Geopolitics

Friedrich Merz is preparing Germany for what he called a “new reality,” in which conflicts and wars are becoming more frequent around the world. In the Chancellor’s government statement and the subsequent debates in the Bundestag, two wars dominated the agenda: Russia’s war against Ukraine and the conflict involving Israel and Iran. Merz reiterated his goal of building “the strongest conventional army in Europe” in Germany. Currently, with 180,000 soldiers, the Bundeswehr ranks fourth among NATO countries in Europe in terms of size, behind Turkey, Poland, and France.

Regarding the threat from Russia, Merz said that President “Putin only understands the language of force” and mentioned that.  At the same time, the Chancellor acknowledged that Berlin had long ignored the warnings from Eastern and Central European countries about “Russia’s imperialist policy,” but that Germans have now realized this “mistake,” and “there is no way back.”