The United Nations was responsible for establishing universal human rights standards, but its image in recent years has been tarnished by the record of its main body charged with safeguarding rights.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel faces dwindling support because of "dithering" on the euro crisis and Germans’ opposition to having troops in Afghanistan, says Germany expert William Drozdiak.

William Drozdiak, president of the American Council on Germany, who earlier called Sunday’s parliamentary elections the “most important” in years, says the very close outcome, with neither of the two…