Why can’t Friedrich Merz just say sorry?
‘We live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world,’ began a seemingly innocuous speech by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz…
What drove the German housewife to vote for Hitler?
Focusing on the top echelons of Weimar politics, Volker Ullrich barely considers what options ordinary people had, crushed by hyperinflation in the 1920s Republic
The plight of Germany’s powerless centrists
Germany is a tense country these days. Conversations with friends and relatives there invariably turn to politics, and, when they…
Germany’s Bundeswehr bears no resemblance to an actual army
Confusion abounded this week when the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Ukraine could use western missiles to hit…
Monarchism is a real threat to the German state
Last week a man called Peter Fitzek was apprehended by police. He calls himself King Peter I, and he is…
Merz’s plan to reclaim Germany’s place on the world stage
‘Germany is back,’ said Friedrich Merz, the man likely to be elected as the new German Chancellor this coming week.…
Merz’s coalition treaty is an empty, promise-free shell
It took just over six weeks for the new German coalition to form. That is very quick: in the past…
Merz has paid a high price to pass Germany’s spending package
Yesterday, the German parliament approved a historic amount of debt-funded investment in defence and infrastructure. Over the next few years,…
Is Friedrich Merz floundering already?
Friedrich Merz promised to do things differently. Ahead of the country’s federal election last month, the likely next chancellor of…
Can Germany rise to the challenge of protecting Europe?
When European leaders discussed their response to US-Russian negotiations about ending the war in Ukraine, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz…
Why can’t Germany kick its addiction to Russian energy?
Despite imposing economic sanctions on Russia, the European Union has been importing record amounts of liquefied natural gas (LNG), a…
Why German politicians fear Musk’s AfD interview
Over 200,000 listeners tuned into Elon Musk’s online conversation with Alice Weidel, the co-leader of Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD),…
Why Germans love Dinner for One
On his first state visit to Germany as monarch last year, King Charles III cracked a joke only Germans would…
How the Magdeburg Christmas market attack will change Germany
More than 200 people were injured and at least five lost their lives after a man ploughed a car into…
German politics is a mess
The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote in parliament yesterday. It’s almost certain now that Germans will head…
Olaf Scholz’s dreams of election victory are wishful thinking
Three years ago today, Olaf Scholz was sworn in as Germany’s chancellor. He had narrowly won the election by presenting…
Why are Germans happy to continue paying a dog tax?
Local authorities in Germany are making more money than ever from dogs – or their owners to be precise. The…
Germany and the fuss over the ‘idiot’s apostrophe’
‘Now it’s official,’ the German press lamented, ‘the idiot’s apostrophe is correct.’ The Council for German Orthography, the body that…
Banning Germany’s AfD won’t make it disappear
The opening of a regional parliament doesn’t usually make for edge-of-the-seat politics. But in the German state of Thuringia, the…
Germany’s immigration crackdown will heap pressure on Brussels
In a drastic move to curb illegal immigration, the German government has announced that it will tighten controls on its…
The remarkable success of the Allied occupation of Germany
‘We came as adversaries, we stayed as allies, and we leave as friends,’ British prime minister John Major told crowds…
Olaf Scholz’s immigration quagmire
Shock quickly turned to anger in Germany when a Syrian asylum seeker was arrested for the brutal knife attack in…
Has Germany run out of money to give to Ukraine?
Germany is Ukraine’s biggest military donor in Europe. On paper, it appears determined to ensure that Vladimir Putin’s act of…
Germany will regret cutting Ukraine aid
It wasn’t so long ago that the German chancellor Olaf Scholz tried to convince fellow European leaders to do more…
The Euros couldn’t come at a worse time for Germany
Like many Germans, I remember the summer of 2006 with fondness. We hosted the football World Cup, and for a…
