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Is Germany making the same Russia mistake — just in reverse?
Dear Reader,
Dec 20 • Jörg Luyken
What Trump’s security doctrine really means for Germany
Dear Reader,
Dec 17 • Jörg Luyken
Soldiers at Christmas Markets: Is This Germany’s Security Future?
From France to Germany, armed security is reshaping public life. What soldiers at Christmas markets say about terrorism and the future of Europe.
Dec 13 • Jörg Luyken
A narrow win on pensions is testing Merz' leadership
By forcing through a stopgap reform, the German chancellor is buying time — but leaving long-term sustainability concerns unresolved.
Dec 10 • Rachel Stern
Could changing Germany’s sex work laws make sex workers less safe?
Germany is debating a partial ban on prostitution. Sex workers warn the Nordic Model could increase danger, secrecy and exploitation.
Dec 6 • Rachel Stern
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Why Alice Weidel Called Hitler “Left-Wing” — and What It Reveals About the AfD
Jan 16 • Jörg Luyken
Why Insulting Politicians Is a Crime in Germany (and What Berlin’s ‘Mini Erdogans’ Reveal)
Nov 22, 2024 • Jörg Luyken
Why Germany Is Losing Its Best Talent: Inside the Growing Brain Drain
Jun 16, 2024 • Jörg Luyken
Time to bring back military conscription
Mar 9 • Jörg Luyken
Germany’s New Sonderweg: Why the ‘Special Path’ Theory Matters in 2025
The concept of the German Sonderweg — a “special path” of German political development — has shaped debates in history for nearly a century.
Nov 15 • Jörg Luyken
Fireworks, water cannon and flying fists outside the AfD youth congress
In Gießen, 25,000 protesters, 6,000 police and the AfD’s new youth wing turned up for a showdown over who controls the country’s streets.
Dec 3 • Jörg Luyken
Is this Germany's 'Stop the Steal'?
The party that missed the Bundestag by fractions of a point in February is reluctant to accept the result... but do they have a point?
Nov 22 • Rachel Stern
The German vigilantes who ended up on Trump's terror list
A little-known German extremist group was added to a US terror list under Trump — exposing the spread of political violence in eastern Germany.
Nov 29 • Jörg Luyken
A podcast comment, a resignation, and a reminder of Germany's historical duty
What the AfD leader in Saxony-Anhalt framed as philosophy, others saw as a dangerous taboo breach. Who draws the line?
Nov 26 • Rachel Stern
Pension reform sparks crisis inside Merz’s CDU
A showdown over pension reform is pitting Merz against his own youth wing — with the coalition’s stability on the line.
Nov 19 • Jörg Luyken
Is German democracy under threat (again)?
Germany's President Frank Walter-Steinmeier (SPD) got into hot waters for invoking history to make a case against the AfD. Was he right to do so?
Nov 12 • Rachel Stern
Hot metal, cold economics - the unravelling of German steel
Germany’s steel industry, once a symbol of strength, now faces soaring costs, global competition, and uncertain survival.
Nov 5 • Jörg Luyken
Germany’s Mobile Dead Zones: Why Reception Is Still So Bad
Why does Germany still suffer from mobile dead zones? From Funklöcher to rail lines, here’s why reception remains so patchy.
Nov 8 • Rachel Stern
A cancelled trip, a chip crisis, and Germany’s China problem
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul postponed a high-level trip to China amid a stand-off over chip exports for the car industry
Oct 29 • Rachel Stern
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The German Review
The German Review
Punchy analysis and clever opinions on Germany.
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