A German in Baghdad

Wall Street Journal
Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The most remarkable aspect about the German economics minister's trip to Baghdad Saturday was how unremarkable it was. The "surprise visit" by Michael Glos to Iraq, which only last year was deemed irrevocably lost, hardly made the front pages even in his own country.

"The security situation has improved," Mr. Glos said, "and democracy is progressing." This good news is no thanks to Germany, which under former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder fiercely opposed the war that toppled Saddam Hussein. Angela Merkel did away with her predecessor's anti-American rhetoric, improving relations with both Washington and Baghdad. But her government's support for Iraq's fledgling democracy didn't go much beyond the humanitarian aid and training of police forces already in place under Mr. Schröder.

The first Iraq visit by a German minister since the U.S.-led invasion is more than just a testament to the military success of the surge. It also shows how Iraq's economic prospects have improved. "I have numerous companies with me," Mr. Glos told a German radio station from Baghdad. "They are practically the advance party for others who will hopefully soon come to Iraq to participate especially in the privatization." Energy security was also a key topic. "No other country in the Middle East at the moment has such large, untapped oil resources," Mr. Glos said. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will go to Berlin on July 22 for further talks.

Not everybody in Berlin seemed excited about Mr. Glos's initiative. Citing unnamed sources, the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung said Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was Mr. Schröder's chief of staff, would have preferred to delay official visits to Iraq until after President George W. Bush's departure from office. His ministry's Web site says Iraq is still too dangerous for German businessmen.

That entry's last update, though, was in August of last year. It's time for Mr. Steinmeier to get some more recent information and perhaps plan his own trip to Baghdad – preferably before November 4.