On February 23, Germans went to the polls. While the establishment center-right CDU/CSU alliance won the largest share of votes, the results revealed a country experiencing profound political and social change. The far-right AfD party received an unprecedented 20% of the vote, while the incumbent center-left party, the SPD, suffered its worst loss in over 100 years. 

So, what does this election tell us about Europe’s largest economy? And as the Trump administration continues to upend U.S.-European relations, and the war in Ukraine challenges Europe’s own sense of security and stability, what will this new governing coalition mean for an international order that, for the first time in decades, has the U.S. and Europe on seemingly divergent paths? 

On this episode, Dan Richards spoke with Watson political scientist and Europe expert Nick Ziegler to help make sense of this election and to place it in the broader context of European politics and global security.