A German about-face – Is the “Zeitenwende” sustainable?

03/13/22 • 41 min

A watershed speech by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in late February that cast off Germany’s long-standing, military-averse policies is lauded by NATO and the United States. But can Germany enhance its armed forces quickly enough to protect Europe against Russia? And what does this sea change mean for a proposed European army?

Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson explores the new German tack and its ramifications with Rachel Tausendfreund, editorial director for the German Marshall Fund and co-host of Transatlantic Takeaway, and Heiner Brauß, Senior Associate Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in its security and defense program. He was a lieutenant general in the Bundeswehr and is a former assistant secretary general for NATO defense policy and force planning.

We also hear from Col. André Wüstner, chairman of the German Armed Forces Association.

This show was produced by Dina Elsayed and Abigail Megginson.

We also hear from Col. André Wüstner, chairman of the German Armed Forces Association.

This show was produced by Dina Elsayed and Abigail Megginson.

Previous Episode

Is it finally over? An update on the COVID-19 pandemic

Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson talks about the future of vaccines, social restrictions and Vladmir Putin’s impact on the pandemic with Korinna Hennig, science editor and co-host of German public broadcaster NDR’s weekly podcast “The Coronavirus Update” and molecular Kai Kupferschmidt in Berlin who writes for the magazine, Science.

This show was produced by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Abigail Megginson.

Next Episode

Join our first ever live conversation on Twitter Spaces on Tuesday, March 22.

Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson @sorayanelson will be talking with fellow war correspondents Eleanor Beardsley @ElBeardsley, Joanna Kakissis @joannakakissis and Katya Malofeyeva @KatyaMalofeyeva on Twitter about our experiences reporting on the Russian war in Ukraine and how women journalists are reshaping the way combat is covered.

Join this important conversation on Twitter by following @cgberilnpodcast and tune in at 9 p.m. Central European on March 22nd. You can also hear highlights of our conversation in a @cgberlinpodcast episode available later this month.