“I don’t have anything against Christians or Buddhists or Jews,” Kathrin Oertel said. “They don’t demand I observe certain rules so as not to offend them.”
Merkel
Putin Wins Again
Vladimir Putin determines who and what crosses the border into Ukraine until he is satisfied the Kiev government has genuflected deeply enough.
Signs of Desperation in West’s Latest Moves to Halt Ukraine Crisis
The European Union, with Germany at its head, sleepwalked into the Ukraine crisis.
Ukraine’s Ceasefire Has Become a Farce, with Vladimir Putin the Author
Russia isn’t formally a party to the conflict but a concerned neighbor. The de facto double role of warmonger and peacemaker puts all the cards in Putin’s hands.
Putin the Pariah
Putin’s isolation points to a larger problem and one of the greatest failures of his presidency: namely that Russia has practically no allies left.
25 Years After Its Fall, Vladimir Putin Puts Berlin Wall’s Lessons Front and Center
Putin punished Ukrainians by dismembering their country not only because he saw a threat to his power. It was late revenge for the world he lost in 1989.
Germany and Drones
Military experience gained in the Balkans, the Horn of Africa and Afghanistan has made Germany more, not less, assertive. One of the clearest signs is Angela Merkel’s pursuit of weaponized drones.
Taking on Merkel
Bespectacled and balding, Peer Steinbrück has the charm of a bank manager. The only moment I saw him betray any emotion was when he punched the air at the end of the delegates’ 10-minute standing ovation.
Hands Off Germany’s Neo-Nazi Party
Far-right parties are a scourge of many European democracies. But trying to prohibit them does nothing to uproot chauvinism or stop racist violence. It only creates the illusion that politicians are taking action.
Faraway, So Close
Vladimir Putin arrived in Berlin an hour late after first visiting Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko. The symbolism was clear: Angela Merkel, Germany and the West can wait – and not just an hour but two whole weeks.
