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Bettina Vestring
Author / 67 Posts
is a freelance journalist based in Berlin. She writes on foreign and security policy and EU affairs.
Merkel’s Red Twin

Berlin Observer

Olaf Scholz’ early nomination as “chancellor candidate” bodes ill for the stability of Germany’s new European policy.

Pride and Hope: The CureVac Story

Manhattan Transfer

That Trump may have tried and failed to poach a German company is a perfect narrative for a country deep in crisis.

The Führer and the Prince

Berlin Observer

How much did Wilhelm of Prussia, son of Germany’s last emperor, help Adolf Hitler in his rise to power?

Brace for Change in Germany

Berlin Observer

Angela Merkel’s chosen successor Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has thrown in the towel. Expect fierce leadership and policy struggles.

The Berlin Malaise

Berlin Observer

Germany’s capital is astonishingly short on politicians with a nation-wide appeal.

Chronicle of an End Foretold

Berlin Observer

SPD members have elected a new leadership: two unknown left-wingers. It is hard to see Angela Merkel’s coalition surviving. On Saturday morning, Chancellor Angela …

The One Trillion Euro Idea

Eye on Europe

Austrian economists are proposing a European Silk Road.

A Big Step Away from German Orthodoxy

Berlin Observer

Isabel Schnabel, Germany’s nominee to the ECB board, has a pragmatic approach to monetary and fiscal policy.

The Winds of Change

Berlin Observer

Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall Bettina Vestring spent two years reporting from the East German city of Dresden.

Höcke or Hitler?

Berlin Observer

A television experiment reveals how close Germany’s right-wing AfD has moved to Nazi language.

Merkel’s Government Has Won a Breather

Berlin Observer

Huge relief for Germany’s coalition parties: the AfD did not come first in Saxony or Brandenburg.

Trump’s Not-So-Empty Troops Threat to Germany

Manhattan Transfer

The White House is threatening to withdraw US troops from Germany. With Donald Trump, this could actually happen.

East Germany Goes East

Berlin Observer

Despite Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on protestors, politicians in eastern Germany are emphasizing their ties with Russia—and practicing post-communist identity politics.

A German Paradox

Eye on Europe

For the first time in over 50 years, a German has been nominated as President of the European Commission. Yet Ursula von der Leyen’s loudest critics are back home.

The Glass Is Half Full

Berlin Policy Journal July/August 2019

Integrating refugees is painfully slow business―even slower than for other groups of migrants. Among Western countries, Germany is actually doing reasonably well. It was …

Watch Out for a Green Chancellor

Berlin Observer

With the parties in Angela Merkel’s coalition government in deep disarray, change is afoot in Germany.

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Out Now: May/June 2020 Issue



+++ The coronavirus crisis has brought Europe and the rest of the world to a standstill. What are the effects of the pandemic on international affairs? The future of the EU depends on how it handles the crisis, argues Daniela Schwarzer. Much is riding on the German EU presidency. David Goodhart makes the case for a retreat from hyperglobalization, and Richard Sennett foresees big changes coming to our way of life; Efi Koutsokosta profiles Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis; Noah Gordon, in his Carbon Critical column, points out that solar, like oil, has its overcapacity problems; and much more +++

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BERLIN POLICY JOURNAL is a bimonthly digital magazine on European affairs, edited in Germany’s capital and published by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). It is best read via our app – on GooglePlay and the Apple AppStore – on tablets and smart phones.