President Biden tells us that Germany is one of America’s most important allies. He says his predecessor weakened U.S. interests by forcefully criticizing Chancellor Angela Merkel on important policy issues. The United States, he insists, will now stand alongside Germany in common cause.

Biden quickly suspended former President Donald Trump’s order to relocate some of the tens of thousands of U.S. military personnel in Germany to other European nations. Biden has also pledged his administration to a new era of cooperation with Berlin. But recent events raise questions about whether our cause is really a common one.