Merkel: Europe must unite to stand up to China, Russia and US

[babylonsister]

I never thought I'd see a headline like this. We have joined the bad guys.


Merkel: Europe must unite to stand up to China, Russia and US
German chancellor also shares views on Brexit and climate crisis in interview
Stefan Kornelius, Nico Fried and Philip Oltermann in Berlin
Wed 15 May 2019 12.00 EDT
Last modified on Wed 15 May 2019 15.00 EDT


Europe must reposition itself to stand up to the challenges posed by its three big global rivals, China, Russia and the US, Angela Merkel has said before her final European election as German chancellor.

Facing challenges that range from Russian interference in elections to China’s economic clout and the US’s monopoly over digital services, Europe needs to get better at putting up a united front, Merkel said in a wide-ranging interview shared with the Guardian.

“There is no doubt that Europe needs to reposition itself in a changed world,” Merkel said in a conversation in her office in Berlin. “The old certainties of the post-war order no longer apply.”

She added: “They [China, Russia and the US] 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.

“Our policies on Africa, too, now follow a common strategy, which a few years ago would have been unthinkable. So we keep putting one foot in front of the other. However, our political power is not yet commensurate with our economic strength.”

more...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/15/angela-merkel-interview-europe-eu-unite-challenge-us-russia-china?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3QIchixC4FcrhjMS5wq4MnDi_RwZ4bPLYgBid36dsVSbCdXUyAk2lht5U#Echobox=1557952956

[delisen]

1. Merkel is the leader of the free world; she is honest &"uncharismatic"

Amazing she has lasted this long since authoritarianism is on the rise in Germany too. She will be replaced soon and

I think it took Germany's utter destruction by Hitler for them to drop "charisma" as a sought after quality for leadership. Being a parliamentary democracy may help because leadership is less able to devolve into a national popularity contest.