When I recently picked up a rental car in Las Vegas — I was in America to cover the elections — the agent at the counter insisted on “upgrading

The Germany We Knew Is Gone

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2024-12-22 08:30:04

When I recently picked up a rental car in Las Vegas — I was in America to cover the elections — the agent at the counter insisted on “upgrading” me to a BMW. “So you feel at home,” he said, looking at my German driver’s license, smiling. I took the keys and made a mental note: Outside Germany, Germany is still intact.

I often find this when I travel. Outside Germany, Germany is still a car country, home to a flourishing economy. Outside Germany, Germany is still a prosperous country, where everybody drives a BMW or the like. Outside Germany, Germany is still a well-ordered country, a pleasant place both politically and socially. I smiled back at the agent. But inwardly, I winced. Because in Germany, Germany doesn’t feel like Germany anymore.

On Monday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a vote of confidence at the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, officially ending his government. It was a formality: The three-party coalition had fallen in early November, when Mr. Scholz dismissed the finance minister, Christian Lindner, prompting his Free Democrats to quit the administration. The move left Mr. Scholz, a Social Democrat, with a minority government alongside the Greens. Rather than stagger on, he decided to call snap elections that will be held on Feb. 23. The no-confidence vote was a final piece of housekeeping.

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