الفرصة الأخيرة

This writer refuses to let the luster of power fade, and turns political reality into captivating literature that reads like a novel. (Die Zeit) Friedrich Merz faces enormous challenges, while Trump and Putin threaten the old world order. Old, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party threatens to dismantle Germany's political center. The new chancellor intends to govern in a very different way than the ousted Traffic Light Coalition. However, the challenges that led to the coalition's catastrophic failure remain: the economic crisis, climate change, migration, and the rearmament of the German armed forces. Is Friedrich Merz, who lacks previous government experience and is already weak when taking office, able to meet these challenges? And what must he learn from the Traffic Light Coalition debacle to seize what may be the last chance to save our democracy from the eventual rise of the far right? At this crucial juncture in German politics, bestselling author Robin Alexander tells the behind-the-scenes story: from Merz's taboo-breaking with the AfD and his secret talks with Olaf Scholz, to the drama surrounding his trillion-euro debt package. An interesting book that shows why political actors, in light of a fragmented partisan scene and a combustible public sphere, are unable to confront major challenges.