Merkel: USA is Not Completely Dependable Now

It’s safe to say that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Donald Trump have somewhat of a chilly international relationship.

This is not only the case for Merkel, though. Other world leaders have similarly strained alliances with the new president. Given his statements on the campaign trail and in these first few months in office, that is hardly surprising.

On Sunday evening, Merkel made it clear what she think of the U.S. as partner. The Hill reports:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told supporters on Sunday that her country could no longer “completely depend” on the U.S. as a reliable partner. She said that Europeans “must really take our destiny into our own hands,” Agence France Presse reported.

Merkel’s comments on Sunday underscored her frustration after a tense meeting with President Trump at the Group of Seven summit a day earlier

The G7 meeting followed a NATO summit in Brussels on Thursday that left Merkel and other European leaders similarly irked. There, Trump berated fellow NATO members over their failure to spend at least two percent of their GDP on defense, the number the alliance agreed upon in 2014.

But also absent from Trump’s speech was a mutual defense pledge — a commitment to the principle that an attack on one NATO member state is an attack on all. The White House later told reporters that such a commitment “goes without saying.”

While Merkel said on Sunday that it was important for Germany to maintain friendly relations with the U.S. and the United Kingdom, the country “would have to fight for our own future ourselves.”

We still have yet to see what President Trump really looks like on the international stage. Yes, words are one thing, but actions are another matter entirely. So far, those have been few and far between.

Merkel is right about one thing: Europeans must decide their own future. The trend toward unbridled inclusivity is not an automatic positive. There must be some sort of logical approach to immigration which allows for a growing citizenry without forsaking safety. To differing degrees, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. are all grappling with just how to go about that.

Merkel also made a jab at Trump during her speech at NATO headquarters on Thursday, criticizing “the building of walls” as detrimental to society. Trump has long vowed to build a massive border wall between in the U.S. and Mexico.

“It is not isolation and the building of walls that make us successful, but open societies,” she said.

No, I don’t think building a wall (which may never happen) will solve either the immigration or terrorism issues in the United States. But neither will entirely open societies where common sense safety measures come second to diversity.

Merkel prefers more distance between Germany and its allies, especially the United States. In this tense international climate, she will likely get her wish.

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