US-German relations have been on the brink of collapse for quite a while, with the formerly close allies strongly disagreeing not just over a host of political and economic issues, but also their views on international relations, as well as the economic and trade systems their leaders stand for
BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th August, 2019) US-German relations have been on the brink of collapse for quite a while, with the formerly close allies strongly disagreeing not just over a host of political and economic issues, but also their views on international relations, as well as the economic and trade systems their leaders stand for.On Friday, Der Spiegel published an article saying that the relationship between the two nations are at a "low point," citing a number of situations in which Berlin and Washington have taken different sides. According to the magazine, since his appointment as US ambassador in April 2018, Richard Grenell has not been received by Chancellor Angela Merkel, with Foreign Minister Heiko Maas similarly being unenthusiastic about holding long talks with the diplomat.
Finally, US President Donald Trump, while visiting other countries in Europe, reportedly avoids traveling to Berlin, with his itinerary for the coming week being no exception: after the G7 summit in France, the US leader is set to visit Warsaw and Copenhagen.
Indeed, some 10 years ago, one could hardly imagine that Germany, which has been home to US troops since the end of World War II and was partly propelled by its ally to the current economic dominance in Europe and the world, would now be at serious odds with Washington.
The unease nevertheless clearly came to the surface with the arrival of the Trump administration, whose policies have frequently been on a collision course with those pursued by the German government.
Back in late 2016, amid the massive influx of migrants fleeing to Europe, President-elect Trump called Merkel's "open-door policy" a "catastrophic error for Germany," saying that he would never allow such a crisis to happen in the United States.
Back then, Merkel retaliated with criticism of Trump's stance on migration, saying that people must not be "ostracized and kept out" because of their religion or geographical provenance. Even though the migration issue has since split Europe and even Germany itself, the chancellor remains steadfastly true to her beliefs, including amid the current crisis involving the stranded migrant rescue ship, Open Arms.
Trump, in turn, is no less consistent in defending his migration decrees and the idea of building a wall on the border with Mexico, and defying critics.
Being that the two nations are separated by an ocean, migration differences are far less relevant than trade issues in the dialogue between the two nations.
According to Michel Liegeois, a professor at Belgium's University of Louvain, the relationship between Merkel and Trump were "bad from day one," with neither of them liking the style of the other.
Yet, Trump's bias against Germany is connected with the latter's "economic dominance and penetration of the US market with [its] high-value products, such as cars and pharmaceuticals," the professor told Sputnik.
In 2018, Germany, for instance, exported $126 billion in goods to the United States, while importing only $58 billion from the United States.
Such "imbalances" have repeatedly prompted Trump to complain that New York's Fifth Avenue is full of Mercedes-Benz cars, while virtually no Chevrolets are seen in Germany, and threaten Berlin with a tariff spike on its automobiles unless "reciprocity" is shown.
While the US market is extremely important for luxury German automakers, Trump's restrictions, however, are unlikely to have the effect he's looking for. Both BMW and Mercedes-Benz maintain a large manufacturing presence in the United States, which exempts vehicles produced there from import tariffs.
The situation is not the same for the heavy machinery, pharmaceuticals and chemicals that Germany sells to the United States. Any tariff spike would hurt them considerably.
Professor Liegeois believes that though the US president "zoomed in on China for his 'fair trade' campaign," the "number two is clearly Germany and the EU."
DEFENSE, IRAN, CLIMATE ... THE LIST HAS NO END
Defense spending is another major issue between the US and Germany.
At the NATO summit in July 2018, Trump famously bashed Merkel for paying "billions of Dollars" to Moscow for gas while failing to comply with the target of 2 percent of GDP defense spending and allegedly shouldering the lion's share of responsibility for "defending" the bloc from Russia on Washington.
A year later, Germany, however, still does not reach even 1.2 percent of GDP in defense spending.
There are also differences between Berlin and Washington over Iran and its nuclear deal. Berlin has notably refused to join the US coalition to patrol the Persian Gulf, which is actually aimed at containing Iran.
Finally, climate issues became another arena for confrontation after Trump withdrew his country from the landmark Paris deal, saying that it punishes America while giving other countries a financial advantage.
Merkel expressed deep regret over Trump's move, pledging to continue fighting climate change.
In his article about US-German relations hitting a low, Der Spiegel paid notable attention to US Ambassador in Berlin Grenell.
Grenell, appointed to his post by Trump, is indeed not very diplomatic, regularly provoking public backlash in Germany by his statements. He shares political views similar to those of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party or former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, rather than those of Merkel.
On various occasions, he has said that he wants to "empower" conservative forces throughout Europe and that "German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately."
His rhetoric even prompted Martin Schulz, a former leader of Germany's Social Democratic Party and ex-European Parliament president, to accuse Grenell of behaving not "like a diplomat," but like a "far-right colonial officer." He said that the country would not tolerate such behavior, noting that "if a German ambassador were to say in Washington that he is there to boost the Democrats, he would have been kicked out immediately."
Grenell seems to have no intention of changing his style and has even accused German media of having an "anti-American bias."
BAD CHEMISTRY OR DIFFERING WORLD VISIONS?
This summer, Merkel has put another strain on relations with Trump by siding with a group of left-leaning Muslim congresswomen from the Democratic Party, who have been accusing the president of racism.
The chancellor declared her total solidarity with the congresswomen, saying that "the strength of the United States lies in the fact that the American people are made up of different nationalities" and that "the President's attacks are therefore something that runs counter to the greatness of America."
Merkel thereby stepped back from her policy of abstaining from commenting on the domestic policy issues of her foreign counterparts.
According to Liegeois, the move only "made the relations worse."
The expert, however, believes that the reasons behind the Trump-Merkel differences are much deeper and principled than just some bad chemistry.
"Trump views Merkel's steady, principled defense of the existing international order as both an annoyance and an obstacle to his plans to disrupt the existing rules-based system for international trade, finance and collective security," Liegeois said.
He, in particular, noted that "Germany could have provided the stability and support needed to sustain the rules-based international trade system from which it has benefited through export-led growth," with Merkel having the experience of leading a "coalition of like-minded countries."
But Merkel's plans to leave politics in 2021 make her a "lame duck," Liegeois warned, expressing skepticism over the chances of Ursula von der Leyen to successfully continue Merkel's cause at the helm of the European Commission.
AfD UNDERSTANDS TRUMP'S RATIONALE
The opposition AfD party, unlike the government, is much less critical of Trump's policies, noting that many of his successes simply go unnoticed.
"Not a day goes by without the German media reporting negative coverage of the American president. It is the same with politicians who insult him openly. It is as if the US government only lived through political and legal defeats and scandals. Political successes are never mentioned: the decline of illegal immigration to the United States is never mentioned," an AfD Federal executive committee member, Georg Pazderski, told Sputnik.
As for economic issues, Pazderski believes that threatening Berlin with punitive tariffs is a "normal" negotiations tactic in a bid to get equal terms for US goods on the European market.
"[Trump] mentioned 35% on cars [in his threats] for example. The EU is now crying murder, but currently the EU applies a 10% tax on auto imports from the US, while the US only taxes at 2.5 %. That Trump simply wants to force a better bargaining position in the currently smoldering trade war is understandable. Is there a better means of pressure than German cars? Hardly likely," he went on.
According to the AfD member, "instead of pointing the finger at Trump," the European Union "should rather question itself and rethink its negotiating strategy" since a trade war escalation would have serious economic consequences for both Germany and the rest of the bloc.
The bashing of Trump, meanwhile, "must stop" as it harms Germany's credibility, he concluded.
