Posted on 10/09/2013 9:54:23 PM PDT by Olog-hai
With the spotlight this week on Germany’s foreign policy, The Local asks if Europe’s biggest economy should play a greater role in world affairs? Foreign policy expert Professor Walter Russell Mead explains. …
Professor Mead argued German foreign policy has been relatively successful in Europe. Asked if Germany should play a greater global role, he said: “Germany is playing a larger role in the world than people appreciate.” But he added: “Germany should play any role it thinks it ought to play. The Europe we see today is a Europe that US presidents from Washington on would have given anything to see. Europe is doing what it wants, in many ways led by Germany. We would hope Germany would continue to play the leading role it has played in the past.” …
Professor Mead called for Germany to lead a Holy Roman Empire in Europe—a loose federation of states—instead of aggressively imposing austerity. “Europe is hard to lead. It is resistant to leadership,” he said. “It has so many different priorities. Are you going to have a King of Prussia or the Holy Roman Emperor? The Holy Roman Emperor is the more sustainable. It is the least work of the two.” …
(Excerpt) Read more at thelocal.de ...
Well, they currently have better taste in a leader than we do.
They have a better economy than we do.
They have a social market economy that is dependent upon beggar-thy-neighbor trade policy with other EU nations via the eurozone. Very precarious in and of itself. What they do have that we used to (and gave away foolishly) is widespread heavy industry.
Dunno. The current leader is the world’s biggest promoter of the social market economy, and demands that other countries raise their taxes in return for the bailout loans that come out of the EU’s so-called “stability mechanism”. (Is it really possible for a country to restrict spending to 3 percent of GDP?)
History repeating itself?
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