The British economic historian Niall Ferguson spoke about Germany’s position in the world at the World Economic Summit in Davos. He emphasized that Chancellor Scholz can hardly act himself. This is a legacy of the Merkel era.

“What happens in Germany, what happens in Europe, depends on the decisions made in Washington, Moscow and Beijing. That’s why it’s more difficult to be chancellor than it was in Angela Merkel’s time.” British economic historian Niall Ferguson said in an interview with “Welt”. Olaf Scholz is just an object, a kind of plaything of the world powers.

And that, says Ferguson, is a legacy of the Merkel era as chancellor. “Merkel’s legacy is that Germany is once again the Michel it was in the 19th century,” Ferguson told Welt. The German model is “dependent” on Russian gas, exports to China and America’s security guarantees.

Olaf Scholz is held responsible for many problems for which he cannot do anything, says Ferguson. And was “incredibly difficult” to get out of this dilemma. If trade with China is restricted in the future, “Germany has no choice but to side with America, because it is far too weak for non-alignment,” analyzes the historian.

“The guarantor of democracy in Ukraine and elsewhere is the United States, while Europeans are marginalized and unable to act without America,” says Ferguson.