Merz’s Fantasy of Leading Europe Richard J. Schenk January 5, 2026 Eight months into his time in office, Germany’s chancellor has ceded strategy, leverage, and initiative to others.
The 9,500-Vote Question: Does Chancellor Merz Still Have a Majority? Richard J. Schenk December 3, 2025 The incentives are plain: the CDU/CSU–SPD majority has no reason to risk its power by triggering a recount.
The Invisible Empire: The EU’s Fiscal Turn Richard J. Schenk October 28, 2025 The EU Commission’s proposal for the next multiannual financial framework hides a political revolution in plain sight.
Copenhagen: The Summit of Europe’s Insecurity Richard J. Schenk October 7, 2025 Europe talks of peace while preparing psychologically and politically for war.
The Last Battle of European Social Democracy Richard J. Schenk September 13, 2025 Across the continent, social democracy is shrinking: in the European Council, Social Democrats now hold only three of 27 seats, already outnumbered by the Right.
Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union: Political Theater for the Brussels Bubble Richard J. Schenk September 12, 2025 Brussels may soon look for systemic fixes—more censorship, more centralisation—but these are recipes not for stability, but for disruption.
How Merz Dug His Own Political Grave Richard J. Schenk April 4, 2025 The CDU/CSU Union is about to fail at the very thing they have always prided themselves on: political responsibility.
