With elections looming in three former East German states this fall, many leading politicians see rapprochement with Russia as a winning campaign strategy. But this perspective puts them in direct confrontation with Chancellor Angela Merkel's government in Berlin.
Britain's new Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his cabinet of hardline Brexiteers appear to be steering toward a showdown with Brussels. By doing so, he's also increasing the chance there will be new elections in Britain this autumn.
In Germany, the debate is growing in conservative political circles as to whether it should prohibit Chinese network equipment provider Huawei from helping to build the country's 5G network. But at the moment, Berlin doesn't really have any other choice.
After winning the Tory leadership contest this week, Boris Johnson is to become Britain's next prime minister. He will have to show quickly that he can lead as well as he can seduce, and whether he will deliver Brexit or if it will be his undoing.
The civil war in Libya between the militias from the east and fighters from the west is escalating and keeps on drawing in foreign powers. One commander has been fighting for eight years -- and sees no end in sight.
Now that outgoing German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen has been narrowly elected as the next president of the European Commission, she will have to figure out how to build bridges between the Continent's antagonistic member states and the political camps in the European Parliament.
Boris Johnson has always wanted to make it to the top, and he's almost there. The man who helped Brexit pass will now likely have the job of delivering it. But it's possible that even he doesn't know what he wants to do. Europe is in for a turbulent autumn.
Turkish government critic Can Dündar spent three years in exile separated from his wife Dilek. They recently reunited in Berlin, where they discussed their hopes for the end of the Erdogan era and how FaceTime helped keep them together as a family.
For the first time in more than 50 years, a German will head the European Commission. It was a close vote, and the role of the Social Democrats raises questions.
As the European Union has expanded eastward, hundreds of thousands of children have been turned into orphans in all but name. They grow up without their parents, who have no choice but to work in rich, Western European countries for a lack of job options back home.
Until recently, Ursula von der Leyen was largely unknown in Brussels. Now the German defense minister needs to win over a majority of the EU Parliament to secure the presidency of the European Commission. She remains an enigma to many, but is hoping some high-profile advisers can help change that.
Seventeen days at sea, chaos, distress and an act of desperation: The drama surrounding German captain Carola Rackete has exposed the cynicism behind European migration policy. The EU is no longer rescuing drowning migrants and the number of refugees continues to fall. By DER SPIEGEL Staff
The nomination of German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission president came as a surprise. And many are unhappy. It not only undermines efforts to make the EU more democratic, but she may not be confirmed.
It's easy to criticize Washington's migration policies as inhumane, but the approach taken by the European Union is even more outrageous. Politicians in the EU outsource the horrors and wash their hands of any guilt.
Islamic State has been conquered and the war has ended in large parts of Syria, but most Syrian refugees living in Germany want to stay. Many fear persecution if they go back while others have already established themselves in their new home.
Does President Donald Trump know what he's doing? Former U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has his doubts. In an interview, he discusses the crisis in Iran and Trump's strange decision to abort a missile strike just minutes before launch.
Half of Europe has been slammed by a massive heat wave in recent days, with many regions experiencing temperatures never before seen in June. But it may just be the beginning. 