This could push Germany towards a more values-based foreign policy that doubles down on European integration and is tougher on Russia and China.īut Laschet is another story-a cautious moderate in the Merkel mode, but with a dose of her predecessor Gerhard Schröder’s business-über-alles reflex and readiness to engage with authoritarians. In that case, regardless of who wins the CDU leadership contest, Germany would get its first Green chancellor-presumably one of the party’s two leaders, Robert Habeck or Annalena Baerbock. There is also a chance that the resurgent Greens could emerge as the strongest political force after the next federal election. If one of them were to pull out a victory next month and go on to replace Merkel, the contours of German foreign policy would surely shift. Both Merz and Norbert Röttgen, a third contender who is seen as a long shot, are defenders of the transatlantic relationship and tough critics of China who argue that Germany must break out of its postwar reticence and take on more responsibility for its own security. There are still many “ifs” around the Merkel succession and what it will mean for German policy. That person will instantly become the odds-on favourite to succeed Merkel in 2021. On April 25, at a congress of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), a new leader of the party will be chosen. By coopting a leading conservative rival, Health Minister Jens Spahn, he has thrown other contenders, notably longtime Merkel critic Friedrich Merz, onto the defensive. In recent weeks, Armin Laschet, the 59-year-old premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, has emerged as the front-runner in the contest to replace Merkel. And the early signs suggest Germany could continue down the enigmatic policy path that has defined the end of the Merkel era, confounding Berlin’s partners in Europe and beyond. How Germany defines its foreign-policy interests in the post-Merkel era, and whether it can emerge from a prolonged period of drift, will ultimately depend on who replaces her and what sort of government that person leads. And yet Merkel has failed to articulate a new vision for the country.īut it would be wrong to see her departure as the solution to Germany’s strategic ambiguity problem. administration that calls Europe a “foe” has shaken the foundations of German prosperity and security. A new world shaped by competition between China and a U.S. In neighboring France, President Emmanuel Macron can barely hide his frustration with Merkel’s risk-averse approach to Europe. At home, the economy is faltering and the far-right is on the rise. Some leading German media haven’t been much kinder-and it’s not difficult to see why.Īfter more than 14 years in power, and with nearly two more to go, the German chancellor and her loveless grand-coalition government seem tired and out of ideas. “Angela Merkel is running out of road and should step down,” the Financial Times opined last week. “Angela Merkel should quit soon,” the Economist declared last month.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |