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Chris Reiter

@chrishreiter.bsky.social
128 followers 120 following 75 posts

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.

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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
That's an inherent bias. It causes legacy media to defend the system by framing crises as deviations from the norm. That's problematic when the system itself is flawed and no longer functioning as it should. I wrote about this on my blog Ground Up. Please check it out. It's free! 🙏
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
I had an interview with Donald Trump. It was before he was a political figure. He played me and I knew it, but I published the story anyway. Those are the rules of the game, and they benefit the people in power. www.chrishreiter.blog/p/what-trump...
open.substack.com
What Trump Taught Me About the Limits of Legacy Media
The rules of the game favor the powerful and create an inherent bias
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
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
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
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...
weact.campact.de
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 ...
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
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...
hyperallergic.com
What I Wish I Had Known About Germany Earlier
A German newspaper commissioned an article from me but then refused to publish it.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
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...
bloomberg.com
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 ...
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
A belated vielen Dank an Jenny für die Gelegenheit über Deutschlands Herausforderungen (und was dagegen getan werden könnte) zu reden. Bitte reinhören und mitmischen!
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
Clearly mine. 😇 Merkel's book is an exercise in denial. She had the political capital and chose not to use it. Now she's trying to justify her inaction. 😔
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
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...
finanzwende.de
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.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
More in my book with @willwilkes.bsky.social Broken Republik (English, @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social) and Totally Kaputt? (German, #PiperVerlag) www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1526679140
amazon.co.uk
Broken Republik: The Inside Story of Germany’s Descent into Crisis
Buy Broken Republik: The Inside Story of Germany’s Descent into Crisis by Reiter, Chris, Wilkes, Will (ISBN: 9781526679147) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
Germans are focused on preserving the present and don't expect brighter days ahead, and so debt is a burden and not an opportunity. But the mindset creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. Decline becomes inevitable. That's an identity issue and it's why Germany needs a vision for the future.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
Public finances aren't a Schwabian household (to use the German cliche). That was the idea of the "black zero" balanced budgets in the past, which left education and infrastructure trailing peers. Debt is an investment in the future...if spent wisely. So fearing debt is fearing the future.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
@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...
spiegel.de
(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.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
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...
theguardian.com
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
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
If political actors show an understanding of people's problems and come up with viable solutions, they would blunt the AfD's appeal. It should be a competition of ideas and not a battle in the courts. The problem is the CDU and SPD have limited credibility since they've run Germany forever.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
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...
tagesschau.de
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...
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
@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...
theparliamentmagazine.eu
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.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
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...
open.substack.com
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.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
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
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
@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...
ft.com
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
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
Despite the challenges, it's not too late for Germany. There's still enough substance that can be tapped to defuse ethnic nationalism and make Germany a nation to be proud of. More obviously in our book: Broken Republik (English) - amzn.eu/d/56WqhsR Totally Kaputt? (deutsch) - amzn.eu/d/hy05nza
amzn.eu
Amazon.co.uk
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
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...
youtube.com
Germany's post-N*zi identity crisis? w/ Broken Republik's Will Wilkes & Chris Reiter
YouTube video by Mad in Germany with James Jackson
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
Thank you 🙏
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
Germany was not liberated from the Nazis, it was the Nazis. It has acknowledged guilt, but not accepted responsibility. These half-measures have prevented the creation of an inclusive civic identity and allowed ethnic nationalism to reemerge. More in amzn.eu/d/56WqhsR and amzn.eu/d/hy05nza
amzn.eu
Broken Republik: The Inside Story of Germany’s Descent into Crisis: Amazon.co.uk: Reiter, Chris, Wilkes, Will: 9781526679147: Books
Buy Broken Republik: The Inside Story of Germany’s Descent into Crisis by Reiter, Chris, Wilkes, Will (ISBN: 9781526679147) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible ...
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
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...
thepioneer.de
Deutschland wurde nie befreit – doch es ist höchste Zeit dafür
Ein Gastbeitrag der Bloomberg-Journalisten und Autoren Chris Reiter und Will Wilkes.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
And even more on the inside story of Germany's descent into crisis is in Broken Republik, my book with @willwilkes.bsky.social www.waterstones.com/book/broken-...
waterstones.com
Broken Republik by Chris Reiter, Will Wilkes | Waterstones
Buy Broken Republik by Chris Reiter, Will Wilkes from Waterstones today! Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
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...
theguardian.com
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
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
More of course in our book: Broken Republik (English, Bloomsbury) - www.waterstones.com/book/broken-... Totally Kaputt? (deutsch, Piper) - www.hugendubel.de/de/buch_gebu...
lnkd.in
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
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...
theguardian.com
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
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
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...
bloomberg.com
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.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
Talked about reinventing the "German Dream"...alongside the cloudy prospects for the new government here (auf deutsch) 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrfV...
youtube.com
Kurs Zukunft - das neue Kabinett steht (fast)! - Andruck
YouTube video by tvberlin
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Mehr zum Buch: 📙 Totally Kaputt? (Deutsch) www.piper.de/buecher/tota... 📘 Broken Republik (English) www.bloomsbury.com/uk/broken-re...
piper.de
Totally kaputt?
Deutschland gleicht einer Gründerzeitvilla: Die Fassade steht noch, aber überall zeigen sich tiefe Risse. Der Amerikaner Christopher Reiter und der Brite William Wilkes wohnen und arbeiten seit Jahren...
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
@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...
migazin.de
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.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 13/04/2025
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.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
Yes, let's go. Spargel fûr Deutschland! Hollandaise is the sauce that binds us. 🤪
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
My "favorite" neudeutsch word is: nice.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
@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...
katjahoyer.uk
The Long Shadow of German Reunification
By Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
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 👇
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
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.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
@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...
open.spotify.com
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...
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
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...
ifw-kiel.de
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 ...
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
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...
welt.de
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 ...
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
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...
n-tv.de
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...
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
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.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
@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-...
unherd.com
Germany isn't ready to fight
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 30/03/2025
In an updated outtake from our book "Broken Republik" in the @thespectator1828.bsky.social, @willwilkes.bsky.social and I take a look at the risks facing Germany's marquis industry in the Trump era. Spoiler alert: It doesn't look good. www.spectator.co.uk/article/can-...
spectator.co.uk
Can German cars survive Donald Trump?
Germany’s post-Cold War boom was built on a single assumption: that ever-deeper globalisation was here to stay.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Vielen dank Marco!
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
It's not yet a done deal that Friedrich Merz will become German chancellor. He still has a fine line to walk and differences to overcome. No one's going to make it easy for him, not even members of his own party. 👇 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Merz’s Next Big Test Is to Win Over German Conservative Skeptics
Friedrich Merz is facing a critical moment in his bid to become German chancellor, as disgruntled fellow conservatives worry he’s making too many concessions.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
If only Berlin did this. My street's main function is parking. It serves no transit function beyond garbage pick up. The lack of ambition in Germany is astounding.
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Chris Reiter @chrishreiter.bsky.social · 23/03/2025
Und natürlich die ungelösten Probleme Deutschlands mit seiner Vergangenheit, die das Land immer wieder in Schwierigkeiten bringt, sich der Zukunft zuzuwenden. Wir hoffen für uns selbst und für unsere in Deutschland geborenen Kinder, dass sich das ändert! 🙏
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