• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Judy Dempsey"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Carnegie Europe"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Europe",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Russia",
    "Europe"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Foreign Policy"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media
Carnegie Europe

Merkel Facing a Frozen Conflict and Chilly Diplomacy

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany has her hands full this week, with issues concerning Moldova, France, and Greece.

Link Copied
By Judy Dempsey
Published on Aug 20, 2012

Source: New York Times

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany has her hands full this week: Moldova, France and Greece. But what can she promise any of them?

Little, if anything.

Take Moldova. Ms. Merkel on Wednesday is off to this poor, corrupt and divided country on the fringe of the European Union and the Caucasus. It borders the E.U. member-state Romania.

Ms. Merkel wants to end this longtime “frozen conflict,” but without the cooperation of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president with whom Ms. Merkel does not have good relations, it is difficult to see what she can achieve — unless the lure of German investment and the European Union can shift the balance of power in Moldova.

Back in Berlin, on Thursday, Ms. Merkel will have to deal with requests by President François Hollande of France to soften the conditions for Greece.

Ms. Merkel is in no position to say yes or no. Her Christian Democrats, and the public, are in no mood to give Greece more time or more money. And in any case, Ms. Merkel cannot do anything right now, as she will explain to Prime Minister Antonis Samaras of Greece, whom she will host in Berlin on Aug. 24.

As I write in my latest column, Ms. Merkel can say with full conviction that she has to wait until Sept. 12, when the country’s Constitutional Court will give its ruling on whether Germany can both ratify the fiscal pact that she negotiated with her E.U. partners and contribute to the bailout mechanism of the European Stability Mechanism.

If the court says no, then the only way Germany can forge ahead on Europe is a referendum on a new constitution. If the judges give a qualified yes, Ms. Merkel will still have a difficult job convincing her skeptical party — and the German public — that Germany must pay more.

This article originally appeared in the New York Times.

About the Author

Judy Dempsey

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe

Dempsey is a nonresident senior fellow at Carnegie Europe

    Recent Work

  • Commentary
    Europe Needs to Hear What America is Saying

      Judy Dempsey

  • Commentary
    Babiš’s Victory in Czechia Is Not a Turning Point for European Populists

      Judy Dempsey

Judy Dempsey
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe
Judy Dempsey
Foreign PolicyRussiaEurope

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    How to Join the EU in Three Easy Steps

    Montenegro and Albania are frontrunners for EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, but they can’t just sit back and wait. To meet their 2030 accession ambitions, they must make a strong positive case.

      Dimitar Bechev, Iliriana Gjoni

  • Article
    Leveraging Internal Security Cooperation with Vietnam Offers a Glimpse of Future Chinese Diplomacy with Southeast Asia

    Despite long-standing differences, China and Vietnam are reinforcing common ground for collaboration, especially in public security. This internal security–centered diplomacy offers a strengthened road map for how China moves forward with Southeast Asia.

      Sophie Zhuang

  • Aerial shot of island community
    Commentary
    One Year After the Great Aid Recession, Investments in Climate Mobility Offer Cost-Effective Returns

    Climate mobility interventions can vary, but they all present opportunities to unlock transformative results that mitigate costs associated with inaction.

      • Alejandro Rodriguez

      Alejandro Martin Rodriguez

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Is There a Place for Russia in the New Race Back to the Moon?

    Despite having the resources and expertise, the Russian space industry missed the opportunity to offer the United States or China a mutually rewarding partnership in the lunar race.

      Georgy Trishkin

  • Man standing next to a pile of burned cars
    Commentary
    Emissary
    The Myriad Problems With the Iran Ceasefire

    Four Middle East experts analyze the region’s reactions and next steps.

      • Andrew Leber
      • Eric Lob
      • +1

      Amr Hamzawy, Andrew Leber, Eric Lob, …

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600Fax: 202 483 1840
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.