As we enter 2025 with the imminent return of US President-elect Donald Trump to the White House and war still raging in Ukraine, we asked members of our network who are actively engaged in their domestic politics what the defence and security priorities for their country or party should be for the year ahead.
As Germany enters early elections following the erosion of Olaf Scholz’s coalition, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by Tanit Koch, journalist, co-host of the Focus Briefing and former editor-in-chief of the popular BILD, for a discussion of the problems facing Germany in terms of its economic ills, political divisions, and the rise of populist extremism.
The US and Germany have agreed to redeploy conventional long-range missiles to Europe, starting with periodic deployments in 2026, in response to Russia’s dual-capable missile capabilities. We ask five network members what effect this could have on strategic stability and what steps can be taken to reduce possible risks.
This month, Chancellor Shultz wrote, “Germans are intent on becoming the guarantor of European security that our allies expect us to be, a bridge builder within the European Union and an advocate for multilateral solutions to global problems”. But to do so requires a “new strategic culture” in Germany’s security strategy – What shifts should we expect in the new Security Strategy and where do the main challenges lie?
ELN Policy Fellow Julia Berghofer made a Bundestag statement on the establishment of a special fund (“Sondervermögen Bundeswehr”).
As leaders of Germany’s Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals agreed on a coalition deal yesterday, Julia Berghofer writes that when it comes to defence and security, the new coalition must strike a balance between pursuing ambitious projects while not losing sight of the sometimes-arduous groundwork.