Germany
Talahons on Trial
Germany’s word of the year is “talahon.” It emerged from hip-hop as a meme characterizing Arab-German youth, morphed into a cultural phenomenon and was ultimately weaponized by the far right to gain unprecedented support in the recent federal elections.
Germany’s Rightward Drift
Germany’s recent federal election showed a sharp rise in support for the far-right AfD party, which media and political analysts have blamed on voters in the former East Germany. But the data shows a picture that is far more nuanced.
How a Saudi Atheist Became a Killer
Taleb Abdulmohsen’s attack on a Christmas market in Germany concluded the story of a paranoid and grandiose personality with a persistent record of inserting himself in just causes — only to adopt unjust means in their pursuit.
Merkel and Memory in Modern Germany — with Katja Hoyer and Faisal Al Yafai
Katja Hoyer joins New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai on The Lede to discuss her history of East Germany, reunification and the former state’s most famous living politician, Angela Merkel.
The Former East Germany Is Fertile Ground for the Far Right
The German far right is strongest in the country’s formerly communist eastern states. Tracing the Cold War legacies of East Germany shows how a movement that is rising across Europe also feeds on unique national and regional histories.
Looking for the Roots of Today’s Germany
At some point after 1945, a new, socially liberal and pacifist Germany emerged that appeared almost the antithesis of what came before. As three books published in 2023 make clear, it was a long and winding journey to get there — and one based on continuity as well as rupture.
Germany Sees a Rise in ‘Anti-Antisemitism’
Middle Eastern politics have never been easy for Berlin. The German state supports the Israeli one, for obvious reasons, and the narrower limits on free speech are an outgrowth of WWII: You can’t praise Hitler, fly a swastika, deny the Holocaust or utter antisemitic hate speech. But the tendency in Germany right now is to squelch as much criticism of Israel as possible.