With his second visit to Beijing to see Chinese President Xi Jinping, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz set himself up for a failure. In contrast, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, when visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky three days later, had a firmer grasp of realities.

The European Parliament elections in June will be the most consequential yet.

It’s not much of a secret that Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz are very different characters. Their deepening rift is damaging the Franco-German relationship—and Europe.

The German government has straightjacketed itself by a return to the “debt brake,” pursuing a stringent fiscal policy at a time when the country is trying to fight its way of out a recession. Two of three ruling parties think the approach is wrongheaded.