September 26, 2017
Merkel Will Spend the Next Four Years Battling Forces at Home
If you have attended a transatlantic conference in the past year — on any subject — you’ve no doubt encountered someone who opened his or her prepared remarks with, “Once we get through the German election, Merkel will [fill in the blank].” The second half of the sentence varies. I’ve heard that she will join forces with French President Emmanuel Macron and take the European Union to new heights. I’ve heard she will develop a more assertive and effective stance towards U.S. President Donald Trump. I’ve also heard she will solve climate change, save the Iran nuclear deal, and lead the two sides of the Atlantic towards a new policy on Russia. Admittedly, I’ve used that construct myself on more than one occasion. Whatever the ambition, the general sentiment has been the same: Merkel is and will continue to be the de facto leader of Europe, and she stands to do great things during her fourth term.
Not so fast.
Yes, Merkel will serve a fourth term in office. So her many fans on both sides of the Atlantic can celebrate. But Merkel herself isn’t exactly celebrating. “We expected a better result,” she said on Sunday night. The truth is that her own alliance, the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union, along with the Social Democrats (her party’s coalition partner in recent years), took a beating. In fact, the Social Democrats did so poorly — the party’s worst outcome since the late 1940s — it announced that it would move to the opposition and not join another grand coalition.
Read the full op-ed in Foreign Policy.
More from CNAS
-
Defense Priorities in a New Administration, with Michèle Flournoy
Podcast
Michèle Flournoy joins Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss how a Biden administration can work with NATO to confront transnational threats. Flournoy has been a l...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend & Michèle Flournoy
-
Duda’s Unnecessary Gamble
Commentary
Polish President Andrzej Duda will visit the White House on Wednesday, a mere four days before the first round of Poland’s presidential election. While the United States and P...
By Adam Twardowski & Carisa Nietsche
-
Germany, Nuclear Sharing, and the U.S. Drawdown with Ulrike Franke and Frank Sauer
Podcast
Ulrike Franke and Frank Sauer join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to break down the U.S. proposal to drawdown in Germany, nuclear sharing, and more on a joint Brussels...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend, Ulrike Franke & Frank Sauer
-
The Russia-China Defense Relationship, with Mike Kofman and Alexander Gabuev
Podcast
Mike Kofman and Alexander Gabuev join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to explain the Russia-China defense relationship on the latest episode of Brussels Sprouts. Kofman...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend, Mike Kofman & Alexander Gabuev
