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How the AfD's rise could reshape German politics
Quick Take

How the AfD's rise could reshape German politics

In this Quick Take, Ian Bremmer breaks down the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's historic win in the Saxony-Anhalt state election and what it could mean for the country's political future.

Germany rebuilds its ranks
Graphic Truth

Germany rebuilds its ranks

Germany’s military has reached its largest size in 13 years – and is still growing.

The AI risks being ignored
Quick Take

The AI risks being ignored

In this Quick Take, Ian Bremmer breaks down why the AI risks dominating the headlines may not be the ones worth worrying about.

A U.S. military aircraft takes off from an unknown location
What We're Watching

US and Iran expand the war, Uruguay may say bienvenidos to Cubans, the final straw for Merz might be…a baby?

Egypt said two ships were hit with a drone in the port of Damietta on Wednesday, just 40 miles from the exit of the Suez Canal, the first attack in the country since the war began.

Why Europe isn’t falling apart despite political turmoil
ask ian

Why Europe isn’t falling apart despite political turmoil

In this episode of “ask ian,” Ian Bremmer breaks down Europe’s political turmoil, from leadership crises in the UK and France to growing anti-establishment sentiment across the continent.

​Students and their supporters take part in a protest in Serbia
What We're Watching

Student protests coming to Serbia this weekend, US Democrats release incomplete election autopsy, Washington to move troops to Poland

Student protesters are set to take to the streets in Serbia this weekend in the first major demonstrations of the year against President Aleksandar Vučić, as frustration mounts over democratic backsliding and corruption.

An armed PKK fighter places a weapon to be burnt during a disarming ceremony in Sulaimaniya, Iraq, July 11, 2025, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video.
What We're Watching

What We're Watching: Kurdish militants melt away the past, Trump to shift focus away from Congress, Germany gets a taste of US-style court battles

​From left to right, Prime Minister of Bavaria Markus Soeder, Chairman of the CDU Friedrich Merz, Heads of the SPD Lars Klingbeil, and Saskia Esken arrive at a press conference after successful coalition negotiations in Berlin, Germany, on April 9, 2025.
What We're Watching

Germany’s Friedrich Merz strikes grand coalition deal

Germany’s leading establishment parties reached a grand coalition deal on Wednesday, bringing Europe’s largest economy a step closer to having a formal government amid severe domestic and global challenges.

​Germany's chancellor-in-waiting and leader of the Christian Democratic Union party Friedrich Merz reacts as he attends an extraordinary session of the outgoing lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, on March 18, 2025.
What We're Watching

Germany’s vote to boost military spending makes history

Germany’s parliament made history Tuesday as it voted to sharply increase defense spending – by exempting it from limits on the country’s assumption of debt. Germany’s upper house, the Bundesrat, is widely expected to approve this change with a vote scheduled for Friday.

German Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz
What We're Watching

Germany drops debt brake, passes preliminary agreement to boost defense, infrastructure, and climate spending

Germany’s election-winning center-right Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union, led by Friedrich Merz, and the Social Democrats have reached a preliminary agreement with the Green Party on a deal to exclude defense spending from the country’s constitutional debt break and establish a dedicated $545 billion fund for infrastructure investments.

​Christian Democratic Union party leader Friedrich Merz speaks at the party headquarters after the exit poll results are announced for the 2025 general election, in Berlin, Germany, on Feb. 23, 2025.
What We're Watching

Conservatives come first, far right second in German election

As expected, the conservative Christian Democratic Union and its sister party, the Christian Social Union, came out on top in Germany’s election on Sunday with 28.6% of the vote. But the biggest celebrations were held by those supporting the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which scored a second-place finish with 20.8%, doubling its share of the vote since the last election. It beat the centrist SPD’s 16.4% and the Greens’ 11.6%.