But Germany isn’t the obstacle it once was, and the rise of its Green Party could further push both country and continent toward the U.S.
She isn’t running for re-election this September and polls put the Greens in second place, close behind Ms. Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union-led alliance.
The Greens have evolved from an antinuclear pacifist party to a pragmatic left-of-center group that regularly participates in coalitions federally and in Germany’s states, called länder.
“Many people formerly thought the Greens would never do economic policy—they only want to do organic farming and vegan Yoga courses,” Sven Giegold, a Green member of the European Parliament and a party spokesman on economic issues, said in an interview.