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International Herald Tribune Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Page 6, Views
Can Germany summon the will to lead?
John Vinocur
Berline
Basic questions awaiting a clear answer: As Germany tries out its would-be status as Europe's international heavyweight, what does Angela Merkel have to say about Vladimir Putin's certain victory in what is called a presidential election on March 4?
...Since the veto on Saturday, Guido Westerwelle, the German foreign minister, after saying he regretted and was disappointed by the action(and sounding like a high school guidance counselor scolding a kid for bringing a whoopee cushion into class), has done a wishful-thinking number about somehow returning the issue to the Security Council.
Ms. Merkel hardly leapt at the problem when she met with Nicholas Sarkozy in Paris to discuss the veto's aftermath. Rather, the French president said he would be speaking to the Russian leadership about the "scandal" for the chancellor and himself.
Ultimately, Germany, now supposedly leading Europe, faces the question of how much responsibility it wants to take concerning the world's most jagged political issues. To me, the West seems at a point when a heavy injection of Germany political courage...
David CK Chang, SSN057-86-4042,
February 9, 2012, Thursday,
National Central Library,
Taipei City
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