Commenting on recent developments in Europe, German author, poet and »good European« »par cœur« Hans Magnus Enzensberger deplores the fact that governments are »messing Europe up« and that they »antagonize people for no good reason.« Unfortunately, Germany has become a major player in this risky game of antagonizing Europe, which is the Europe of ordinary people and political elites alike. The Greek quasi-bailout, the euro turmoil, and the current crisis management among EU member states all reveal that »messing Europe up« is nowadays a policy outcome that German politicians are more than willing to put up with. Europe's current crisis is, for the most part, a crisis of Germany in Europe, the biggest and most influential member state in the EU. Instead of sighing »Ach Europa,« as Enzensberger did in the late 1980s, »Ach Deutschland« might be a more appropriate commentary on Europe's current state. Economically, after World War II, Germany became a benign hegemon by default, a status granted by its former enemies. Nowadays, it is on its way to losing this comfortable position as benign leader and legitimate power in the EU, not because others are rejecting its leadership or denying fellowship, but because it made a deliberate - and misguided - political choice: in the current Greece and euro crisis, it is acting unilaterally instead of seeking to gain support for its own policy by leading and persuading others. Germany is losing control because it lacks vision. However, without a vision of how Europe might best be served and tied closely to its own economic fate, German leadership is doomed to failure. Benign hegemony is not about administering the status quo, but about creating environments according to one's own interests, persuading one's partners to follow. The current euro crisis shows that the German government does not have a vision of monetary Europe and has no idea of what leadership in EMU and Europe might be for. Persuasion is thus in short supply. Germany is glibly tossing away its role as hegemon in EMU and Europe. Presenting the main analytical concepts on benign hegemony and cooperation the paper seeks to show that reestablishing Germany as a benign hegemon within the framework of European monetary cooperation would be the best way of serving the interests of both Germany in EMU and EMU itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]