With the 2008 financial crisis still making its effects felt around the developed world, and interesting shift has taken place in the image the various countries present to the world. The US, which was once held as an infallible economic giant, is now reeling from one crisis to another, its citizens poorer while it continues wars abroad.
The UK is in a similar situation, with steep rises in education costs triggering protests and then further austerity measures triggering riots which overwhelmed the police for a while. However, an interesting point is the sudden spotlight on Germany, which has emerged as the economic superpower in Europe, taking major steps in bailing out other countries facing bankruptcy. Also, there has been another shift, one with no apparent economic relation, which is a cultural shift. France, which was once considered he hub of all arts and the patron of liberal ideals, has been overshadowed by Germany. With its support for the Libya campaign, its recent austerity measures and its controversial move to ban the burqa in public has marred its once idyllic image. It is now being seen as a blind supporter of the US and slowly sinking into Islamophobia. Germany, on the other hand, with its policy of controlled immigration has managed to balance its priorities. Even though two men were recently caught planning to build explosives, the authorities were quick not to blame Islam, a view backed by the the major newspapers from all sides.
In fact its balancing act, protecting its industries, universal health care and recent liberal stances on immigration along with enough security to thwart extremist elements while not falling prey to giving overarching powers of breaching privacy to law enforcement has made it “country with most positive influence in 2011” - based on a global opinion poll by BBC . It has no troops in Iraq and less than 5000 in Afghanisthan. Germany's approach is a fine example of a balancing act that the rest of the world can learn from.
