Cautiously Ambitious

Angela Merkel is set to form a new government as the Social Democrats accepted a coalition with the CDU/CSU. Their coalition deal pushes for closer European integration alongside EU reform and strong German-French relations. It continues the paradigm of post-war German foreign relations by focusing on partnerships. At the same time, this paradigm is under threat: Both the EU and US relations have become less certain. Germany needs to proceed with ambition – and caution. The deal is a good start.