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€500 billion — and still not enough
Germany’s pension system is swallowing the federal budget
Mar 18
•
Jörg Luyken
9
1
The barbecue that exposed Germany’s spy problem
After decades of restraint, Berlin wants its intelligence service to recruit spies, sabotage enemies and take risks again.
Mar 14
•
Jörg Luyken
5
2
1
Is the SPD heading for political extinction?
In modern German elections, parties only need a small slice of popular approval to win. That strange arithmetic could yet save the SPD in…
Mar 11
•
Jörg Luyken
7
1
2
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, 2025
•
Rachel Stern
21
8
1
Silence on Venezuela - a wise strategy?
Is Merz right not to criticise Trump over Maduro abduction?
Jan 7
•
Jörg Luyken
18
2
3
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Why Alice Weidel Called Hitler “Left-Wing” — and What It Reveals About the AfD
Jan 16, 2025
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Jörg Luyken
141
24
24
Why insults are a criminal offense in Germany
Nov 22, 2024
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Jörg Luyken
37
3
6
Why Germany Is Losing Its Best Talent: Inside the Growing Brain Drain
Jun 16, 2024
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Jörg Luyken
26
2
1
Renting in Germany: why protection has turned into paralysis
Feb 6, 2025
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Jörg Luyken
29
11
2
Germany’s early tracking system is deciding kids' futures too early
From high-stakes teacher recommendations to near-impossible entrance tests, Germany’s education system asks children to prove their potential too…
13 hrs ago
•
Rachel Stern
3
Why Germany’s most industrial state became the Greens’ stronghold
Dear Reader,
Mar 7
•
Jörg Luyken
7
1
Merz’s realpolitik approach to Iran and what it means for Germany
Merz says a "rules-based international" order should apply...but not when it comes to toppling some authoritarian regimes.
Mar 4
•
Rachel Stern
5
1
It's time to show our faces in the 21st century agora
Germany’s chancellor wants citizens to post under their real names. Critics warn of chilling effects. But anonymity may be corroding the very trust…
Feb 28
•
Jörg Luyken
9
4
Germany has a booze problem — or does it?
As Berlin debates higher alcohol taxes, the press blames cheap beer for a national crisis.
Feb 25
•
Jörg Luyken
8
3
Germany’s refugee integration cuts are a costly mistake
Is integration of foreigners in Germany at risk of becoming conditional on political desirability rather than the reality of who puts down roots in…
Feb 21
•
Rachel Stern
5
2
Time for Syrians to go home?
With Syria’s war formally over, Friedrich Merz says repatriation can begin. Yet a fragile coalition and an economy reliant on migrant labour make…
Feb 18
•
Jörg Luyken
13
4
1
The asparagus economy
Katharina Reiche wants to reform the incentives behind Germany’s energy transition. The backlash shows how difficult it is to change a system built on…
Feb 14
•
Jörg Luyken
7
1
Russia to Riyadh: is German energy dependency getting worse?
As Berlin scours the Gulf for gas in the name of sovereignty, it is quietly dismantling the last domestic energy buffer it still controls.
Feb 11
•
Jörg Luyken
13
1
1
In the dark: the mystery behind Germany’s infrastructure sabotage
A wave of arson attacks has left parts of Germany without power — and authorities without answers. Who is sabotaging the grid, and why can’t the state…
Feb 7
•
Jörg Luyken
7
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Germany’s infrastructure problem: energy, transport and connectivity
Germany’s infrastructure strains reveal a common pattern: ambitious targets, slow delivery and networks increasingly misaligned with political goals.
Jan 9
3
Germany’s armed forces: readiness, rearmament and reality
How years of denial, underinvestment and political hesitation have left Germany struggling to turn the Zeitenwende into usable military power.
Jan 8
1
German media: public broadcasters, tabloids, trust — and the rise of alternatives
From public broadcasting scandals to tabloid power and pandemic moralising: how German media narratives shape politics, polarisation and public trust.
Jan 8
6
Germany in the world
Germany’s post-Cold War foreign policy prioritized trade over security. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced a strategic shift, exposing vulnerabilities…
May 11, 2025
•
Jörg Luyken
18
3
2
Germany in decline: why the country’s old model is failing
The Federal Republic's reputation has suffered badly over the past 10 years.
May 4, 2025
•
Jörg Luyken
18
11
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