Merkel Talks Tough

Of course she then ended on a plea for the United States to commit to Copenhagen and climate change by December (not likely):

But did I mention how tough she sounded on Iran? No surprise, Merkel’s idea of drawing a line is economic sanctions, though as Volker Perthes, director of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, points out, the chancellor is now willing to enact sanctions even if it means only the United States and Europe. Speaking at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies, Perthes said that while Merkel would obviously prefer going through the Security Council, she has been warning German businesses to prepare for sanctions whether or not China and Russia are on board. Perthes also notes that Merkel is still deeply committed to Afghanistan, and if there is to be a troop increase, we shouldn’t expect one until January at the earliest. She is, however, waiting for Obama to make a decision first. Changes have quietly been made to the German contingent in Afghanistan: For instance, they no longer have to wait to be attacked before they can engage the Taliban. This might sound silly but there are reasons for this. That Germans are uncomfortable using the term “war” (krieg) or even discussing such matters is the result of, in Perthes’s words, “successful reeducation.” Perthes does think his fellow citizens would better support the Afghan operation if politicians openly talked to them about it and explained clearly why they are there — something that has yet to happen (in Germany or the United States). But remember the Spiegel article from 2006 in which a British officer told his German counterpart, “We’re sending two coffins home every week, while you Germans hand out crayons and wool blankets”? And the American who told a Merkel adviser that “the Germans have to learn how to kill”? But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.