Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the fate of Germany’s controversial migration bill, a possible U.S.-Canada-Mexico-China trade war, and a Philippine proposal to end maritime clashes with China.
Breaking the ‘Firewall’
German lawmakers narrowly rejected controversial migration legislation on Friday that would have expanded federal police powers to carry out deportations and reduce irregular border crossings. Heated debate delayed voting on the legally binding bill for hours, as left-wing and centrist legislators tried to prevent the opposition conservative CDU/CSU bloc from aligning with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to pass it.
Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the fate of Germany’s controversial migration bill, a possible U.S.-Canada-Mexico-China trade war, and a Philippine proposal to end maritime clashes with China.
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Breaking the ‘Firewall’
German lawmakers narrowly rejected controversial migration legislation on Friday that would have expanded federal police powers to carry out deportations and reduce irregular border crossings. Heated debate delayed voting on the legally binding bill for hours, as left-wing and centrist legislators tried to prevent the opposition conservative CDU/CSU bloc from aligning with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to pass it.
Had the bill succeeded, it would have been the first law in modern German history to be passed with support from the far right. Following the fall of the Nazi regime, centrist parties made a point of avoiding any cooperation with far-right parties, including the AfD, in keeping with the country’s “never again” mentality.
“Since the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany more than 75 years ago, there has always been a clear consensus among all democrats in our parliaments: We do not make common cause with the far right,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned parliamentarians earlier this week.
However, on Wednesday, CDU/CSU leader Friedrich Merz passed a similar but nonbinding migration motion with the help of the AfD, breaking the decades-old taboo (or so-called firewall) against mainstream parties working with the far right. “Never had any of the mainstream parties relied on AfD to make policy, and never had the far-right party been so vindicated by the establishment,” Berlin-based journalist Paul Hockenos wrote for Foreign Policy.
Wednesday’s vote occurred mere hours after the German Bundestag commemorated the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation. The motion’s passage sparked mass protests across the country demanding that the CDU/CSU not work with the AfD as well as prompted the high-profile resignation of a member of Merz’s own CDU party and a rare denunciation from former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Even Merz expressed some concerns with his own involvement. “Thinking about how the AfD faction will cheer and their happy faces makes me feel uncomfortable,” he said.
Such backlash ultimately led to the “influx limitation law” failing to pass on Friday, marking a significant blow for Merz ahead of federal elections on Feb. 23. Merz is considered the front-runner to become Germany’s next chancellor, after Scholz’s ruling mandate dissolved in November.
Migration remains a top concern among voters. Merz, himself, has pointed to recent attacks by non-German nationals for the law’s necessity, including a deadly knife attack in southern Germany last week and a vehicular assault on a Christmas market in December. Top lawmakers, however, remain wary of any legislation that aligns with an AfD win. “The fall from grace will be with you forever,” Social Democratic Party senior leader Rolf Mützenich told the CDU/CSU bloc on Friday.
Today’s Most Read
What We’re Following
Looming trade war. The White House on Friday confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump will impose 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico as well as 10 percent tariffs on China beginning Saturday, reiterating what Trump himself said late Thursday.
“If the president at any time decides to roll back those tariffs, I’ll leave it to him to make that decision. But starting tomorrow, those tariffs will be in place,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Friday. She did not say if there would be any exemptions to goods targeted by the tariffs.
They could potentially include duties on foodstuffs, auto parts, steel and aluminum, and oil imports, the latter of which could undermine Trump’s promises to lower inflation by reducing energy costs. Trump has said that tariffs on oil would only be avoided if Canada and Mexico “treat us properly” and “if the oil is properly priced.”
Trump has said the tariffs aim to combat undocumented migration and the trafficking of fentanyl into the United States as well as what he has said are unfair trade relations. However, experts worry that hefty tariffs could have severe consequences for North American consumers as well as supply chains. Canada and Mexico are the United States’ two largest trading partners in the world, with trade under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement hitting $1.8 trillion in 2022.
However, nothing is final until Trump makes it official, and Trump advisors are reportedly still searching for an eleventh-hour deal to avoid such a trade disruption, even as Trump doubles down on his threats. Both Ottawa and Mexico City have threatened retaliatory tariffs that could trigger additional price spikes and spark a wider trade war.
Quid pro quo. In an effort to combat maritime clashes with Beijing in the disputed South China Sea, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. offered on Friday to remove a U.S. missile system from the country. “Stop claiming our territory, stop harassing our fishermen and let them make a living, stop ramming our boats, stop water cannoning our people, stop firing lasers at us, and stop your aggressive and coercive behavior, and we’ll return the Typhon missiles,” Marcos said. Beijing did not immediately comment on Marcos’s remarks.
The system in question, the Typhon Strategic Mid-Range Fires System, was installed by the U.S. Army last April to train for joint combat readiness. It consists of a launcher and at least 16 Standard Missile-6 and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles, located near the Philippine capital of Manila. Beijing has repeatedly accused the missile system of “inciting geopolitical confrontation and an arms race.”
Both China and the Philippines—as well as Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam—claim areas of the vital shipping route. An increase in violent clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels over the past two years has pushed Manila closer to the United States and Taiwan.
Tenuous hold on power. Myanmar’s junta regime extended a state of emergency on Friday for another six months as its troops continue to battle a multifront armed rebellion. Fighting has displaced around 3 million people, sparked mass unrest led by student groups, and caused widespread food insecurity. During this time, military forces have brutally crushed pro-democracy demonstrations and battled ethnic minority groups.
Friday’s announcement came just one day before the country marks the four-year anniversary of its military coup, which ousted elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and threw the nation into civil war. The regime first imposed a yearlong state of emergency after seizing power and has since extended it every six months.
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has promised to hold an election, though no date has been set. “There are still more tasks to be done to hold the general election successfully,” the state-run MRTV posted on Telegram. “Especially for a free and fair election, stability and peace is still needed.” However, rights activists maintain that such a vote would likely be rigged.
What in the World?
On Monday, a coalition of rebel groups announced that it had gained control of which city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
A. GomaB. KinshasaC. LubumbashiD. Mbuji-Mayi
Odds and Ends
If you are planning on traveling to the Polish city of Krakow next month to see the fire-breathing dragon, you may be disappointed. Authorities announced on Wednesday that the iconic metal sculpture will be keeping its mouth closed for the month of February as experts search for ways to reduce the structure’s energy bills. It is scheduled to return to normal bellowing in March. Maybe Krakow should ask the dragon-tamers who oversee the Gringotts Dragon at Universal Orlando for tips.
And the Answer Is…
A. Goma
Tens of thousands of people are now fleeing the densely populated city amid reports of looting and attacks on essential services, FP’s Nosmot Gbadamosi reports in Africa Brief.
To take the rest of FP’s weekly international news quiz, click here, or sign up to be alerted when a new one is published.
The post Germany Narrowly Avoids Passage of AfD-Supported Migration Bill appeared first on Foreign Policy.
