Merkel Needs Europe's Help

German Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a humiliating electoral defeat in her home state on Sunday. The result, driven by a growing backlash against her policy on refugees, calls for hard thinking not just on her part but also from Germany's partners in the European Union.

Voters in rural Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a tiny state of 1.6 million, didn't just defeat Merkel's Christian Democratic Union -- they crushed it. With just 19 percent of the vote, the CDU was pushed into third place behind the Social Democrats, Merkel's coalition partners, with 30 percent of the vote and the recently formed hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), with about 22 percent. National elections are due next year. The AfD may be about to establish itself as a powerful political force.