A world in flux: Germany's power status within the EU

Exploring contemporary issues in European & International Studies

In the second episode of this podcast series, Dr Alex Clarkson, Dr Kai Oppermann and Professor Christoph Meyer, explore German politics and the broader question of Germany's power status within the EU.

Four months before Germany's next general election, the campaign is already proving a central issue in European politics. The voting in September will take place in the context of a protracted Eurozone crisis and a high wave of Euroscepticism: whatever its results, a number of key aspects of European politics and the future prospects of the euro will in no small part be determined by it. The academics discussed the prospects of the next German elections, the changing face of German politics (particularly with the emergence of the new eurosceptic group Alternative fur Deutschland), the weight of the Eurozone crisis on the electoral agenda, and the European status of Germany after the crisis. 

Dr Alex Clarkson is a Lecturer German and European & International Studies and specialises on the relationship between immigrants and political movements in Germany.

Dr Kai Oppermann is a Lecturer in European & International Studies and German and his work focusses on Germany's and the UK's foreign and European policies.

Christoph Meyer is Professor in European & International Politics and Head of Department, whose research interests range from the policy process in Europe to defence and security policy and conflict prevention.

Moderator of this podcast episode, Dr Gonzalo Pozo-Martin is lecturer in International Political Economy.

Homepage image: Licensed under creative commons from Wikimedia Commons.

The full podcast series is available online.