Posted: 3/25/2003 11:03:00 AM EDT
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BERLIN (Reuters) - No more Coca-Cola or Budweiser, no Marlboro, no American whiskey or even American Express cards -- a growing number of restaurants in Germany are taking everything American off their menus to protest the war in Iraq. [url]http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=XXJPPYMQPPU0WCRBAELCFEY?type=focusIraqNews&storyID=2446136[/url] It will be interesting to see what happens with this. Do we boycott Damlier Chrysler or do the Germans? Do the Germans really drink Budweiser? |
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Article that makes fun of these feel-good "activists" and discussion at [url]http://www.heise.de/tp/deutsch/inhalt/glosse/14444/1.html[/url] The gist of it: it's a good ole tradition and the favorite knee-jerk reaction of "political activists" in Germany; but a rather pointless and stupid one, especially under the angle of globalization. |
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See? That's the stupid thing about boycotts. If Germans successfully boycott Coca-Cola for instance, or McDonald's, all it does is going to put Germans out of work. Same here, on this side of the pond: you don't buy that new BMW SUV or that shiny new Jetta? The former is made in the US and the latter in Mexico. |
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I feel this cituation is similar to that of people in the US changing french fries to "freedom fries" and things like that. I'm sure things will calm down all over when we find absolute proof of saddams WMD. My boss (former US military) is worried about his upcoming trip to Germany to visit his wifes family and do some business while he's there. I feel for him. |
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We will see which country suffers more from this, the US or Far-from-Duken... I followed a thread on another site in which a large american company cancelled an account with a leather supplier in germ. Here is the text of the initial story: March 05, 2003 [i[ Small German Firm Loses U.S. Business By COLLEEN BARRY ASSOCIATED PRESS BERLIN (AP) - A small eastern German company on Wednesday became the first to announce the loss of U.S. business over Berlin's refusal to back the Bush administration's moves to disarm Iraq militarily. Lederett CEO Grit Kuhn notified Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in a letter last Friday that Enefco International Ltd., based in Auburn, Maine, would no longer buy leatherboard from the firm because of Germany's anti-war policies. She said the deal was worth $50,000 annually to the firm, employing 46 people in the Saxony town of Siebenlehn. Enefco owner Norman Farrar said in a letter dated Feb. 18 he was calling off future purchases despite being pleased with the quality, service and price. "The prime reason for this decision is due to the lack of support for the U.S. by the Federal Republic of Germany," Farrar wrote. Farrar did not immediately return phone calls seeking further comment. Kuhn appealed to the chancellor to change his position, accusing him of sacrificing the German-American friendship "on the altar of short-term political success." "We ask the German government to modify its anti-war stance in the case of Iraq for the protection of German industry," Kuhn said in a letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. Germany's opposition to war - which started during Schroeder's campaign for re-election last summer - has prompted scattered calls in the United States for boycotts of French and German products. But Lederett is the only known victim to date, according to the German government and the German-American Chamber of Commerce. A government spokesman in Berlin refused to comment on the case. However, concerns that the rift over Iraq could hamper commerce - worth $122 billion a year - prompted a two-day meeting last month in Bonn of German and U.S. business and political leaders. They expressed confidence that any fallout would be limited. But Lederett already has lost its largest American customer, which Kuhn said the company fought two years to secure, and has been supplying for two years. She indicated broader concerns for the well-being of the 60-year-old leather firm, noting that 90 percent of its production is for export. "We don't know how many similar reactions German industry must experience," she said. "However, we are sure that the German government would react if, for example, the automotive industry was similarly affected." [/i] I wrote a thank you letter to the CEO CH |