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Merkel lumps U.S. in with China, Russia as “global rivals”
Hotair.com ^ | May 16, 2019 | JAZZ SHAW

Posted on 05/16/2019 8:40:13 AM PDT by Kaslin

Some of our European allies aren’t acting very much like allies these days. The latest example of this phenomenon comes to us from Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel has basically put aside all pretenses of diplomacy and is now insulting us to our faces. In remarks to the German press this week, she spoke of the “adversaries” Europe must contend with, both militarily and in terms of trade agreements, and listed three examples. China, Russia and… the United States. (Newsweek)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel lumped in the United States with Europe’s other global adversaries on Wednesday, arguing that the countries on the continent need to band together against the challenges posed by Russia, China and the U.S.

“There is no doubt that Europe needs to reposition itself in a changed world…. The old certainties of the postwar order no longer apply,” Merkel told the German media on Wednesday.

“They [China, Russia and the U.S.] are forcing us, time and again, to find common positions. That is often difficult given our different interests. But we do get this done—think, for example, of our policy regarding the conflict in Ukraine,” Merkel added.

Merkel is obviously just cheerleading for the European Union at this point, stressing the need to maintain a solid front and remain unified on foreign policy. That’s an obvious concern, particularly since it was her influence on immigration policy that drove the mass influx of refugees (with some terrorists mixed in) into Europe from the Syrian region. These remarks also come at a time when many of the EU’s member nations are experiencing shifts to the right in the upcoming EU Parliamentary elections.

But Merkel would do well to remember who her friends are. Germany’s rise to influence and economic success in the second half of the 20th century was largely possible because they had no need to fund a massive military infrastructure to protect them from Russia. The reason? Because the United States had their back. We’ve been partners for a long time, particularly all through the cold war, and casting America aside probably isn’t a smart move.

Of course, she now has the advantage of not needing to worry overly much about what sort of backlash she encounters. She recently told reporters that she’s “not available” for any future political posts after she steps down in 2021. With no more electoral battles to fight, Merkel is free to simply be herself and let her true feelings show through. That’s a rather selfish approach to take, however, when you consider that the next Chancellor will still be left to deal with both the United States and Russia. And that’s a situation where Germany is really forced to pick a side and stick with it. God only knows that the EU isn’t going to save them if push comes to literal shove.


TOPICS: Australia/New Zealand; Canada; Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Germany; Russia; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: allies; angelamerkel; antiamericanism; australia; bloggers; canada; china; emmanuelmacron; eurabia; europeanunion; eussr; fourthreich; france; germany; huawei; macron; mengwanzhou; merkel; michaelkovrig; michaelspavor; nato; netherlands; newzealand; redchina; richarddearlove; russia; tds; unitedkingdom
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To: Olog-hai

Russia will never have a mature economy because of the corruption. But they have that big country mentality and German Euros will maintain them while they abuse their neighbors.


21 posted on 05/16/2019 9:07:57 AM PDT by lodi90
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To: Kaslin
Coming from an East German why is call us a rival surprising? Calling Russia a rival is the only surprise (the Russians and Chinese have always been enemies).
22 posted on 05/16/2019 9:08:24 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Bill Barr:The Bill Belichick of Attorneys General)
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To: Kaslin

Okay. There are something like 35,000 U.S. troops stationed in Germany. Remove every last one of them.

And yes, I know some bases there are important. But you shouldn’t be where you are not wanted. Let Merkel deal with the Russian bear on her own.


23 posted on 05/16/2019 9:08:43 AM PDT by Leaning Right (I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.)
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To: Kaslin

This woman is an ass.

Right here we see good reason for not wanting a European world class military.

They just have no clue whatsoever.

She actually thinks the US is as likely to invade and occupy her nation as Russia is.

The woman is certifiable.


24 posted on 05/16/2019 9:09:17 AM PDT by DoughtyOne (Can I get a shout out for the person(s) who donated $2,000.00 from France? Thanks so much! Wow!)
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To: Leaning Right
Let Merkel deal with the Russian bear on her own.

Uhhh, there's this country in between Germany and Russia.

25 posted on 05/16/2019 9:09:28 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: dfwgator

> Uhhh, there’s this country in between Germany and Russia. <

That’s right. Gutsy, feisty Poland! (There’s also Belarus, but they’re Russian allies.)

Should Russia try to invade Germany via Poland, they’d have their hands full dealing just with the Polish military.


26 posted on 05/16/2019 9:15:31 AM PDT by Leaning Right (I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.)
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To: Kaslin

I’ve been telling everybody for a long time, the Yurps are no allies of ours. So why are we providing for their defense?

Withdraw from NATO . Bring the boys home. We can always sign defense treaties with individual countries that actually act like allies instead of freeloading leeches.


27 posted on 05/16/2019 9:17:16 AM PDT by FLT-bird
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To: lodi90

When territorial expansion is on the brain, making a mature economy isn’t.


28 posted on 05/16/2019 9:20:17 AM PDT by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: DoodleDawg

Any reason they should?

Other than that America provides for their defense and rebuilt them from ashes and bailed them out in two world wars and then protected them from communist dictatorship and that America is a western democracy which actually believes in the rights of man and that the US Navy keeps the sea lanes open and that the US has ensured the free flow of oil out of the Middle East? Other than that, no particular reason.


29 posted on 05/16/2019 9:21:02 AM PDT by FLT-bird
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To: Steely Tom

Good luck with all those jihadist she’s imported you idiot fool


30 posted on 05/16/2019 9:22:07 AM PDT by Truthoverpower (The guvmint you get is the Trump winning express !)
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To: Olog-hai

Correct. Time to pull all of our troops out of Germany and close all the bases and facilities. Move them to place that want us and will help pay their way like Poland and Hungary.


31 posted on 05/16/2019 9:23:27 AM PDT by technically right
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To: Kaslin

Well we did defeat them in WW-I and WW-III.


32 posted on 05/16/2019 9:24:45 AM PDT by McGruff
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To: Kaslin

ROFL!

Germany’s never been our ally. Germany’s been a parasite that we’ve tolerated else the socialist scumbags folded over for the soviets back in the day. And then putting up with their parasitic ways just became habit.

Lest we forget...

Antifa is a German organization.
The School of Marxism at Frankfurt, from which Political Correction came from, was a German creation.

We’re still plagued with German bullcrap.


33 posted on 05/16/2019 9:24:54 AM PDT by Grimmy (equivocation is but the first step along the road to capitulation)
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To: McGruff

Once all the Germans were warlike and mean
But that couldn’t happen again
We taught them a lesson in 1918
And they’ve hardly bothered us since then

-Tom Lehrer


34 posted on 05/16/2019 9:25:57 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: FLT-bird
Other than that America provides for their defense and rebuilt them from ashes and bailed them out in two world wars and then protected them from communist dictatorship and that America is a western democracy which actually believes in the rights of man and that the US Navy keeps the sea lanes open and that the US has ensured the free flow of oil out of the Middle East? Other than that, no particular reason.

Trump does not believe that Germany has kept up their part of the bargain. Why should we go to their defense under those conditions? We may have ones, but now?

35 posted on 05/16/2019 9:29:38 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
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To: Kaslin

Why can't they all be like you?

36 posted on 05/16/2019 9:30:06 AM PDT by McGruff
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To: Kaslin

Maybe she’d like to see a ThreePeat...


37 posted on 05/16/2019 9:48:32 AM PDT by Feckless (The US Gubbmint / This Tagline CENSORED by FR \ IrOnic, ain't it?)
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To: McGruff

38 posted on 05/16/2019 9:53:20 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: DoodleDawg

It is the Germans who have not acted like allies trying to gain influence within Europe by means of demonizing America.....trying to unite Europe under Franco-German leadership against America.

They’ve also acted incredibly cynically immediately moving in whenever America imposed sanctions on any country be it Saddam’s Iraq or Iran or Cuba to both try to squeeze out every last nickel of profit they could as well as to try to gain influence. Normally one would expect a little solidarity from an ally.

Again they built Nordstream over strong American objections in the 80s to get gas from Russia and now they’ve built Notdstream 2 whose direct purpose is to cut out Ukraine as well as their EU and NATO ally, Poland. The project literally makes no commercial sense. Russia’s aim is obviously political.

They do all this while at the same time freeloading on America to provide for their defense and not even coming close to keeping their word to spend a paltry 2% of GDP on Defense.

Trump is the first US President who will just bluntly call them out on it. They’ve been freeloading, greedy, cynical, preachy, backstabbing chits for quite some time.

And my Oma (granny)was German and I speak the language and lived there twice. Germans make great Americans (Rumsfeld, Trump, Eisenhower, Nimitz, etc) but lousy Germans.


39 posted on 05/16/2019 10:36:19 AM PDT by FLT-bird
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To: Kaslin

Germany creating new enemies. The world has spent the last 100 years or so putting Germany in its place. Time to do it again.


40 posted on 05/16/2019 10:49:40 AM PDT by Seruzawa (TANSTAAFL!)
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