Angela Merkel

The migrant crisis threatens to topple Merkel

What would have been unthinkable even a few months ago now looks like a plausible scenario: Merkel’s chancellorship may be drawing to a close sooner than anyone imagined. And she would leave her country with a burden instead of a positive legacy. [...]

Under Merkel, Germany is asleep at the wheel

Under Angela Merkel, German politics has entered a strange period of hibernation. Where there used to be passionate debates within and between the political parties, boredom has taken hold of the country. Merkel’s sober and dry way of governing has sedated friends and foes alike. [...]

Why Germany is losing the blame game

The vitriol directed at German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble after last weekend’s marathon summit is deeply unfair. What is Germany's crime? [...]

Merkel must face her Waterloo moment

If Merkel once again followed opinion polls, she might feel tempted to let Greece fail. It could even give her polling results another boost, even if meant a radical departure from her previous strategy. But it would also be an admission that Merkel’s policy on Greece has failed. [...]

Germany’s Greek stance keeps everyone guessing

There is only one thing that unites all German politicians: They do not want to take the blame for whatever happens next. If Greece drops out of the eurozone, that will be fine -- as long as it is clear that it was all Greece’s fault and had nothing to do with Germany. [...]

Europe’s never-ending integration madness

It may be madness to do something over and over again while expecting a different result. But conversely, it is only reasonable to expect Europe’s next integration steps to be just as successful as the previous ones. [...]

Tsipras’ win is Merkel’s failure

The biggest loser in Greece’s snap election was not even on the ballot paper. It was German Chancellor Angela Merkel whose austerity policies in the euro crisis were rejected by Greece’s swing to the radical left. [...]

The euro crisis has become a game of chicken

The most important question of what the Greek election result will mean for the euro crisis has not been answered satisfactorily. There is no easy answer to this question, only a range of different scenarios. As of today, it is hard, if not impossible, to put probabilities to them. [...]

Merkel’s U-turn on Greece reveals Germany’s real motivation

Should the 25 January elections result in a Syriza-led government, we will find out whether the Germans can actually succeed in kicking Greece out of the euro and also whether their optimism about being able to contain the crisis in Greece was justified. [...]

Under the bonnet, Germany is stalling

When Chancellor Merkel visits New Zealand or speaks at the G20, she will of course try to portray a very different image of her country. Unfortunately, the self-righteous self-image of Germany bears little resemblance with the cold, hard facts of its economy. [...]