1 – We Need to Talk About Germany.

Show notes

Episode 1 looks at why it’s important to understand Germany when looking at international politics today. The country’s past policies put it under the spotlight when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It drew further attention to itself when Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a ‘Zeitenwende’ or epochal shift and the need for Germany to change with the times. Germany has come a long way but has moved slowly on weapons for Ukraine. By contrast, it has speedily replaced Russian gas supply, but has created new dependencies on authoritarian states. The national security strategy suggests geostrategic confusion rather than a clear vision for the future.

We take an in-depth look the progress (or lack of it in delivering on the Zeitenwende. We look at whether change has gone far enough or fast enough and compare it to the expectations that were raised in Germany and with allies who know the value of a fully committed, team-playing Germany.

Guests:

Roderick Parkes, Director of the Research Institute; Head of AOZ Center for the Future of Europe, DGAP (@RoderickParkes)
Britta Jacob, Senior Manager Global Government Affairs, Bayer (@JacobBritta)
Minna Ålander, Research Fellow, Finnish Institute of International Affairs (@minna_alander)
Julian Stöckle, Project Assistant, DGAP (@JulianStoeckle)
Jannik Hartmann, Project Assistant, DGAP (@jannikhartmann)

Articles mentioned in the show & useful further readings: