BONN
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has strongly criticized US foreign policy under President Donald Trump, warning against allowing the world order to disintegrate into a “den of robbers,” where the unscrupulous take what they want, Reuters reported on Thursday.
Chinese experts said the remarks reflect growing anxiety in Europe, where recent US actions—including pressure related to Greenland—have deepened a sense of crisis and exposed a structural breakdown in value-based transatlantic cooperation, as Washington increasingly prioritizes pursuing self-interest over shared value.
In unusually strong remarks, which appeared to refer to actions such as the ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend, the former foreign minister said global democracy was being attacked as never before, Reuters reported.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned the postwar rules-based international order could soon disintegrate, adding that US raid on Caracas and seizure of Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro, and to President Trump’s repeatedly stated aim of taking control of Greenland were flawed policies.
Steinmeier, speaking on Wednesday night at a symposium in Berlin marking his 70th birthday, said global democracy was at risk.
He said that there had been a “breakdown of values” by Germany’s most important partner, the US, adding that “it is about preventing the world from turning into a robber’s den, where the most unscrupulous take whatever they want,” according to the Guardian.
Steinmeier also said that the erosion of the world order had already reached an advanced stage. Smaller, weaker states risked becoming “completely defenceless,” and entire regions could be treated “as the property of a few great powers,” according to the Guardian.
