Germany
Reports
Carlo Bastasin
Nonresident Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe
Constanze Stelzenmüller
Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe
Fritz Stern Chair on Germany and trans-Atlantic Relations
Angela Stent
Nonresident Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe
[The AfD's] sheer existence makes two-way coalitions on the national level almost impossible. We are looking at the possibility of protracted coalition negotiations and an inward-looking German capital at a time when I would argue German responsibility in Europe is urgently needed. That is one significant impact the AfD has, whether it is in the opposition or not.
[Merkel's] careful incrementalism [...has seen Germany through several crises, but it increasingly appears inadequate to the current challenges... Her] exquisitely tempered balancing style was fantastic for brokering results at European conferences. It’s clearly not the best approach when you are dealing with aggressive authoritarian powers, and she has clearly not given enough thought to preparing Germany for a much more disruptive future. [...] The absence of a leader as experienced, resourceful and well-networked as Angela Merkel will make itself felt in times of disruption and insecurity.
[Public broadcasting in Germany] started off as a means of democratic reeducation and rerooting political pluralism in Germany, and then morphed into a means of preventing new forms of disinformation or propaganda, particularly from the East.
Managing China’s rise will require using our considerable trade, technological and regulatory leverage to delineate clearer red lines. That is where Merkel has been overtaken by shifts in expert and also public opinion.
I believe there is no going back to the world before Trump – because too much has changed. And yet we need good bilateral relations because we need one another when it comes to all major issues.