Spring 2026 Issue: A New German Foreign Policy?

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz waits before a meeting with Estonian, Lithuanian and Latvian delegations on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, February 14, 2026.
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IPQ 3/2026

The 23rd issue of INTERNATIONALE POLITIK QUARTERLY focuses on German foreign policy one year after the Merz government came into office.

Editorial

Henning Hoff

A New German Foreign Policy?

When German Chancellor Friedrich Merz took office almost a year ago, he promised to pursue a new course in foreign affairs. However, there’s still a lot of continuity, including Berlin’s lack of a coherent strategy.

What Europe Thinks ...

Jonathan Lehrer

Germans Are Filing for a Transatlantic Divorce

One year on from US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, a solid majority in Germany no longer trusts the United States. Opinions about what role the country should play in Europe, though, remain in flux.

On the Ground

Lucy Ash

Poland’s History War

Politically, Polish society is split down the middle and is embroiled in culture wars. Museums are caught in the crosshairs.

Cover Section

Henning Hoff

German Foreign Policy Needs a Strategy

Despite Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his government’s claims of a brand-new German foreign policy, there has really been more continuity than change. What Berlin needs to achieve is nothing less than a major strategy for protecting Europe’s security.
Andreas Rinke

The Middle Powers Chancellor

Germany must embark on a quest for new partners. For Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the key criterion for choosing them is whether they’re willing to abide by international rules.
Sarah Bressan
Philipp Rotmann

Merz’ Unfinished Foreign Policy Reforms

The Merz government has started to restructure Germany’s foreign and security policy apparatus. The changes are happening too slowly and are not radical enough.
Wolfgang Schmidt

Fast Forward (1): A Wider Conception of German Foreign Policy

Germany needs to stop thinking about foreign affairs and security in an isolated way. Fiscal policy, the country’s economic model, and the defense of our democracy have immense foreign policy implications that have been neglected so far.

Berlin Cable

Henning Hoff

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

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.

Pariscope

Warsaw Memo

Piotr Buras

Poland and the EU: On a Slippery Slope

With its opposition to taking cheap loans from the EU’s SAFE defense fund, the nationalist-populist Law and Justice (PiS) party has decided to make Poland’s attitude to the EU the country’s key political cleavage. This is unprecedented and dangerous.

Carbon Critical

Emily Hardy
Dan Helmeci

A Way to Tackle Climate Change and Sovereign Debt

In a world running fiscal and carbon deficits, debt-for-nature swaps can help alleviate the harms associated with the long-term challenges of both sovereign debt and climate change.

Brussels Briefing

Geoeconomic Front Lines

The Wider View

Wojciech Solak

The “Trump Corollary” and Europe

The logic of the current US foreign policy is solely based on power, while abandoning rules and predictability. The question is whether Europe can muster the strength, cohesion, and nerve required to shape whatever global order comes next.

Quarterly Concerns

John Kampfner

Keir Starmer Approaches the Danger Zone

The British prime minister had a terrible first year in office, and things haven’t improved much since. A bad result for his Labour Party in regional and local elections on May 7 may well cut his political career short.