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Lessons in Statecraft from Friedrich Merz
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Scott: How close is the great falling out between Donald Trump’s America and Europe/United Kingdom that the Euro-commentariat are currently discussing?
The normally highly solicitous and Americanophile German chancellor, who speaks noticeably better English than his US counterpart, is getting increasingly blunt in his assessments of the failed Trump project in the Gulf. In remarks delivered at the Charlemagne High School in Marsberg, he offered his most devastating assessment thus far.
In the view of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the Iranian leadership is in the process of “humiliating” the USA in the conflict with Iran. The Americans evidently lack a strategy, Merz stated at the Charlemagne High School in Marsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia. At present, he said, he does not see “what strategic exit the Americans are choosing—especially since the Iranians are evidently negotiating very skillfully, or indeed, very skillfully *not* negotiating.” He argued that “an entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian state leadership, and above all by these so-called Revolutionary Guards.”
Neither the Germans nor the Europeans were consulted at the outset of the attacks by the USA and Israel against Iran, Merz reiterated. He noted that he had by now expressed his skepticism directly to US President Donald Trump on two occasions. “Had I known that things would drag on like this for five or six weeks—and keep getting worse—I would have told him so even more emphatically.”
He observed that, based on past conflicts such as those in Afghanistan or Iraq, the perennial challenge lies in how to bring a conflict to an end. “In that regard, I hope that this comes to an end as quickly as possible.” However, he added, he currently sees no sign of that happening, as the Iranians appear to be stronger than anticipated, and the Americans—even in negotiations—seem to lack a convincing strategy. The Chancellor described the situation as “quite a tricky predicament,” one that is costing Germany a great deal of money and economic strength.
“This war against Iran is having immediate repercussions on our economic performance; consequently, it must be brought to an end as quickly as possible.”
