Chris Reiter
@chrishreiter.bsky.social
Co-author of Broken Republik/Totally Kaputt? about Germany's crisis. Berlin-based, US-born senior editor at Bloomberg. Personal website: chrishreiter.com. Opinions here my own.
Friedrich Merz's cabinet with the worst start since Angela Merkel's second term. The good news for Merz is Merkel recovered to serve two more terms. The bad news is it's worse than Olaf Scholz. Source: Surveys by Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, compiled by Statista
Hallo 👋 Kannst Du mir kurz helfen? Statt Klimaschutz sollen Milliarden für neue Autobahnen fließen – das gefährdet unsere Zukunft. Jetzt unterzeichnen ✍️ weact.campact.de/petitions/sc...
Schützt die Klima-Milliarden: Keine Haushaltstricks für neue Autobahnen!
Deutschland hat schon jetzt eines der dichtesten Straßennetze der Welt. Der Neubau von Straßen ist unnötig und würde für noch mehr klimaschädlichen Auto- und LKW-Verkehr sorgen. Wenn wir nicht ...
weact.campact.de
Ai Weiwei has a good grasp of Germany: A society that admits to error but refuses to reflect on its origins possesses a mind as stubborn and dull as granite. hyperallergic.com/1050197/what...
What I Wish I Had Known About Germany Earlier
A German newspaper commissioned an article from me but then refused to publish it.
hyperallergic.com
More racist dog whistling from Merz. On top of migrants mucking up Germany’s Stadtbild, he claims they're a menace for public safety. Not clear how and why he expects this type of rhetoric to win back voters and shore up perception of his leadership. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Germany’s Merz Leans Into Far-Right Messaging to Counter AfD
Chancellor Friedrich Merz doubled down on controversial remarks made last week that suggested Germany has too many migrants, as the conservative politician seeks to regain the initiative over the far ...
bloomberg.com
A belated vielen Dank an Jenny für die Gelegenheit über Deutschlands Herausforderungen (und was dagegen getan werden könnte) zu reden. Bitte reinhören und mitmischen!
Jenny Günther@jennyguenther.bsky.social · 10mo agoHeute geht es mit Alexander Hegelüken über die "Ökonomie des Hasses", @chrishreiter.bsky.social stelle ich die Frage wie "Totally kaputt?" ist Germany. @mfratzscher.bsky.social argumentiert in "Nach uns die Zukunft" für einen neuen Generationenvertrag. app.podigee.com/podcasts/223...
Please support the petition from @finanzwende.de et al to end tax privileges for Germany's super rich. Let's make change happen and support solidarity. Jetzt unterzeichnen:: www.finanzwende.de/kampagnen/st...
Petition: Steuerprivilegien kippen! | Jetzt unterzeichnen
In den letzten 30 Jahren wurden auf Druck der Lobby des großen Geldes immer mehr Steuerprivilegien geschaffen. Wir fordern daher die neuen Bundesregierung auf, diese endlich abzuschaffen.
finanzwende.de
@derspiegel is worried about debt under Germany's new govt and says the borrowing will burden future generations. But that's Germany talking itself into a downward spiral. #GermanAngst Here's why that's the wrong approach: www.spiegel.de/politik/deut...
(S+) Lars Klingbeil als Finanzminister: König der Miesen
Finanzminister Lars Klingbeil möchte in eine bessere Zukunft investieren. Doch seine Milliardenkredite sind eine große Last für künftige Generationen. Neue Schulden tun sich auf.
spiegel.de
Germany urgently needs migrants to bolster its workforce and fulfill public services, especially finance its mounting pension bill. But it's sending signals that migrants aren't wanted. @willwilkes.bsky.social and I wrote about the issue for @theguardian.com 👇 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Germany urgently needs to attract migrant workers – it just doesn’t want them to feel welcome | Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes
Friedrich Merz is unwisely trying to revive the discredited postwar ‘guest worker’ programme, say journalists and authors Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes
theguardian.com
The German govt tried and failed to ban right-wing magazine Compact. Amid talk of an AfD ban, it shows that fighting extremism in the courts is fraught. An approach that provides real solutions to the people and addresses their anxiety would be more promising. www.tagesschau.de/inland/gesel...
Compact-Urteil: Pressefreiheit auch für Feinde der Freiheit
Das rechtsextreme Compact-Magazin durfte nach einem Urteil des Bundesverwaltungsgerichts nicht verboten werden. Chefredakteur Elsässer nutzt die Entscheidung zur Selbstinszenierung. Von Claudia Kornme...
tagesschau.de
@willwilkes.bsky.social and I wrote about Germany's challenges with supporting NATO. Money isn't the main problem. It's soldiers. Germany's youth have little opportunity, so who would want to fight for their country? Answers need to be found. www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article...
Essay: Why Germany is losing the war at home
Despite Chancellor Friedrich Merz's rearmament bravado, youth has lost trust in the state and doesn't want to fight.
theparliamentmagazine.eu
June 17 used to be a holiday in West Germany to mark the deadly 1953 uprising in East Germany. After reunification it was consider "Mission Accomplished." That was obviously premature. Check out my pitch for its revival on @Hahauenstein.bsky.social's substack 👇 open.substack.com/pub/hannohau...
Germany Needs a Holiday Today – Not to Recharge, But to Heal
June 17 used to be a national day of remembrance in honor of the victims of the 1953 uprising in East Germany. It needs to be revived for any chance of unity.
open.substack.com
Germany is drifting into a Gastarbeiter mindset, where migrants are viewed as labor and not as people. Without a course correction, it would be a disaster. Germany needs to approach integration as a two-way street. More from @willwilkes.bky.social and me in @surplusmagazin.bsky.social
Surplus | Das Wirtschaftsmagazin@surplusmagazin.de · last yr.Die Bundesregierung bewertet Migranten nach ihrer Wirtschaftsleistung – und schreckt sie ab. Das ist ein großer Rückschritt, schreiben chrishreiter.bsky.social und willwilkes.bsky.social
@ft.com.web.brid.gy said my book Broken Republik with @willwilkes.bsky.social offered "a deeply insightful and fresh view" of Germany's challenges. Check it out for yourself: www.waterstones.com/book/broken-... or straight from @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social 🙏 www.ft.com/content/1ff8...
The latest economics books
Johan Norberg on what drove history’s influential civilisations; Ben Chu on the rise of zero-sum economic thinking; plus Germany’s decline and a must-read for monetary aficionados
ft.com
Germany's memory culture has failed, allowing Nazi symbols to retain power to provoke and divide. @willwilkes.bsky.social and I discussed the reasons why Germany is struggling with who it is with the Mad in Germany podcast. Check it out 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=WigC...
Germany's post-N*zi identity crisis? w/ Broken Republik's Will Wilkes & Chris Reiter
YouTube video by Mad in Germany with James Jackson
youtube.com
Despite Germany's famed memory culture, the Nazi era is an unresolved national trauma. It paralyzes the country and keeps it from being able to evolve and pivot toward the future. @willwilkes.bsky.social and I wrote about the issue (auf deutsch) for #thePioneer. www.thepioneer.de/originals/th...
Deutschland wurde nie befreit – doch es ist höchste Zeit dafür
Ein Gastbeitrag der Bloomberg-Journalisten und Autoren Chris Reiter und Will Wilkes.
thepioneer.de
Crazy day in German politics. Friedrich Merz is officially chancellor, but his unprecedented failure in the first round of voting in the Bundestag will leave a mark. Even more scrutiny on implementation now. Yesterday, we laid out risks in The Guardian 👇 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Germany needs a unifier. In Merz, it is getting a chancellor whose instincts are to divide | Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes
Merz takes charge as German industry buckles and social fractures deepen. He will struggle to bring a wary public with him, say authors Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes
theguardian.com
For the Guardian, @willwilkes.bsky.social and I wrote about the challenges Friedrich Merz will face as Germany's next chancellor. Our adopted country needs him to be successful and that means uniting the people, but his instincts have been to divide. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Germany needs a unifier. In Merz, it is getting a chancellor whose instincts are to divide | Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes
Merz takes charge as German industry buckles and social fractures deepen. He will struggle to bring a wary public with him, say authors Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes
theguardian.com
Military airspace rules have hampered the construction of enough wind power to supply a city like Berlin. The bureaucratic tangle reflects the challenges that awaits Friedrich Merz's new government to revive the German economy. 👇 www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Germany’s Red Tape Creates a Berlin-Sized Hole in Energy Shift
Military airspace restrictions are holding up wind-power projects, highlighting the challenges for Germany’s energy and defense plans.
bloomberg.com
Talked about reinventing the "German Dream"...alongside the cloudy prospects for the new government here (auf deutsch) 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrfV...
Kurs Zukunft - das neue Kabinett steht (fast)! - Andruck
YouTube video by tvberlin
youtube.com
@willwilkes.bsky.social und ich haben einen Beitrag für @migazin.de geschrieben. Es ist ein Aufruf zum Handeln, der auf unser Buch „Total Kaputt?“ zurückgeht. Deutschland droht zu zersplittern und die Menschen müssen sich zusammentun. Wir sind alle das Volk. www.migazin.de/2025/04/15/w...
Wir sind das Volk - Es ist Zeit, laut zu werden
In den 1980er Jahren half „Wir sind das Volk!“, die Ostdeutschen in ihrem Kampf für die Freiheit zu mobilisieren. Die Zeit ist jetzt eine andere.
migazin.de
AfD up 6 points in Bavaria, to second place. CSU down 5 points. Markus Soeder and co. are not blunting the nationalists by shifting to the right. They are enabling them. What's needed is clear policies that show a path forward.
Wahlumfragen • dawum.de@dawum.de · last yr.#Wahlumfrage Bayern, Civey (12.04.25): CSU: 39% (−5), AfD: 18% (+6), Grüne: 12% (+1), Freie Wähler: 10% (−1), SPD: 8%, BSW: 4%, FDP: 2%, Linke: 2% (+1), Sonstige: 5% (−2) ➤ dawum.de/Bayern/Civey... | #Sonntagsfrage #ltwby
@willwilkes.bsky.social and I wrote something for Katja Hoyer's Zeitgeist substack. Borrowing from our book Broken Republik / Totally Kaputt?, the piece looks at how reunification continues to ripple through Germany and why it went wrong. Check it out 👇 www.katjahoyer.uk/p/the-long-s...
The Long Shadow of German Reunification
By Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes
katjahoyer.uk
Check out @willwilkes.bsky.social and I talking about our Book Broken Republik with @40percentgerman.bsky.social and @maddox84.bsky.social on the Decades from Home podcast. It's not Germany does it worse, but Germans can do it better! Here's a clip 👇
Friedrich Merz and the German conservative bloc are now neck-on-neck with the far-right AfD -- a party whose co-leader called Hitler a communist. Sure, there's no election soon, but it means Merz's government (if he gets one together) faces under enormous execution risk from the get go.
Deutschland Wählt / Österreich Wählt@de.whln.eu · last yr.BUNDESTAGSWAHL | Sonntagsfrage INSA/BILD am Sonntag Union: 24% (-2) AfD: 24% (+1) SPD: 16% GRÜNE: 11% (-1) LINKE: 11% (+1) BSW: 4% (-1) FDP: 4% (+1) Sonstige: 6% (+1) Änderungen zur letzten Umfrage vom 29. März 2025 Verlauf: whln.eu/UmfragenDeutschland #btw29
@willwilkes.bsky.social and I talked to @40percentgerman.bsky.social about what ails Germany. There's a silver lining there. Check it out 👇 open.spotify.com/show/1dqxxaL...
Decades From Home - A Podcast About Germany
Podcast · 40% German · With over two decades of living in Germany between them, Nic and Dili, host a podcast about Germany filled with news, articles, and stories that show the many different sides to...
open.spotify.com
Analysis by Germany's Kiel Institute for the World Economy shows that Trump's tariffs hit the US hardest. So, not so much reciprocation but a lot of self-harm. www.ifw-kiel.de/publications...
New U.S. Tariffs Hit the U.S. Itself Hardest
The newly announced tariffs by the U.S. administration on imports from nearly all countries could have severe negative economic consequences—most notably for the United States itself. Other countries ...
ifw-kiel.de
Some CDU lawmakers want to ban the keffiyeh in the Bundestag. Inventing a xenophobic solution for a problem that doesn't exist will not win back voters, even AfD voters. 🫣 www.welt.de/politik/deut...
Nach Palästinensertuch-Eklat: CDU-Abgeordnete fordern Kufiya-Verbot im Bundestag - WELT
Während der konstituierenden Sitzung des neuen Bundestags trug eine Linken-Politikerin ein Palästinensertuch. Für mehrere CDU-Abgeordnete eine Provokation. In einem Brief an die Bundestagspräsidentin ...
welt.de
Friedrich Merz's CDU/CSU is just one point ahead of the far-right AfD in a new poll. The chancellor-in-waiting has his back against the wall before his term even starts. www.n-tv.de/politik/Unio...
Union liegt nur noch einen Prozentpunkt vor der AfD
CDU und CSU verlieren laut Trendbarometer von RTL und ntv weiter an Rückhalt in der Bevölkerung. Weil zugleich die AfD hinzugewinnt, liegt diese beinahe gleichauf mit den Unionsparteien. Auch die Wirt...
n-tv.de
This is very disturbing, but part of a pattern in Germany. The country's postwar identity is built around the idea of not being Nazis. That has led to performative acts to counter what it deems as anti-Semitism, which -- for the German mainstream -- includes criticizing Israel.
Hanno Hauenstein@hahauenstein.bsky.social · last yr.Germany Turns to U.S. Playbook: Deportations Target Gaza War Protesters - my latest @theintercept.com theintercept.com/2025/03/31/g...
@willwilkes.bsky.social and I took a look at what Germany's spending plan means for European security. Based on reporting from our book Broken Republik (English)/Totally Kaputt? (deutsch), it's not promising. Check it out on @unherd.com 👇 unherd.com/2025/03/why-...
Germany isn't ready to fight
unherd.com