After 16 years in government and a disastrous election result, German conservatives have lost their way. It is time to stop pretending that they can be part of the next government and begin the process of renewal.

The right-wing radical party AfD emerged from last Sunday's election as the strongest political force in the eastern German states of Saxony and Thuringia. What did the mainstream parties do wrong?

In an interview with DER SPIEGEL, Olaf Scholz of the Social Democrats, the front-runner to become Germany’s next chancellor, discusses his plan to create a stable government and reveals what he has in common with Angela Merkel.

The Green Party and the business-friendly Free Democrats plan to hold exploratory talks with each other before meeting with the main chancellor candidates in the coming days. They appear to be worlds apart but are already finding some common ground.

The right-wing populist party AfD sought to paper over its deep split between the moderate and extremist wings for the campaign. Now that the party won fewer votes than expected, that divide is once again front and center.

Armin Laschet, the chancellor candidate from Angela Merkel's CDU, refuses to accept his defeat. In his world, he can still become Germany's next leader.

As expected, German voters declined to choose a clear victor on Sunday, setting the stage for a difficult search for a governing coalition. Angela Merkel's CDU suffered an abysmal result while the Social Democrats have new life. Ultimately, though, t...

A man arrested for shooting and killing a 20-year-old gas station cashier last week appears to have been influenced by far-right ideologies and conspiracy theories. Security officials worry that a scene that denies the coronavirus is growing increasi...

This spring, the Green Party was soaring in the polls and it even looked as though their candidate, Annalena Baerbock, could become chancellor. But then, it all fell apart. What happened?

Christoph Heusgen served for 12 years as Angela Merkel’s top foreign policy adviser. In an interview, he speaks about the chancellor’s successes, mistakes, the amateurish nature of Donald Trump’s government and the right approach to an ascendan...

Angela Merkel's conservatives could be facing an historical debacle at the polls in this year's election. Their candidate, Armin Laschet, has been anything but inspiring, and his stumbles could have deep consequences for the stability of German polit...

Angela Merkel's 16 years as German chancellor have been characterized by crisis after crisis, most of them global in nature. Her intellect has been a critical tool in addressing those challenges, but her follow through left a lot to be desired.

Germany's Social Democrats appear to be rising from the dead as the general election approaches. In Olaf Scholz, the party has found a candidate whose leadership style could be a lot like Angela Merkel's.

On Thursday, the German military suspended flights from Kabul. Thousands of people who worked for the Germans have been left behind. Berlin is hoping negotiations with the Taliban will give them a way out.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has been under fire since the fall of Kabul. In a DER SPIEGEL interview, he speaks about the mistakes that have been made and the dangers of the rescue operation currently under way in Afghanistan.

German diplomats only found out by chance that their American counterparts were evacuating from Kabul and they were blindsided by the Taliban's rapid advance in the capital. But internal documents show that Berlin ignored urgent warnings.

More and more vaccination centers and doctors offices are struggling to use their vaccine supplies before they expire. Now, federal authorities in Germany are desperately looking for storage options and exploring ways to donate doses abroad.

The aggressive Delta variant of the coronavirus is driving up infections in Germany, with vaccinated people also at risk of being infected. Stricter rules are now being put in place for people returning from travel abroad, but they will be difficult ...

Floods, storms, forest fires – events that used to be extreme have become the new normal. Now German officials are building dikes, underground storage tanks and green roofs to avert disaster. Will it be enough?

The recent floods in western Germany show how poorly prepared the federal and state governments are for major natural events. The country’s efforts at disaster management have been highly convoluted, but pressure is growing following last week’s ...