{"id":26755,"date":"2018-03-05T10:12:21","date_gmt":"2018-03-05T09:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/libmod.de\/?p=26755"},"modified":"2022-05-06T10:35:51","modified_gmt":"2022-05-06T08:35:51","slug":"notes-from-berlin-another-fast-roundup-of-current-political-developments-in-germany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/en\/notes-from-berlin-another-fast-roundup-of-current-political-developments-in-germany\/","title":{"rendered":"Notes From Berlin \u2014 Another Fast Roundup of Current Political Devel\u00adop\u00adments in Germany"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Foto: By Sebastian Bergmann [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text][\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=\u201d.vc_custom_1508251598805{margin-top: 30px !important;}\u201d][vc_column width=\u201c2\/3\u201d css=\u201d.vc_custom_1508252250311{padding-right: 20px !important;}\u201d][vc_column_text]\n

What the decision for another \u201eGrand Coalition\u201d led by Chancellor Merkel implies for Germany, EU and the Transat\u00adlantic Alliance.<\/h2>\n

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This weekend, the inter\u00adna\u00adtional community was looking at the headquarters of Germany\u2019s Social Democ\u00adratic Party (SPD) in Berlin, where almost 380.000 ballot cards were counted. When Sunday morning the results were published, you could hear sighs of relief all over the place: A two-third majority of party members voted in favour of another grand coalition with Angela Merkel\u2019s Christian Democrats. But what seems to be a sound majority is looking less impressive having in mind that the entire political estab\u00adlishment of the SPD was beating the drums for a YES vote.<\/p>\n

Never\u00adtheless, Germany is heading towards another center left \/\u200b center wright government supported by a broad majority in the Federal Parliament. And once more Angela Merkel will lead the government. Finally, after all political turbu\u00adlences over the last months, Germany is sending signals of stability and conti\u00adnuity to friends and foes.<\/p>\n

Any other decision by the Social Democrats would have been self-defeating, giving their historical low in recent polls. It also would have been highly irrational before the backdrop of the outcome of the coalition talks in favor of the Social Democrats, both in terms of political agenda and minis\u00adterial positions. In spite of their disap\u00adpointing election results, the SPD managed to conquer major offices in the upcoming government, especially the Foreign Office, the Treasury and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy with it\u2019s huge amount of financial resources.<\/p>\n

If Sigmar Gabriel, the acting Foreign Minister, will remain in office, is the most inter\u00adesting question for the next days. The bets are against him, because he\u2019s an approved adversary of the Social Democrats new dual leadership: Andrea Nahles, the former Minister of Labour and Social Policy, and Olaf Scholz, first minister of Hamburg and desig\u00adnated Minister of Finance. Furthermore, Gabriel has publicly challenged the Russia- \/\u200b Ukraine-Policy of the Chancellor, demanding a much more soft position towards the Kremlin. But still it\u2019s not clear who may become his successor.<\/p>\n

Angela Merkel, who prema\u00adturely has been portrayed as chancellor in decline by parts of the media, has once again showed her polical skills. In a surprising move, she promoted Annegret Kramp-Karren\u00adbauer, the Prime Minister of a not too large federal state in the very Southwest of Germany, to become the General Secretary of the Christian Democ\u00adratic Party \u2013 the same position she held before pushing away the former Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Furthermore, she will bring some next-gener\u00adation Christian Democrats into the cabinet, including a potential adversary from the more conser\u00adv\u00adative wing of the party.<\/p>\n

Once more, Merkel is calling the shots. She will decide when to hand over the baton \u2013 either during or after the current electorial periode \u2014 and she will propose her successor.<\/p>\n

The coalition agreement between the two parties puts Europe into the foreground. The government will look for closer cooper\u00adation especially with the French president. But given the internal turmoil in the EU and the unresolved political disputes over fiscal and economic policies, refugees and the European policy towards Russia, it seems not very likely that we\u2019ll see big leaps towards a more united and powerful European Union. The outcome of the Italian General Elections may turn out as another stress test for the EU.<\/p>\n

At the same time, frictions within the Transat\u00adlantic Alliance are becoming deeper. President Trump\u2019s protec\u00adtionist move towards punitive tariffs is triggering a transat\u00adlantic trade war, which will further more weaken the military alliance between Europe and the US.<\/p>\n

Unfor\u00adtu\u00adnately, that\u2019s not a very rosy picture concerning the state of the West. The Kremlin may see this as an oppor\u00adtunity to intensify its attempt to split NATO and the EU and to promote anti-liberal forces in the West. This is the battle the Center for Liberal Modernity is engaged in.<\/p>\n

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Ralf F\u00fccks is managing partner of the Center for Liberal Democracy, a new think tank and policy network in Berlin<\/p>\n

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