The Zeitgeist

Recent Episodes

Episode 141: Germany’s Other Populist Party

Posted February 25, 2026 • 00:31:33

The BSW (formerly the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, now Alliance for Social Justice and Economic Reason) had early successes after its founding in 2024,...

Episode 140: The Transatlantic Relationship in a Transforming Global Trading System

Posted January 28, 2026 • 00:31:52

How have increased geopolitical competition and changing trade policy objectives affected the transatlantic relationship, and what are the shared...

Episode 139: The German-Polish Relationship amid Changing European Security Challenges

Posted January 14, 2026 • 00:35:13

The European security landscape is shifting. The United States is pressuring Europe to manage the defense of its region, and many NATO allies have growing...

Episode 138: The Trump Administration, the AfD, and German Foreign Policy

Posted December 17, 2025 • 00:31:24

Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been known for its foreign policy embrace of Russia and China, but in recent months, the party has turned...

Episode 137: Friedrich Merz: Foreign Policy Chancellor

Posted December 4, 2025 • 00:35:54

Chancellor Merz has received praise internationally for many German foreign policy and defense initiatives in 2025: suspending the “debt brake”...