I have always had a problem with that phrase. Most of the time, it simply isn’t true. In Germany, you can say a great deal. You can criticize the government, argue about immigration, say you think the energy transition is misguided, debate gender politics, or openly declare that you want nothing to do with any of it. The Basic Law is still in force. And yet, it would be far too easy to leave it at that. Because there is
Perhaps historians will look back on the 2020s not only as a period of wars, crises, and geopolitical realignment. Perhaps they will also recognize them as the beginning of a fundamental political shift within the transatlantic world. On both sides of the Atlantic, parties and movements that describe themselves as conservative, national-conservative, or patriotic – or that observers classify as right-wing populist or part of the radical right – have gained political weight. In the United States, Donald Trump has
Anyone looking at a map will initially see the Suez Canal as a waterway connecting Europe and Asia. Its true geopolitical significance, however, becomes apparent only when we look beyond nautical charts and warships and consider insurance premiums, transit times, and the calculations of the world’s major shipping companies. At the southern entrance to the Red Sea lies the Bab el-Mandeb, the narrow strait separating the Arabian Peninsula from Africa. Since the Houthis in Yemen began attacking commercial vessels in
There is little doubt that transatlantic relations are undergoing a period of profound change. For years, the United States has called on Europe—and particularly the member states of the European Union—to assume greater responsibility for their own security. At the same time, parts of Europe have increasingly advocated greater strategic autonomy from Washington. Trade disputes, diverging foreign policy priorities, and the United States’ growing focus on the Indo-Pacific have reinforced the perception that the two sides of the Atlantic may