The big advertising campaign has begun for the book that many have been waiting for since her departure from politics. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021, has presented her memoirs, written together with her former office manager Beate Bauman, on 750 pages and including her life in the GDR. Neither in the book nor in subsequent interviews did Merkel do what some expected of her: She did not apologize for her energy policy with Russia, her decisions on migration or the NATO-Ukraine issue. Everything had to be seen in the context of the situation at the time. A rebuke for all those who always wanted to have known better afterwards. Kiepenheuer & Witsch, 2024

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In this New York Times bestseller, the grand old lady of American politics and probably still the most powerful woman in the US Congress gives a glimpse behind the scenes of power. The Democrat was the first woman and then Speaker of the House of Representatives for eight years. She was apparently inspired to write her book by a brutal attack on her husband Paul, which was actually aimed at her, the determined Trump opponent. Goldmann Verlag, 2024

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Stefan Fröhlich, Professor of International Politics and Political Economy at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, deals with a trend that will also massively change Germany's foreign policy and foreign economic policy: the increasing use of economic means to assert power-political interests. Springer Verlag, 2024

If you want to gain a different perspective on the Middle East conflict, this book is recommended. The controversial and not uncontroversial political scientist Michael Lüders criticizes the policy of the German government, which justifies the irresponsible policy of the ultra-right Israeli government by referring to its reason of state. Lüders still believes that a two-state solution is possible for Palestinians and Israelis. This may be debatable, but the book is particularly worth reading for its historical background to the Middle East conflict. Goldmann Verlag, 2024

The author, former foreign correspondent for Spiegel TV and Stern in China and Russia, compares two authoritarian rulers of the time, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. He demonstrates their common ideological roots and warns the West against naivety in its dealings with both countries. What is special: As a West German, Geiges also knows communism from the inside - the DKP sent the once convinced communist for a year to the Wilhelm Pieck Youth Academy in the GDR, the highest educational institution of the FDJ. Piper Verlag, 2024