An Obituary for America: Germany Celebrates the End of the United States

U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the White House on April 27. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

 

The editor in chief of Europe’s largest newsmagazine has written America’s obituary—quite literally. The title of Klaus Brinkbäumer’s new book is An Obituary for America: The End of a Friendship and the Future of the West.

In it, the Der Spiegel editor in chief reaches two surprising conclusions: America is dead, and Germany should be happy about it.

Spiegel Online published an article adapted from Brinkbäumer’s book under the title “Thank You, Donald! What Trump Means for Germany’s Future.”

The U.S., writes Brinkbäumer, is no longer a reliable partner. Therefore “we must emancipate ourselves.”

The great EU power trap

Having influence in a powerful European Union means giving it much more power over us

Soon after the date for the EU referendum was set, Timothy Garton Ash published a piece in this magazine under the title ‘A conservative case for staying in’. He was followed by Ian Buruma, attacking the idea that, having left the EU, the British would be more free. And then, after the Obama visit to London, there was Anne Applebaum, assuring us that the US had ‘excellent reasons’ for being opposed to Brexit.

Russia May Still Have An Automated Nuclear Launch System Aimed Across The Northern Hemisphere

 

Last week, as thousands of Russian troops streamed into Ukraine, Putin issued a statement reminding the world that Russia was a nuclear-armed power.

“Russia is one of the most powerful nuclear nations,” he said. “This is a reality, not just words.”