Germany's center-left ruling coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens won a narrow victory in Sunday's parliamentary election, bucking the rightist trend in France and elsewhere in western Europe. It was also a Pyrrhic victory earned at the expense of the German-American relationship. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's campaign statement opposing a U.S. attack against Iraq boosted his popularity at home but damaged his reputation in Washington.
The election results show that German voters remain highly critical of U.S. unilateralism. Many people in other U.S. allies in Europe and elsewhere are also making a strong case against the go-it-alone policy of President George W. Bush's administration. Mr. Schroeder stands out as the only Western leader to categorically reject military action against Iraq. He persists, but the Western alliance could suffer.
The German chancellor's antiwar position on Iraq, even if it was designed to improve the electoral chances of his embattled coalition, has struck a sympathetic chord among many people in Japan, where pacifist sentiments also remain strong. The two nations have much in common in other areas as well, such as foreign policy and economic development.