In a detailed interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung last weekend, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (Christian Democrats, CDU) outlined the ruling class’s programme of war and great-power politics. According to Merz, Germany must build “the strongest conventional army in Europe,” exceed NATO targets and prepare for a period in which “the law of the strongest” will once again apply. The era of a “rules-based order based on international law” is over, he said, adding that what matters now is “strength.”