Word: merkel
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...Until now, Chancellor Angela Merkel's new center-right government has steered clear of calling the Afghan mission a "war," given the German public's deep loathing of the concept. But this started to change in February when the government came up with a new way of describing its mission, saying German troops were now engaged in a "non-international armed conflict." Then came zu Guttenberg's admission that the 4,300 German soldiers currently on the ground are actually engaged in what the rest of the world generally considers a war. "In the past, the Afghan mission was sold...
...armored vehicles until after they arrive in Afghanistan," he said. Germany's Armed Forces Association has also complained about the shortage of military helicopters and vehicles in Afghanistan, saying that German troops often have to rely on U.S. helicopter support in Kunduz. (Read "Much Work Ahead for German Chancellor Merkel...
...European? Not Merkel. Yes, the Union should not forsake its stumbling members. But Mediterranean states already get plenty of funds from the European kitty as steady entitlements. And solidarity, a favorite shibboleth of all good Europeans, goes both ways. Europe should spread the wealth, but help works best when the profligate show remorse for their sins. This is why Merkel's no-bailout rule could have an entirely salutary effect, by imposing fiscal rectitude on the wayward...
Still, let's not praise Merkel the martinet too much. She has not acted out of pure selflessness. As the richest nation in Euroland, Germany would have had to pay the largest share of the bailout. And if the euro careens out of control, Germany would end up as the biggest loser. With the euro derailed, the new deutsche mark would be everybody's darling, driving its value up - not a cheery prospect for the world's second biggest exporter. (See video: "Globabl Business Trips: Germany...
...writing on the wall is Greek, but the message holds for much of Europe. There is too much deficit-spending and too little microeconomic reform throughout the continent, which is why the U.S. and Asia, both more flexible, will emerge more quickly from the Great Recession. In Brussels, Merkel grabbed leadership by insisting, "No, we won't!" Now, if she would only pull it off at home by prodding her resistant electorate toward long-overdue economic reform, with the cry of, "Yes, we should!" Alas, to nix is easier than to nudge...