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BERLIN – For four years, US President Donald Trump’s administration demonstrated that it had little use for alliances. But the fact remains that the US-German partnership is indispensable and will remain indispensable. The “2+4” negotiations that reunited East and West Germany after decades of separation by the Iron Curtain are but one example of how Americans and Germans have stood shoulder to shoulder throughout the post-World War II period.
As in any relationship, there have been ups and downs, with Trump’s presidency representing a near-unprecedented low. But the ties that bind Germany and America rest on more than just history or sentimentality. Not only do we share core values, but we also share core interests.
Each country’s constitution enshrines the belief that all human beings are born equal, and that our freedom is inalienable: government does not bestow it and cannot revoke it. Our liberty is protected by democracy, the rule of law, the separation of powers, and freedom of expression and assembly. These shared principles have shaped the outlook on both sides of the Atlantic for decades.
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