Vox: Germany now leads the West

great timing following Trump's speech in Poland

quote:

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Friday’s G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, is going to be very, very different. President Trump is the least popular American leader in decades, and is at odds with the heads of almost every other G20 country on issues ranging from climate change to the future of NATO to the challenge posed by Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

Trump also has tense personal relationships with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and new French President Emmanuel Macron, both of whom have publicly lambasted him for his leadership style and policies. Merkel has pointedly said that “the times when we could completely rely on others” (meaning America) are over. Macron has mockingly encouraged American climate scientists to move to France while also publicly lumping Trump in with autocrats like Putin and Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

That means that for the first time in modern history, Western leaders are being forced to choose between trying to confront the US and trying to find ways of working around it — something that would have been unimaginable in the decades after World War II.

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quote:

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Some, like France’s Macron and Germany’s Merkel, have outright positioned themselves as alternative standard-bearers for the West, taking not-so-veiled shots at Trump in public appearances.

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this is an interesting topic given all the outcry unleashed on Trump for promoting and defending Western values in his speech in Poland. it seems that the conflict is not about "the West" but what "the West" even is anymore, and more importantly, what Western culture should be moving forward.

it seems like there is a real concern surrounding an institution, the EU, and not the concept of "the West". Germany (and France) lead the EU and want to continue to be co-hegemons of Europe. Brexit threw a major wrench into these plans and with Trump leading the US, there is a real threat to the erosion of power of Germany (and to a much lesser extent, Franc) within their regional spheres.

this whole conflict highlights the issues of trying to create major trans-national governmental organizations, similar to the issues of Communism. at a certain point, leaders will emerge and want to maintain their power. Germany isn't projecting itself for Europe, it's projecting itself for Germany (as the de facto head of Europe). as with Communism, the primary requirement to keep this system going is a near irrational belief in that everything the leader does, is good and proper. eroding that confidence just a bit (like with Brexit) can lead to disastrous results for the collective.

the fact that so many Americans want nothing more than to cede our sovereignty to Germany is scary. this goes a lot deeper than just Trump, but Trump certainly is a lightning rod in the paradigm that shocked their conscience and they're doubling down on their beliefs to protect their value system.

i can put this in simpler terms: in what way is Germany truly willing to negotiate the terms of our previous agreements? are they offering anything real to the US right now, or are they demanding that we bow down to their power under the guise of ancient agreements (that they don't even follow themselves)? of course there is going to be conflict when Germany refuses to live up to its side of an agreement while demanding the US maintain every aspect of that agreement. of course there is going to be conflict when Germany pushes its policies as the only reasonable option and declares any deviation unreasonable or irrational. that doesn't make Germany a leader. it makes Germany everything they accuse Trump of being.