Berlin Cable

The SPD’s Losing Streak Is Merz’ Problem, Too

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Chancellor Friedrich Merz’ center-right Christian Democrats have had a mixed start to this year’s five federal state elections. But these outcomes are less worrying for the chancellor than the state of his coalition partner, the Social Democrats.

Author/s
Henning Hoff
IPQ
Berlin Cable
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German Intelligence Toughens Up

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Both the foreign and the domestic German secret intelligence agencies are changing.

Author/s
Henning Hoff
IPQ
Berlin Cable
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Germans Need to Overcome Their Pessimism

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Amid tumultuous world events, Germany has become fearful of the future. Chancellor Friedrich Merz is right to try and address this.

Author/s
Henning Hoff
IPQ
Berlin Cable
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Germany’s Government Lacks New Ideas, and It Shows

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The Christian Democrats and Social Democrats of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’ coalition government have made an effort to get along better. So far, however, they have failed to come up with the new approaches in security and economic policy that the country needs.

Author/s
Henning Hoff
IPQ
Berlin Cable
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Will German Foreign Policy Ever Change Its Spots?

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Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has started an untimely, and ill-informed, debate about “German boots on the ground in Ukraine.” A more strategic and coherent foreign policy is still a long way off.

Author/s
Henning Hoff
IPQ
Berlin Cable
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Merz’ Improvised “Dirty Work” Foreign Policy Raises Eyebrows

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The German chancellor appeared to have no qualms about Donald Trump entering the war against Iran at Israel’s side in order to destroy the Iranian nuclear program. It remains unclear what follows from that.

Author/s
Henning Hoff
IPQ
Berlin Cable
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A Terrible Start for Merz

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Germany’s incoming chancellor needed two tries to get the necessary majority in parliament. This has overshadowed the start of Friedrich Merz’ new government, whose foreign policy setup actually looks promising.

Author/s
Henning Hoff
IPQ
Berlin Cable
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Voted Out of Power, the Greens Are Still Shaping Germany

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The incoming government of Friedrich Merz needed the Greens to get an unprecedented financial package through parliament. The Greens delivered, in their own way.

Author/s
Henning Hoff
IPQ
Berlin Cable
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Merz Gets Off to a Zigzagging Start

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The result of Germany’s election was largely as expected: CDU leader Friedrich Merz should be able to build a two-way coalition government with the big losers of the night, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ Social Democrats (SPD). But much else is less clear.

Author/s
Henning Hoff
IPQ
Berlin Cable
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What Will Germany Do Next?

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The coalition-building after the election on February 23 is likely to become a moment of truth.

Author/s
Henning Hoff
IPQ
Berlin Cable
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A Touch of Trumpism Reaches Germany’s Election Campaign

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Elon Musk has been trolling Germany’s parliamentary election campaign during the holidays. His AI-supported interventions are unlikely to have much effect, but they remind the country that it needs new ideas—which so far are lacking.

Author/s
Henning Hoff
IPQ
Berlin Cable
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The Underwhelming Scholz Government Meets an Untimely End

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The break-up of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ coalition government was expected, but is still taking place at an extremely critical time. Its successor will have to set clearer priorities—and find greater fiscal space.

Author/s
Henning Hoff
IPQ
Berlin Cable
Creation date