SETTING THE STAGE

A Successful Meeting
By Dr. Jackson Janes

Chancellor Merkel left Washington last week after receiving a warm greeting all around town. She might have even wondered how that happened, given that not everyone she met knew her very well and many were seeing her as Chancellor for the first time.

However, there was a pervasive sense of confidence and trust in her and her intentions with regard to the transatlantic relationship. For some in the White House, anyone but Gerhard Schröder would have been welcome. The comments about transatlantic relations Merkel made sounded reassuring to her audiences; for example, the primacy of NATO was something she stressed as the main vehicle for the transatlantic dialogue, even while she emphasized that it is important to define the mission beyond a military alliance. The critical comments she aimed at Guantanamo did not shake the President at the joint White House press conference, which they both seem to have enjoyed. READ ON.