The debacle of foreign policy by Merz, criticized by the SPD, ignored by Sanchez

On Sunday, March 1st, as he publicly speaks for the first time about the war in Iran, Friedrich Merz refrains from explicitly naming a “violation of international law.”

The chancellor prefers to legitimize the intervention, noting that “condemning Iran’s violations of the law and shaping the broad sets of sanctions have had little impact in recent years,” as reported by the Berlin daily Tagesspiegel. This has sparked anger from Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil and the SPD (Social Democratic Party), who have denounced a different speech from what the coalition leaders had agreed upon.

The CDU chancellor then asserted that “it is not in our interest to enter into an endless war.” Then, on March 10th, he stated that Germany has “no intention of compromising Iran’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, or economic viability.” These statements seem to have calmed internal tensions, notes the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. But on a European scale, Merz now faces discontent among his allies.

Context: Friedrich Merz, the CDU chancellor, speaks publicly for the first time about the war in Iran and faces criticism for his stance on Iranian violations of international law and Germany’s involvement.

Fact Check: The SPD refers to the Social Democratic Party in Germany, and the CDU to Christian Democratic Union.

A “betrayal” towards an ally

“The chancellor sends text messages and makes calls, but if you’re Spanish, it’s radio silence.” Since the meeting between Friedrich Merz and Donald Trump on March 3rd, “relations between Madrid and Berlin are icy,” reports the weekly magazine Der Spiegel. Because the American president did not hold back from criticizing the United Kingdom and Spain after their refusal to grant the United States access to their air bases in the war against Iran. Trump even went as far as calling Spain a “disgraceful ally.”

Rather than defending Madrid, Friedrich Merz ended up “echoing Trump’s criticisms, accusing [other NATO countries] of weak defense spending,” according to the German weekly. And although the chancellor later nuanced his statements, explaining to Trump that “an economic war against Spain would be a war against the entire EU,” the damage was done.

For Spain, Germany’s stance only acted as a “vassal” of the United States, notes the British newspaper The Times. Merz “embarrasses one of the countries with one of the most pro-European populations,” laments Steffen Lüdke in the Spiegel, and revives “old wounds” at the same time. As the journalist recalls, “during the Euro crisis, Berlin forced Madrid to adopt austerity measures that deprived an entire generation of its future prospects.”

Context: Friedrich Merz’s alignment with Donald Trump’s criticisms of Spain’s defense spending and stance on Iran’s international law violations has strained Germany’s relationship with Spain and raised concerns about Germany’s commitment to the EU.

Fact Check: The Euro crisis referenced here is the financial crisis faced by Eurozone countries starting in 2009.

The continuation of a controversial foreign policy

“But what happened?” asks Jan Opielka in the Berliner Zeitung. Referring to the millions of people who, from Barcelona to Berlin, gathered to denounce the war led against Iraq by the United States and the United Kingdom without UN mandate in 2003, he recalls that at the time, “the [German] government publicly opposed it.”

“The debacle of German foreign policy continues,” laments Velten Schäfer in the left-center weekly Der Freitag. A sentiment echoed by the Süddeutsche Zeitung, which mentions “the culmination of a process that has been going on for months, unfortunately burying the concept of international law.” The newspaper recalls that last year, Merz described Israeli strikes against the Iranian nuclear program as “dirty work Israel does for all of us.”

Such an attitude may “weaken the chancellor’s credibility,” warns international law expert Mehrdad Payandeh in the economic journal Handelsblatt, and eventually destabilize a Europe already divided.

Context: Friedrich Merz’s controversial foreign policy decisions, including his comments on Israeli actions against Iran and alignment with US criticisms of NATO allies, are criticized for weakening Germany’s international credibility and potentially creating divisions in Europe.

Fact Check: The article mentions the criticism of Germany’s stance on the Iraq war and the erosion of the concept of international law, raising concerns about the country’s foreign policy direction.