A historic vote to boost spending on defence and infrastructure shows the country is shedding its excess of caution – and its complacencyFew people outside Berlin’s political bubble will have heard of Lars Klingbeil. They will soon, though, as he is about to become one of the pivotal players in the new German government. The co-leader of the Social Democratic party (SPD) captured the moment in this week’s debate in the Bundestag, one of the most important in Germany’s recent history.“A few weeks ago, many would have thought that we couldn’t have come to an agreement. The differences were too great,” he said. “What differentiates this country from others is that we are ready, as parties of the democratic centre, to find solutions and not to leave the ground for populist extremism to blossom.”John Kampfner is the author of In Search of Berlin, Blair’s Wars and Why the Germans Do It Better Continue reading...
According to John Kampfner in The Guardian, Europe needs leadership and Germany is poised to provide it. Germany, under incoming chancellor Friedrich Merz, has voted for increased spending on defense and infrastructure, signaling a shift away from austerity and reliance on other nations for its defense. This change follows years of political drift under Olaf Scholz and is driven in part by concerns about populist extremism and Donald Trump.
