Quo Vadis, America?

Is Professor Koschut covering his face?

Wohin steuert Amerika? Only two days after the presidential election, Professor Simon Koschut of the Free University of Berlin dared to speak about the future US foreign policy, a topic where even our Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier confessed: Nichts Genaues weiß man nicht (It's all so confusing). As you may imagine, the auditorium was fully packed.

Presidential candidate Donald Trump made this statement
concerning the fight against internal and external terrorism.

When, following his talk, Prof. Koschut was asked whether he had prepared a lecture B beforehand, he answered: About Hillary's foreign policy, I would have given the talk off the cuff.

A poll shows that Republicans rate President Obama's foreign policy as bad. So in his lecture, B Prof. Koschut cautiously interpreted Donald J. Trump's statements during the election campaign and discovered many contradictory remarks that make a prediction of America's new foreign policy difficult.

Concerning the Middle East, will Trump increase the bombing of ISIS and simultaneously give carte blanche to Assad and Putin? Sending ground troops into the already burning powder keg - something Hillary was occasionally accused of - is unpopular in the States.

Already now, the US has a bigger military budget
than that of all those other countries mentioned taken together

Whether America's resources are totally overextended is doubtful as far as the present military spending of the US is concerned. Increasing the defense budget and, at the same time lowering taxes will necessarily incur new debts. Raising the US debt ceiling? No problem, given the Republican majority in both houses. The stock market is soaring, given new investments, and as I learned, German firms hope for a fat share with their wall-building expertise.

America will be strong again, but those countries protected by the American shield shall pay for it. High-paid NATO officials in Brussels are already apprehensive about their posts rather than about the future of the defense alliance.

©Der Spiegel

An unpredictable nation? At least Prof. Koschut assured the audience that President Trump cannot revoke the Paris Climate Protection Agreement but can block its application.

©Der Spiegel

When congratulating President-elect Donald Trump, Chancellor Angel Merkel laid down the rules: Germany and America are bound by common values: democracy, freedom, as well as respect for the rule of law, and the dignity of each and every person regardless of their origin, skin color, creed, gender, sexual orientation or political views. She said cooperation with the United States must be based on these values.

My Bundestagsabgeordneter (member of parliament) Gernot Erler said in an interview: My hope is that the American institutions and moderate factions of the Republican party will hem in (einhegen) the new president.

We all know Hope dies last, but let's wait and see.
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