Table of Contents
The News
From Merkel to Olaf
- Chancellor Angela Merkel had led a a coalition of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU), and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) famously called Grand coalition.
- In November 2021 after the elections, Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and liberals (FDP) clinched a deal to form the Germany new government with Olaf Scholz as chancellor.
- In its first 100 days, Olaf faced heavy challenges from running a coalition to Covid-19 induced economic slowdown to Ukraine crisis.
From Merkel to Olaf
- 15 Years of Merkel
- Merkel emphasized on international cooperation, both in the context of the European Union and NATO.
- Angela Merkel played a central role in the negotiation of the Treaty of Lisbon and the Berlin Declaration. Merkel also played a crucial role in managing the financial crisis at the European and international level.
- Merkel’s approach to Russia & China was multifaceted which was driven by a geoeconomic outlook and a belief in multilateral engagement. Critics often highlighted her reliance on autocratic China & Russia as “Merkentilism”.
Olaf’s Zeitenwende..!!
Olaf’s change
- Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Olaf Scholz’s speech before a special session of the Bundestag was a tectonic shift in German policy after nearly two decades.
- Recognizing the geopolitical implications, Scholz put an end to the debate over Nord Stream 2 by stating it would not go online.
Olaf’s change
- Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Olaf Scholz’s speech before a special session of the Bundestag was a tectonic shift in German policy after nearly two decades.
- On defense policy, the new government committed to supplying weapons to Kyiv to help the Ukrainians defend themselves, immediately investing more than $110 billion (100 billion euros) in the Bundeswehr to improve Germany’s defense capabilities. The government announced that it would send anti-tank and other weapons to Ukraine, abandoning a long-standing policy of blocking weapons from being delivered to conflict zones.
Olaf’s change
- Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Olaf Scholz’s speech before a special session of the Bundestag was a tectonic shift in German policy after nearly two decades.
- On energy and climate policy, the coalition government stated that by 2030, 80 percent of Germany’s electricity should come from renewables, 50 percent of heating should be climate neutral and the phase-out of nuclear energy and coal should be completed by 2022 and 2030, respectively.
Olaf’s change
- Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Olaf Scholz’s speech before a special session of the Bundestag was a tectonic shift in German policy after nearly two decades.
- On foreign policy, it appeared that the new government would continue Germany’s attempt to forge a path between rivalry and cooperation. Germany has been following Wandel durch Handel (change through trade) which has been unchanged.
The Big Questions
- Is the German Zeitenwende, just directed towards Russia?
- Will Germany also take a hard look over its reliance on Chinese?
German Reliance on China
Latest Burning Issues | Free PDF
WhatsApp