German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has stated that Berlin will not support a general sanctions regime against Israel and that this position will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future.

Many believe this is simply Germany’s historical responsibility after World War II. That is true, but it is not the main reason.

From a geopolitical perspective, Israel is the West’s strongest ally in the Middle East. A strong Israel helps contain Iran, protects critical maritime routes and energy supplies that Germany depends on, and reduces the risk of wider regional conflicts and new waves of migration into Europe.

Germany also benefits from close cooperation with Israel in intelligence, cybersecurity, and advanced defense technologies. More importantly, maintaining support for Israel reinforces Berlin’s strategic relationship with the United States, Germany’s most important security ally.

Merz’s statement therefore reflects more than historical responsibility. It is a geopolitical calculation. As long as Israel remains a cornerstone of the Western security architecture in the Middle East, Germany has every reason to continue standing by Israel.

#Germany #Israel #Geopolitics #MiddleEast #USA

Control Threat | Strategic Risk Analysis

Sweden is creating UND, its first civilian foreign intelligence agency, modeled after Britain’s MI6. The move follows its military intelligence’s failure to accurately assess Russia’s intention to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Unlike the military intelligence service MUST, UND will focus on political and strategic intelligence, collecting information abroad to directly support government decisions on foreign and security policy.

Europe’s security environment has fundamentally changed. As threats from war, espionage, cyberattacks, and great-power competition continue to grow, a multi-purpose intelligence service is no longer sufficient. Governments increasingly need specialized agencies dedicated to foreign intelligence and long-term strategic assessment.

Perhaps the era when one intelligence service could do everything is coming to an end. In a more dangerous world, even intelligence agencies must specialize to keep pace with evolving threats.

#Sweden #Russia #Ukraine #NATO #Intelligence #MI6

Control Threat | Strategic Risk Analysis