Sunday, May 28, 2017

America 2.0: The Strange Country

a strong feeling from European leaders that they must turn away from Washington and prepare to face the world alone.
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“The belief in shared values has been shattered by the Trump administration,” said Stephan Bierling, an expert on transatlantic relations at Germany’s University of Regensburg.
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Nor is Europe united in its approach to Trump: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has cracked down on critics at home, has embraced the U.S. leader.
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European leaders are developing plans to deepen military cooperation independently of the United States.
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The conservative Trump critic William Kristol, who edits The Weekly Standard magazine, wrote on Twitter: “Merkel's comments today are a reminder that Trump’s failures are, while he’s president, also America’s failure, and damage America.”
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Merkel and Macron have vowed to work together to further the pro-globalization agenda that Trump stands against.

Merkel’s comments were not the only sign Sunday of a Europe determined to hit back. Macron acknowledged that he came prepared for his handshake with Trump, who likes to throw others off balance with a firm yank of the arm. Macron appeared to force Trump to keep shaking hands even after the U.S. leader tried to disengage.

“We must show that we will not make small concessions, even symbolic ones,” Macron told France’s Journal du Dimanche in remarks published Sunday. He called it “a moment of truth.”

America 2.0: A Different Country