Germany and the European Union must fundamentally rethink their relationship with the United States, the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) advocates, as President Donald Trump's approach to international affairs raises doubts about the US's reliability as a partner and ally. The SPD, the junior coalition member in Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative-led government, argues in a policy paper set to be adopted by the party executive board that Germany must carry out a realistic reassessment of the trans-Atlantic relationship.
"Calm down the hysteria," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday. "Take a deep breath." He was urging European counterparts and journalists not to read too much into the current kerfuffle over President Donald Trump's desire to annex Greenland, which was followed by the threat of new U.S. tariffs on a group of European countries standing in solidarity with Denmark.
We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false. That the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient. That trade rules were enforced asymmetrically. ... That international law applied with varying rigor depending on the identity of the accused or the victim,