The Return of the Ugly Germans Merkel Is Leading the Country into Isolation A Commentary By Jakob Augstein

''The German bogeyman has raised its head yet again in the euro crisis. Merkel's rigorism is ruining the work done by generations. Even if the chancellor is correct in her policies, it would be better for Germany to do the wrong thing together with its partners than to go it alone and insisting on the right thing.

"The spirit of Europe is dying, the spring of the new era is in Germany." The quote sounds almost as though Chancellor Angela Merkel had just come home from Brussels and, after a few shots of schnapps, began waxing poetic about the current state of European politics.

In actuality, the quote came from German poet Friedrich Schlegel (1772-1829). He was not only an excellent translator but also prone to overwrought nationalism. Still the danger of conflating the two is disquieting. German nationalism was first sired 200 years ago. It is a dangerous beast that has brought about suffering and horror. We thought it had been eliminated, but it has once again emerged from the shadows in this major European crisis..''

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