Germany

Military gear compiled on ground

NATO launches largest military exercises since the Cold War

This week, NATO launched its largest military exercise since the Cold War. The military drills are taking place across Germany, Poland and the Baltics and will continue through May. European officials and military leaders have warned that if Russia’s military isn’t stopped in Ukraine, a NATO country could be targeted next.

NATO launches largest military exercises since the Cold War
Tens of thousands of demonstrators fill Munich’s Ludwigstraße, one of the cities main boulevards, in protest against recent revelations about a meeting between members of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

‘I’m here to fight for democracy’: Tens of thousands protest against the far-right in Germany

‘I’m here to fight for democracy’: Tens of thousands protest against the far-right in Germany
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is interviewed by Neil Cavuto.

Henry Kissinger leaves lasting — and controversial — foreign policy legacy

Henry Kissinger leaves lasting — and controversial — foreign policy legacy
A couple embrace during a protest in Trafalgar Square, London, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023. They are demanding the release of all hostages allegedly taken by the militant group Hamas.

'A link with my ancestors': Britons reconnect with Jewish roots for EU passports

'A link with my ancestors': Britons reconnect with Jewish roots for EU passports
man at podium

Coalition of small island states makes a case that greenhouse gas emissions are covered by UN Law of the Sea

Coalition of small island states makes a case that greenhouse gas emissions are covered by UN Law of the Sea
The site at Campus Galli near the German-Swiss border where carpenters are erecting a medieval utopia.

A group of carpenters in Germany is erecting a medieval utopia using only 9th-century tools

Archeologists and craftspeople are building a village and monastery following, for the first time, the only blueprint that survived the early Middle Ages — a medieval plan for a utopian community sketched on calfskin.

A group of carpenters in Germany is erecting a medieval utopia using only 9th-century tools
On the outer edge of a bog in Kohlhütte nature reserve, the land is drier than it used to be. Once, this dirt would have been more like thick mud.

In Germany’s Black Forest and beyond, a quiet loss of biodiversity

A recent survey indicates much less species growth in Germany’s Black Forest. Two plant species have gone extinct, and several more will likely disappear in the next 15 years.

In Germany’s Black Forest and beyond, a quiet loss of biodiversity
Cars queuing to cross the border into Kazakhstan at the Mariinsky border crossing, about (250 miles south of Chelyabinsk, Russia, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022.

Anti-war Russians who fled for safety now face deportation

More than a year after thousands of Russians who opposed the war fled abroad for safety, they now face deportation and other challenges in the countries that initially received them, such as Kazakhstan, Estonia and Georgia.

Anti-war Russians who fled for safety now face deportation
two white wind turbines outside

War in Ukraine speeding up Germany's transition to renewables

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year upended energy markets throughout Europe. No country was hit harder than Germany. At the time, more than half of Germany’s gas came from Russia.  In the short term, the country had to double down on fossil fuels: keeping coal-fired power plants open longer and building new liquefied natural gas terminals.  But in the long term, the war pushed a government falling behind on renewable energy goals to enact some ambitious new policies.

War in Ukraine speeding up Germany's transition to renewables
black and white image of four people

Historians are learning more about how the Nazis targeted trans people

This is an important case. It was the first time a court recognized the persecution of trans people in Nazi Germany. It was followed a few months later by the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, formally releasing a statement recognizing trans and cisgender queer people as victims of fascism.

Historians are learning more about how the Nazis targeted trans people
Denmark's military officers stand next to a Leopard 2A7 tank at the Tapa Military Camp, in Estonia, Jan. 19, 2023.

Tanks for Ukraine are 'ready to go' when Germany and US strike a deal, retired Navy Adm. says

As Germany faces mounting pressure to supply tanks to Kyiv for the ongoing war in Ukraine, retired Navy Adm. James Stavridis talks with The World's host Marco Werman about what the delivery of heavy weapons could mean for the war.

Tanks for Ukraine are 'ready to go' when Germany and US strike a deal, retired Navy Adm. says
Parliament buildings over looks the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Oct. 28, 2022. 

State reformation: Part I

This week's Critical State, a foreign policy newsletter by Inkstick Media, takes a deep dive into what might happen should Ireland and Northern Ireland fall under one government again.

State reformation: Part I
An F/A-18 E launches from the deck during flight training ops aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, off the Virginia Coast.

Left unresolved: Part II

Critical State, a foreign policy newsletter by Inkstick Media, takes a deep dive into the beliefs of citizens of Germany and the Netherlands on the use of US nuclear weapons — especially as informed by partisan belief.

Left unresolved: Part II
Sueddeutsche Zeitung Photo / Alamy Stock Photo

Revealed: Untold story of the CIA/Stasi double agent abandoned after 22 years of service

A double agent who operated for the CIA and the Dutch security service against the Stasi tells his story for the first time.

Revealed: Untold story of the CIA/Stasi double agent abandoned after 22 years of service
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, left, shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as French President Emmanuel Macron, looks on before a meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine

Many Germans fear 'active participation in war' as country increases military aid to Ukraine

The German public has been reluctant to become involved in Ukraine's war. But the government in Berlin plans to deliver on a promise that Chancellor Olaf Scholz made in February to supply military assistance, citing a “turning point” for Europe.

Many Germans fear 'active participation in war' as country increases military aid to Ukraine