Germany in Limbo

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s hopes of forming a new coalition government have been dashed by the withdrawal of the Free Democrats from talks, forcing her to resurrect the grand coalition with the Social Democrats, form a minority government, or face another general election. Project Syndicate writers reflect on the challenges Germany faces and the implications for Europe of Merkel’s weakened position.

Germany’s Crisis of Complacency
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Germany’s Crisis of Complacency

Sep 22, 2017 Helmut K. Anheier considers the domestic and international risks implied by Germany’s staunch resistance to change.

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Germany’s Weimar Ghosts
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Germany’s Weimar Ghosts

Sep 25, 2017 Harold James argues that a stable European order may be the Federal Republic's strongest democratic bulwark in the coming years.

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Germany’s Grave New World
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Germany’s Grave New World

Sep 26, 2017 Joschka Fischer says the fate of Europe's most stable democracy and largest economy now hangs in the balance.

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Europe’s Battle on Four Fronts
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Europe’s Battle on Four Fronts

Sep 26, 2017 Anatole Kaletsky believes that the EU's survival requires simultaneous breakthroughs in Berlin, Brussels, London, and Paris.

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A Test for Europe’s German Anchor
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A Test for Europe’s German Anchor

Sep 26, 2017 Daniela Schwarzer notes that while the center held in Germany's federal election, the policy consensus is weakening.

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The Franco-German Opportunity?
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The Franco-German Opportunity?

Sep 26, 2017 PS editors

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Europe on a Geopolitical Fault Line

Ana Palacio

China has begun to build a parallel international order, centered on itself. If the European Union aids in its construction – even just by positioning itself on the fault line between China and the United States – it risks toppling key pillars of its own edifice and, eventually, collapsing altogether.

Is Economic Winter Coming?

Raghuram G. Rajan

Now that the old rules governing macroeconomic cycles no longer seem to apply, it remains to be seen what might cause the next recession in the United States. But if recent history is our guide, the biggest threat stems not from the US Federal Reserve or any one sector of the economy, but rather from the White House.

Will China Confront a Revolution of Rising Expectations?

Barry Eichengreen

Amid much discussion of the challenges facing the Chinese economy, the line-up of usual suspects typically excludes the most worrying scenario of all: popular unrest. While skeptics would contend that widespread protest against the regime and its policies is unlikely, events elsewhere suggest that China is not immune.