Merkel's slap down of US stance reveals allies' growing rift

US leaders are used to lecturing the world, including their European allies. But when Vice-President Mike Pence tried to do that at the Munich Security Conference last weekend, he was taught a hard lesson that he might not forget for the rest of his life.

After criticizing European leaders for sticking to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and for trying to bypass the US sanctions on Iran, Pence arrogantly demanded in Munich that the European Union and its key members, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, quit the deal.

He also pressed European nations to ban Huawei in their 5G network development and to stop buying arms and energy from Russia. "We cannot ensure the defense of the West if our allies grow dependent on the East," Pence said.