Упрощенная HTML-версия
Author : Armen Oganesyan
Editor-in-Chief of International Affairs
MANY PEOPLE still wonder why Angela
Merkel performed her "U-turn over the At-
lantic" toward Washington. Indeed, there
should be reasons which forced her to aban-
don the eastern political vector in favor of a
center of power which, while retaining appear-
ances, is losing real instruments of global gov-
ernance.
Throughout the last quarter of a century, Ger-
many's special relations with Russia were a
fairly large political and economic bonus of sorts which added weight to Germany on the world
scale, to say nothing of Europe. I have already written elsewhere that Germany's "Eastern policy"
supplies it with strategic depth. This helps Berlin oppose the pressure of rivals and "friends" on
both sides of the Atlantic who are watching the rising star of Germany with barely concealed
irritation.
The United States comes second after France as the largest market of German products and
services outside the EU. In some years, its trade surplus with the U.S. and UK reached 20 percent;
therefore, those who say that in the near-and mid-term perspective it will compensate all German
losses in Russia are basically right.
The unprecedented preferences, the result of Germany's trade and economic expansion over a
vast areas stretching from the Balkans to Southeast Asia, are ensured by its economic growth
and, last but not least, by security guarantees supplied by its Western partners, the U.S. in the
first place.
Germany's "Eastern policy" supplies it with strategic depth. This helps Berlin oppose the pressure
of rivals and "friends" on both sides of the Atlantic who are watching the rising star of Germany
with barely concealed irritation.
Long-term political motivations are much vaguer: Berlin knows that its growing strength will
alert or even has alerted its EU partners and the United States. The latter is impressed not so
much by Germany's economic growth (its economy, anyway, is smaller than American) but by
the fact that its working capital strengthens the EU as an alternative center of political and eco-
nomic power.
Washington needs Europe as a teammate or a reliable ally not as a rival. To be more exact, Europe
can be accepted as a rival the share of which in economy and global governance remained under
Washington's control to guarantee continued American domination in the EU economic and
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A Trap for Germany?