Don't Stay Where You're Not Wanted

A new opinion survey from Germany shows how little popular support there is for keeping U.S. troop levels there at their current levels. There is substantial support for the announced troop reductions: 47% are in favor of the withdrawal of roughly 12,000 troops, and a quarter of the population would like to see all U.S. forces exit Germany. Support for the status quo amounts to less than a third of the German public. It is notable that most German political parties are formally opposed to the withdrawal, but except for CDU/CSU voters most Germans want fewer U.S. troops. That means that every opposition party except for Die Linke is ignoring what their voters want on this issue. The decision to pull these troops out of Germany was intended as a slight to Merkel and the German government, but at least half of the country will welcome the change. We should know by now not to stay where we’re not wanted, and people in Germany are hardly clamoring for us to keep our forces there.