Germany hits Trump with torrent of criticism for making the West 'weaker'
Source: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
29 MAY 2017 AT 11:46 ET
Germany on Monday unleashed a volley of criticism against US President Donald Trump, slamming his “short-sighted” policies that have “weakened the West” and hurt European interests.
The sharp words from Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel came after Trump concluded his first official tour abroad which took him to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Brussels and then Italy for a G7 summit. They also followed Chancellor Angela Merkel’s warning on Sunday that the US and Britain may no longer be reliable partners. Germany’s exasperation was laid bare after the G7 summit which wrapped up on Saturday with the US refusing to sign up to upholding the 2015 Paris climate accord.
Days earlier, in Saudi Arabia, Trump had presided over the signing of the single largest US arms deal in American history, worth $110 billion over the next decade and including ships, tanks and anti-missile systems.
Gabriel said Monday that “anyone who accelerates climate change by weakening environmental protection, who sells more weapons in conflict zones and who does not want to politically resolve religious conflicts is putting peace in Europe at risk”.
“The short-sighted policies of the American government stand against the interests of the European Union,” he said, adding that “the West has become smaller, at least it has become weaker”.
Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/germany-hits-trump-with-torrent-of-criticism-for-making-the-west-weaker/
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Way to go, Mr. President*
We can't stand another minute of all this winning.
not necessarily hypocrisy. Seems compared to the US and Russia, Germany is just a bit player. And interestingly enough, around half of Germany's exports are to other EU / NATO countries and to the US. Depending on how you cut it, here's how they rank....
Their TV commentary on news programs on non-commercial stations (i.e. government-sponsored, though not controlled) has been savage, where they were previously the very definition of diplomacy, even in the worst days of the cold war.
They have lost their inhibition, and with good reason. Someone too timid to speak their mind at the horror and embarrassment that is Trumppence is just not going to have an audience any more here. America has crossed the Red Line this time. Europe is unconvinced that we will re-cross it back any time soon. They cover our protests and our women's marches, but when Trump comes here and acts like he owns the place, he is going farther off the deep end than any American leader ever has (Europe does not consider Louie Gohmert or Tom Cotton to be a "leader"
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The Europeans also know that most of America didn't want Trumppence and that they don't really represent us as a people, but they also know that Trumppence are in power. Trump may not have won the election in their eyes any more than he won it in ours, but THAT is who is showing up at summit conferences, and THAT is who commands our armed forces. As long as there is still a free press here, that is what will be commented on. As long as the governments here in Europe have the ability and the right to say what they think, they will. They raged at our involvement in Vietnam. They seethed at Reagan and his missiles. They howled in disgust at Cheneybush invading Iraq, and proudly declared that their will was to not be part of the "coalition of the willing." But they kept their harsh language in check. When Rumsfeld came to persuade Germany to join us in invading Iraq, foreign minister Fischer said of the WMD, "if we are to do that, you must convince me. You haven't convinced me." Today, Gabriel's language was mush harsher. Today, it deserved to be. We are no longer trying to "convince" them. They are, in turn, no longer trying to act as if that's all we're trying to do.
