Merkel Shows Break From Schroeder's Ways

AP via Yahoo! News ^ | 1/17/06 | David McHugh

[jamesissmall218]

BERLIN - New German Chancellor Angela Merkel's flurry of trips underlines her break with predecessor Gerhard Schroeder's backslapping, personalized diplomacy, showing a more balanced approach that doesn't softpedal sore points.

Merkel returned to Berlin from Moscow to good reviews Tuesday in the German and European press.

One key element many noted was her effort to restore balance in the relationship with Russia and the United States. That meant not downplaying human rights with Moscow and getting ties back on track with Washington without ignoring European dismay over the treatment of terror suspects.

Merkel's meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday and with President Bush last week showed she was willing to raise disagreements even while emphasizing the need for a strong relationship.

In Moscow, she expressed Germany's concerns about the conflict in Chechnya and an apparent crackdown on non-governmental organizations — a switch from Schroeder, who downplayed such issues as he relied on a personal relationship with Putin.

In Washington, she raised European concerns about the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay and allegations of secret torture prisons in Europe. "A climate of openness has to exist, an area where one says quite clearly and candidly to one another, well, there we agree, there we disagree," she said at a news conference with Bush.

Her televised performances on those two trips, following the successful mediation of a disagreement over the European Union budget, have led many to consider her a possible source of new leadership for a Europe where many of the most important leaders are either winding up their terms or facing new elections.

"So far she has not put a foot wrong," said Richard Whitman, senior European fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London. "One of the difficulties for Europeans over the past eight or nine months has been the desperate need for leadership."

He said that with long-serving leaders such as Jacques Chirac and Tony Blair on their way out, "Merkel looks fresh, different and people are interested in what she's going to do because they know she has a lot of time available."

By helping solve the EU budget dispute during the British EU presidency, Merkel helped London out of a tough spot, he said. The Guardian newspaper in Britain praised her "deft intervention" in the budget dispute and said her "businesslike trip to Moscow was in sharp contrast with the male bonding session" between Putin and Schroeder.

Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said she had "emancipated herself" from Schroeder's legacy, and "introduced a new soberness in German foreign policy, which can only be appreciated by Washington. In Moscow, the de-ideologization and de-romanticizing of German foreign policy can only cause mixed feelings."

But the paper warned that most of her victories had been on style and communication, not substance. "The part in which success is not so easily gained from television still lies ahead," it said.

The tough diplomatic challenges that lie ahead for Merkel include Europe's standoff with Iran over Tehran's suspected nuclear program.

One key element of Merkel's foreign policy is de-emphasizing Schroeder's heavy reliance on major partners such as Russia or France, to the exclusion and sometimes the irritation of smaller countries.

Despite that, even French public opinion seems positive. "Like her predecessor Helmut Kohl, Angela Merkel was underestimated, but this error of judgment didn't last long," Le Monde said in an editorial. "The new German chancellor made a name for herself in less than a month."

Analyst Eberhard Sandschneider at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin said she has been "very careful to stress that balancing will be a major element of her foreign policy — not just playing with the two or three big partners and forget about the interests of the smaller ones."

He pointed to Merkel's statement in Washington that it would take time for results to show. "It's wonderful now to be back on track and they all like each other and they have started to talk to each other again," Sandschneider said.

[dr_who_2]

If it's taken her this long, there's little hope for Germany.

[jamesissmall218]

Shes been Chancellor for only about two months, plus she had to form a coalition with Schroeder's party. Given the circumstances, I think we are already seeing a definite improvement.

[pepsionice]

Sitting in Germany and watching this unfold...even the press is kinda surprised how well the two groups are cooperating...no nasty talk between which was the norm for six years. Merkel knows she has two years of grace before the next election front might occur (four years are not guaranteed in this situation)). She can work up a major shift in public attitude if she is given a chance.

[KC_Conspirator]

I will say it again. Merkel gives Germany their dignity back. Her and her government can disagree on issues with other countries, but not have to get snippy and nasty like most euro-leftists do.