Epstein Secrets

David Ignatius June 10 -- There was some head-scratching in Washington last week at the presentation of the Medal of Freedom to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The previous foreign recipients included Pope John Paul II, who championed the freedom of Eastern Europe; Nelson Mandela, who triumphed over apart

championed the freedom of Eastern Europe; Nelson Mandela, who triumphed over apartheid in South Africa; and Helmut Kohl, who reunited Germany. Did Merkel, for all her good qualities, really fit in that group? "Why roll out the red carpet and present this honor to someone who has been a reluctant part

following months, especially in the wake of Turkey's response to the Mavi Marmara incident, a number of U.S. congressmen withdrew their support for Ankara on important policy issues. For example, Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) argued that Turkey's membership in NATO should be "called into question," while Sh

8 At Davos in January, German Chancellor Angela Merkel defined her vision of Europe's future in classic

ine, say the Brits. Have your Federal Republic of Europe. But count us out. EFTA_R1_00225774 EFTA01840718 At Davos in January, German Chancellor Angela Merkel defined her vision of Europe's future in classically federal terms. Does Cameron have an alternative vision? "My vision," he replies, "is of a Eur

her rallied Syrian Kurds behind him by arming the Kurdish rebellion movement in Turkey. But that assistance subsided with warming relations between Ankara EFTA_R1_00225768 EFTA01840712 and Damascus in recent years. In the meantime, the region is looking much less hospitable to Turkey than it did t

big Mrs May speech on Brexit today ahead of Mrs Merkel's re-election vote on Sunday. EMERGING MARKETS D

ulus (Drausio Giacomelli & Team] Turkey Trip Notes: In search of non-decelerating growth rate of stimulus We spent two days earlier in the week in Ankara and Istanbul. meeting with the Central Bank of Turkey (CBT), the Ministers in charge of economy management, politicians, local banks, economists, po

who will challenge the AKP’s cooperation with the United States, particularly in Afghanistan. Turkey’s emboldened radicals will also take issue with Ankara’s European Union policy — as if Turkey’s EU accession plans did not already face enough obstacles. Given the large number of Turkish HOUSE_OVERSIGHT

. There were strong arguments on either side of a Libyan intervention, but with a massacre looming in Benghazi, Germany had to stand with its allies. Angela Merkel has proved herself more a maneuverer than a leader. Germany often conveys the sense that it now resents the agents of its postwar rehabilitation — th

d, and as long it’s on hold the future of the euro is at risk. The German-French alliance will remain under strain. Obama should look to Sarkozy, not Merkel, for strategic support. A last thought. This restless French leader is at his best with his back to the wall. He’s shown that. The same quality mean

re. The Erdogan government is now saying explicitly something it had implied for the last two years—that Washington has to choose between two allies, Ankara and Jerusalem. The Arab Spring, especially events in Syria, and the planned U.S. withdrawal from Iraq have catapulted Turkey to an unprecedented leve

ready. SPIEGEL: The German government has also announced that it will not support the Palestinians’ plan. Elaraby: I heard what (German Chancellor) Angela Merkel said. She cited the Germans' unique responsibility to the Jews. But the Germans also have a responsibility to the Palestinians. SPIEGEL: The radical

Elaraby: I heard what (German Chancellor) Angela Merkel said. She cited the Germans' unique responsibilit

loyed. And German leaders are wrong if they think their country will remain unscathed as its major trading partners and neighbors unravel. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany has been talking a more pro- European line. But she is still insisting on growth-killing austerity as the price for European bailouts and

as the price for European bailouts and still blocking the European Central Bank from printing more euros and acting as a lender of last resort. Mrs. Merkel's advisers insist that she is doing what the German people want. That is not leadership. She needs to challenge her voters' simplistic stereotypes of

orcible regime change. But the increased hostility exhibited by Turkey, Syria's most powerful and best-connected neighbour, may yet prove decisive as Ankara assumes a crisis leadership role. Until the uprising tore apart old certainties, the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had invested consi