Barcelona. Germany faces an unpublished crisis since the end of the second war, shaken by the economic recession, the conflict in Ukraine and the challenges posed by immigration. The triumph of Christian Democrats, and the remarkable second place obtained by the extreme right, are the reflection of a country that faces a difficult crossroads.
“The rise of the extreme right must be correlated with the increase in defense spending because this is a very dangerous sign of the rebirth of revenge ideas after the defeat of Nazi Germany,” says Peter Frank, a researcher in the Department of International Studies of the University of Berlin.
The elections that Friedrich Merz won have passed, but the problems continue, and include the decision to borrow to rearm the political crisis aggravates.
“The line of wealth of the Germans falls and the increase in military spending increases, this is an explosive and dangerous combination. The change of government in Berlin does not help improve the critical situation that the country is experiencing,” says Frank.
On the other hand, Germany is no longer what it was only a few decades ago: a modern industrialized country valued abroad by its medium leading world market and its highly qualified workers, its good public infrastructure and health care, its efficient administration, its low crime rates and its high degree of social cohesion. Germany is before a turning point.
For Elizabeth Karen del Cidob “Germany’s support to Ukraine could lead the country on an unknown direction, especially because the Nazi discourse of the alternative party for Germany is settling in the political arena.”
Economy
Despite the shock caused by the recent attacks starring foreigners in Solingen, Magdeburg, Aschaffenburg and Munich, the main source of concern of the Germans is the economy.
“Here structural factors are combined, such as the lack of investment in infrastructure, excessive bureaucratic obstacles, the costs of the ecological transition, especially in small and medium enterprises – vertebral column of the German economy – and the recessive effects of the Schuldbremse, the constitutional norm that prevents the state from borrowing,” says Andrés Regganni, research profess Torcuato Di Tella University.
The re -election of Donald Trump has sown confusion in German foreign policy and that of its European partners. Since their first mandate, Trump’s anti-multilateralist positions questioned the foundations of the historical link between Washington and Berlin, a fundamental pillar of the self-perception of post-war Germany as a western nation committed to the “Atlantist” spirit and the alliance with the United States.
Germany faces very serious challenges in the short term and its commitment to rearme is very risky.
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