Germany has rapidly stepped up its arms trade with Algeria since the Arab Spring swept across the region in late 2010/2011, a report by Der Spiegel on November 12 revealed. In 2010, Germany sold under €20 million worth of military equipment to Algeria. In 2011 and 2012, Germany has sold €400 million worth, and it’s underwritten a €2.13 billion sale of two warships.

Now, according to Spiegel, a subsidiary of Rheinmetall plans to build 1,200 Fuch armored personnel carriers in Algeria over the next 10 years. All of these vehicles are for the Algerian military.

That’s a huge increase in sales. Why?

Germany is using arms sales to try to build an anti-Iranian alliance. Germany has major arms deals with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Turkey is the world’s second-largest importer of German arms. Germany is deeply concerned about the rise of Iran and is arming Iran’s opponents across the Middle East—despite the objections of German media like Spiegel.

Since the Arab Spring, Iran has been spreading its influence across North Africa, into Libya and Egypt. What is causing Germany to become agitated “perhaps more than even the finances in Europe is what’s happening in Iran, Egypt and Libya,” said Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry in a recent address. A strong, radical Islamic presence on the Mediterranean is a major threat to Europe, he explained. “And you know, if you know anything about the history of Germany, that they’re doing something!” he said. “I can tell you that without even reading any reports.”

Germany’s arms trade with Algeria is just part of its response. This trade has exploded since the Arab Spring. This is more than Germany taking advantage of the situation to sell some more weapons to make a quick buck. South Africa’s defenceWeb reported that the warship contract took a year to negotiate. It was concluded in March this year, meaning Germany started negotiating in spring 2011, when much of Europe and the United States began to get involved in Libya. Germany chose to sit the campaign out and instead negotiate arms deals with Libya’s neighbor. It probably anticipated that siding with the rebels in Libya would push the nation toward Iran.

Germany’s long-term thinking and strategy is in stark contrast to America’s policy in the region that appears to merely react to events and have no overall plan.

Germany sees Iran’s spread throughout the region and is trying to build an alliance with Algeria to contain it. It’s also supporting France’s calls to intervene in Mali to stop the spread of radical Islam just to the south of Algeria.

Germany’s campaign to build such alliances was foretold in Psalm 83. That psalm is a key to understanding what is happening in the Middle East right now. It foretells that Germany would forge an alliance with Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan and several other nations.

Algeria is not mentioned. This indicates that Germany will fail to bring Algeria on board. But it’s not for lack of trying. Germany’s arms sales to Algeria clearly show that it’s worried about Iran’s spread and is trying to curtail its influence in the Middle East and North Africa.

For more information on the Psalm 83 prophecy and Germany’s policy in North Africa, read our article “Next in Line, Please” from the latest print edition of the Trumpet.