Re: Not just about spying
Now German is under the control of the greatest dictatorship of all.
The USA is no friend of Germany. This is about American hegemony and nothing else. Project for a New American Century = 1 place for the USA and everyone else can eat shit. China is far more competitive than the USA, and that just won't do. Russian gas is far cheaper than American gas and that won't do.
The economic weapon that you mention is being wielded by the USA.