Merkel and the USA Collide

It’s an unprecedented insult and a disaster for German-American relations. Who would now believe that Barack Obama didn’t get sufficient warning that Chancellor Merkel wouldn’t accept the about-face General Motors had decided to pull on Opel? Perhaps this president is just as clueless as Hillary Clinton once declared, and all charisma but mainly just self-absorbed.

It’s tragic, really tragic. On the same day as her great triumph, on the day she became larger than life, becoming chancellor of a new German Democratic Republic. On that day of all days to also experience her biggest disgrace. And not just anywhere – it happened in the United States, the nation of her dreams, the Mecca of all the aspects of her desire, as she so candidly and willingly put it in her address to the U.S. Congress. The cheering was still going on when the slap in the face from General Motors came: they weren’t going to give up Opel.

It’s an unprecedented affront, a disaster, a blow to German-American relations, worse than anything that ever happened under Bush Junior and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. So incomprehensible that it evoked three separate emotions: sympathy, grief and anger. Even if Lord Palmerston was right when he said, “Nations have no permanent friends or allies, they only have permanent interests,” it’s nonetheless also true that the heads of nations need permanent friends in other nations. It’s the same in everyday life – nothing hurts as much as rejected love.

And there stands Merkel, exposed in a way that she would only allow amongst her closest inner circle at home. Her mistrust was so deep, her caution so great. It was caused in part by her socialization in socialism, where people had to protect themselves. And then she comes out with her own politically stirring personal declaration of independence. Her theme was the freedom to want and to seek the right path. The applause for that goes on and it continues because she has stated her political credo and done so in this specifically chosen nation.

And it doesn’t end there. Merkel never gave a better speech than the one she gave in that most appropriate Washington setting. Her figurative language was also designed to support Barack Obama. For example, that whoever wanted to follow in the great conservative communicator Ronald Reagan’s footsteps was now obligated to “tear down that wall” between yesterday and tomorrow when it came to climate change – that logic is unassailable. Even Obama’s opponents had to respect that. Or the example of Germany’s relations towards Israel and the creation of a Palestinian state – crystal clear to both sides. She came to Obama’s side again and again to support him with her newly won authority among conservatives, liberals, progressives, whoever. One would almost be tempted to think that it wasn’t deplorable, but rather admirable, that Merkel never really said anything concrete; she, whose strong suit is supposed to be pragmatism while the rest are driven by circumstances. In this situation, at any rate, Chancellor Merkel was able to bask in the honor of the moment.

And the key word here is moment. No momentum was created. General Motors, directed and supported by billions of dollars from Obama’s government, now refuses to turn Opel over to Magna and its consortium partners after Merkel personally committed her support and billions in German tax revenues to doing so. Who can possibly believe that Obama didn’t get enough warning to intervene in a timely manner? Who can possibly believe that his government won’t in some way profit from this decision? Who can possibly believe that General Motors won’t someday demand the billions that the German government pledged in order to keep Opel in Germany? No one treated as Merkel was just treated could ever believe any of it. Obama doesn’t understand Merkel, and neither does the U.S. government understand the German government.

Now Merkel will have to act. Brutally plunged back into rationality, she’ll unemotionally consider her options in this power play. German-American relations will need additional work and will have to be reconsidered. Perhaps this president is just as clueless as Hillary Clinton once declared, and all charisma but mainly just self-absorbed.

The coming days might get ugly. That’s tragic.