Failure to win seat on UN security council sparks German soul-searching

Germany’s unprecedented failure to win one of the rotating seats on the UN security council has prompted an intense round of soul searching in Berlin, and raised questions about its claims to international leadership under Friedrich Merz . The council vote on Wednesday, which elected Austria and Portugal to a two-year term along with Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe, was a blow to Merz’s struggling government, which has sought to position itself as a leading European voice on the world stage. In an awkward rivalry among EU partners, Portugal took 134 votes and Austria 131 while Germany garnered just 104, significantly below the required 127 votes despite Berlin’s expressed confidence just hours before that it would prevail. Both winners were seen to represent the interests of smaller countries, while Austria could benefit from its perceived neutrality as a non-Nato member and Portugal touted its strong ties in Africa and Latin America. The Geran foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, who had lobbied hard for the seat, attributed the “bitter defeat” to Germany’s active role in rallying support for Ukraine and its staunch backing for Israel. “We have always taken a clear stance on certain issues, and these are positions that not all member states share,” Wadephul told reporters. He called it “no secret” that Russia had rallied sentiment against Germany, now Kyiv’s biggest national provider of military aid . …