Ph. The Eurofighter Typhoon was one of the most successful military collaborations of the cold war. R. Sanchez Aviation Photo / Shutterstock Arun Dawson, King’s College London The effective collapse of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter jet programme is a major setback for European defence cooperation. France, Germany and Spain have
Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham Two statements from world leaders this week bear closer examination. On May 27, the US president Donald Trump took to his Truth Social social media channel to proclaim that if it wasn’t for him, “lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia”. The following day
Ed Turner, Aston University Friedrich Merz has been confirmed as Germany’s new chancellor after a close shave left his future in doubt. Merz lost a first round of voting among MPs gathered to confirm his role, and may never know who among his own coalition betrayed him. After the shock of the morning
Léonie de Jonge, University of Tübingen and Rolf Frankenberger, University of Tübingen In the weeks ahead of the German election, the far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) consistently polled around 20%. For the first time, the AfD poses a challenge to mainstream parties’ longstanding strategy of isolating the far right. The rise of
Ed Turner, Aston University A vote in Germany’s national parliament (Bundestag) has led to fears that the firewall supposedly separating mainstream political parties and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been blown apart. Until now, Germany’s largest parties, including the union of Christian democratic parties the CDU and CSU, and the social
Title: Freedom: Memoirs 1954 – 2021 Author: Angela Merkel Pages: 720 In Freedom: Memoirs 1954–2021, Angela Merkel invites readers to sit beside her at the quiet hearth of history, where the fire crackles with the echoes of crises, triumphs, and quiet, steadfast resolve. Co-written with her trusted political advisor, Beate Baumann, this memoir
Ed Turner, Aston University Germany is expected to hold a snap election in February after Chancellor Olaf Scholz reportedly agreed a deal with opposition politicians for an early vote. The recent collapse of Scholz’s coalition made a vote of confidence in the government highly likely, but Scholz had been pushing for it to
Ph. The fall of the Berlin wall has not sufficed to erase differences between East and West. Shutterstock Gonçalo Pina, ESCP Business School When asked about my opinion on German reunification, I usually respond that I think it is a good idea, and that we should do it. This is, of course, a
Trevelyan Wing, University of Cambridge One year ago, Germany took its last three nuclear power stations offline. When it comes to energy, few events have baffled outsiders more. In the face of climate change, calls to expedite the transition away from fossil fuels, and an energy crisis precipitated by Russia’s 2022 invasion of
Nora Siklodi, University of Portsmouth and Nándor Révész, University of Portsmouth The European Commission has confirmed its support for opening the formal accession process for Ukraine and Moldova to become members of the European Union and for other nations in the western Balkans to move forward with their own bids. The wider context