Streiff at Red State says that try as they might to keep doing so, two factors will greatly inhibit their attempts. One is The great new US ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, and the other is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Sultan:
First, we have Ambassador Richard Grennell. Grennell, you’ll recall, is the guy who gave the Washington Post a brief bout of fecal incontinence when he tweeted, shortly after confirmation:
As said, US sanctions will target critical sectors of Iran’s economy. German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately.
And this:
Also today, Saudi Arabia declared that German firms are ineligible for government contracts:
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has ordered that no more government contracts be awarded to German companies, in a sign of continued irritation over Berlin’s foreign policy in the Middle East, German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Friday.
Citing no sources, it said the move was likely to hit major companies such as Siemens (SIEGn.DE), Bayer (BAYGn.DE) and Boehringer Ingelheim as well as carmaker Daimler (DAIGn.DE).
Relations between Germany and Saudi Arabia have been strained, and Saudi Arabia last year summoned its ambassador in Germany home for consultations over comments by then-Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel about the political crisis in Lebanon.
Saudi Arabia is a significant trade partner for Germany, generating 2017 exports worth 6.6 billion euros ($7.7 billion), according to Germany’s statistics office.
Siemens last year won an order worth around $400 million to deliver five gas turbines for a combined heat and power plant being built in Saudi Arabia. Daimler soon after secured an order for 600 Mercedes‑Benz Citaro buses from Saudi bus operator SAPTCO.
A senior German businessman in Saudi Arabia, who asked to remain anonymous, told Reuters on Friday that especially the healthcare sector was currently feeling added scrutiny when applying for Saudi tenders.
“They have even been asking: Where are the products coming from? Are they made in Germany? Do you have other manufacturing sites? And as soon as this is made in Germany, they have been rejecting any German applications for tender,” the person said.
This is a tightening of screws on the EU. Not only will companies be cut off from US markets but the Saudi market will be off limits as well. Unless they are willing to accept Iran as their only trading partner, they have to fall in line.
Quit playing footsie with the bad guys. Get in line and act like a Western nation.
Have the decadent Germans been kept in the loop before and after Trump's bulldozing of prior international agreements? Perhaps they view him as a bully. I sure do. This is not diplomacy, it's gonzo chess. Outcome still way way way in doubt.
ReplyDeleteYou never appease enemies. And you do all you can to prevent your allies from doing business with them.
ReplyDeleteThat's one way to look at it, by no means unanimous.
ReplyDeleteNot unanimous, but correct.
ReplyDeleteOnly time will tell. Again. Many are and will be apologizing for the Trump administration for decades. We think America has lost respect not gained it over the past 18 months. You're simply aligned with one of the biggest bullies in history here.
ReplyDelete