staff of the Armed Forces in Moscow.[7]

In 1991, Nassauer and other peace researchers both from the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the defunct German Democratic Republic (GDR) co-founded the Berlin Information-center for Transatlantic Security (BITS) in the former East-Berlin.[4][7] In the following year he and his co-director Siegfried Fischer, a former field officer of the People's Navy and military lecturer, edited the anthology Satansfaust, Das nukleare Erbe der Sowjetunion mit Beiträgen (The Fist of Satan: the Nuclear Legacy of the Soviet Union") with contribution by experts from both the Western world and the former Eastern Bloc.[8]

A Dolphin II class submarine commissioned for the Israeli Navy at the HDW shipyard in Kiel (2012)

As director of BITS for almost three decades Nassauer went on to analyse the whole spectrum of developments in the field of security policy. One major focus he kept were the arms control regimes for nuclear weapons, particularly Germany's nuclear sharing through hosting U.S. nuclear weapons at Büchel Air Base.[9] Another main area of his expertise was the complex of German arms exports. It was especially his research on the transfer of German-built Dolphin-class submarines – and his conclusion that they could deploy nuclear missiles – to Israel which confirmed his expert status on the international level.[10][11] However, he concentrated not only on heavy weapons, but also on small arms,[12][13] first and foremost in cooperation with pacifist activist Jürgen Grässlin on German gun-maker Heckler & Koch.[14] After the founding of the German section of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines in 1995 Nassauer supported it by co-authoring a study book about land mines made in Germany.[15]

As the Alliance 90/The Greens opened up to military interventions abroad over the course of the 1990s, Nassauer increasingly provided consultancy to the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) and its successor, The Left.[16]

Nassauer published his journalistic works regularly in a multitude of mass media outlets, amongst them the left-wing daily newspapers Die Tageszeitung (taz),[17] Neues Deutschland (ND) and Junge Welt, the weekly news magazine Der Spiegel,[18][19][20] and the bi-weekly Das Blättchen.[21] In radio broadcasting he particularly shaped the weekly programme Streitkräfte und Strategien ("Armed forces and strategies") of the public service broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) with more than 150 contributions since 1993.[22] In the field of television he was particularly active with background research for the investigative programmes of the public broadcaster ARD, e.g. Monitor and Report Mainz.[23]

Legacy
2010 at BITS during a meeting with MP Kathrin Vogler (The LEFT)

On September 30, 2020, the Berlin-based International League for Human Rights informed Nassauer about its decision to award him the Carl-von-Ossietzky-medal.[24] On the very next day he passed away at his Berlin apartment aged 64.

The fact that both his expertise and personality were widely appreciated was demonstrated by a multitude of obituaries not only from church and secular peace activist groups,[4][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] but also from leading journalists[39][40] and newspapers of record,[41][42][43][16] academia,[1] politicians of different parties and colours[44][5][45] as well as from military circles.[2]

2018 in Düsseldorf at an Ethicon event on Rheinmetall's arms business

He was mourned on the international stage, too. For instance, Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists commented:

"I'm saddened to learn of the passing of Otfried Nassauer, a friend and long-term collaborator on European nuclear weapons issues. He was a tireless researcher & advocate".[46]

And the South African writer, campaigner and ex-ANC MP Andrew Feinstein remarked:

"The leading authority on German arms makers & exports. An extraordinary character, meticulous researcher & committed campaigner. A huge loss to the German & global peace movement. Rest in peace, kamerad"[47]

On October 17, 2020, a one-page death notice was published in the weekend edition of the daily taz, which was signed by 228 individuals as well as by 83 organisations and groups.[45]

See also

Further reading

References
  1. Brzoska, Michael (October 5, 2020). "Vorkämpfer für den Frieden – Nachruf auf Otfried Nassauer". Institut für Friedensforschung und Sicherheitspolitik an der Universität Hamburg (in German). Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  2. Dewitz, Christian (October 5, 2020). "Otfried Nassauer: Militärexperte, Friedensforscher, Journalist". bundeswehr-journal. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  3. "otfried nassauer". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). October 13, 2001. p. 4. ISSN 0931-9085. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  4. Biermann, Wolfgang; Blum, Inga; Brandt, Peter; Finckh-Krämer, Ute; Frey, Uli; Zimmermann, Burkhard (October 8, 2020). "Wir trauern um Otfried Nassauer". neue-entspannungspolitik.berlin (in German). Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  5. Beer, Angelika (October 16, 2020). "Otfried Nassauer ins Tot! Ein Brief an Otfried". angelika-beer.de (in German). Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  6. Flocken, Andreas (October 5, 2020). "Nachruf auf Otfried Nassauer". www.ndr.de (in German). Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  7. Schwarz, Wolfgang; Fischer, Siegfried; Trenin, Dmitri; Schreiber, Wilfried (October 9, 2020). "In memoriam Otfried Nassauer (1956–2020)". Das Blattchen (in German). Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  8. Nassauer, Otfried; Fischer, Siegfried (1992). Satansfaust: Das nukleare Erbe der Sowjetunion. Berlin: Aufbau-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-351-02401-7.
  9. Nassauer, Otfried (January 2013). "Germany's Tornado Nuclear Weapons Carrier". bits.de. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  10. "Subs a Ploy in Battle for Middle Eastern Influence". Stratfor. November 25, 2003. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  11. "Israel, Germany in sub deal negotiations". UPI. January 20, 2010. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  12. Knight, Ben (February 3, 2017). "Heckler & Koch bids to replace its own tarnished gun". Deutsche Welle (DW). Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  13. "Heckler & Koch". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  14. "Case 02: G36 in Mexico (Long version)". Global Net Stop The Arms Trade (GN STAT). Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  15. Küchenmeister, Thomas; Nassauer, Otfried (1997). 'Gute Mine' zum bösen Spiel? Landminen made in Germany (in German). Idstein: KOMZI Vlg. ISBN 978-3-929522-31-0.
  16. Baron, Christian (October 7, 2020). "Otfried Nassauer ist tot – Möge er Frieden finden". digital.freitag.de (in German). Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  17. taz. die tageszeitung. "Artikel von Otfried Nassauer – taz.de". taz.de (in German). Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  18. Nassauer, Otfried; Gebauer, Matthias (May 8, 2013). "German Government Approves Export of Tanks to Indonesia". DER SPIEGEL international. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  19. Nassauer, Otfried; Repinski, Gordon; Trauvetter, Gerald (May 10, 2013). "Safety Problems: Eurofighter Costs Soar amid Mismanagment". DER SPIEGEL international. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  20. Becker, Markus; Nassauer, Otfried (November 6, 2013). "US Modernizing Its Nuclear Arsenal Despite Criticism Over Weapons". DER SPIEGEL international. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  21. "Schlagwort-Archiv: Otfried Nassauer (in 33 Beiträgen)". Das Blättchen (in German). Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  22. Flocken, Andreas (October 5, 2020). "Nachruf auf Otfried Nassauer". NDR (in German). Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  23. "MONITOR trauert um Otfried Nassauer". MONITOR (WDR) (in German). October 5, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  24. "Carl-von-Ossietzky-Medaille 2020 an Otfried Nassauer (verstorben am 1.10.2020) | Internationale Liga für Menschenrechte". Internationale Liga für Menschenrechte (in German). December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  25. "Wir trauern um Otfried Nassauer". Aktion Aufschrei – Stoppt den Waffenhandel!. October 5, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  26. Ruttig, Thomas (October 4, 2020). "RIP Otfried Nassauer (1956–2020)". Afghanistan Zhaghdablai (in German). Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  27. Schmid, Michael (October 7, 2020). "Trauer um Friedensforscher Otfried Nassauer (1956–2020)". Lebenshaus Schwäbische Alb e.V. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  28. Müller-Langsdorf, Sabine; Burggraf, Wolfgang (October 5, 2020). "Evangelische Friedensarbeit trauert um Otfried Nassauer". Evangelische Friedensarbeit. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  29. "pax christi trauert um Otfried Nassauer". pax christi – Deutsche Sektion (in German). October 5, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  30. Böttger, Martin (October 4, 2020). "Ein Guter weniger". Beueler Extradienst (in German). Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  31. Happe, Barbara (October 5, 2020). "Nachruf auf Otfried Nassauer". Dachverband der Kritischen Aktionärinnen und Aktionäre (in German). Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  32. Hall, Xanthe; Steffen, Jens-Peter (October 4, 2020). "Die IPPNW betrauert den Verlust eines ganz engen Freundes – Nachruf für Otfried Nassauer". Deutsche Sektion der Internationalen Ärzte für die Verhütung des Atomkrieges/Ärzte in sozialer Verantwortung e.V. (IPPNW). Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  33. ">Kannte jede verdammte Schraube< - Stimmen zum Tod von Otfried Nassauer". Ohne Rüstung Leben (in German). October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  34. Fischer, Martina (October 8, 2020). "Zum Tod von Otfried Nassauer". Brot für die Welt (in German). Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  35. Zepp, Marianne (October 12, 2020). "Nachruf Otfried Nassauer". diAk e.V. (in German). Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  36. Grässlin, Jürgen; Möhrle, Stephan (October 5, 2020). "Das RüstungsInformationsBüro trauert um Otfried Nassauer". RüstungsInformationsBüro e.V. (in German). Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  37. Schlupp-Hauck, Wolfgang (October 14, 2020). "Seine Unterstützung wird uns fehlen: Nachruf auf Otfried Nassauer". Netzwerk Friedenskooperative – Network of the German Peace Movement (in German). Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  38. Frey, Ulrich (October 15, 2020). "Nachruf auf den Friedensforscher Otfried Nassauer". Koordinationskreis der Ökumenischen Konsultation Gerechtigkeit und Frieden – Evangelische Akademie im Rheinland (in German). Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  39. Wiegold, Thomas (October 4, 2020). "Otfried Nassauer wird fehlen: Erst die Fakten, dann die Meinung – Augen geradeaus!". Augen geradeaus!. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  40. Bauer, Max (October 5, 2020). "Friedensforscher Otfried Nassauer ist tot – Ein ganz präziser Blick auf Krieg und Frieden". SWR2 Journal am Mittag (in German). Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  41. Winkelmann, Ulrike (October 4, 2020). "Nachruf auf Otfried Nassauer: Beharrlich für den Frieden". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). ISSN 0931-9085. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  42. "Otfried Nassauer gestorben". Süddeutsche.de (in German). October 5, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  43. Heilig, René (October 4, 2020). "Otfried Nassauer wird fehlen – Renommierter Friedensforscher ist gestorben. Ein Nachruf". Neues Deutschland (nd) (in German). Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  44. W., Karl (October 5, 2020). "Otfried Nassauer gestorben". Grüne Linke (in German). Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  45. Golla, Kristian (October 17, 2020). "Wir nehmen Abschied von unserem Freund, Kollegen und Mitstreiter Otfried Nassauer" (PDF). Netzwerk Friedenskooperative (in German). Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  46. Kristensen, Hans (October 5, 2020). "I'm saddened to learn of the passing of Otfried Nassauer". Twitter. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  47. Feinstein, Andrew (October 3, 2020). "The remarkable German arms researcher, Otfried Nassauer, has passed away". Twitter. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
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