He is present now, the chancellor, but not specifically.
(Photo: imago images/ZUMA Wire)
Olaf Scholz has not yet arrived in office. This is shown once again during his inaugural visit to Washington. The Chancellor stubbornly sticks to his line of not committing himself in the case of Nord Stream 2. Hiding behind meaningless formulas – and unable to explain the attitude of the federal government.
In a global political crisis, which is the first major challenge for Scholz, that is not enough. He shows too much consideration for his party friends, who show great understanding towards Russia – and prefers to annoy his foreign policy allies.
The meeting with US President Joe Biden could have sent a strong signal to Europe. Almost at the same time, French President Emmanuel Macron met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to explore opportunities for de-escalation in Ukraine. That could have been a wonderful Franco-German division of labour.
Suddenly Europe would have gone from a reserve player to an important player in the crisis. Scholz missed the chance. He is absolutely convinced that his strategy, which is aimed at simply avoiding mistakes, will work.
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>> Read here: During Olaf Scholz’s visit, the US President emphasized Germany’s reliability
Merkel has always positioned herself clearly
You can’t blame Scholz for that. His experience from the last two years, and especially from the election campaign, is: “Let the others talk and I’ll win in the end.” That’s not enough for foreign policy. Here he has to build up political capital for the first time.
Scholz wants to be the better Angela Merkel. However, the former chancellor has always positioned herself clearly in the foreign and European policy crises. Merkel prevailed against the powerful then Federal Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble and kept Greece in the monetary union. Her dictum at the time was: if the euro dies, Europe dies. Merkel also took a clear position on the refugee crisis. Many did not like that, even in their own party. But she saw her own course as a reason of state.
Scholz is taking on Merkel’s political legacy. But he cannot use their foreign policy pound to great advantage. The US President built a golden bridge for him when he declared Nord Stream 2 to be over in the event of a Russian attack on Ukraine. Many are rightly asking whether Scholz wants to put the pipeline into operation, whatever the cost.
Scholz is probably thinking that Germany has always done well by swearing allegiance to its partners, but by letting business continue. But the world has changed. The international community has been demanding more responsibility from Europe for years and is therefore turning its attention to Germany. Germany only shrugs its shoulders when it comes to the two percent target for armaments spending for NATO. Berlin was also proud to deliver 5000 helmets to Ukraine.
That could end up really hurting him
However, you can no longer blame Olaf Scholz. Namely that he would have disappeared. After the visit to the USA, he received the Polish and French Presidents in Berlin. He then delivers a speech at the Munich Security Conference before traveling to Kiev and Moscow.
But now he should keep his promise that whoever orders leadership from him will get it. It is not enough to attack his last SPD predecessor in the Chancellery, Gerhard Schröder, on the issue of Nord Stream 2. He must give a clear signal in terms of foreign policy and not leave the alliance partners in the dark.
The physicist Merkel once said that banging your head against a wall is not a good idea. The wall always wins. Here he obviously does not follow his political role model. That could end up really hurting him.
More: Europe’s battle for gas.