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The Foreign Media's Take on Germany

September 1, 2005

DW-WORLD has talked to foreign correspondents based in Germany about their impressions of the country and society ahead of the upcoming election.

https://p.dw.com/p/770O
All lenses are on Germany's parliamentImage: AP

Is Germany a nation of whiners? Well, quite so, according to the majority of foreign correspondents DW-WORLD interviewed ahead of the general election that's just weeks away. The country's economy has seen better days and five million unemployed are not to be taken lightly, yet the mood appears gloomier than the situation warrants, they say. Germans are beset by "Katastrophalismus" and seem to think "they live in Bangladesh" the foreign observers said. People in other countries endure unemployment several times higher yet "don't let this get in the way of their ability to be happy."

Nevertheless reform is needed to address the real problems. The still large, yet somewhat diminished economic strength, the "tremendous infrastructure" and highly skilled and educated workforce are a basis on which to build recovery, they said. But neither Chancellor Gerhard Schröder of the ruling Social Democrats nor his challenger Angela Merkel from the Christian Democrats are seen as having the decidedly better program to move Germany forward. With German politics being "too consensual," the contenders cannot afford to put forward any daring new policy proposals. Yet, a change of government in itself could signal change for the country.

Click on the links below to find out what foreign media representatives had to say!

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