Obama, Merkel Ignore Libya Differences
The National Journal reports:
A world of differences plague the U.S.-German relationship, but the tone between President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel couldn’t have been warmer as the two leaders praised their personal friendship and tiptoed around national problems. The two leaders were polite and deferential in a press conference on Tuesday, all smiles and compliments in their tenth meeting since Obama took office.
But the global economic crisis, Europe’s debt crisis, and the Middle East all reveal deep divisions. In particular, there’s the issue of military involvement in Libya, where the two countries have differed. While the U.S. joined Britain and France in encouraging the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution approving air strikes against Libya, Germany joined Russia and China in abstaining from the vote – the only European Union or NATO country to do so.
Instead of a slap on the wrist at the joint press conference, Obama turned the Libya situation on its head, portraying Germany’s noninvolvement as a positive. “Germany’s deployment of additional resources to personnel in Afghanistan has allowed other NATO allies to protect the Libyan people,” he said. Instead, he spoke of a mutual belief that Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi must leave.
“It is our joint will that this NATO mission is successful,” Merkel said, reiterating the German commitment in Afghanistan as a means of justifying a lack of participation in the NATO mission.
On the economic front, the U.S. is eager to leave Germany in the driver’s seat of stewarding the Eurozone recovery from a sovereign debt crisis on its periphery, which Obama has argued is taking its toll on the U.S. recovery. But after Germany took the lead in financing the bailouts of Greece, Ireland, and Portugal, there is little appetite left among the German public for pouring more money into those debt-strapped nations. Americans have even less interest in getting involved, and Obama has accordingly demonstrated little willingness to offer monetary assistance.
When a reporter asked him about Germany’s ability to finance a second bailout, he seemed to encourage German leadership ever so gently. “I am confident that Germany’s leadership, along with other key actors in Europe, will help us arrive at a path for Greece to return to growth, for this debt to become more manageable, but it is going to require some patience and some time,” Obama said. Instead of directly calling for another bailout, he instead urged a “sensible resolution” of the problem.
He also offered a promise to “cooperate fully” with Germany and suggested that the U.S. may offer the use of International Monetary Fund money. Merkel, for her part, pledged solidarity with European countries, but also nudged them to take steps to remain competitive in a changing world.
