On Wednesday, presidential occupier Nicolas Maduro ordered the German ambassador, Daniel Kriener, to leave Venezuela.

Unlike the U.S., which has rightly refused to accept orders from Maduro since it recognized Juan Guaido as interim president in late January, and specifically refused Maduro's order to close its embassy, Germany has blinked. Although Chancellor Angela Merkel's government has also recognized Guaido, it has agreed to follow Maduro's fake orders.

Germany's foreign minister says he is recalling Kriener for consultations, but that's just an excuse to let Germany pretend that it's not ignoring Guaido's request and obeying an illegitimate despot.

It's a very sad state of affairs. The obvious action here is for Germany to defer to those it recognizes as legitimate leaders, not those like Maduro who occupy presidential offices. But just as with its submissive approach to Vladimir Putin's intimidation on energy and security, Merkel's government values the easy choice of deference over the harder choice of courage.

So Europe's most powerful economy has abandoned its allies and values in the face of a crazed despot. If, as Jennifer Rubin claims, Merkel now leads the free world, the free world has a big problem.