• May 8 2025
  German politics

  Merz averted disaster, but the knives are out

  Deep divisions among German conservatives could spell trouble for the new chancellor

  
• March 20 2025
  Nord Stream 2 AG

  Opening Nord Stream 2 would be a catastrophic mistake

  Caught between Russia and an increasingly adversarial US, Germany’s ties to Europe are being tested

  
• February 26 2025
  German politics

  Action must replace anger as Germany grapples with US

  The defence of freedom at home and in Europe is the paramount task facing likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz

  
• December 18 2024
  Geopolitics

  Norway is assessing its EU options as a second Trump term looms

  Increased geopolitical tensions could yet see Oslo rethink its attitude towards Brussels

  
• November 20 2024
  German politics

  Germany finds itself in a predicament of its own making

  While it loses sympathy abroad, the country faces political uncertainty at home

  
• October 29 2024
  War in Ukraine

  Germany will play a pivotal role in Ukraine’s future

  Russia is escalating its aggression even as western leaders debate Nato membership for Kyiv and a negotiated ceasefire

  
• September 2 2024
  Alternative for Germany

  Victory for the AfD raises difficult questions about east Germany

  Ghosts from the former GDR stalk an increasingly polarised region

  
• August 14 2024
  German election

  Extremist surge in eastern Germany threatens a political earthquake

  Government parties and mainstream opposition face a dire set of results in three state elections next month

  
• July 12 2024
  US foreign policy

  Clash of the new Republican visions for America’s global role

  As Nato and the NatCons meet, Republican foreign policy views mark a break with Reagan’s traditional conservatism

  
• May 30 2024
  Alternative for Germany

  Germany’s mature democracy must beat the far right without banning it

  The AfD displays staying power despite scandals that have dented its poll ratings and support in local elections

  
• April 22 2024
  US foreign policy

  Don’t relax, Europe — the US hard right isn’t finished yet

  Ultraconservative Americans have views about the old continent that would dismay most Europeans

  
• March 4 2024
  EU defence

  Germany, France and how not to do deterrence

  The EU’s two leading powers are causing confusion and anger among allies as Ukraine’s future hangs by a thread

  
• February 1 2024
  Rachman Review podcast22 min listen

  Germans push back against extremist AfD

  Potential plan for mass deportations raises the alarm

  
• January 31 2024
  German politics

  Germany’s moderate middle is back in a volatile political age

  While ordinary citizens march against the far right, Sahra Wagenknecht promises realignment on the left

  
• December 29 2023
  German politics

  Merz holds the future of the German centre-right in his hands

  Support for the rival AfD is growing ahead of key regional elections next year

  
• November 21 2023
  War in Ukraine

  US and Germany risk owning Ukraine’s stalling war effort

  The onus is on European allies to step up support and chart a path for Kyiv towards Nato and EU membership

  
• October 12 2023
  Europe

  Relations between Warsaw and Berlin deteriorate as Polish elections near

  This key relationship within Europe is mired in hate, lies and condescension

  
• September 12 2023
  German politics

  How a regional poll turned into a debate about Germany’s past and future

  An antisemitism scandal has derailed Christian Democrat hopes for forthcoming elections

  
• August 1 2023
  Alternative for Germany

  Mainstream German parties have made it too easy for the far-right AfD

  The party is becoming more disciplined as it senses power in some eastern states is within reach

  
• June 16 2023
  German politics

  Germany finds that on defence, growing up is hard to do

  The country’s first ever national security strategy is a mixture of good and bad news

  
• June 8 2023
  OutlookWar in Ukraine

  Viewed from Kyiv, Europe’s strengths and weaknesses are painfully visible

  A recent trip to the city demonstrated the power of the Ukrainians and the pettiness of EU political squabbles

  
• April 28 2023
  German politics

  Germany’s China dilemma takes on a new urgency

  The race is on in Berlin to reduce exposure to the country’s most important trading partner

  
• March 21 2023
  German politics

  A reckoning on Germany’s Russia policy is long overdue

  The invasion of Ukraine has made a proper accounting of ties between Berlin and Moscow more urgent than ever

  
• February 13 2023
  German politics

  Germany’s policy shift is real but still falls short

  While Olaf Scholz has successfully changed the domestic debate about security, a sense of urgency is lacking

  
• January 17 2023
  German politics

  Scholz is a wartime chancellor, whether he likes it or not

  The German leader and his new defence minister have a big decision to make on supplying tanks to Ukraine