The army, which had got wind of the orders, countermanded them.
It denounces financiers for causing the crisis, but has backed arguments against Ireland burning its bank creditors.More than once, Mrs Merkel has countermanded Mr Schäuble.
Rumours fly, decisions are taken blind and countermanded after they have been carried out.
(In the recent Germanwings tragedy, such a system might have decided that descending over mountainous terrain with no immediate airfield available was so odd as to be countermanded).
It appears that orders issued by the new prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, are already being countermanded by ZANU-PF, formerly the sole ruling party, still bent on keeping the upper hand.
At least once, the chancellor has countermanded a deal struck by her finance minister.
George Lillikas, the finance minister, even floated the idea of a boycott of American goods before being countermanded by his cooler-headed colleagues.Turkish-Cypriots say that this trade visit was a bigger morale boost than anything the European Union has done for them.
Dick Cheney, Mr Bush's vice-president, has lambasted Mr Obama for releasing confidential memos (later countermanded) from the Bush years detailing harsh treatment that was allowed to be used on three "high-value" Guantánamo detainees.
In perhaps their most forceful intervention yet in Hong Kong, Mr Tung's wish was countermanded.
It was the first time a cabinet member had ever publicly countermanded a determination by the F.D.A., the agency charged with ensuring the safety of foods and medicines.
Caligula pursued his pretensions to divinity further; in the summer of 40 he ordered his statue to be erected in the Temple at Jerusalem, but, under the suave persuasion of Herod Agrippa, Caligula countermanded this potentially disastrous order.
