The far-right Alternative for Germany Party (or AfD) is gaining support in rustbelt across western Germany. AfD, which has strong backing in eastern Germany, came in second place in recent national elections, but was locked out of the governing center right coalition led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Germany’s domestic intelligence service has labeled the AfD as extremist, with an “entrenched, xenophobic mindset, ” whose leaders use Nazi-era slogans and call for “large-scale” deportations with “well-tempered cruelties.”
(“Far Right Party Tries to Expand Its Appeal in Germany’s West,” New York Times, June 20, 2025)
Beijing has provoked opposition to its plan to build the world’s largest hydro-electric project in Tibet near the disputed border with India. The $137 billion dollar dam project in Tibet’s Grand Canyon would generate 60,000 watts of electricity, more than 30 times the size of the Hoover Dam in the U.S.
(“China’s Mega Dam Project Poses Big Risks Poses Big Risks for Asia’s Grand Canyon,” Yale Environment 360, May 14, 2025)
As the Democratic party struggles to rebuild support after its devastating 2024 election defeat, the exit of the presidents of two of the nation’s largest labor unions from the Democratic National Committee leadership board has exposed simmering tensions over the party’s direction.
(“Union Leaders Exit From DNC Exposes ‘Mind Boggling’ Tensions Inside Democratic Party,” Guardian, June 25, 2025)
