Borders, Bavaria and bust-ups: How Germany lost its way on Covid-19

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s voice briefly cracked as she appealed to Germans this week to rein in Christmas celebrations to protect grandma and grandpa from the coronavirus.

The trained physicist’s unusually emotional outburst during a debate in parliament was brought on by her failure to slow the spread of the disease. After comfortably handling the initial wave of the pandemic, the country is now lagging behind many of its neighbors and faces increasing pressure to tighten restrictions days before Christmas.

Germany’s stumbles are a function of its complex and at times dysfunctional federal system, Merkel’s pursuit of open borders and political power plays