Subscribe
Sign in
Home
Economy
Foreign Affairs
Topics
The German Brief
About
The only man who can save the CDU
...and he’s not even in the party
Sep 16
•
Jörg Luyken
13
3
1
Merz should have done a deal with the AfD in 2025. Now it’s too late
History weighed too heavily on the chancellor-in-waiting
Sep 13
•
Jörg Luyken
14
4
1
Will Merz survive the autumn?
The air is getting thin for the chancellor
Sep 10
•
Jörg Luyken
12
2
1
AfD victory in Saxony-Anhalt: What next?
Dear Reader,
Sep 6
•
Jörg Luyken
20
11
1
Why Saxony-Anhalt matters
Dear Reader,
Sep 3
•
Jörg Luyken
14
1
2
Most Popular
View all
Why Alice Weidel Called Hitler “Left-Wing” — and What It Reveals About the AfD
Jan 16, 2025
•
Jörg Luyken
142
25
25
Why insults are a criminal offense in Germany
Nov 22, 2024
•
Jörg Luyken
38
3
6
Europe's feeble democracies
Feb 17, 2025
•
Jörg Luyken
43
4
4
The truth on Covid at last?
Mar 12, 2025
•
Jörg Luyken
42
3
5
The scandal wasn’t Jens Spahn’s sexuality. It was his hypocrisy
Spahn’s critics were accused of homophobia. But the real scandal was that he applied one set of rules to Germany — and another to himself.
Aug 30
•
Jörg Luyken
7
Reminder: Survey on the German Brief
Hi there,
Aug 27
•
Jörg Luyken
Germany’s answer to shortages: more shortages
Berlin wants to expropriate apartments and the Greens want more state intervention in the gas market. Neither does much to address the shortages driving…
Aug 26
•
Jörg Luyken
5
1
Survey on the German Brief
Hi there,
Aug 24
•
Jörg Luyken
Germany’s hidden AI boom
Germany may be losing the race to build the world’s most powerful AI models. But its industrial companies are cashing in on the infrastructure boom…
Aug 23
•
Jörg Luyken
7
2
1
Gas, stash and Brandmauer cracks
Good morning!
Aug 22
•
Jörg Luyken
3
Nord Stream, green shoots and red lines
Good morning,
Aug 20
•
Jörg Luyken
3
The German drought apocalypse hasn’t arrived
The country is getting drier, but grain yields have held up surprisingly well. And there may be opportunities in warmer summers.
Aug 19
•
Jörg Luyken
17
4
3
Voigt of confidence
Good morning!
Aug 18
•
Jörg Luyken
3
Can Germany's anti-drone startups keep up with the threat?
The country is pouring money into a new DefenceTech industry and learning from Ukraine. But slow procurement and fragmented authority poses a challenge.
Aug 15
•
Rachel Stern
5
1
1
See all
The latest from
Jörg Luyken
The only man who can save the CDU
Rachel Stern
Can Germany's anti-drone startups keep up with the threat?
Recommendations
Essential Europe
Ruben Cober
Notes from a Journalist
Rachel Loxton
Berlin Literary Events
Bettina Rolyn
Handpicked Berlin
Igor Ranc
About
Impressum
Advertise with us
Topics
View all
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
4
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
2
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
Understanding German foreign policy.
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
This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please
turn on JavaScript
or unblock scripts
