A Wary Germany Keeps an Eye on the U.S. Transition

U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Germany on Wednesday evening during the final foreign tour of his presidency. His agenda in Berlin includes meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as well as the prime ministers of the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain, and the president of France. When Obama departs Europe on Friday for Peru, he will leave behind a European Union worried about its present and uncertain about its future. As the EU's largest political and economic player, Germany has particular reasons to be concerned about the new phase of world politics that will start in January. During his election campaign, President-elect Donald Trump said he would seek to renegotiate the United States' most important trade deals and protect its economy from foreign competition. He also said he would seek to improve ties with Russia and suggested that the United States might not defend NATO allies that failed to meet...