AMERICANIZATION:

Merkel ponders Atlantic free trade zone (Bertrand Benoit, September 16 2006, Financial Times)

Spurred by concern about China's growing economic might, Germany is considering a plan for a free-trade zone between Europe and the US.

A senior aide to Angela Merkel said the chancellor was "interested" in promoting the idea as long as such a zone did not create "a fortress" but rather "a tool" to encourage free trade globally, "which she is persuaded is a condition of Germany's future prosperity". [...]

News that the free trade zone, last pursued by Sir Leon Brittan, when European trade commissioner in 1998, is being debated in the German chancellery testifies to the rapprochement between Washington and Berlin since Ms Merkel's election last November.

This convergence of views was underlined this week when Wen Jiabao, Chinese premier, was politely chided by Ms Merkel for China's poor human rights record and recent restrictions on foreign news agencies, during an official visit to Berlin.

Remember how American/European relations would never recover from W telling them to get stuffed in the run-up to the Iraq war? What ever happened to all those anti-American leaders?

Posted by Orrin Judd at September 16, 2006 11:11 AM