Just now!
At the commemoration ceremony of the 35th anniversary of Germany's reunification, German Prime Minister Murts suddenly threw a phrase, saying that the attractiveness of the Western world is declining, and the voice is not falling back and forth, reducing this trend to the "autoritarian state"'s siege of "liberal democracy".
As soon as this statement came out, the media at home and abroad in Germany blew up the pot, but after a closer look, his remarks were actually not a new point of view. They just brought western anxiety to the table again at a sensitive time node through the atmosphere of Unification Day.
On the surface, Mertz seems worried, as if he is worried about the future of the Western world. But in fact, he is more looking for a "seemingly reasonable" external excuse for the decline of Western influence.
In the final analysis, it is still the same old idea: once something goes wrong with yourself, first see if someone else is "disrupting the situation." In the past few years, the "beacon" aura of the West has indeed become dimmer and dimmer.
U.S. political polarization, the post-Brexit economic recession, the ongoing protests in the streets of France, combined with Germany’s own swings in energy transition and foreign policy, the so-called “institutional superiority” of the West is no longer so convincing.
The "liberal democracy" in Mertz's mouth actually seems to many countries more like a high-ranking preaching rather than a role model worth imitating.
Especially when Western countries themselves are unstable or even contradictory in dealing with global issues, others will naturally no longer regard them as the only direction guide.
Mertz blamed the problem on "autocratic countries", which seemed to emphasize external threats, but it actually concealed a more essential fact, that is, the West itself lacks adaptability to change.
The world is no longer stopped in the structure of the Cold War. The rise of developing countries, the activity of emerging markets and the reconstruction of the global governance system have challenged the traditional discourse power of the West as never before.
It is not that others insist on "besiege", but that the old rules no longer apply and the West is reluctant to change them. In recent years, more and more countries have begun to emphasize the independence of their own development paths and are more inclined to a multipolar international order.
The expansion of the BRICS countries, the steady progress of the SCO and the deepening of regional comprehensive economic partnerships are all mechanisms centered on win-win cooperation.
Under this trend, if the West still insists on looking at the world with the Cold War mentality, it will undoubtedly be marginalizing itself. Mertz's speech actually reflects some anxiety in Germany in the current international situation.
Both to maintain relations with traditional allies and to face the new game of the rise of the global Southern countries. especially in the context of the ongoing conflict in Russia and Ukraine, unresolved energy issues and weak economic growth, Germany as the “leader sheep” of Europe, appears to be a little overwhelming and powerless.
In fact, there are many voices in Germany who question this "external cause theory". Some media pointed out that Germany's own slowness in resolving social divisions, immigration policies, economic transformation, etc. are the problems that really need to be faced up to.
If one pushes responsibility to external forces, it is not only unfavourable for the solution of problems, but it is also easy to exacerbate social contradictions and undermine the credibility of the democratic system itself.
It is a process of long-term accumulation and a structural problem.Mertz, to summarize with the term "external siege", not only appears to be simple and rough, but is also easy to mislead the public, ignoring places that really need reform and reflection.
If you really want the “free world” to revive its attractiveness, you have to start from the inside.To win global respect, it is not by telling stories or treating enemies, but by practical actions and self-improvement of institutions.
From this perspective, although Murts' remarks have caused a lot of attention, to really want to change the declining trend of Western influence, the merely verbal "warning" is far from enough.
Reference: On Unification Day, German Chancellor calls for national unity
2025-10-04 18:00·Reference message
At the commemoration ceremony of the 35th anniversary of Germany's reunification, German Prime Minister Murts suddenly threw a phrase, saying that the attractiveness of the Western world is declining, and the voice is not falling back and forth, reducing this trend to the "autoritarian state"'s siege of "liberal democracy".
As soon as this statement came out, the media at home and abroad in Germany blew up the pot, but after a closer look, his remarks were actually not a new point of view. They just brought western anxiety to the table again at a sensitive time node through the atmosphere of Unification Day.
On the surface, Mertz seems worried, as if he is worried about the future of the Western world. But in fact, he is more looking for a "seemingly reasonable" external excuse for the decline of Western influence.
In the final analysis, it is still the same old idea: once something goes wrong with yourself, first see if someone else is "disrupting the situation." In the past few years, the "beacon" aura of the West has indeed become dimmer and dimmer.
U.S. political polarization, the post-Brexit economic recession, the ongoing protests in the streets of France, combined with Germany’s own swings in energy transition and foreign policy, the so-called “institutional superiority” of the West is no longer so convincing.
The "liberal democracy" in Mertz's mouth actually seems to many countries more like a high-ranking preaching rather than a role model worth imitating.
Especially when Western countries themselves are unstable or even contradictory in dealing with global issues, others will naturally no longer regard them as the only direction guide.
Mertz blamed the problem on "autocratic countries", which seemed to emphasize external threats, but it actually concealed a more essential fact, that is, the West itself lacks adaptability to change.
The world is no longer stopped in the structure of the Cold War. The rise of developing countries, the activity of emerging markets and the reconstruction of the global governance system have challenged the traditional discourse power of the West as never before.
It is not that others insist on "besiege", but that the old rules no longer apply and the West is reluctant to change them. In recent years, more and more countries have begun to emphasize the independence of their own development paths and are more inclined to a multipolar international order.
The expansion of the BRICS countries, the steady progress of the SCO and the deepening of regional comprehensive economic partnerships are all mechanisms centered on win-win cooperation.
Under this trend, if the West still insists on looking at the world with the Cold War mentality, it will undoubtedly be marginalizing itself. Mertz's speech actually reflects some anxiety in Germany in the current international situation.
Both to maintain relations with traditional allies and to face the new game of the rise of the global Southern countries. especially in the context of the ongoing conflict in Russia and Ukraine, unresolved energy issues and weak economic growth, Germany as the “leader sheep” of Europe, appears to be a little overwhelming and powerless.
In fact, there are many voices in Germany who question this "external cause theory". Some media pointed out that Germany's own slowness in resolving social divisions, immigration policies, economic transformation, etc. are the problems that really need to be faced up to.
If one pushes responsibility to external forces, it is not only unfavourable for the solution of problems, but it is also easy to exacerbate social contradictions and undermine the credibility of the democratic system itself.
It is a process of long-term accumulation and a structural problem.Mertz, to summarize with the term "external siege", not only appears to be simple and rough, but is also easy to mislead the public, ignoring places that really need reform and reflection.
If you really want the “free world” to revive its attractiveness, you have to start from the inside.To win global respect, it is not by telling stories or treating enemies, but by practical actions and self-improvement of institutions.
From this perspective, although Murts' remarks have caused a lot of attention, to really want to change the declining trend of Western influence, the merely verbal "warning" is far from enough.
Reference: On Unification Day, German Chancellor calls for national unity
2025-10-04 18:00·Reference message