WEBVTT 00:00.800 --> 00:07.497 Following the reinstatement of mandatory military service, the first ceremonial oath-taking by soldiers in the new 00:07.497 --> 00:14.082 military service took place on July 20, 2026, in front of the Federal Ministry of Defense in Berlin. 00:14.082 --> 00:21.948 The guest of honor at this special event was Dr. Navid Kermani, one of the most prominent contemporary German intellectuals. 00:21.948 --> 00:29.461 Kermani excels as a writer, journalist, scholar, and cultural bridge-builder. 00:29.461 --> 00:36.412 In 2015, he was even awarded the German Book Trade Peace Prize for these achievements. 00:36.412 --> 00:45.536 Kermani took this opportunity to deliver an extraordinary speech, which subsequently went viral on social media. 00:45.536 --> 00:52.487 He spoke about the importance of discipline, camaraderie, and respect for the chain of command, while also addressing 00:52.487 --> 01:00.375 extremely sensitive questions, such as: “When does a German soldier reach the point where he has to say ‘No!’?” 01:00.375 --> 01:03.954 "When must a Bundeswehr soldier refuse an order?" 01:03.954 --> 01:11.069 In doing so, he made it clear how important it is to explicitly address the issue of insubordination. 01:11.069 --> 01:16.270 He said, “Today teaches you something different.” 01:16.270 --> 01:23.292 "It teaches you that in certain situations, you can—and must—say NO, even if it costs you your 01:23.292 --> 01:29.240 community, your material well-being, or even your life." 01:29.240 --> 01:36.274 In doing so, he also leveled unusually sharp criticism at the federal government and Chancellor Friedrich Merz. 01:36.274 --> 01:41.560 He even glosses over obvious violations of international law. 01:41.560 --> 01:47.333 Dear viewers, below we present and quote key passages from this speech. 01:47.333 --> 01:51.950 You, too, can learn to say “no” when wrong is treated as right. 01:51.950 --> 01:58.706 “ Dear recruits. You already know better than I do—someone who has never carried a weapon—why it is 01:58.706 --> 02:05.883 important, and why it can even be a matter of survival in combat, for a soldier to be obedient. 02:05.883 --> 02:14.459 You can't question every order if you want to survive in war, and that's why armies strictly enforce discipline, camaraderie, 02:14.459 --> 02:18.740 and adherence to the chain of command even in peacetime. 02:18.740 --> 02:24.161 You, dear recruits, have been learning these genuine military virtues until yesterday, and you 02:24.161 --> 02:27.476 will continue to learn them starting tomorrow. 02:27.476 --> 02:30.276 Today will teach you something different. 02:30.276 --> 02:38.672 Today teaches you that in certain situations, you can—and must—say “No!” Even if it costs you your 02:38.672 --> 02:43.883 community, your material well-being, or even your life. 02:43.883 --> 02:50.444 Still, it won't always be easy for you, either, to recognize the point at which you need to say “No.” 02:50.444 --> 02:55.113 Conscience alone is not enough to distinguish between right and wrong. 02:55.113 --> 03:00.496 Conscience needs an objective check to ensure it is not arbitrary. 03:00.496 --> 03:08.315 You, dear recruits, have such a safeguard in the form of our Constitution and the fundamental rights enshrined 03:08.315 --> 03:13.143 therein, which may not be altered by any majority decision. 03:13.143 --> 03:19.288 These fundamental rights take precedence over any order from your superior, no matter the circumstances. 03:19.288 --> 03:28.278 But back to my question: When does the point come where you, dear recruits, can—and must—say no? 03:28.278 --> 03:36.690 "It is in the nature of wars that they get out of hand and situations arise that no one could have foreseen." 03:36.690 --> 03:43.579 In addition to Commander-in-Chief Carsten Breuer, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was also in the audience. 03:43.579 --> 03:47.165 In light of those clear words, his facial expression spoke volumes! 03:47.165 --> 03:55.162 “None other than the German Chancellor has made it a habit to downplay international law and gloss over 03:55.162 --> 04:01.935 violations of it whenever it seems politically expedient to him. 04:01.935 --> 04:10.431 Dear recruits, you are at the beginning of what may be a long career in the military. 04:10.431 --> 04:19.235 It is unlikely that the coming decades will remain as peaceful as the past decades have been for Germany, on the whole. 04:19.235 --> 04:28.413 Should a future federal government attempt to lead you into a war that is as blatantly contrary to international law and as 04:28.413 --> 04:35.278 politically disastrous as the recent war waged by the United States and Israel against Iran, 04:35.278 --> 04:40.360 then it will be your duty to refuse the order. 04:48.790 --> 04:57.893 But the threat to wipe out an entire civilization or a deliberate attack on a country's civilian infrastructure are 04:57.893 --> 05:06.403 such obvious injustices that one need not be a lawyer or consult one's conscience to recognize them. 05:06.403 --> 05:13.879 When the German federal government, of all entities, takes the lead in declaring international law to be of secondary 05:13.879 --> 05:21.993 importance, or when a German chancellor, of all people, is the only Western leader to defend the American president’s threat to 05:21.993 --> 05:28.191 wipe out an entire civilization, it is not only devastating for our reputation—on which we, as an 05:28.191 --> 05:32.647 export-oriented nation, depend, not least economically. 05:32.647 --> 05:41.745 "No, the downplaying of international law by the highest authorities also sends a disastrous signal for our democracy, 05:41.745 --> 05:51.453 because if the rule of law erodes in our foreign relations, it won’t be long before it is also disregarded at home. " 05:51.453 --> 05:58.141 Navid Kermani concluded his memorable speech with the following deeply moving words: 05:58.141 --> 06:04.354 “Please always remember, at every moment, that no matter how malicious the enemy may seem to 06:04.354 --> 06:07.856 you, he is still a human being just like you.” 06:07.856 --> 06:16.227 Because if you view the enemy as an animal, as a mere line on the screen, or as a monster—just to make it easier to kill—then 06:16.227 --> 06:20.596 you yourself will turn into an animal, an AI, or a monster. 06:20.596 --> 06:29.875 I've never held a gun, but as a reporter, I've seen enough wars up close to know how quickly people become brutal. 06:29.875 --> 06:36.973 "There is no war—not yesterday, not today, not tomorrow—in which combat cannot suddenly turn into a 06:36.973 --> 06:40.558 thirst for murder, sadism, and sexual violence. "