Germany

Germany is at the center of many current debates - politically, economically, socially and geopolitically. As Europe's largest economy, a key player within the EU and a destination country for migration, global developments often have a particularly strong impact here. Decisions made at an international level have concrete consequences in Germany: in energy issues, foreign policy, the labor market and social coexistence.

This keyword bundles articles that do not look at Germany in isolation, but in the context of international crises, power shifts and long-term structural issues. It is about classification instead of headlines, about backgrounds instead of short-term outrage. Many of the articles linked here shed light on how global conflicts, geopolitical interests or economic dependencies influence everyday life in Germany - often subtly, sometimes openly, usually in a complex way.

Germany appears neither as a mere observer nor as the sole shaper, but as part of a larger context. The aim is to make developments understandable, to make connections visible and to open up the view beyond current debates.

From the end of compulsory military service to school strikes: the new debate on the Bundeswehr and education

by
School strikes on compulsory military service and the Bundeswehr at school

When I myself was conscripted into the Bundeswehr in the 1990s, it was still a fairly normal part of life for many young men in Germany. Anyone who had finished school did either civilian service or military service. It was simply part of life back then - just like training or studying. People talked about it, they knew roughly what to expect, and almost everyone had someone in their circle of acquaintances who was currently doing military service or had recently done so.

I myself also did my military service. There were no major ideological debates about it in my environment. Of course, there was criticism of the military or discussions about deployments abroad - but the Bundeswehr was basically a normal part of the state. It was there, but it didn't play a particularly dominant role in most people's everyday lives. Interestingly, this also applied to school.

Read more

Europe between freedom of expression and regulation: New US info portal raises questions

by
EU censorship, hate speech and the new US portal

I recently stumbled across a piece of information that initially interested me rather casually - and then stuck with me. A report said that the US government was planning a new online portal. A portal that would make content accessible that is blocked in certain regions of the world. Countries such as Iran and China were mentioned. But then another term came up: Europe.

Europe.

The idea that American agencies are developing an information portal that is expressly intended for European citizens, because certain content is no longer accessible here, made me wonder. Not outraged or panicked, but wary. When Europe is suddenly mentioned in the same breath as traditional areas of censorship, it is worth taking a closer look.

Read more

Johann Sebastian Bach - Order, attitude and the foundation of our music

by
Johann Sebastian Bach Portrait

As a child and teenager, I grew up in a family of musicians. Both my parents are music teachers. My mother plays the flute, my father the piano. Music was not a decorative background in our home, but a natural part of everyday life. We practiced, taught, discussed, sometimes even wrestled. Sheet music was laid out on the piano, not in the cupboard.

I played the piano myself, and later also the saxophone. And like so many people who go through classical training, I ended up with Johann Sebastian Bach at some point - more specifically the first prelude from the „Well-Tempered Clavier“. I can still play it. Maybe not flawlessly, I would have to practise again. But the structure of this piece is still with me today. This calm sequence of broken chords, the clear harmony, the self-evident order - even as a pupil you can sense that something important is happening here. This portrait is dedicated to my mother on her 70th birthday, who made it possible for me to take piano lessons at that time.

Read more

Cancel Culture in the West: Sport, universities, the military and EU sanctions analyzed

by
Cancel Culture in the West

When you hear the word „cancel culture“ today, you quickly think of universities, social networks or prominent individuals who come under pressure for making a thoughtless statement. Originally, the phenomenon was actually very much located in the cultural and academic sphere. It was about boycotts, protests and symbolic distancing. But something has shifted in recent years. The dynamic has grown, it has become more serious - and above all: it has become more political.

Today, we are not just observing individual debates about lectures or Twitter posts. We see athletes who are not allowed to compete. Artists whose programs are being cancelled. Professors coming under massive pressure. Military officers whose statements make international waves within hours. States that keep lists. Entry bans. Sanctions that affect not just institutions, but specific individuals.

This is more than a marginal cultural phenomenon. It has become a political mechanism.

Read more

Energy, power and dependency: Europe's path from world export champion to consumer

by
Europe and energy

If you look around Germany today, you will notice one thing: The energy situation is different than it was twenty years ago. And fundamentally so. Two decades ago, Germany was considered the epitome of industrial stability. Reliable electricity supply, predictable gas prices, robust grid infrastructure. Energy was not an ongoing political issue, but a matter of course. It was there. It worked. It was affordable. It was - and this is crucial - plannable.

Today, however, energy has become a strategic uncertainty factor in Europe, especially in Germany. Prices fluctuate, industry is shifting investments, political debates revolve around subsidies, emergency reserves and dependencies. Energy is no longer just infrastructure - it is a power factor, a bargaining chip and a geopolitical lever.

In this article, we want to calmly trace this development. Not in an alarmist or conspiratorial way, but step by step. What has changed? What decisions have been made? Who benefits? And above all: how did a continent that was sovereign in terms of energy policy end up in a situation in which it barely has any independent control over its most basic foundation - its energy supply?

Read more

Russia, NATO and the fear of war: what can be proven - and what can't

by
NATO, Russia and the fear of war

This article is not the result of a current impulse, indignation or partisanship. Rather, it is the result of a long period of observation - and a growing sense of unease. I have been studying Russia not just since the war in Ukraine. My interest goes back further. I had already studied Russian as a foreign language at school, and at that time I studied the language, history and mentality in a very relaxed way. This early interest led me to follow developments there over the years without constantly changing my perspective.

This is precisely why I am shocked today by how crude, how simplistic and how self-assured many images about Russia and its alleged goals are placed in the public sphere - often without sources, without context, sometimes even without any internal logic. It becomes particularly irritating when such narratives not only appear in talk shows or commentary columns, but are also adopted almost without reflection by journalists, politicians or other official voices. At some point, the question inevitably arises:

Is that actually true?

Read more

Helge Schneider: Attitude, humor and the freedom of not having to explain yourself

by
Helge Schneider Portrait

I noticed Helge Schneider very early on. Not because he was particularly loud or pushed himself to the fore - on the contrary. It was this peculiar mixture of intelligent absurdity, linguistic sideways thinking and musical matter-of-factness that stuck with me. Something about it seemed different right from the start. Unexcited. Unimpressed. And above all: not in need of explanation.

This portrait is therefore not a fan text. Nor is it an ironic wink or an attempt to pigeonhole Helge Schneider into a cultural category. Rather, it is an attempt to look at a personality who has consistently resisted any form of appropriation for decades - and who shows attitude precisely because of this.

Read more

The Two Plus Four Treaty, NATO and the Bundeswehr: What still applies today?

by

When security policy, the Bundeswehr and international obligations are discussed today, it is usually in the mode of the present: numbers, threat situations, alliance capabilities. Rarely, however, is it asked on what legal foundation all this actually stands. Yet there is a treaty that forms precisely this foundation - and yet is barely anchored in the public consciousness: the Two Plus Four Treaty.

Many people know it by name. Few know what exactly was regulated in it. Even fewer are concerned with the question of what significance these agreements still have today - more than three decades after German reunification, in a world that has changed fundamentally in political, military and social terms.

Read more

↑