ELN Policy Fellow Julia Berghofer made a Bundestag statement on the establishment of a special fund (“Sondervermögen Bundeswehr”).
As leaders of Germany’s Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals agreed on a coalition deal yesterday, Julia Berghofer writes that when it comes to defence and security, the new coalition must strike a balance between pursuing ambitious projects while not losing sight of the sometimes-arduous groundwork.
After finishing in third place in Germany’s federal elections last month, the Green Party are likely to claim the Foreign Office. To fix the deficiencies of the last governments and make German security and defence policy more credible they must reconcile values with ambition, writes Paul von Salisch.
Stopping the construction of the pipeline at this late stage would have destroyed one of the last bridges to Russia. Both sides can benefit from the completion of Nord Stream 2, argues Nils Schmid.
Contrary to many analyses, the US decision not to impose further sanctions against Nord Stream 2 may be bad news for the Kremlin, as it signals better prospects for US-EU co-operation regarding Moscow, writes Agathe Demarais.
The lesson of Nord Stream 2 is clear: the German public debate needs more realism. To continue pretending that Germany can increase its economic dependence on Russia at little to no geopolitical cost is naïve ostpolitik, suggest ELN Policy Fellow Dr Maximilian Hoell.