Politically, the Scholz government seems finished, even if it manages to drag on for another year. Germany, which derived much of its foreign policy stance from its seemingly unshakable “stability,” does not look so stable all of a sudden.

Germany is spending the summer trying to temporarily ignore the situation in Ukraine. That’s likely to backfire. Rather, the German government and the rest of Europe should signal stronger, not weaker, support for Ukraine.

Scandals have only dented, but not eroded support for Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland. In September, the party could come close to political power at the regional level. The case for banning it is getting stronger.

Franco-German relations have been rocky of late, but recently, they seemed to have taken a turn for the better. If France’s parliament is now conquered by the far right or becomes deadlocked, that relationship is likely to become even more deeply fractured.