Welcome to the inaugural episode of Searching for Deutschland, a new podcast by ECFR exploring the European and foreign policy dimensions of the German election on February 23rd. Hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin join Mark Leonard, ECFR's director, for a World in 30 Minutes [AS1] crossover to discuss their plans for the coming weeks and the premise of the podcast, namely: has Germany gone missing from its European leadership role?

The hosts also discuss Friedrich Merz, chancellor candidate of the centre-right CDU party and front-runner to lead Germany’s next government. What are Merz's foreign policy influences and instincts? What will this mean for Germany's role in Europe and the world?

Read Jana's and Jeremy's commentary on the “Merz doctrine” here.

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