Germany just suffered one of its biggest diplomatic setbacks in decades: losing a UN Security Council seat it thought was practically guaranteed. In this episode of Berlin Briefing, host Nina Haase and her guests, DW’s Max Hofmann and UN expert Myriel Marthez, take you inside the vote, inside the backroom diplomacy, and inside the reasons Germany’s campaign collapsed. From Russia’s quiet lobbying to Germany’s stance on Israel and Gaza, from late‑stage ‘speed‑dating diplomacy’ to Austria’s years‑long charm offensive — this is the story of how a global heavyweight got outplayed.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:33 The vote
04:02 Secret ballot
06:12 Five key reasons for Germany’s loss
08:30 Structural timing problem
11:05 Russia’s role
13:35 Israel policy
14:45 Johann Wadephul
16:30 Missed diplomacy signals
17:45 Importance of personal diplomacy at the UN
19:30 International law criticism
23:20 Funding vs influence
25:30 Was Germany overconfident?
30:20 Lessons learned
33:30 What Germany should do next
35:30 Outro
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