Germany
What to Watch as Germany Heads to the Polls
At this inflection point, Europe cannot afford any deadlock in Germany.
Can Germany Reorient Itself and Europe?
Germany is being battered from within by a faltering economy and from without by a vengeful Trump administration.
A Decisive Month for Germany
In trying to avoid the mistakes of the past, Germany’s liberal politicians are pushing their country right back toward them. One of the most pointless cliches holds that “those who...
It’s Time to Back a Strong Germany
From 2016 until February 24, 2022, most U.S. foreign policymakers focused on America’s strategy in countering a rising China. Many policymakers placed Europe on the backburner, taking for granted the...
Delaying the Zeitenwende Is Leaving Germany Vulnerable
On February 17, political leaders, journalists, academics, and defense officials from around the world will converge at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Germany for the annual Munich Security Conference (MSC)....
Germany’s Bet on China Is a Crisis in the Making
BASF, the German chemical products behemoth, made a bet on Russia in recent decades. After Russia invaded Ukraine, that bet failed to pay off. Now it’s making another risky bet...
Will Germany Seize the Zeitenwende Moment?
Three days after Russia’s second invasion of Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the Bundestag into an extraordinary session. His speech, often interrupted by applause and standing ovations, declared a Zeitenwende...
When Merkel Was Wrong and Trump Was Right
Remember not long ago when former German chancellor Angela Merkel was crowned by pundits in Washington and New York, not to mention Berlin, Paris, and London, as the moral leader of the liberal West? Merkel...
Why Germany Won’t Go Nuclear
Stephen Szabo’s provocative article in The National Interest presents what we as former intelligence analysts would characterize as a “what if” or “low probability/high impact” scenario. “What if” exercises are...
Will Germany Be the Next Nuclear Weapons State?
One major consequence of Germany’s strategic reorientation, or Zeitenwende, will be a reinvigorated debate about the development of a nuclear deterrent. This is an issue that no one in Germany...
Germany Extends Life of Nuclear Plants Amid Energy War
German chancellor Olaf Scholz declared on Monday that Germany’s three remaining nuclear facilities would remain in operation until April 2023, a development intended to maintain a stable supply of energy...
German Police Raid Far-Right AfD Party Headquarters
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party announced on Wednesday that German police had raided its national headquarters in Berlin, searching the building and making copies of “complete hard disks,...