On 23 February, Germany will hold an election—but the country seems to have turned inwards. Relations with France and Poland, its two essential partners, have d...
Germany's election results: Continuity or turning point?
On the morning after Germany's election, Searching for Deutschland hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin were joined for a live webinar by ECFR colleagues Timo Lochocki and Janka Oertel. They discussed the results; prospects of a coalition between the CDU/CSU and SPD; likely chancellor Friedrich Merz's direction on China, the EU and the US; and the AfD and Left parties’ new “blocking minority” role, before taking questions from viewers. This “election special” episode of Searching for Deutschland features a full recording of this morning’s webinar. Guests: Janka Oertel, ECFR Asia programme director and senior policy fellowTimo Lochocki, ECFR visiting fellow Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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58:04
Ukraine and the US-Russia talks: Deterrence or disarray?
In Searching for Deutschland’s last pre-election episode, hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin review the Munich Security Conference, the US-Russia talks on Ukraine, and what the new era in transatlantic relations means for Germany and its next government. They also look ahead to Germany's polling day on 23rd February, before Moritz Gathmann and Gustav Gressel join them to discuss German support for Ukraine in the face of an unfavourable Trump-Putin deal—and how this intersects with domestic politics. Find ECFR’s polling report on European views of their continent and the world in the new Trump era, co-authored by Jana Puglierin, here. Find Jeremy Cliffe's commentary on Germany's “ominous” election campaign here. Listeners can sign up for a live webinar reviewing the election results on the morning after Germany’s polling day here. Guests: Moritz Gathmann is a reporter for the German news magazine Stern and has reported widely on the US, Russia and German foreign policy. Gustav Gressel is an ECFR alumnus and former senior policy fellow. He is an expert on Russia, eastern Europe and defence policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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37:07
Defence and the Zeitenwende: Glass half-empty or half-full?
Ahead of the Munich Security Conference, hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin talk German defence and the future of the country's armed forces. They review the first televised debate between Olaf Scholz and Friedrich Merz and discuss new ECFR polling, which illustrates German pessimism about Europe's future. ECFR colleagues Ulrike Franke and Rafael Loss also join the podcast to ask whether Scholz's proclaimed Zeitenwende, or turning point, has translated into real improvements in Germany's frayed armed forces. Together, they review the main parties’ defence policies and look ahead to the next four years. ECFR's new polling on European views of their continent and the world in the new Trump era is here. Listeners can sign up for a live webinar reviewing the election results on the morning after Germany's polling day here. Guests: Ulrike Franke is senior policy fellow at ECFR and co-host of the German-language security podcast, SicherheitshalberRafael Loss is policy fellow at ECFR, focusing on security and defence in the Euro-Atlantic area Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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39:26
Euroscepticism in Germany: Normalisation or radicalisation?
This week, hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin discuss German election campaign frontrunner Friedrich Merz's bid to win Bundestag votes on migration with support from the far-right AfD. Political scientist Marcel Lewandowsky joins the podcast to discuss the apparent rise of Euroscepticism in Germany: does Merz's gambit mean his CDU envisions a more unilateral Germany in Europe? What’s behind the rise of the AfD and the anti-establishment BSW? And is Germany's turn towards forms of Euroscepticism part of a wider European trend—or a distinct (and distinctly alarming) phenomenon? Guests:Marcel Lewandowsky, lecturer at the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz and author of the 2024 book Was Populisten Wollen (What Populists Want). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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33:51
The China factor: Compete or double down?
Germany's industrial model thrived for years thanks to soaring Chinese demand. But the relationship has recently become more contentious. This week, hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin are joined by Janka Oertel to discuss the future impact of political and economic divisions over Germany's China policy. And another topic, hot off the press, is Friedrich Merz's controversial decision to pass votes on asylum and migration with the support of the far-right AfD. How might this influence the election result? Guests: Janka Oertel, ECFR Asia programme director and senior policy fellow, and author of Ende der China Illusion Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On 23 February, Germany will hold an election—but the country seems to have turned inwards. Relations with France and Poland, its two essential partners, have deteriorated; where the country previously provided the European project with leadership at crucial moments, it now drags its feet. As a result, Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin are “Searching for Deutschland”. This new podcast from the European Council on Foreign Relations sees the think-tank's Berlin-based editorial director and Berlin office head joined by expert guests to discuss the domestic fault-lines behind the country's foreign policy disorientation. Following the election campaign from a European and global perspective, they will explore the political debates and what the country's new government might have to offer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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