Germany
16 briefs
Trump Pulls 5,000 Troops from Germany. NATO's Eastern Flank Is Now Improvising.
Germany's 'Sparta 2.0' plan admits Europe cannot run a war without US software approval. Poland is competing for the troops like a trophy. The Baltics are watching both of them.
Germany Wants to Ban Social Media for Kids Under 14. The Age Verification Problem Will Break It.
The SPD's proposal uses the EU Digital Identity Wallet as the enforcement mechanism. That is either a serious policy or a data collection system with a safety branding.
Putin Proposed His Friend Schroeder as Ukraine Mediator. Every Party That Matters Rejected Him Within 24 Hours.
Germany, Ukraine, and the EU all said no. That is not the interesting part. The interesting part is why Putin floated a name he knew would be refused.
Europe Blinks on AI
The EU delayed its flagship AI law's core rules by 18 months and exempted industrial AI entirely, handing industry a win critics say undermines the whole point.
Europe Is Taking Over NATO. Washington Hasn't Noticed It's Losing the Alliance.
The Iran war forced Trump to fight alone, and in doing so he handed European capitals the leverage they needed to rewrite the alliance's power structure from the inside.
Germany Is Gutting the EU AI Act. Siemens and Bosch Are Watching.
Berlin secured an industrial machinery exemption that rewrites the law's core premise: that AI rules should apply to all sectors equally.
Trump Is Coming for European Cars Again
The USTR confirmed 25% tariffs on EU autos are moving forward. Europe's car industry was already struggling. This time, the trigger is geopolitical, not just protectionist.
The EU AI Act Talks Collapsed. The Deadline They Were Trying to Move Did Not.
Negotiators failed to agree on a delay. High-risk AI compliance is still due August 2. The failure is not a stalemate; it is an accidental victory for the hardliners.
Trump Broke the EU Car Deal He Made at His Own Golf Course. The Reason He Gave Does Not Hold.
The Turnberry deal lowered EU auto tariffs to 15% last July. Trump raised them back to 25% without citing a specific EU violation. The EU's trade chief meets his US counterpart in Paris tomorrow.
Trump Pulls Troops From Germany. Spain and Italy Are Next.
The withdrawal isn't about defense posture. It's punishment for not joining the Iran war, and every NATO ally knows it.
Trump Rips Up the EU Car Deal and Announces 25% Auto Tariffs. Europe Has No Good Response.
The US-EU trade agreement was supposed to hold at a 10% baseline tariff. Trump has now raised the rate on cars and lorries to 25%, accusing the EU of non-compliance. The EU has no leverage it is willing to use.
Trump Pulls 5,000 Troops from Germany. NATO's Nervous System Just Got Cut.
The withdrawal is not about Germany's defense spending. It is punishment for Merz saying the obvious about Iran.
Europe Just Had Its Biggest Military Spending Surge Since 1953. It Is Not Enough and Everyone Knows It.
European NATO members grew defense spending 14% in 2025, the steepest climb since the Korean War era. The NATO target just moved to 5% of GDP. The gap between current spending and what the war calculus demands is still enormous.
Merz's Trade: Give Russia the Land, Get Ukraine into the EU
Germany's chancellor told students on Monday that Ukraine may need to cede territory to secure peace, and that EU membership could be the prize offered in return. He was the first major Western leader to say this out loud.
Europe Is Building a NATO Without the US. Germany Just Agreed to Help.
European allies have moved from theorizing about American withdrawal to actively designing command structures that exclude Washington. The 80-year alliance is splitting in plain sight.
Europe Is Trying to Win a War the US Stopped Funding
Zelenskyy rejected a 'NATO-light' deal in Berlin, signed 10 defense agreements with Germany, and now expects a $105 billion EU loan after Orban's election loss. The market says there's still only a 10.5% chance of a ceasefire by June 30.