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Commentary
Wall Street Journal

Germany Should Have Listened to Trump

He was right about Berlin’s self-defense and risky energy dependence on Russia.

walter_russell_mead
walter_russell_mead
Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship
In this aerial view water vapor and exhaust rise from the steel mill of Salzgitter AG, one of Europe's largest steel producers, as residential buildings stand nearby on November 22, 2023 in Salzgitter, Germany. (Sean Gallup via Getty Images)
Caption
In this aerial view water vapor and exhaust rise from the steel mill of Salzgitter AG, one of Europe's largest steel producers, as residential buildings stand nearby on November 22, 2023, in Salzgitter, Germany. (Sean Gallup via Getty Images)

The lower house of Germany’s Parliament voted to legalize the recreational use of cannabis last week. It was a timely move. Germany’s leadership class is going to need all the mellow it can find in a world that isn’t going Germany’s way.

Russian advances in Ukraine and American paralysis over the next aid package are reinforcing the reality that Germany needs to defend itself but lacks the power to do so. So are developments in the Red Sea, where German manufacturers must cope with shipping delays as the Biden administration fails to keep the vital waterway clear.

Read the full article in the Wall Street Journal.