Chris Reiter
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chrishreiter.bsky.social
Chris Reiter
@chrishreiter.bsky.social
Co-author of Broken Republik/Totally Kaputt? about Germany's crisis. Berlin-based, US-born senior editor at Bloomberg. Personal website: chrishreiter.com. Opinions here my own.
Pinned
some personal news...

The first copy of "Totally Kaputt" is here. Very excited and very grateful. #PiperVerlag
Ai Weiwei has a good grasp of Germany:

A society that admits to error but refuses to reflect on its origins possesses a mind as stubborn and dull as granite.

hyperallergic.com/1050197/what...
What I Wish I Had Known About Germany Earlier
A German newspaper commissioned an article from me but then refused to publish it.
hyperallergic.com
October 21, 2025 at 7:53 PM
More racist dog whistling from Merz.

On top of migrants mucking up Germany’s Stadtbild, he claims they're a menace for public safety.

Not clear how and why he expects this type of rhetoric to win back voters and shore up perception of his leadership.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Germany’s Merz Leans Into Far-Right Messaging to Counter AfD
Chancellor Friedrich Merz doubled down on controversial remarks made last week that suggested Germany has too many migrants, as the conservative politician seeks to regain the initiative over the far ...
www.bloomberg.com
October 20, 2025 at 1:39 PM
A belated vielen Dank an Jenny für die Gelegenheit über Deutschlands Herausforderungen (und was dagegen getan werden könnte) zu reden.

Bitte reinhören und mitmischen!
Heute geht es mit Alexander Hegelüken über die "Ökonomie des Hasses", @chrishreiter.bsky.social stelle ich die Frage wie "Totally kaputt?" ist Germany. @mfratzscher.bsky.social argumentiert in "Nach uns die Zukunft" für einen neuen Generationenvertrag.

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October 19, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Please support the petition from @finanzwende.de et al to end tax privileges for Germany's super rich.

Let's make change happen and support solidarity.

Jetzt unterzeichnen:: www.finanzwende.de/kampagnen/st...
Petition: Steuerprivilegien kippen! | Jetzt unterzeichnen
In den letzten 30 Jahren wurden auf Druck der Lobby des großen Geldes immer mehr Steuerprivilegien geschaffen. Wir fordern daher die neuen Bundesregierung auf, diese endlich abzuschaffen.
www.finanzwende.de
August 5, 2025 at 8:22 AM
@derspiegel is worried about debt under Germany's new govt and says the borrowing will burden future generations.

But that's Germany talking itself into a downward spiral. #GermanAngst

Here's why that's the wrong approach:

www.spiegel.de/politik/deut...
(S+) Lars Klingbeil als Finanzminister: König der Miesen
Finanzminister Lars Klingbeil möchte in eine bessere Zukunft investieren. Doch seine Milliardenkredite sind eine große Last für künftige Generationen. Neue Schulden tun sich auf.
www.spiegel.de
July 6, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Germany urgently needs migrants to bolster its workforce and fulfill public services, especially finance its mounting pension bill. But it's sending signals that migrants aren't wanted.

@willwilkes.bsky.social and I wrote about the issue for @theguardian.com 👇

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Germany urgently needs to attract migrant workers – it just doesn’t want them to feel welcome | Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes
Friedrich Merz is unwisely trying to revive the discredited postwar ‘guest worker’ programme, say journalists and authors Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes
www.theguardian.com
June 27, 2025 at 7:07 AM
The German govt tried and failed to ban right-wing magazine Compact.

Amid talk of an AfD ban, it shows that fighting extremism in the courts is fraught.

An approach that provides real solutions to the people and addresses their anxiety would be more promising.

www.tagesschau.de/inland/gesel...
Compact-Urteil: Pressefreiheit auch für Feinde der Freiheit
Das rechtsextreme Compact-Magazin durfte nach einem Urteil des Bundesverwaltungsgerichts nicht verboten werden. Chefredakteur Elsässer nutzt die Entscheidung zur Selbstinszenierung. Von Claudia Kornme...
www.tagesschau.de
June 25, 2025 at 8:49 AM
@willwilkes.bsky.social and I wrote about Germany's challenges with supporting NATO.

Money isn't the main problem. It's soldiers. Germany's youth have little opportunity, so who would want to fight for their country? Answers need to be found.

www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article...
Essay: Why Germany is losing the war at home
Despite Chancellor Friedrich Merz's rearmament bravado, youth has lost trust in the state and doesn't want to fight.
www.theparliamentmagazine.eu
June 17, 2025 at 3:32 PM
June 17 used to be a holiday in West Germany to mark the deadly 1953 uprising in East Germany.

After reunification it was consider "Mission Accomplished." That was obviously premature.

Check out my pitch for its revival on @Hahauenstein.bsky.social's substack 👇

open.substack.com/pub/hannohau...
Germany Needs a Holiday Today – Not to Recharge, But to Heal
June 17 used to be a national day of remembrance in honor of the victims of the 1953 uprising in East Germany. It needs to be revived for any chance of unity.
open.substack.com
June 17, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Germany is drifting into a Gastarbeiter mindset, where migrants are viewed as labor and not as people.

Without a course correction, it would be a disaster.

Germany needs to approach integration as a two-way street.

More from @willwilkes.bky.social and me in @surplusmagazin.bsky.social
June 15, 2025 at 6:53 PM
@ft.com.web.brid.gy said my book Broken Republik with @willwilkes.bsky.social offered "a deeply insightful and fresh view" of Germany's challenges.

Check it out for yourself:
www.waterstones.com/book/broken-...

or straight from @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social 🙏

www.ft.com/content/1ff8...
The latest economics books
Johan Norberg on what drove history’s influential civilisations; Ben Chu on the rise of zero-sum economic thinking; plus Germany’s decline and a must-read for monetary aficionados
www.ft.com
May 26, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Germany's memory culture has failed, allowing Nazi symbols to retain power to provoke and divide.

@willwilkes.bsky.social and I discussed the reasons why Germany is struggling with who it is with the Mad in Germany podcast.

Check it out 👇

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WigC...
Germany's post-N*zi identity crisis? w/ Broken Republik's Will Wilkes & Chris Reiter
YouTube video by Mad in Germany with James Jackson
www.youtube.com
May 12, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Despite Germany's famed memory culture, the Nazi era is an unresolved national trauma. It paralyzes the country and keeps it from being able to evolve and pivot toward the future.

@willwilkes.bsky.social and I wrote about the issue (auf deutsch) for #thePioneer.

www.thepioneer.de/originals/th...
Deutschland wurde nie befreit – doch es ist höchste Zeit dafür
Ein Gastbeitrag der Bloomberg-Journalisten und Autoren Chris Reiter und Will Wilkes.
www.thepioneer.de
May 9, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Crazy day in German politics.

Friedrich Merz is officially chancellor, but his unprecedented failure in the first round of voting in the Bundestag will leave a mark.

Even more scrutiny on implementation now.

Yesterday, we laid out risks in The Guardian 👇

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Germany needs a unifier. In Merz, it is getting a chancellor whose instincts are to divide | Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes
Merz takes charge as German industry buckles and social fractures deepen. He will struggle to bring a wary public with him, say authors Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes
www.theguardian.com
May 6, 2025 at 4:19 PM
For the Guardian, @willwilkes.bsky.social and I wrote about the challenges Friedrich Merz will face as Germany's next chancellor.

Our adopted country needs him to be successful and that means uniting the people, but his instincts have been to divide.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Germany needs a unifier. In Merz, it is getting a chancellor whose instincts are to divide | Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes
Merz takes charge as German industry buckles and social fractures deepen. He will struggle to bring a wary public with him, say authors Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes
www.theguardian.com
May 5, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Military airspace rules have hampered the construction of enough wind power to supply a city like Berlin.

The bureaucratic tangle reflects the challenges that awaits Friedrich Merz's new government to revive the German economy. 👇

www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Germany’s Red Tape Creates a Berlin-Sized Hole in Energy Shift
Military airspace restrictions are holding up wind-power projects, highlighting the challenges for Germany’s energy and defense plans.
www.bloomberg.com
May 4, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Talked about reinventing the "German Dream"...alongside the cloudy prospects for the new government here (auf deutsch) 👇

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrfV...
Kurs Zukunft - das neue Kabinett steht (fast)! - Andruck
YouTube video by tvberlin
www.youtube.com
May 4, 2025 at 3:59 PM
@willwilkes.bsky.social und ich haben einen Beitrag für @migazin.de geschrieben. Es ist ein Aufruf zum Handeln, der auf unser Buch „Total Kaputt?“ zurückgeht.

Deutschland droht zu zersplittern und die Menschen müssen sich zusammentun. Wir sind alle das Volk.

www.migazin.de/2025/04/15/w...
Wir sind das Volk - Es ist Zeit, laut zu werden
In den 1980er Jahren half „Wir sind das Volk!“, die Ostdeutschen in ihrem Kampf für die Freiheit zu mobilisieren. Die Zeit ist jetzt eine andere.
www.migazin.de
April 15, 2025 at 1:05 PM
AfD up 6 points in Bavaria, to second place. CSU down 5 points.

Markus Soeder and co. are not blunting the nationalists by shifting to the right. They are enabling them.

What's needed is clear policies that show a path forward.
#Wahlumfrage Bayern, Civey (12.04.25): CSU: 39% (−5), AfD: 18% (+6), Grüne: 12% (+1), Freie Wähler: 10% (−1), SPD: 8%, BSW: 4%, FDP: 2%, Linke: 2% (+1), Sonstige: 5% (−2) ➤ dawum.de/Bayern/Civey... | #Sonntagsfrage #ltwby
April 13, 2025 at 9:09 AM
@willwilkes.bsky.social and I wrote something for Katja Hoyer's Zeitgeist substack.

Borrowing from our book Broken Republik / Totally Kaputt?, the piece looks at how reunification continues to ripple through Germany and why it went wrong.

Check it out 👇

www.katjahoyer.uk/p/the-long-s...
The Long Shadow of German Reunification
By Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes
www.katjahoyer.uk
April 10, 2025 at 6:07 AM
Check out @willwilkes.bsky.social and I talking about our Book Broken Republik with @40percentgerman.bsky.social and @maddox84.bsky.social on the Decades from Home podcast.

It's not Germany does it worse, but Germans can do it better!

Here's a clip 👇
April 10, 2025 at 5:12 AM
Friedrich Merz and the German conservative bloc are now neck-on-neck with the far-right AfD -- a party whose co-leader called Hitler a communist.

Sure, there's no election soon, but it means Merz's government (if he gets one together) faces under enormous execution risk from the get go.
BUNDESTAGSWAHL | Sonntagsfrage INSA/BILD am Sonntag

Union: 24% (-2)
AfD: 24% (+1)
SPD: 16%
GRÜNE: 11% (-1)
LINKE: 11% (+1)
BSW: 4% (-1)
FDP: 4% (+1)
Sonstige: 6% (+1)

Änderungen zur letzten Umfrage vom 29. März 2025

Verlauf: whln.eu/UmfragenDeutschland
#btw29
April 5, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Analysis by Germany's Kiel Institute for the World Economy shows that Trump's tariffs hit the US hardest.

So, not so much reciprocation but a lot of self-harm.

www.ifw-kiel.de/publications...
New U.S. Tariffs Hit the U.S. Itself Hardest
The newly announced tariffs by the U.S. administration on imports from nearly all countries could have severe negative economic consequences—most notably for the United States itself. Other countries ...
www.ifw-kiel.de
April 3, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Some CDU lawmakers want to ban the keffiyeh in the Bundestag.

Inventing a xenophobic solution for a problem that doesn't exist will not win back voters, even AfD voters. 🫣

www.welt.de/politik/deut...
Nach Palästinensertuch-Eklat: CDU-Abgeordnete fordern Kufiya-Verbot im Bundestag - WELT
Während der konstituierenden Sitzung des neuen Bundestags trug eine Linken-Politikerin ein Palästinensertuch. Für mehrere CDU-Abgeordnete eine Provokation. In einem Brief an die Bundestagspräsidentin ...
www.welt.de
April 1, 2025 at 5:16 PM