Berger in The Globe Post on Germany’s Coalition Government
Thomas Berger, Professor of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, was interviewed for a recent article on the potential for a three-party coalition government in Germany nearly two months after the country held its general elections.
Berger was quoted in a November 12, 2017 article by The Globe Post entitled “Germany’s Merkel Hopes to Form New Government as Political Divisions Continue.”
From the text of the article:
“The most difficult issue is energy and climate change and I could see the negotiations ultimately breaking down over that issue,“ Thomas Berger, associate professor of International Relations at Boston University, told The Globe Post.
The goal of the coalition talks is to find out whether the leaders of the three parties can find common ground on the key issues. They have until November 17 to arrive at a conclusion.
FDP leader Christian Lindner said last week there was a “50-50 chance” that the talks would collapse. If that happens, Germany may have to hold another election. However, analysts and politicians agree that this would be a disadvantage for any of the three parties and “the results would most likely be a return to the current situation,” Mr. Berger said.
Thomas Berger joined the Department of International Relations in 2001. Previously, he taught for seven years at the Johns Hopkins Department of Political Science in Baltimore. He is the author of War, Guilt and World Politics After World War II, Cultures of Antimilitarism: National Security in Germany and Japan and is co-editor of Japan in International Politics: Beyond the Reactive State.