Germany's Merkel meets with President Bush

Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | 01/13/2006 | Barry Schweid, AP Diplomatic Writer

[Pirate21]

     New German Chancellor Angela Merkel is seeking to improve her country's relations with President Bush, buoyed by an emerging international effort aimed at halting Iran's nuclear program.
     While Merkel has indicated Germany will not always agree with the United States, her White House meeting Friday came on the heels of a decision by European allies to confront Iran - an approach that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice endorsed.
------[snip]-------
     The U.S. and German unity over Iran is as tight as their disagreement over Iraq was wide when Gerhard Schroeder was Germany's chancellor.
------[snip]------
     [Cathleen] Fisher [deputy director of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies] said Iraq would continue to be a difficult issue. Merkel on her visit might signal that Germany would expand its program to train Iraqi police and might fund youth programs.
     "But everyone knows there are not going to be German troops in Iraq, that this is going to be a sensitive issue in the relationship," she said.
     James Dobbins, a former assistant secretary of state for European affairs, said "both sides are eager to repair the relationship, and Schroeder's departure provides an opportunity."
     Schroeder won re-election as chancellor in 2002, in part by opposing the war in Iraq. Taking offense, Bush refused to telephone his congratulations, and when Schroeder called Bush after waiting a week the president declined to take the call, Dobbins said.
     "Clearly, the Bush administration is going to welcome her with open arms," Dimitri Simes, president of the Nixon Center, said of Merkel. "She is not Schroeder, and that is a welcome change."
------[snip]------

[Pirate21]

Emphasis mine. Will be interesting to watch this relationship. Clearly, there are differences in opinion regarding prisoners.

[mrs tiggywinkle]

ping for Merkel info...

[KC_Conspirator]

Schroeder won re-election as chancellor in 2002, in part by opposing the war in Iraq.

Uh, no. He won by ginning up fear and anti-American to cover up for the lousy performance of his administration.

[StarCMC]

Clearly. It's been debated ad naseum here and elsewhere.

[Michael81Dus]

And let´s not forget that the decisive votes came from East Germany where major floodings have caused huge damage in summer 2002. Enough of "him", we´re reaching out for a reset.

[KC_Conspirator]

One thing I have noticed is that Merkel is giving Germany its dignity back.

[Michael81Dus]

I read it on another thread, and I agree with you. She isn´t opportunistic, she has a red line. That makes her respectable. The press conference of Bush and Merkel will soon start before they´ll go to lunch.

[DustyMoment]

New German Chancellor Angela Merkel is seeking to improve her country's relations with President Bush, buoyed by an emerging international effort aimed at halting Iran's nuclear program.
While Merkel has indicated Germany will not always agree with the United States

And, therein lies the problem. So far, in her zeal to "improve her country's relations with President Bush", she has had one disasterous meeting weith Sec. State Condi Rice in which she was exceptionally confrontational. Additionally, she has blasted Bush over Gitmo and blah, blah, blah.

W, being somewhat gullible in international relations, will have the meeting with her in which she will, doubtless, try to make headlines (and gain the approval of the anti-American Leftist Party), by confronting Bush over something that has nothing to do with Iran.

I find it fascinating that Bush is so willing to be trashed over and over again by the Euroweenies until they need the US to do something to protect their hineys - like blow up Iran's nuclear weapons capabilities. Then, suddenly, Bush is their best buddy until their goal is achieved and they can go back to trashing him as (in Harry Belafonte's words) "the world's biggest terrorist".

Hopefully, Bush will someday learn to keep all of the Euroweenies at arm's length and quit letting himself be used as the global whipping boy.

[Red6]

Wow- the part with not calling and congratulating Schroeder in 2002 is a good one. Those two really had a lot of love for each other! :)

Of course Merkel has to say "we don't always agree with the US." The new nationalist thought in Europe is largely based on opposition to the US. Merkel was portrayed as an American @sscrawler. She must make this statement. She must state that she is no puppet. Now- back to reality: Our geopolitical interests are IDENTICAL!

Free trade; safe and open water/air ways; regional/national security and stability; copy and patent rights; free movement of ideas, people, goods and services; free and open access to vital strategic resources such as cesium, oil and gold. ALL – EVERY SINGLE ONE of our geopolitical interests are the same.

Of course Germany CAN’T loose face. Of course Iraq was wrong, Michael Moore, Halliburton, Bush oil cowboy, Abu Gahrib and “Kein Blut fuer Oel” is the official party line and will have to remain so. Like Vietnam, over which Germans place judgment but have no clue, they can’t see the bigger picture in this GWOT – nor do they really want to. Even if you present all the facts in a sequential logical way, if you give concrete examples, empirical data etc to support the case in favor of action against Iraq; It will all be argued away with a statement like “Bush lied, people died!.” OK-got it. Saddam was a nice guy, there was no genocide, no torture chambers, Iraq was no threat and the US should have stayed there in definitely, paid the cost of being there, UN mandates and the armistice was being abided too, and there are no terror connections of course, and NO, NOT ONE WMD was found right? Tell that to the US troops that have been exposed several times now. Schroeder and Fischer ran Germany down that road so hard, so long and the German anti-American undertones which are always present, running silently in the background will no longer allow for any sensible German position on Iraq anymore. Germany is stuck on stupid as far as Iraq is concerned; however the future looks a bit more promising then the last few years.

The EU was given the lead with negotiating with Iran for a reason. As these negotiations fail, and they will, the EU itself will be forced to draw the obvious conclusions. Hence the politician in Brussels or Berlin will find it less advantageous to play the anti-American card in politics as Schroeder/Fischer (elsewhere as well) did. Since it was the Germans themselves that came to this “glaring” and “obvious” reality, they can’t go back and play the games they did with the US. Accusations of no true intent for peaceful conflict resolution, the exploitation of Abu Gahrib by the senior leadership (As Schroeder/Fischer did on numerous times making statements) will be less likely. It will still be the US that carries the disproportional weight when it comes to military action, we will still be the ones with the dead, the cost and as in Serbia (Also a German “requested” campaign) will end with the egg in the face. ---However, at least our geo-political ally won’t feel the urge to fall into our back!---

Red6

[Red6]

Ich muss mich für Weihnachten entschuldigen. Hoffentlich ist mein Glückwunsch für ein gutes neue Jahr nicht zu spät?

Ich glaube das mit der Zeit es doch schon wieder etwas besser gehen wird mit den Trans-Atlantichen Beziehungen. Es ist nicht so das ich Deutschland schlechtes wuenche, auch wenn man dies umgekehrt nicht sagen kann. Die Schadenfreude des Deutschen Volkes gegen über den USA im Irak war nicht zu uebersehen. Die Zunahme in Al Jaziere Zuschauer usw. Man klammerte sich ja schon regelrecht an jede schlechte Nachricht. Ich weis das du nicht zu dieser verabscheuliche Gruppe gehörest, jedoch musst du sogar selbst zugeben das es wirklich so war.

Ich Klaube Iran wird besser ablaufen. Man erwartet nicht das Deutschland Truppen entsendet, dies war auch nicht der Fall mit Irak. Jedoch wird man im Fall Iran zusammen arbeiten.

Leider ist es so das viel von dem Schaden der in den letzten Jahre entstand “Instututzionaliziert” wurde. Auch mit Merkel am Ruder werden viele der Dinge die in Bewegung gesetzt wurden in den letzten drei Jahre weiter ihren Kurs halten. So wird die repositionierung der US Truppen, Geheimdienste und andere Organisationen sich weiter ausbauen denn diese Etscheidungen wurden schon gefallen und sind schon in bewegung. In Polen kommt das ABM system. In Rumänien und Bulgarien wurden schon drei neue Stützpunkte gebaut, die NSA ist weitgehend abgezogen nach Groß Britannien usw. Sogar Spangdalem wird eventuall schliessen in den naechsten par Jahre. Was der durschnittliche Bürger in Deutschland nicht versteht ist das “ER” am ende dafür bezahlt, das es nicht wirklich die USA sind die Langfristig hier viel verloren haben. Man wird und muss es sogar runter spielen, aber die Wirtschaftlichen Konsequenzen alleine sind schon sehr groß. Die NSA Anlage in Bad Aibling ist geschlossen und heute arbeitet man in Groß Britannien. Für die USA kein wirklich großer Verlust langfristig gesehen. Jedoch fueher konnten Deutsche Geheimdienstler begrenzt Zugang bekommen, man tauschte viel an Informationen die zum Teil von diesen Anlagen kammen – und heute? Heute steht man vor der Tür und hat kein Zugang mehr. Die Verbindungen sterben ab. Am ende, wer war es der an diesem Spiel verlor? Man redetete gern ueber wie die “Karten neu gemischt werden” jedoch begriff man nicht das man sich einfach ins eigene Fleisch stoch.

Natürlich geht es viel besser wenn man zusammen arbeitet. Aber was man nicht so wirklich begreifen “möchte” ist das die Politik Schroeder weder konstruktiv für den Irak, den Mittel Osten, NATO, EU, USA oder sich selbst war. Das man am ende wirklich sich in einer Ecke rein redete, die keinem etwas brachte außer ein Par Politiker die schöne Spiele spielten, jedoch ganz bewusst was wirklich auf dem Spiel ist trotzdem in pure selbst Interesse weiter handelten. Man wird ebenso NIE eingestehen das die Atomare Abschreckung doch richtig sich erwies. Man wird NIE dem “Sebelrastler”, wie er beschrieben wurde, Reagan zusprechen das er ein großer Grund ist wieso die Mauer fiel und und und. Man wird sogar in 20 Jahre wenn es alles offensichtlich ist, kaum zugeben das der Irak teil der Lösung war für ein viel größeres Problem.

Red6