Trump’s Blunt Ambassador to Berlin Richard Grenell isn’t apologizing, though he’s ruffled even pro-American feathers. By Walter Russell Mead
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-blunt-ambassador-to-berlin-11557182423
There can’t be much doubt which American ambassador has the toughest assignment these days: Richard Grenell. Representing Donald Trump in Berlin is about as demanding a job as the world of diplomacy contains. There are compensations: The view from his office—of the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate—is one of the most stunning in Europe. More important, no other ambassador can be so assured of his chance to make an impact. Repairing the U.S.-German relationship could reinvigorate the entire Atlantic alliance and enable a new era of international peacebuilding. If the relationship founders in mistrust, the dream of building a world around shared trans-Atlantic values will fade.
The task isn’t hopeless. The German political elite are increasingly concerned about the disarray in Europe, the economic threat from China and the hostile machinations of the Kremlin, and they know that Germany badly needs a serious partnership with the U.S. Nonetheless, the gap in interests, ideas and style between Angela Merkel’s Germany and Mr. Trump’s America is so wide that many on both sides believe it cannot be bridged.
Ambassador Grenell is an optimist. “Germany has the potential to be Donald Trump’s favorite country,” he tells me in the elegant ambassadorial residence, tucked in the tranquility of Berlin’s leafy and affluent Dahlem district. Mr. Grenell says the president admires Germany’s business success and its focus on creating good jobs for its people. Mr. Trump also appreciates German investment in the U.S., and the more than 100,000 American jobs German companies sustain.
Mr. Grenell also argues that the gap isn’t as wide as some fear. Far from opposing the European Union and seeking to break it apart, he says, the Trump administration wants a Europe that is “more nimble,” able to respond quickly and decisively. As for Mr. Trump’s commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Mr. Grenell notes that the U.S. hasn’t only increased its presence in Europe since 2016, but has also persuaded other NATO members to increase defense commitments by $41 billion or 4%, with more likely to come. CONTINUE AT SITE
The ambassador’s tenure has been stormy, to put it mildly. In March after he criticized German budget projections that would keep military spending well below the 2% of gross domestic product that Germany has repeatedly promised, a member of the normally pro-American Free Democratic Party, called for Mr. Grenell’s expulsion. “Any U.S. diplomat who acts like a high commissioner of an occupying power must learn that our tolerance also knows its limits,” said Wolfgang Kubicki, a vice president of the Bundestag. Carsten Schneider, caucus manager for the center-left Social Democrats, attacked Mr. Grenell as “a complete diplomatic failure” who “damages trans-Atlantic relations with his repeated clumsy provocations.”
Mr. Grenell isn’t sorry about criticizing Germany on such a sensitive point. The 2% NATO commitment, he says, is a critical benchmark for President Trump. If Germany meets the target, other issues like the Nord Stream 2 pipeline become much easier to negotiate. But neither the dispute nor the specific 2% ask is going away.
Comments are closed.
