The Iran war has sparked a new debate: Who is responsible if Germans are stuck in the crisis area: the state, the tour operators or the holidaymakers themselves? In the “Black Channel” FOCUS columnist Jan Fleischhauer is surprised at the expectation that the state will act as quickly as possible Return flights organized.

After all, the situation in the region had been tense for weeks. “This is the Middle East!” he says, reminding us that when you travel there you can’t expect the same conditions as when you cruise through Scandinavia.

In any case, the fact that drones or missiles appear in this region does not come as a complete surprise. “The likelihood of a drone flying around your ears in Norway is relatively low.”

The welfare state was not intended for middle class risks

For Fleischhauer, there is a bigger problem behind the debate: the expectation that the state should pay for more and more personal risks. The welfare state was originally intended to help people in real emergencies. Today it is increasingly being used for what Fleischhauer describes as “middle class risks.”

The columnist becomes ironic when it comes to influencers who post their concerns from the region. These now apparently also belong to the “vulnerable groups”. In the end, Fleischhauer has a simple advice to travelers: “Look at the map first.”