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

In our special issue for the Munich Security Conference 2025 we focus on how to address the continent’s urgent defense tasks.

The “historic turn” Chancellor Olaf Scholz described in 2022 is ongoing—and far more encompassing and consequential than many in Europe continue to assume. Donald Trump’s re-election as US president requires a fundamental rethink.

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.