

Graeme Wood: Germany's turn to the right
51 snips Mar 28, 2025
Graeme Wood, a staff writer at The Atlantic and author focusing on geopolitics, discusses alarming trends in Germany's politics. He analyzes the rise of the far-right Alternative for Deutschland (AFD) party, exploring its shift from anti-EU to anti-migrant. Wood shares firsthand experiences of racism in both urban and rural settings, contrasting multicultural environments against the tighter-knit communities of Eastern Germany. He also touches on the complex demographic dynamics and how economic woes are further polarizing society.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Thuringia Visit
- Graeme Wood visited Thuringia, Germany, a region with historical significance but economic depression.
- He noted that it lacked the appeal of other German areas he'd visited previously.
AFD's Exclusion from Power
- The AFD, despite winning a plurality of seats in Thuringia's state parliament, has been excluded from government.
- Other parties formed a coalition to keep the AFD out of power.
Demographic Shift and Cultural Anxiety
- Germany's demographic landscape has visibly shifted, particularly in cities, since the 2015 migration crisis.
- The influx of migrants, especially those visibly non-German, has sparked cultural anxieties among some Germans.