Defence and the Zeitenwende: Glass half-empty or half-full?

Ahead of the Munich Security Conference, hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin talk German defence and the future of the country's armed forces. They review the first televised debate between Olaf Scholz and Friedrich Merz and discuss new ECFR polling, which illustrates German pessimism about Europe's future. ECFR colleagues Ulrike Franke and Rafael Loss also join the podcast to ask whether Scholz's proclaimed Zeitenwende, or turning point, has translated into real improvements in Germany's frayed armed forces. Together, they review the main parties’ defence policies and look ahead to the next four years. 

ECFR's new polling on European views of their continent and the world in the new Trump era is here.

Listeners can sign up for a live webinar reviewing the election results on the morning after Germany's polling day here.

Guests:

Ulrike Franke is senior policy fellow at ECFR and co-host of the German-language security podcast, Sicherheitshalber

Rafael Loss is policy fellow at ECFR, focusing on security and defence in the Euro-Atlantic area

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