Donald Trump’s threats against America’s trade partners are a sign that the global system of free trade is beginning to unravel. Germany can do nothing and stay exposed, or adapt and become less vulnerable.
By Stefan Theil
The loaded container ships leaving Hamburg harbor are the modern flagbearers of Germany’s national pride. On board are cars and pharmaceuticals, factory robots and MRI machines, Escada dresses and kegs of beer. To many Germans, their exporting prowess has become a symbol of economic virility, perfectly captured in a sinuous German noun: Exportweltmeister, or world-champion exporter.
It’s as if the nation’s collective chest swells each time the statistics office announces another uptick in trade.
