“Germany is back,” Friedrich Merz victoriously declared, fresh off securing a historic deal to boost military spending. Once, such a statement might have sent shudders across Europe. Now, it brings cautious relief. With the postwar order in disarray, London, Paris …
Are we all Gaullists now?
A conventional wisdom is sweeping across much of Europe as indignity is heaped upon it by the new imperator in Washington. Maybe Charles de Gaulle was right after all. Finally, it seems, France’s age-old push for “strategic autonomy” has found …
Germany is stuck in a centrist trap
The CDU has just declared victory — but Germany is as lost as ever. From its dysfunctional economic model to its ineffective army and the lack of leadership in Europe faced with Donald Trump’s onslaughts, the Federal Republic’s urgent problems …
Can Germany trust Friedrich Merz?
At the ripe age of 69, Friedrich Merz has waited decades for this moment. Ahead of Sunday’s election, he is Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting, with his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) predicted to secure 30% of the vote. He’ll have to cobble together …
