Facebook Pixel German divide ~ II | The Statesman - newspaper - Bu hikayeyi Magzter.com'da okuyun
Magzter GOLD ile Sınırsız Olun

Magzter GOLD ile Sınırsız Olun

Sadece 9.000'den fazla dergi, gazete ve Premium hikayeye sınırsız erişim elde edin

$149.99
 
$74.99/Yıl

Denemek ALTIN - Özgür

German divide ~ II

The Statesman

|

January 14, 2025

When Merkel stepped down in 2021, she was hailed for saving the European Union but many hold her responsible for having destabilized Germany and the politics of the continent. Gavin Mortimer points out that Merkel primarily is responsible for the resurgence of right-wing and nationalist parties across Europe. 'The AfD as well as Marine Le Pen, Geert Wilders and Giorgia Meloni all owe a debt of gratitude to Angela Merkel'

- Gavin Mortimer

German divide ~ II

The AfD when founded in 2013 had the reputation of being an old man's club dissatisfied with Angela Merkel's fiscal and foreign policies. Its founding members were those who advocated disengagement from the European Union (EU) in stark contrast to Merkel championing the cause of greater European integration. The AfD protested at the Euro as the EU's sole currency and rejected the bailouts of EU member countries in the aftermath of the euro-zone debt crisis. Sixty fellow conservatives of Merkel voted against her proposal to support a bailout for Greece in 2015.

In the elections held that year, the AfD received a little over two million votes and no seats in the Bundestag. Merkel's declaration on 31 August 2015 that 'Germany is a strong country...We have achieved so much - we can do it' and throwing open Europe's doors to an unknown number of refugees and migrants was at odds with her admission in 2010 of the failure of multiculturalism.

The priorities of AfD shifted with these new initiatives. With a record number of migrants, more than one million entering Germany from Syria and Afghanistan which Merkel described as a humanitarian emergency, the AfD viewed it as invasion of foreigners. It became explicitly anti-Muslim as most of the migrants from Syria were Muslims.

When Merkel stepped down in 2021, she was hailed for saving the European Union but many hold her responsible for having destabilized Germany and the politics of the continent. Gavin Mortimer points out that Merkel primarily is responsible for the resurgence of right-wing and nationalist parties across Europe. "The AfD - as well as Marine Le Pen, Geert Wilders and Giorgia Meloni - all owe a debt of gratitude to Angela Merkel".

The Statesman'den DAHA FAZLA HİKAYE

The Statesman Kolkata

Iran’s fault-lines

Iran’s campuses have once again become political frontiers, and that alone says something essential about the country’s present moment.

time to read

2 mins

February 25, 2026

The Statesman Kolkata

WB-Odisha border tension rekindled over road work in Udaipur stretch

ABORDER DISPUTE BETWEEN WEST BENGALAND ODISHA RESURFACED AFTER ODISHA POLICE HALTED ROAD RENOVATION WORK BY BENGAL'S PWD NEARTHE DISPUTED UDAIPUR STRETCH. ODISHA AUTHORITIES CLAIMED THE CONSTRUCTION WAS WITHIN THEIR TERRITORY ANDTERMED IT “UNAUTHORISED,” ESCALATING TENSIONS INTHE SENSITIVE BORDER AREA.

time to read

1 mins

February 25, 2026

The Statesman Kolkata

'Opposition 'non-existent' in 90-95 Assembly seats'

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday claimed that the BJP faces virtually no effective opposition in a large majority of Assembly constituencies in the state, asserting that development-led governance has firmly consolidated public support for the ruling party.

time to read

1 mins

February 25, 2026

The Statesman Kolkata

Bomb threats at Bengal courts as judges get busy with SIR duty

Bomb scare at Chinsurah court:

time to read

3 mins

February 25, 2026

The Statesman Kolkata

Luis Enrique must decide whether to protect lead or attack against Monaco

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique may be unsure how to approach the second leg of the Champions League playoff against Monaco on Wednesday.

time to read

1 mins

February 25, 2026

The Statesman Kolkata

Midnight firing in city leaves youth critically injured

A late-night shooting incident in Kolkata left a 23-year-old youth critically injured, triggering panic in the neighbourhood and a police hunt for the accused.

time to read

1 min

February 25, 2026

The Statesman Kolkata

Sukanta seeks FIR against former chiefsecretary Manoj Pant

As the Assembly elections approach closer and there is palpable tension around the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, former Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, who is now personal secretary to CM Mamata Banerjee finds himself at the centre of a fresh controversy.

time to read

1 mins

February 25, 2026

The Statesman Kolkata

State of the union offers Trump a chance to make the case for his foreign policy approach

President Donald Trump's State of the Union address is expected to tilt heavily on domestic issues, but it's also a chance for the Republican to make the case for his foreign policy efforts to Americans who are increasingly demonstrating uneasiness about his priorities.

time to read

1 mins

February 25, 2026

The Statesman Kolkata

TMC welcomes SC order on further deployment of judicial officers for SIR

On the Supreme Court's earlier order authorising the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court to depute additional officers to the rank of Civil Judges (Senior and Junior division), the HC has made an addition, said senior advocate Kalyan Bandopadhyay.

time to read

2 mins

February 25, 2026

The Statesman Kolkata

China puts Japanese companies on export controllists as tensions rise

China on Tuesday put 20 Japanese companies on an export control list and 20 others on a watchlist, as tensions continue over the Japanese leader’s previous comments on Taiwan, the self-governed island Beijing claims as its own.

time to read

1 min

February 25, 2026

Listen

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size