Boris Pistorius gets a lot of praise on his first visit to America. But now the secretary of defense faces two problems that could thwart even the country’s most popular politician.
The place Boris Pistorius chose to visit is a reminder of German guilt. The “World War II Memorial” in the middle of the capital of the United States commemorates the American soldiers who died in World War II. The Minister of Defense has a little time between two appointments. It’s a muggy Tuesday afternoon, there are tourists everywhere, quite a hustle and bustle. As a German, he says it is a “special need” to visit the memorial. A matter of course for a federal minister? In principle yes, but with Pistorius it has a special meaning.