Germany's Straight-Talking Leader is Making Europe Nervous

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the tall, straight-talking head of Europe’s largest economy and biggest military spender, is the closest thing the continent has to a leader as France’s Emmanuel Macron nears the exit and America treats its friends worse than its enemies. With Merz’s domestic approval ratings on the floor after a year in power, and his reforms failing to catch light, this isn’t necessarily a good thing.

The former Blackrock Inc. executive is caught in the same struggle that’s engulfing many other continental leaders: He’s having to adapt to a crumbling world order without being able to rely on the old bedrock of broad moderate support back home. Like Macron and Britain’s Keir Starmer, Merz has strutted confidently on the global stage. He’s pushed through European trade deals, supported Ukraine and spoken truth to US President Donald Trump on his Iranian folly.