Maybe last but not least, Scholz’s genuinely enigmatic and rude disposition have kept us from building strong relations to important capitals around the continent.

Not only in retrospect, but already at the time was that obviously Incredibly shortsighted and then the next awful mistake was to keep adhering to the debt brake after the 2021 election because it weakened Germany at a time when Europe would’ve needed some leadership from Berlin.

Also to blame is the ill-fated stance on Nord Stream 2 that Angela Merkel held onto despite fierce criticism from Washington when Washington was still a reliable ally.

It all started with the absurd opposition to more fiscal integration on the European level, maybe best exemplified by Angela Merkel‘s deafening silence after Macron delivered his speech at the Sorbonne in 2017.