Germany Stymied, ‘Merkel Shock’ Around the Corner

Germany Stymied, ‘Merkel Shock’ Around the Corner
© AFP 2016/ Fredrik von Erichsen
Europe
03:22 08.02.2016(updated 05:57 08.02.2016) Get short URL
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The migrant crisis has reached a turning-point. Pushed to the wall, Germany may back out of its obligations and close Bavaria borders from millions of refugees.

Supporters and opponents of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel tend to believe that, in dealing with the migrant crisis, she is playing a "game of morality". There's a widely spread opinion that by taking upon herself an ethical initiative and throwing open the doors for millions of families that have lost their homes, Merkel is trying to pay penance for Germany's historical sins. Some accuse her of "moral imperialism", while others call her a hero. But noone has come close to understanding the true motives behind her open door policy, director of the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin, Thorsten Benner, wrote in Politico.
This crisis has been brewing up for quite some time, he explains. The EU has been ignoring improved living conditions for refugees in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan and poor protection of external borders. It didn't notice how Greece has become a haven for illegal transporters of refugees around the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, certain politicians have been stoking anti-Muslim sentiment among the international community. With the humanitarian crisis in the center of the Old World and the decline of influence of the Schengen agreement, the situation was gradually getting out of control.

© AFP 2016/ ALFONSO DI VINCENZO
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By opening borders to refugees, Germany has invariably taken the role of a liberal political hegemon. And this was more of a pragmatic decision rather than a sentimental one. Germany needed to win time for the continent so that later it could find a solution together with the EU. Merkel invested all her political assets into this decision, and now she's paying dear for it, having to deal with complaints from her votership and the risks of fierce power scramble.  
While Berlin tries to put pressure on other European countries and insists on equitable distribution of refugees, many believe that migrant crisis is a strictly Germany's problem and that Germany's failure is a payback for not seeking solidarity on other issues in the past.
"Like any liberal hegemon would, Merkel now wonders whether these costs are still worth bearing. Perhaps it would be better to close the Bavarian borders and exercise Germany's right under the Dublin regulation to turn back refugees who have crossed other safe countries in Europe," Benner wrote.
He also cited historical precedents for a change of mind of similar magnitude. For instance, the "Nixon shock" of 1971, when President Nixon cancelled direct convertability of the US dollar to gold, though America guaranteed stable exchange rates under the Bretton Woods agreement after the second World War.  It is high time for the rest of Europe to get ready for the "Merkel shock," the analyst warns.