German-U.S. Relations in the Second Trump Presidency

Over the years, many countries have claimed to have a special relationship with the United States of America. But, except for the UK—although Britons always seem to think their relationship with the U.S. is more “special” than Americans do—no country has actually had as special a relationship with the U.S. as Germany. Along with the other Allied powers, the United States was instrumental in Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II, the 80th anniversary of which was recently commemorated. During the Cold War, the U.S. protected the Federal Republic from invasion from the Communist eastern bloc, and more importantly, was instrumental in West Germany’s economic reconstruction and moral rehabilitation. Since the Cold War, a close alliance has persisted with nearly 40.000 troops currently and invaluable U.S. military infrastructure located in Germany. Trade and economic ties are closer than ever. Both countries worked in tandem to bring market economics and liberal democracy to countries around the world and were joint pillars in the liberal world order that delivered an unprecedented absence of interstate conflict and levels of prosperity once unimaginable. Perhaps an apogee of this special relationship was the solidaristic support for Ukraine after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.