Good morning, dear readers,
risen in the turmoil after the end of the Soviet Union. Once the richest of all oligarchs, then fell out of favor with Vladimir Putin. Show trial, expropriation, labor camp, pardon. Since then he has been in exile in England, where he supports the Russian opposition. The life of Mikhail Borissovich Khodorkovsky could have come from one of those thick Russian novels that say everything but a happy ending.
Handelsblatt editor-in-chief Sebastian Matthes and foreign reporter Mathias Brüggmann met Khodorkovsky in London to talk to him about his view of Russia after a year of war in Ukraine. The most important statements…
- … about the Russian losses in Ukraine: “I assumed that such a high number of dead and wounded soldiers in Russia would trigger uprisings. It hasn’t come to that so far.”
- … on Putin’s future: “Personalized regimes usually do not outlive their founder. Putin’s end will come sooner rather than later. In the event of a military defeat, it may take two years. If defeat isn’t obvious, maybe ten more.”
- … about Chancellor Olaf Scholz: “If I were a young Ukrainian, I would call Scholz a bastard. He has so many tanks and other weapons and he gives us next to nothing. But unfortunately I’m not young anymore and I understand that Scholz’s power, unlike Putin’s, depends on his voters.”
- … about the democratic Russian opposition: “So far, only 15 percent of the population has backed us. If we unite among ourselves, that 15 percent will have more impact.”
Khodorkovsky changed his mind on one point. He himself no longer wants to play an important political role in a post-Putin Russia because “I was 50 years old when the questions started. I’m 60 now.”
René Obermann will also be 60 in a few days, but he doesn’t give the impression that he feels too old for anything. At the start of the Munich Security Conference today, the Chairman of the Airbus Supervisory Board dictated the following to German defense policy: “First of all, the Bundeswehr must become more capable of acting as quickly as possible. To do this, procurement must be significantly reduced in bureaucracy and accelerated. That starts with the ammunition and extends to modern weapon systems.”
In an interview with the Handelsblatt, Obermann above all called for a quick decision on the modernization of the Eurofighter produced in Europe. The jet, largely built by Airbus, will form the backbone of the Luftwaffe’s combat aircraft fleet by 2060 and form the bridge to the planned FCAS system, Europe’s future air combat system.
The chief supervisor at Airbus warns politicians not to neglect European industry when upgrading the armed forces.
(Photo: Marc-Steffen Unger for Handelsblatt)
Could reality be an illusion caused by a lack of money? At least well-known experts support this thesis with regard to the scarce workforce. “The thesis of a shortage of skilled workers is not correct,” said the head of the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Simon Jäger, in a recent interview with “Spiegel”. Because: “If a company lacks skilled workers, it can change that on its own. If it offers higher wages or better working conditions, it becomes more attractive.”
Ifo boss Clemens Fuest agrees. “Lack is a situation in which you are willing to pay the price, but get nothing,” said the economist on Bayerischer Rundfunk. At the moment, however, the following applies: “The most important answer to the shortage of skilled workers is to increase wages.”
However, wages in shortage occupations such as geriatric care have already risen sharply in recent years, as our chart shows. These specialists are still urgently needed. Why is it?
Bert RuerupPresident of the Handelsblatt Research Institute considers Jäger and Fuest’s argument to be too simplistic: “Work is not a homogeneous good. This eliminates a central economic model assumption. In fact, every employee is unique in terms of qualifications and performance.”
Example: An unemployed economist usually cannot and does not want to simply switch to a plumbing job, no matter how scarce plumbers are. And I personally don’t want to live under the same roof with a gas boiler that an economist has maintained.
In addition to higher wages and better working conditions, Rürup’s recommendations: attract more qualified immigrants – and make it easier for women in particular to work full-time: “Nearly every second employed woman works part-time today – although the educational participation of women is now higher than that of men. “
A longer working life can also alleviate the shortage of skilled workers – if the body cooperates. US President Joe Biden is a “healthy, vigorous 80-year-old man capable of successfully discharging the duties of a presidency.” This key phrase comes from the results of the medical check-up that Biden underwent on Thursday.
Biden had announced that he would make another presidential candidacy dependent on his state of health. This possible hindrance has now been eliminated.
At the beginning of a second term, Biden would be 82 years old, at the end of it 86. He already holds the record as the oldest US president of all time. With that in mind, the 128/76 presidential blood pressure reported by the White House sounds impressively low.
Barely back from the doctor, Biden revealed the mystery of the three unidentified flying objects in a speech in the White House, which have been shot down over the USA in the past few days. In all probability they were not used for espionage. Biden said that according to intelligence, the balloons were probably from companies or research institutes. The US said it had previously shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina.
It is questionable, however, whether Biden’s statement will be enough to dispel rumors of an imminent alien invasion. In this case, Germany at least would have a good chance of being spared in the short term: because of the Verdi strike at German airports, the extraterrestrials could not land today.
Best regards
Your Christian Rickens
Editor-in-Chief Handelsblatt
