Kaput Munchau Wolfgang (2024)

Until recently, Germany appears to be a paragon of economic and political success. Angela Merkel is widely seen as the true leader of the free world, while the countrys export-driven economic model seems to deliver prosperity. Recent events, from Germanys dependence on Russian gas to its car industrys delays in the race towards electric vehicles, have undermined this view. In Kaput, Wolfgang Munchau argues that the weaknesses of Germanys economy have been brewing for decades. The German states neo-mercantilist policies, driven by close connections between the industrial and political elite, have left the country technologically behind, over-reliant on authoritarian Russia and China, and seemingly unable to adapt to the digital realities of the 21st century. This book examines the future of Europes biggest economy.