Gregor Gysi is the head of the socialist left-wing political party The Left (Die Linke) in Germany. He was the last leader of the Socialist Unity Party and led the effort that transformed it into the post-communist Party of Democratic Socialism, the forerunner of The Left. He is well known for his rhetorical talent and is considered one of the best public speakers in the country.
Unqualified, idealistic pacifism is a basic principle of his party. Therefore, it is fundamentally opposed to Germany selling arms to foreign countries.
Gysi is outraged by the brutal murders committed by ISIS. This week, he advocated that Germany sell arms to the Kurds and, if necessary, to others. He is convinced ISIS has to be stopped. He believes they can only be stopped by military means. There is no alternative.
It seems no one in his party supports him. He is isolated in the party he leads. His colleagues believe that without its absolute commitment to pacifism, The Left has no right to function as a party.
Source: Die Zeit, August 13
Eric Koch’s new book, New Beginnings, was launched on September 20. The book is available from 
This harks back to Einstein abandoning the pacifism he had long and ardently supported in 1933, and calling for military force as the only means of stopping the Nazis.
It reminds us about absolute beliefs/principles. Are they? The older I get the more it seems that there is always some context means our principle (eg. pacificism/not killing) becomes a real live choice we cannot live with. Gysi has reached this context.