Germany’s ruling coalition marks its first anniversary
Despite war, inflation, recession and a gas-strapped winter, it is faring rather well
Angela Merkel’s 16-year run as Germany’s chancellor was always going to be a hard act to follow. But her triumphant exit was not the sole reason why the new government that clomped onto the stage last December 8th looked bound to put up a poor show. Germans had dubbed the wobbly-looking coalition die Ampel, the traffic-light. This referred to the colours of its component parties—red Social Democrats (spd), yellow Free Democrats (FDP) and the Greens. Yet it also hinted at mixed signals and policy jams. It was no help that the Ampel’s leading man was Olaf Scholz, a dry Social Democrat whose electoral success owed less to his charms than to his opponents’ gaffes. And then, weeks into the Ampel’s opening run, Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, set the theatre on fire.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “The traffic-light at one”
Europe December 10th 2022
- Germany’s ruling coalition marks its first anniversary
- German police arrest two dozen alleged conspirators in a hare-brained plot to overthrow the government
- Russia is hurling troops at the tiny Ukrainian town of Bakhmut
- In Moscow, all dissent is muzzled
- Ukraine is using foreign tech to mitigate Russian destruction
- Why the French are mangling their own language
- Europe is grappling with its dodgy memorials, a plinth at a time
From the December 10th 2022 edition
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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
A rise in antisemitism puts Europe’s liberal values to the test
The return of Europe’s oldest scourge
Once dominant, Germany is now desperate
As an election looms its business model is breaking down