The unilateral political and economic policies of the Trump administration has disrupted Washington’s allies in the east of the Atlantic. European capitals that did not understand the change and transformation in the U.S. during Trump’s first year in office witnessed that these were not solely connected to Trump but rather a paradigm shift of U.S.’s global politics in the president’s second year. The recent G-7 and NATO Summits were particularly eye-opening for Germany and France. Even though Trump attended, it was understood that unilateral, oppressive and threatening policies of the U.S. would be maintained and as a result, alternative policies were forged. Heiko Maas, one of the most prominent figures in European and German politics, is the driving force behind these policies.

It was surprising that Heiko Maas, a prominent Social Democratic Party (SPD) figure without experience in terms of foreign policy, was appointed as Foreign Minister after months of negotiations. However, Maas has demonstrated an astounding performance thus far.

EU unemployment rate at 6.8 pct in August The European Union's unemployment rate in August stood at 6.8 percent, the lowest figure recorded in the 28-member EU bloc since April 2008, Eurostat revealed on Monday."The EU28 unemployment rate was 6.8 percent in August 2018, stable compared with July 2018 and down from 7.5 percent in August 2017," the statistical office said in a statement.The eurozone (EA19) unemployment rate was 8.1 percent last month, down from 9 percent in August 2017 -- the lowest rate recorded in the euro area since November 2008.Eurostat projected that 16.7 million men and women in the EU28, of whom 13.2 million in the eurozone, were unemployed in the month, it said.The number of unemployed people dropped by 114,000 in the EU and 102,000 in the eurozone compared to July."Compared with August 2017, unemployment fell by 1.921 million in the EU28 and by 1.419 million in the euro area," it said.The report also showed that the highest unemployment rates were recorded in Greece with 19.1 percent -- June figures --, Spain with 15.2 percent.The lowest rates were observed in the Czech Republic with 2.5 percent, Germany and Poland with both 3.4 percent.Eurostat noted that around 3.3 million young people under the age of 25 were unemployed in the EU."In August 2018, the youth unemployment rate was 14.8 percent in the EU28 and 16.6 percent in the euro area, compared with 16.6 percent and 18.5 percent, respectively in August 2017," the report read.Germany recorded the lowest youth unemployment rate with 6.2 percent in the month. It was followed by the Czech Republic (6.3 percent) and the Netherlands (7.7 percent).The highest youth unemployment rates were recorded in Greece (39.1 percent in June 2018), Spain (33.6) and Italy (31).

Young rising star

Maas, who was thrust into politics at a young age, pushed his career to a state level. The qualified lawyer, who was born in Saarlouis in 1966, was deputy minister-president of Saarland from 2012 to 2013. He served as Germany’s youngest minister when he was appointed state secretary in the Saarland Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Transport between 1996 and 1998. He was unexpectedly appointed as the federal minister of Justice and Consumer Protection in 2013, which he maintained until 2018.

During his years of service, Maas has come to the fore as a harsh critic of the German far-right. At one stage there were media reports that far-right supporters left a bullet in his postbox. During his justice minister stint, Maas became known for his harsh stance toward the AfD party and Pegida movement. When AfD politician Andre Poggenburg called Turks “camel herders,” Maas said: “He who discriminates must be prepared to be declared racist.”

What distinguishes German Foreign Minister Maas is that he is a disciplined and forthright politician. Before commencing his duties as foreign minister, Maas had said, “President Trump himself is the one who incites anti-Americanism the most.”

Neo-Nazis suspected of planning attacks nabbed in Germany German police on Monday arrested six people accused of founding a far-right terrorist organization and plotting attacks on foreigners.The Federal Prosecutor's Office said in a statement that the suspects were members of Revolution Chemnitz, a far-right terrorist group recently founded in the eastern German city of Chemnitz.“The group had the intention of committing violent armed attacks on foreigners and political opponents,” the statement said.The six suspects, all age 20-30, were arrested after a series of raids in the federal states of Bavaria and Saxony.Since August, far-right groups have organized rallies in the city of Chemnitz, Saxony, and hunted down people deemed "foreign-looking" people and attacked migrant-owned shops.

“Making plans for a new world order”

When Maas was appointed as foreign minister in March, U.S.-Germany ties were about to hit rock bottom. Maas was able to evaluate Trump’s new policies first at the G-7 and then at the NATO summits. After these summits, Maas penned an article for the German-based Handelsblatt newspaper titled “Making plans for a new world order.”

“The fact that the Atlantic has widened politically is by no means solely due to Donald Trump. The U.S. and Europe have been drifting apart for years. The overlapping of values and interests that shaped our relationship for two generations is decreasing. The binding force of the East-West conflict is history,” wrote Maas.

“These changes began well before Trump’s election — and will survive his presidency well into the future. That is why I am skeptical when some ardent trans-Atlanticist simply advises us to sit this presidency out,” he added.

Erdoğan hopes his recent Germany visit to enhance ties Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday expressed hope that his recent state visit to Germany will improve bilateral relations."I believe our state visit to Germany will strengthen Turkish-German friendship in every aspect", Erdoğan said in a Twitter post.Aiming to improve political and economic relations with Berlin, Erdoğan paid a three-day high-profile state visit to Germany on Sept. 27-29.Relations between Ankara and Berlin suffered several setbacks in past years, but both sides have taken steps in recent months towards improving ties.Erdoğan: No difference between Daesh, PKK terrorists"We are leaving painful terms in the recent past with Germany behind," Erdoğan said.He noted that Turkey lifted the state of emergency following the June 24 presidential and parliamentary elections in the country.Turkey declared a state of emergency for the first time on July 20, 2016 following a defeated coup attempt by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured. It was since extended by the government.Erdoğan said Turkey’s new presidential system has paved the way for progress in the country. He said reforms within the scope of the country's EU membership process will continue and Turkey will fulfill the remaining six criteria for visa liberalization in the shortest time.Erdoğan arrives in Cologne, Germany"In this regard, we care about Germany's support to Turkey", he said.Noted that Turkey and Germany enjoy strong economic and trade ties, Erdoğan said his country wants to further strengthen economic ties."We want our German friends to continue reposing trust in Turkey, Turkish economy and our country's future," Erdoğan said.Turkey's President Erdoğan meets Merkel in Berlin

“Establishing payment channels independent of the U.S.”

Maas said that the European Union must form a “counterweight” for when Washington oversteps.

“Let’s use the idea of a balanced partnership as a blueprint, where we assume our equal share of responsibility. In which we form a counterweight when the U.S. crosses the line. Where we put our weight when America retreats. And in which we can start a new conversation,” Maas wrote.

“It is therefore essential that we strengthen European autonomy by establishing payment channels independent of the U.S., a European monetary fund and an independent SWIFT [payments] system,” he added.

Action against U.S.

After the publication of his scolding piece, Maas further developed his stance that the EU must separate itself from U.S policies. While addressing German envoys in Berlin, Maas stated that a strong and independent Europe was a priority, and added that unilateral alliances should be formed. He said the countries involved would take a common stance against the "wildness of the international order" on issues such as climate change, trade and migration.

The German foreign minister also called for international co-operation against the U.S. “The tariffs the U.S. implemented for unknown reasons without first notifying us are impacting Europe. We must respond to the U.S. for sanctioning Russia, Turkey and China, as these tariffs may also be applied to our other allies in the future. Europe needs to maintain its autonomy and independence in commercial, economic and financial areas. It is time to review the relationship between Europe and the United States in a conscious and critical manner,” Maas said.

German institutes warn of recession if trade conflict escalates Any escalation of trade friction involving the United States could cause a major recession in Germany and Europe, Germany's leading economic institutes said on Thursday.The institutes also said U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs on car imports from the European Union would cost jobs and harm productivity and prosperity in Germany."Retaliatory measures by the EU would probably ease the economic downturn in the EU and cause a major recession in the United States," the institutes said in a report, which had been flagged by Reuters on Wednesday.The EU has said it would respond in kind if Trump imposed further car tariffs while the two sides discuss how they could cut trade barriers.China says does not interfere in other countries' internal affairsSignificant and widespread further tariff measures from Washington, meanwhile, "would probably trigger a major recession in Germany and Europe," the report states.The institutes gave no timeframe for that scenario.They cut their 2018 GDP growth forecast to 1.7 percent from 2.2 percent.The move comes after the BDI industry association cut its 2018 forecast to 2.0 percent from 2.25 percent on Tuesday, citing weaker demand for German exports due to U.S. trade policy and Brexit, as well a threat to the economy from xenophobia at home.Germany, where one in three jobs depend on exports, would be hard hit by any U.S. tariffs on car imports given the large size of its automotive sector. Tensions rose last month after Trump rejected an EU offer to eliminate auto tariffs.

“America first” is the wrong answer

With his realistic take on foreign politics, Maas has signaled that the EU has to be more self-aware and adapt to reality in terms of its ties with the U.S. In a statement to DPA, Maas noted that the whole world was tracking U.S. developments via Trump’s posts on social media, and that this was not an acceptable form of communication. Foreign Minister Maas slammed Trump after his UN General Assembly address that rejected globalization. ““America first” is the wrong answer to the problems of our time, and also the wrong answer for America. Globalization, digitalization and climate change know no borders. We can eliminate these challenges only together with international efforts,” Maas tweeted.

The German coalition that Heiko Maas is a part of is going through a difficult period. If the coalition can continue unscathed, we may have the opportunity to observe more closely how Maas can affect European policies in particular. It appears that Maas seeks an EU that is independent of the U.S. and has a wide-ranging alliance with various countries, including Turkey.