... perseverance in getting the event to happen, as well as to Wolfgang Ischinger for his political integrity in giving the Russian side such an opportunity.
However, perhaps the most impressive speech was given by the host of the conference, Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel. Merkel was the true queen of the Munich ball; there was even chatter on the side-lines of the event to the effect that it was the best speech of her long political career. That, of course, is open to argument. I remember another rousing ...
... Germany — the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) — has a new leader. On December 7, former Minister President of the Saarland and General Secretary of the CDU Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was elected the new leader at the party congress in Hamburg after Angela Merkel officially stepped down from the post.
Kramp-Karrenbauer’s victory was to be expected to some degree, although it was by no means a given, as has been the case in past CDU chairperson elections. For the first time in a long while, the ...
The transcontinental Berlin–Beijing axis could become a worthy strategic response to the unprecedentedly strong and brutal U.S. pressure
Which country has already suffered the greatest losses through the new U.S. strategy announced a year-and-a-half ago by President Donald Trump?
Clearly not Russia, whose relations with Washington were far from perfect even under the previous U.S. administration. Nor is it Mexico or Canada: even Trump is unable to turn the tables on the United States’ relations...
A new government in Berlin is always a new opportunity — not only for Germany itself, but also for its international partners, Russia including
I understand the fundamentals. Russia lost Germany back in 2014 or even earlier. Seventy-three years after the end of WW2 and twenty-eight years after the reunification, the new generation of Germans owes Russian nothing. After the Ukrainian crisis, no ‘business as usual’ is possible in any foreseeable future; Moscow and Berlin continue to sharply disagree...
'Stability' may ring sweetly, but in the EU's case, it has become a synonym of 'stagnation'. What the EU needs at this point is leadership
Germany today is at a crossroads, divided, uncertain. Christian Lindner, Chairman of the Free Democratic Party, has
walked away
from coalition negotiations, leaving Merkel in political limbo. Whether the Social Democrats will again agree to a 'Grand Coalition' remains uncertain. The fundamental reason for Merkel's demise stands beyond domestic trouble, and...
...
Germany is most likely in for a black-yellow-green coalition (CDU/CSU, FDP and the Greens). There is no way of telling what kind of program they will generate or how they will share the departmental portfolios. There is only one thing for sure so far — Angela Merkel will retain the office of the Chancellor.
Vladislav Belov:
Germany: Elections Over, Uncertainty Remains
The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs traditionally goes to the minors in the coalition, which means the Greens may have it. So far,...
... charge and designated parties, CDU and SPD, look similar. Too gibberish and far from facts were the appearances of Martin Schulz, designated candidate for chancellor of the social SPD. Too “mum-like” and an encumbrance to people the statements of Angela Merkel. Most other parties were toothless. On the other hand, the “Alternative für Deutschland AfD” (Alternative for Germany) – a party at the far right – was able to attract the attention all the time. Politicians and even more the media ...
... — 5.1 per cent
[1]
. For the first time in the history of unified Germany, the Bundestag will include seven parties and six factions, with a total of 709 seats.
Despite major losses, the Christian Democratic Union and their Bavarian partners led by Angela Merkel emerged as formal winners, although the real winners are the AfD, which almost tripled its results from 2013 (4.7 per cent), and the Free Democratic Party, which returned to the lower house of the federal parliament with surprisingly high ...
... several years, Berlin has been officially criticising Turkey's National Intelligence Organisation, which, Germany believes, has intensified its activity in the country,
operating
through religious foundations, mosques, imams, and parishioners. Chancellor Angela Merkel has made a statement to the effect that the number of imams coming to Germany from Turkey has grown noticeably in recent years, which necessitates closer monitoring of mosques and various religious organisations
involving natives of Turkey
...
... creating so-called "coalitions of the willing." After the WWII, this practice was, and in many respects is, unacceptable for German political elites. The first stage of such friction at the time of Schröder’s office was largely leveled after Angela Merkel entered the office, as she was relying on the traditional approaches of German foreign policy, namely, maintaining good relations with the U.S. and maintaining transatlantic solidarity.
A Roadmap for U.S.-Russia Relations. Executive Summary ...
