Quo Vadis, Germany?
Event Summary
In recent months, the coalition government of German Chancellor Angela Merkel has seemed to signal a change in Germany’s foreign and European policy. Germany abstained on a U.N. Security Council vote to impose a no-fly zone over Libya, parting ways with its NATO partners. In the wake of Japan’s nuclear crisis, Chancellor Merkel shut down all pre-1980 nuclear power plants and enforced a three-month nuclear power moratorium, taking neighboring countries by surprise. More importantly, throughout 2010, Berlin expressed reluctance to rescue the Eurozone countries facing sovereign debt crises and pushed for harsh conditions for assistance. However, when the euro itself faced a serious threat, Germany scaled back its demands and agreed to a comprehensive solution. These decisions have left Germany’s closest allies unsure about its traditional commitments and divided over how to interpret Berlin’s foreign policies.
Text courtesy of Brookings. Click here for a transcript and an audio recording of the event.