Merkel's US mission

When Chancellor Merkel steps up to the lectern on Tuesday inside the Capitol building in Washington, she will have achieved something that only one German post-war chancellor before her had done: to give an address before members of Congress.

And actually, the speech which Konrad Adenauer, the first chancellor of the new Federal Republic, gave to Congress on May 28, 1957 was at a reception given by the House of Representatives, not an address to a joint session of Congress. So according to official protocol, Chancellor Merkel's speech on Capitol Hill is a first for a German head of government.

The fact that the recently re-elected chancellor is only the second foreign dignitary to speak before Congress since President Barack Obama took office underlines the symbolic importance of the event. The other leader granted this privilege was Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

"I think it is a big deal," John Hulsman, an American foreign policy expert based in Germany, told Deutsche Welle. "The US is a republic and a relatively new country, that doesn't have a lot of symbolism. To speak to a joint session of Congress is about as big an honor as can be bestowed on a foreign leader."

As Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives and the official host of Angela Merkel said, the German chancellor was invited to commemorate the upcoming 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Respected leader

And although not officially stated, Merkel was also asked to speak to Congress because she is highly respected in Washington. Under President Obama, Merkel's stature in the US capital has only increased - especially when compared to other European heads of governments.

"Mrs. Merkel as German chancellor is held in high esteem; her competence and her standing is internationally recognized," Joerg Himmelreich, Senior Trans-Atlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund in Berlin, told Deutsche Welle.

"Germany is definitely the European power Washington needs to work with in order to conduct trans-Atlantic relations and carry out the multilateral approach that - in contrast to his predecessor - is a goal for the Obama administration," he added.

While the future of German-American relations will play a major role in Merkel's address before Congress, history will also be present.

"She will probably, and this is very important as a message to the American people as a whole, express her gratitude for the invaluable contribution the first President Bush made to the fall of the Berlin Wall and therefore to German unity," said Himmelreich.

The chancellor is also expected to highlight the importance of German-American relations as a pillar of foreign policy for the new German government. In addition, Merkel will probably talk about international efforts in combating climate change, a sensitive topic to which President Obama is more open than Congress.

With a giant American flag draped behind her, framed by US Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Merkel's speech before congress will be saturated in symbolism. But even more important than the official address itself could be the chancellor's planned meeting with the president.

Demand for discussions

Even though Obama and Merkel will probably only get together for either a lunch or a dinner, this could be the moment when important matters are addressed.

"I think that's just the right amount of time to make specific, concrete demands off the record," said Hulsman. "Any longer you are going to get into bigger things, any shorter and it's sound bites."

There is an eagerness in the US to finally engage in serious talks with Berlin. The German election campaign put many important topics on ice until a new government was elected.

"Washington and the new US administration gladly granted Merkel this grace period," said Himmelreich. "But now President Obama would like to know what the new German government thinks about transatlantic relations and Obama himself will surely also express his ideas and wishes."

His colleague Hulsman put it more bluntly, calling it "put up or shut up time."

After waiting patiently for the outcome of the German election, the Obama administration now wants to know what to expect from Berlin.

"Beneath all the symbolism and niceness there is an insistent push that now it's time for Germany to step up to the plate," he said.

Afghan strategy

High on the agenda for Washington is the question of what the new German government wants to contribute in the future to the Afghanistan mission.

The internal debate in the White House about the request by the US commander in Afghanistan for additional troops is in the final stages and the experts expect that Obama will let the chancellor in on his thinking about his upcoming decision. Merkel could be asked about how Germany will provide concrete help in Afghanistan if it doesn't want to send more troops.

Other topics such as Iran, climate change and the economic crisis could then be discussed in a similar fashion - openly and not shying away from possible disagreements. This kind of detailed and frank discussion with Germany about foreign policy has been missing, noted Hulsman. Instead of concrete policy solutions discussions often focused on grand strategic disagreements between the two countries.

Policy solutions

Now when practical policies are key, Obama can't find a more suitable partner than Merkel, according to Hulsman.

"Mrs. Merkel is not a great orator, she's not flashy, but she's incredibly effective in meetings," he said, adding that with her grasp of policy detail she can not only hold her own against Obama, but also put pressure on the president himself.

"She's intellectually capable of having this nuts-and-bolts policy discussion that's so desperately needed," he said.

If the planned meeting between Merkel and Obama does in fact signal the start of a new phase of open and honest exchange between Washington and Berlin, than Merkel's trip will have been not only symbolic, but also a sustainable success.

Author: Michael Knigge
Editor: Rob Mudge