February
‘Next time we’ll come first’: German far-right celebrates breakthrough
The AfD has little chance of joining the government, but leader Alice Weidel thinks it’s only a matter of time before that changes.
Scholz promised stability, but Germany got chaos instead
The deeper rot in German governance will require more fundamental reforms than any coalition is likely to deliver.
January
What Justin Trudeau’s exit means for progressive politics
Canada’s prime minister is only the latest left-of-centre political leader to leave office in a fog of disillusion and domestic discontent.
December 2024
‘We need time’: Syrians in Europe resist calls to return home
Those who fled the 13-year civil war pointed to the political uncertainty after a rebel offensive swept into Damascus over the weekend.
Angela Merkel’s autobiography is a ‘stunning disappointment’
The former German chancellor provides only the most superficial explanations for her controversial actions and decisions, particularly those to do with Vladimir Putin.
July 2024
The untold story of the most chaotic NATO summit ever
Donald Trump’s hijacking of the 2018 NATO summit marked the biggest turning point in the history of the alliance that has guaranteed European security since 1949.
June 2024
The contradictions in Australia’s China policy
Australia will promote the visit by China’s Premier Li Qiang as evidence the relationship has “stabilised”. But policy tensions and hard choices are only increasing.
February 2024
The false premise at the heart of Trump’s scorn for NATO
He has long painted the alliance as a sort of protection racket where those who do not “pay up” will be abandoned by the United States.
February 2023
Helmets to jets: Germany beefs up ‘dire’ military to counter Russia
The war in Ukraine has exposed the grim state of Germany’s armed forces, forcing a $150 billion buying spree for big and small items.
December 2022
The American left’s chronic nimby problem
Progressives like to embrace worthy causes but not often at the cost of having their lives disrupted.
NATO chief fears Ukraine war could engulf all of Europe
Jens Stoltenberg, a former prime minister of Norway, said in an interview that “there is no doubt that a full-fledged war is a possibility”.
Wirecard in the dock as Germany’s biggest fraud trial starts
Wirecard became the first-ever DAX member to file for insolvency, owing creditors nearly $US4 billion.
August 2022
German industry under pressure to pivot from China
Germany is looking to diversify away from China, but pulling back from its biggest trading partner could come at a high price.
June 2022
Western liberals must learn from the Merkel years
The gas dependence on Russia, the turn against nuclear power, the inadequate defence spending: parts of her record as German chancellor have aged as well as milk.
Why it’s hard to join the dots in Australia’s energy puzzle
Anthony Albanese and the Energy Security Board are determined to get the states to agree on a capacity mechanism for back-up power, but it’s a tough act.
Defensive Merkel denies appeasing Putin over Ukraine
In her first major comments since leaving office, the former German chancellor refused to apologise for her approach to Russia.
April 2022
Germany’s Russia inclusion policy in tatters after war
For decades, Germany had hoped it could help build peace and security in Europe through trade and cheap energy deals with Russia.
March 2022
Four weeks on, and Ukraine is remaking history
Putin’s assault has been called the end of ‘the end of history’. Yet Ukraine’s resistance in the name of democratic choice has remade history.
February 2022
How Putin took Europe to the brink of war
There is incredulity among Western leaders as they debate the threat of a major conflict within days.
US, Germany struggle to show united front on gas pipeline sanctions
US President Joe Biden has been looking to solidify support among European allies for economy-jarring sanctions against Russia if it attacks Ukraine.