BERLIN — In West Berlin the days and nights after November 9, 1989, we welcomed and hugged complete strangers, our East German countrymen, on the streets, chatting over a cup of coffee or a glass of Glühwein, with inconceivable and indescribable sentiments of ecstatic joy and happiness. The political mood … Continue Reading…
WASHINGTON — It is admittedly difficult to explain to Americans why they should be excited about Ireland’s approval of the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty on Friday. When told that the EU will run more smoothly under the new treaty, Americans are likely to want to know instead whether this means … Continue Reading…
Chancellor Angela Merkel famously displays upon her desk a framed picture of an 18th century princess from the German East who journeyed far from home to subdue a court teeming with dangerous rivals, and from there to rule an alien empire: Catherine the Great. Being an Empress in that dark … Continue Reading…
German voters made a clear decision in their federal election last Sunday. As expected, Chancellor Angela Merkel can stay in office with her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), by far the strongest party with 33.8 percent of the vote, which is even less than the already disappointing result of the … Continue Reading…
The numbers below are still approximate, because the final count may not be published until Monday. Nevertheless, the following is already clear:
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Gosh, the German election this Sunday has become exciting after all. Three reasons: the race has become too close to call; it has become clear that the next Chancellor will have overwhelming problems to … Continue Reading…
BERLIN — As Germany heads for federal elections this Sunday, President Obama’s decision to cancel plans for a land-based missile defense program in Poland and the Czech Republic met with unanimous applause, not just from Chancellor Angela Merkel and her challenger, Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier, but in fact across … Continue Reading…
It was a Man Bites Dog moment: One of the tropes of the German debate on Afghanistan has been the notion that the “moment of truth” for our so-called “stabilization mission” in northern Afghanistan would come in the form of a massive Taliban attack on Bundeswehr troops. That moment has come … Continue Reading…
BERLIN — 2009 has been dubbed Germany’s “super election year,” with voters in five states casting their ballots and a nationwide parliamentary election scheduled for September 27. Even more important than the number of votes are their potential implications for future politics. In theory, there are plenty of important campaign … Continue Reading…