Is Germany Calling The Shots In Germany?

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel Addresses Bundestag © Bloomberg

Bloomberg: Germany Is Calling the Shots in Europe and Merkel Isn’t Sorry

(Bloomberg) -- When Berlin broke with its frugal tradition and opened the spending taps this year, a senior official in the German Economy Ministry was flabbergasted that the European Commission griped instead of showing gratitude.

For years, Germany was reprimanded by the commission — the European Union’s powerful executive arm — as well as the U.S. and the IMF for what’s been called a “fetish” for balancing its budget. Now that it had unleashed 1.2 trillion euros ($1.4 trillion), EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager complained it would give German companies an unfair edge.

So Germany decided to assert itself. Rather than air displeasure in public, officials mounted a forceful lobbying operation behind the scenes in defense of spending plans, according to a senior figure familiar with the discussions, who spoke on condition of anonymity. It worked.

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WNU Editor: Economic power talks. And in Europe it is Germany that has the economic clout to call the shots.

Will Germany Send A Warship Through The Taiwan Strait?

German Navy

John Vinocur, Politico: Germany’s military maneuvers

Officials contemplate sending a warship through the Taiwan Strait.

Germany is considering a break from decades of military non-confrontation.

High ranking officials are contemplating sending a warship through the Taiwan Strait — joining the United States and France in challenging Beijing’s claims to what the West regards as an international waterway.

If Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government actually goes ahead, it will be a remarkable revision of its we-keep-out-of-conflict reflexes. Germany will be openly backing its allies in a strategy certain to be found provocative by the country’s enforcers of non-combatant passivity.

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WNU Editor: I have to see it to believe it, and this is the reason why .... The German Navy And Procurement System Is In Utter Disarray (February 9, 2018). More here .... German Military Ombudsman: 'No More Missions For German Navy' (February 11, 2019).

Should Germany Become A Nuclear Power?

The Büchel military base in southern Germany where it is thought that some US tactical nuclear weapons are stored. DPA

Christian Hacke, National Interest: Why Germany Should Get the Bomb

A country’s crisis diplomacy can only be successful when it is backed by hard military power.

Considering the politics of Donald Trump, Germany can no longer rely on the protection of the United States. According to political scientist Christian Hacke, Berlin has no other choice: Germany must become a nuclear power.

The U.S. president’s semi-authoritarian attitude and his willingness to make friends with the enemies of democracy has exacerbated doubts about whether the West is at risk of breaking up.

President Donald Trump treats once valued allies with scorn and castigates them in public. Under the battle cry “America first,” allies have suddenly become a burden. President Trump is trampling on the core Western values and interests and in so doing, he is gambling away the role of the United States as the leading power of the West. Instead he is chumming up with dictators and squandering America’s reputation as a responsible global power. He is giving up crucial influence, which could lead to alarming shifts of power to the detriment of the free world.

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WNU Editor: This is a terrible idea. Aside from violating a number of international treaties prohibiting the development and deployment of nuclear weapons, if Germany should go down this road it would create a European crisis that Europe has not seen since the height of the Cold War. It would not only be Russia reacting negatively, it would also be most of Europe.

Commentaries, Analysis, And Reaction To The Political Crisis In Germany

Andrea Shalal, Reuters: What happens now after collapse of German coalition talks?

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s failure to forge a three-way coalition government has plunged Europe’s largest economy into uncharted waters, raising pressure on the three-term conservative chancellor to maintain stability.

The pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) abruptly pulled out after more than four weeks of negotiations with Merkel’s conservative bloc and the ecologist Greens, citing irreconcilable differences.

The euro recovered from a two-month low on Monday as investors brushed off the broader political risks.

But Germany now faces a prolonged period of political wrangling and uncertainty. The path to a new election would be difficult and involve more than one vote in parliament.

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WNU Editor: It looks like Germany is going to have another election .... Merkel 'prefers new vote' after talks fail (BBC).

Commentaries, Analysis, And Reaction To The Political Crisis In Germany

What next? Germany’s options after coalition talks collapse -- AP
Germany's coalition talks: What are the sticking points? -- Richard Fuchs, DW
What now for Germany after coalition talks fail? -- Christian Walz, DW
Collapse of German coalition talks underlines Merkel's weaknesses -- Philip Oltermann, The Guardian
Germany political crisis: What are the options? -- BBC
Collapse of German coalition talks deals Merkel a blow; new elections likely -- Washington Post
German coalition talks collapse: the press verdict -- DW
German political instability threatens Merkel's leadership -- UPI
Russian expert says political crisis in Germany unlikely to affect European Union -- TASS
German coalition talks collapse is 'bad news for Europe': Dutch minister -- Reuters
Brexit: why German turmoil is cruelly timed for Britain -- Dan Roberts and Jon Henley, The Guardian
UK PM May's spokesman says not aware of Brexit concerns over German political crisis -- Reuters
Macron says not in French interests for German coalition talks to stall -- Reuters
France wants 'strong and stable' Germany, President Macron says -- Reuters
German stocks recoup losses from collapse of coalition talks -- DW
Euro crashes with Angela Merkel’s fourth term as chancellor in doubt -- RT

Commentaries, Reactions, And Analysis On Germany's Election Results

Stefan Kuzmany, Spiegel Online: A New Germany

The Alternative for Germany's entry into the German parliament is not normal -- it's an attack on our liberal democracy, one that all the other parties must fight. That's just one reason that going into opposition is the right decision by the Social Democrats.

Don't worry! Why all the handwringing? Angela Merkel will stay on as chancellor -- that much we know -- and she'll continue to govern with her wonted calm and reason. And -- chill out! -- that 13-plus percent for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) isn't so bad either -- for unlike our European neighbors, we never had right-wing populists in parliament before -- and now we do. So what? Germany is just ceding to the norm, that's all.

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Commentaries, Reactions, And Analysis On Germany's Election Results

German election press review - shock and concern the abiding reaction -- DW
German election: World reacts to Merkel victory, AfD rise -- DW
Juncker to Merkel: EU needs stable German government to shape Europe -- Reuters
As Germans clip Merkel's wings, Brussels braces for turbulence -- Reuters
Germany: Merkel faces thorny task in building new government -- Geir Moulson, AP
Uncharted political waters for Angela Merkel -- Volker Wagener, DW
'Angela's nightmare victory': German press react to Merkel's election win... with most focussing on her share of the votes crashing more than anyone had expected -- Daily Mail
German election: Not so boring now, is it? -- Sky News
Four graphics that explain how a far-right party won third place in Germany -- CNN
The German election: Here's what happens next -- Holly Ellyatt, CNBC
Five things to know about Germany´s surging nationalist party -- Press Association
Who is Frauke Petry, the AfD's controversial co-chair? -- Alex Pearson and Nancy Isenson, DW
What the stunning success of AfD means for Germany and Europe -- Cas Mudde, The Guardian
View: The five major policy challenges facing Germany’s new government -- Euronews
Merkel’s poll win unlikely to make much difference to Brexit, analysts say -- Jon Henley and Daniel Boffey, The Guardian
German election: Can the Greens and FDP join Angela Merkel in a coalition? -- Jefferson Chase, DW
Far-right AfD enters German parliament: What it means for German politics -- Jefferson Chase, DW
Germany wants to battle again -- Ines Pohl, DW
Merkel ‘to blame for AfD existence’ & will be challenged by new reality – analysts to RT -- RT
'A lot of people feel left behind': voters on the far-right surge in Germany -- The Guardian
German vote could doom Merkel-Macron deal on Europe -- Noah Barkin, Reuters
The end of German exceptionalism -- Gideon Rachman, Financial
What is the role of Germany's parliamentary opposition? -- Carla Bleiker, DW

Should Germany Become A Major Military Power?

Soldiers of the 33rd Panzergrenadier bataillon stand ready for inspection in front of a Puma infantry fighting vehicle after taking part in a drill at the headquarters of the 33rd Panzergrenadier bataillon in Neustadt am Ruebenberge on June 29, 2016. Photo by AFP

Chris Bowlby, BBC: Germany: Reluctant military giant?

Should Germany become a major military power? And will it happen?

With Vladimir Putin destabilising the east, Middle Eastern and Asian conflicts spurring new migration into Europe, and Donald Trump questioning US commitment to NATO, Germany has good reason to feel insecure.

Chancellor Merkel told Germans in May that "we must fight for our future ourselves as Europeans". German troops have been deployed in locations ranging from Lithuania to Afghanistan and Mali. And Merkel has promised to raise German defence spending.

But Germany and its Chancellor face a fundamental problem. Most Germans are very reluctant to go down this road.

They regard their own army with suspicion - an attitude reinforced by a recent scandal involving the Bundeswehr. Foreign deployments are tightly restricted by German law and parliament.

Above all, attitudes are shaped by the shadow of history.

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WNU Editor: Fortunately .... the German public does not have any appetite for this type of military expansion. Can this change .... yes .... but the geopolitical conditions will have to get far worse than what they are now for this to happen.

Can Germany Defend Europe?

© AFP 2016/ CHRISTOF STACHE

Salvatore Babones, National Interest: Can Germany Defend Europe On Its Own?

Most of NATO’s frontline members in eastern and southern Europe are doing their part. Germany is not.

German chancellor Angela Merkel has reaffirmed her position as the unlikely superhero of Europe’s liberal elites. Twelve years in power and facing a difficult election in September, she struck out at the least popular man in Europe: Donald Trump.

Fresh from last week’s G-7 summit, Merkel took a dig at Trump that won her liberal friends around the world. At a Sunday election rally in Munich, she declared that “the times when we could fully rely on others are to some extent over -- I experienced that in the last few days.” The last few days, that is, meeting with Trump.

That’s not rousing rhetoric, to be sure, but the world took her point. Alarmist headlines about the disintegration of the postwar order appeared throughout the world. Even in the United States there was talk of the United States losing its “closest and oldest allies.”

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WNU Editor: German Chancellor Merkel's rhetoric is one thing .... reality on the ground is something else as the above commentary points out.

Is German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Vision Of Europe About To End?

German Chancellor Angela Merkel gets into a car upon her arrival at Moscow's Vnukovo airport February 6, 2015. (Reuters/Sergei Karpukhin)

Sydney Morning Herald: Angela Merkel faces moment of truth as war and default threaten Europe's unity

After almost a decade as German Chancellor, Angela Merkel faces a moment of truth as a resurgent Russia and fed-up Greeks challenge her blueprint for Europe's future.

As bloodshed in eastern Ukraine escalates and the new Greek government rejects austerity championed by Mrs Merkel, her deliberate leadership style might be reaching the limit of its effectiveness.

WNU Editor: She is meeting President Obama on Monday .... and she will be in Minsk on Wednesday trying her best to broker a Ukraine peace deal on Wednesday .... yup .... she has definitely put her credibility and stature on the line .... but I suspect that events are now already out of her control. Greece is broke and they are determined to not pay their debts regardless of what the EU and other lenders may say and/or threaten. On Ukraine .... I have always hoped for a peaceful resolution .... but even I have trouble seeing it happen now. Too many people have been killed, and the anger in the eastern part of Ukraine against the rest of Ukraine for the war is overwhelming .... there is little if any desire to come to some form of reconciliation with Kiev .... and even if Putin threatens the pro-Russian rebel leaders and commanders to obey Moscow .... I am willing to bet that many of them will be reluctant to listen and/or obey him .... even more so to what the German Chancellor may say. But I give German Chancellor Merkel credit for trying .... her intentions are to keep the peace in Europe and to impose German financial discipline on government expenditures within the EU .... but there is now a point where she may have to re-evaluate her goals and vision .... not because they are wrong .... it is just that some countries are now determined to go down their own path.

A Radical Change In German Foreign Policy (A Commentary)

Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle: Let the others take care of unpleasant things. dapd

Germany's Dangerous New Foreign Policy Doctrine -- Ralf Neukirch, Spiegel Online

With its abstention in the UN Security Council vote on Libya, Germany has abandoned its strict alignment with the West, a basic tenet of German foreign policy for decades. Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle's new doctrine is a dangerous one. It would be disastrous for Germany's Western partners began doubting Berlin's committment.

"My God, what will become of Germany when I'm gone?" Konrad Adenauer, West Germany's first chancellor, said 50 years ago. His overriding goal was to keep Germany firmly anchored in the West. He believed that integrating Germany in Europe and keeping it closely allied with the United States was necessary to protect the Germans from themselves. Adenauer was afraid that his compatriots might once again be tempted to veer out and forge their own path. Until a few weeks ago, this fear seemed absurd. But the situation has changed.

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My Comment: The world that Konrad Adenauer grew up in no longer exists, and as a result the Germans are now looking eastward .... not westward. Fed up with bailing under performing (and corrupt) European governments who cannot balance their budgets, and faced with a U.S. President whose focus is .... at best .... ambivalent towards Europe .... the Germans are now responding to an environment that they realize is not in their best interests. My prediction .... expect the Germans to look towards countries like Russia, China, and the other emerging BRIC countries in developing diplomatic and trade relations.

Germany's Way Out Of The Crisis -- Commentary

From Wall Street Journal:

'It is unclear whether general tax cuts can significantly encourage consumption during a recession.'

In the timeline of the financial crisis, there is a very distinct turning point: the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September. The bankruptcy of one of Wall Street's most renowned investment banks caused one of the last levees protecting the financial markets from a total loss of confidence to burst. What had originated in the relatively small U.S. subprime mortgage market now escalated and hit the rest of the world -- financial markets and the real economy alike -- with full force.

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