Politico: Angela Merkel targets Trump, opponents, legacy in feisty turn

For a leader who avoids rhetorical flourishes and typically delivers speeches with the verve of a technocrat, Merkel’s address was uncharacteristically emotional, impressing even the opposition, who responded with enthusiastic applause at several junctures. [...]

Her reference to “patriotism,” rare for the leader of a country where the concept still makes many wince, echoed recent comments by French President Emmanuel Macron, offering a clear gesture of solidarity with an ally who has come under harsh attack from Trump for questioning his concept of nationalism.

Merkel’s primary aim with the half-hour speech, however, was less to defend Macron than to offer a spirited defense of the global order, the foundation of Germany’s post-war rehabilitation, which Berlin worries Trump is trying to dismantle. [...]

Trump wasn’t Merkel’s only target. She also took aim at those in Germany, including some in her own party, who question the necessity of the U.N.’s migration pact. The non-binding agreement, intended to offer “a collective commitment to improving cooperation on international migration” by setting standards for the treatment of refugees, was approved to little fanfare by the U.N. in July. Since then, it has become a lightning rod for right-wing European populists who claim that it would undermine national sovereignty and open the door to mass migration from Africa. [...]

Though Spahn appears isolated on the question of the U.N. pact, the question of migration nonetheless looms over the succession race. Even Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the CDU’s secretary-general and Merkel’s purported favorite for the top job, has pledged to revisit what happened in 2015 if elected in order to heal divisions in the party.  

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Politico: EU and China break ultimate trade taboo to hit back at Trump

Brussels and Beijing on Wednesday launched explosive cases at the World Trade Organization, in which they will argue that Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum, imposed in May, cannot be justified on grounds of national security, as the White House claims. The EU and China were joined in their protest by Mexico, Norway, Russia and Canada. [...]

Whichever way the WTO rules, Pandora’s box has been opened. If it rules that national security can justify tariffs, the decision could inspire other countries to play the security card. On the other hand, if Washington finds itself backed into a corner, it could simply quit the WTO.[...]

A common position from the EU and China is a blow to many European and American officials, who had hoped that the trade war would morph into a united front against Beijing. The Trump administration has just unveiled a hardline policy on China. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence last week delivered a blistering speech against China, saying that Washington was in no rush to end the trade war and “would not change course until China changes it ways.”

The cases against the national security justification are not the first to reach WTO panels. There are two other cases still under investigation — involving Qatar and Russia — but the U.S. case is by far the most geopolitically significant. There has never been a ruling on the legitimacy of the national security defense.

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