Thus, when Schroeder claimed special circumstances for Germany’s failure to meet the budgetary ceilings of the European Union’s Stability and Growth Pact, he seemed to be arguing that the restrictions should apply only to smaller countries, not to the big players. When he rightly opposed America’s war against Iraq, the pride of standing up to the world's only superpower was palpable.
因此，当施罗德宣称德国未能遵守欧盟《稳定和增长协定》所规定的预算上限有其特殊原因时，他似乎是在辩解说这样的限制只应该适用于小国而不是大国。当他公开反对美国出兵伊拉克时，向世界上唯一的超级大国示威的自豪之情溢于言表。当他与俄罗斯总统普京建立起密切的个人和政治关系时，他向世界—以及欧盟敏感的东欧新成员国--传递的信息是，德国的外交政策将不再受过去的牵制。