This is the second of four reports on Germany’s various crises, the history that produced them and how Germans, other than the neoliberal elites who now hold power, think about their way forward. Part 1 of this series is here. POTSDAM—A single, brief phrase always comes to mind when I think of Germany. Whatever may... Read More

This is the first of four reports on the crises that now beset Germany — what they are, the history that produced them, and how Germans think about finding their way forward once again. I thank Eva–Maria Föllmer–Müller and Karl–Jürgen Müller of Bazenheid, Switzerland, for their unsparing assistance as I reported and wrote this series.... Read More

This is the second of two essays considering President Trump’s unfolding offensive against the institutions and agencies comprising the deep state — the permanent state or the invisible government, as it is also commonly known. The first in this series is here. Trump’s telephone conversation with the Russian president, which he disclosed at noon Wednesday,... Read More

Ah, those elections last week to the European Parliament, in which voters across the European Union administered a sound whack to the technocrats, market fundamentalists, and liberal authoritarians who now hold power across much of the Continent: Let us attempt what we are not supposed ever to undertake. Let us try to understand them. The... Read More

Many years ago, another time and place, I had a German friend who hailed from Hamburg. Christophe was a cultivated sort—well-read, impressive art on the walls of his apartment. I remember how inordinately fond he was of his collection of those elegant, sought-after pipes made by Peterson of Dublin. It was a year or so... Read More