The Political Motives Behind Russia’s Coronavirus Aid
The Kremlin was quick to send military medical aid to Italy, Serbia, and the United States. The aim: getting sanctions lifted.
Pariscope: Macron’s Ententes Cordiales Against China
France wants insurance against Chinese hegemony.
Keeping an Equidistance
Trends in German public opinion point to a weakening commitment to both European integration and the transatlantic alliance.
Europe’s Sovereignty Conundrum
The call for greater “European sovereignty” has become very popular of late, but it is far from clear what the term means.
Carbon Critical: The Great Unwanted Climate Experiment
Lower carbon emissions is a rare silver lining of the coronavirus pandemic. Just don’t confuse it for actual good news for the climate.
Struggling for Unity
The EU is still finding it hard to come up with a coordinated coronavirus response.
Russia’s Coronavirus Drama
Putin’s handling of the coronavirus crisis has produced a paradox: instead of using the pandemic to further strengthen his personalized power, Russia’s president has refused to take tough measures.
Poland’s Troubled Presidential Elections
Viktor Orbán’s power grab in Budapest has overshadowed a parallel political drama in Warsaw regarding the presidential elections on May 10.
Europe and China: Cooperation without Blinkers
Europe and Germany are dependent on cooperation with China on global challenges. But Brussels and Berlin need to defend their interests.
Carbon Critical: The Franco-German Nuclear Motor
Should the EU economy run on uranium? Its two biggest countries disagree.
Pariscope: Imagine Macron Declares War and No One Shows Up
Macron wants to turn Corona into a European challenge, but falls flat on his own and Berlin’s nationalist reflexes.
Transatlantic Commerce: Ties That Bind
Ensuring that transatlantic flows are sustained in the COVID-19 crisis is one of the most important things that can be done right now.
The Pandemic Means Less Europe—For Now
The EU has shown unprecedented flexibility in the initial days of an acute crisis. That does not mean the European project is collapsing.
Pride and Hope: The CureVac Story
That Trump may have tried and failed to poach a German company is a perfect narrative for a country deep in crisis.
Merkel in the Middle
Germany’s policy of West-orientation has been fading under Angela Merkel, but it might soon see a revival.
African Comeback
Russia has deliberately expanded its relationships with African countries in recent years.
Op-Ed: Don’t Fear a President Sanders, Europe!
Europeans have little to worry about a Sanders presidency.
No Return to Normal?
Many in Europe warn that there will be no going back to the status quo ante in transatlantic affairs even if Donald Trump turns out to be a one-term president. That’s questionable.
The Führer and the Prince
How much did Wilhelm of Prussia, son of Germany’s last emperor, help Adolf Hitler in his rise to power?
Rethinking Germany’s Sahel Policy
Germany needs to change its approach to the Sahel region and that includes rethinking its assumptions, being more flexible and standing up for itself when it comes to its international partners.
+++ 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 +++
European Encounters (#EuropeCounts), supported by Stiftung Mercator (2017-18), aims at contributing toward building a European public. Europeans from different ends and spheres of the continent exchange views on topics relevant to the whole EU. It’s time to make discussions truly European.
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.