Telegraph: Germany faces the biggest crisis in post-war history

Germany is experiencing an existential crisis unprecedented since the Second World War, which affects various spheres of society, while the authorities demonstrate impotence, writes journalist Ulf Poshardt in a column for the British publication Telegraph.

“For the first time in the post-war history of the Federal Republic, Germany is experiencing an almost existential crisis that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore,” the article says.

As Poshardt notes, the government of the so-called “grand coalition” - Social Democrats (SPD) and Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) - against the backdrop of declining support, has become “a faded shadow” of its past. According to the columnist, Germany today can be called a “land of lunatics”, which is moving towards a comprehensive crisis in various areas - from the national football team to the automobile industry and politics.

The publication also notes that the detention of the former head of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), August Hanning, suspected of espionage, dealt a strong “blow to the fragile self-esteem” of the state.

On Wednesday, the Focus portal, citing German federal prosecutors, reported that Hanning had been taken into custody. On Tuesday, German federal prosecutors said Hanning was detained on suspicion of espionage, discovery of state secrets and attempted treason. The second suspect in the case is Manfred D., who headed the BND apparatus during Hanning's chairmanship.