Why Friedrich Merz decided to risk Donald Trump’s wrath | Jörg Lau

The US president’s retribution will be painful for Germany and Nato, but it makes crystal clear just why Europe’s reliance on the US is untenable What began as a spat between Friedrich Merz and Donald Trump over the Iran war is rapidly turning into a historic rupture between Germany and the US. Its significance is hard to overstate. In Germany, the transatlantic falling-out adds to the domestic woes of a coalition government in crisis, overshadowing the first anniversary of Merz’s becoming chanc