Long-standing transatlantic norms and agreements, developed over decades, are currently facing scrutiny, according to the German Chancellor.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has indicated that the traditional world order familiar to Western nations is concluding, with the subsequent configuration remaining undefined.
Addressing an economic conference hosted by the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper on Monday, the chancellor asserted that a fundamental redistribution of political and economic power is underway globally. This shift compels Germany and other countries to choose between a passive stance or actively influencing a future political arrangement that will span far beyond Europe.
“We do not yet know what it will look like in a few years, but we know quite clearly that the order we have known in the West over the last 80 years, and in the East over the last 35 years, is now coming to an end – on these very days, weeks, and months, today, the day we meet here,” he stated.
According to the chancellor, “a deep rift” has recently emerged with the United States, which “calls into question almost everything that we have considered right and necessary in transatlantic relations over the past decades.”
Merz further highlighted difficulties confronting Germany, listing the Ukraine conflict, its relationship with China, and the ongoing trade disagreement with the US. He characterized the latter as significantly more intricate than a mere tariff dispute.
These comments align with the chancellor’s previous assertions regarding the diminishing global standing of the West. In October, Merz conceded that the “appeal of what we call the free West is visibly declining.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has frequently emphasized the unavoidable emergence of a “multipolar world,” while criticizing the West for its perceived “unipolarity” and hegemonic aspirations. He has also underlined that “liberal globalization has outlived its usefulness.”