Schröder's surprise
With the chancellor having reacted to electoral defeat by dropping a political bombshell, the fallout may be even bigger than he expects
IS IT a desperate act of self-destruction, by a politician who has been trapped and deprived of all escape routes? A brilliant manoeuvre to discipline left-wing dissenters within his party, and catch the opposition off guard? Or is it the act of a statesman who wants to save his country more than a year of political stalemate?
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Schröder's surprise”
Discover more
Emmanuel Macron shows off the gloriously restored Notre Dame
Five years after it was gutted by fire, the cathedral is more beautiful than ever
Ursula von der Leyen has a new doctrine for handling the hard right
The boss of the European Commission embarks on a second term
Marine Le Pen spooks the bond markets
She threatens to bring down the French government, but also faces a possible ban from politics
The maths of Europe’s military black hole
It needs to spend to defend, but voters may balk
Ukraine’s warriors brace for a Kremlin surge in the south
Vladimir Putin’s war machine is pushing harder and crushing Ukrainian morale
Vladimir Putin fires a new missile to amplify his nuclear threats
The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare