A little less than half of the Germans fear Donald Trump, considering him the biggest threat to the world order. These are the results of a sociological survey conducted by YouGov research company. None of the heads of state, who are traditionally credited with a variety of aggressive intentions, did not even get close to the indicators scored by the US president. In the questionnaire, America competed with four other countries: Russia, the PRC, the DPRK, and Iran. 41% of Germans called Trump the most dangerous world leader.

With regard to Kim Jong-un, 17% of respondents have similar fears, 8% of Germans put Ayatollah Khamenei and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the same line, the people of Germany regard the Chinese leader Xi Jinping as the least threat, 7% of respondents believe that he is capable of undermining world stability.

There may be several reasons why the Germans peered with such horror at Donald Trump. The main one lies on the surface. German citizens who are pedantic, prudent, verifying every step and planning their life for decades ahead are frightened by the unpredictability, spontaneity of the head of the American state, his ability to get involved in any scandal, the desire to publicly insult his opponents. At the same time, it cannot be said that the President of the United States greatly constrained himself in choosing words and expressions.

A person with a similar disposition can easily mix cards on a geopolitical table, send troops anywhere on the world map not because of an emergency, but simply because of a nonsense character and a desire to demonstrate strength and the right to dictate his will to everyone else. However, this is a story that is already a thing of the past - there are no special grounds for calling America the world hegemon.

The second reason for the alarm caused by the red giant standing at the helm of the United States is a little less obvious, but it can be even more significant than the first. If someone believes that the average German does not particularly follow the ups and downs around the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, then he is deeply mistaken.

I lived in Germany for a long time and I know how sensitive the Germans are to problems related to the cost of gas, water and electricity. Payment of utilities is a significant part of the budget of the inhabitants of Germany. Therefore, for them, accustomed to counting every penny and planning expenses, Nord Stream-2, by which cheap Russian fuel will be delivered to Germany, is not at all an abstract question. It is directly related to their level of well-being.

Trump, who signed the defense budget, which imposes sanctions on companies involved in the construction of the pipeline, actually invaded the life of every German in the most unceremonious way.

At the same time, German citizens, I think, absolutely do not believe in the official justification of sanctions by the American authorities - they say they care about the energy security of Europe. It is obvious to everyone that this is an unfair competition, an attempt to oust Gazprom from European markets in order to make way for American LNG.

And finally, the last. After the collapse of the USSR and the reunification of Germany, Germany existed as a state with truncated sovereignty. Her foreign policy was mostly dictated from Washington. Now old Europe is beginning to restore its subjectivity, getting rid of American dictatorship. It’s clear that we are not talking about a deep political conflict and the prospect of a final divorce, but it’s clear that Washington, on the one hand, and Berlin and Paris have questions about the Iranian deal (JCPOA), the attitude to NATO or Nord Stream 2. - from another completely different point of view. And the Germans and the French have long ceased to be embarrassed to argue and publicly express disagreement and even outrage.

Summing up, we can say that in general, the survey demonstrates the growing frustration of the Germans in allied relations with the United States. The European ship has long sailed from the American coast and continues its stubborn journey.

The author’s point of view may not coincide with the position of the publisher.