A beleaguered Olaf Scholz launches a diplomatic offensive

THEY WERE not the sort of headlines any leader would hope to read. “Germany, NATO’s weakest link,” said the Wall Street Journal. “The ‘invisible’ chancellor heads to Washington amid fierce criticism,” offered the New York Times. As Russian troops massed on Ukraine’s border and the West fumbled for a response, Olaf Scholz, Germany’s new chancellor, stood accused by allies of being missing in action. At home Germans concerned by his reluctance to enter domestic debates detected a pattern. “Our image has been seriously damaged abroad,” says Johann Wadephul, an MP from the opposition Christian Democrats.