The Monocle Minute

It’s been a very long February in Germany. But though there are still a few days left of the shortest month, the triumph of Friedrich Merz’s CDU in Sunday’s federal elections should at least focus minds in Berlin. At a victory rally in the city, the chancellor-to-be said that his main aim was to “achieve independence” from the US, whose new administration has directed a number of highly disruptive barbs across the Atlantic. Merz added that the world “will not wait” for the country to get serious about its own and the wider continent’s defence – that it must happen now.

Given its economic pre-eminence, Germany should be the natural leader of a Europe suffering from a crisis of confidence amid a growing threat on its eastern flank and an abandonment of support from the US. Despite his lofty talk of a Zeitenwende [a historical turning point] after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz lacked the decisiveness and charisma to meet his country’s challenges. Though Berlin has been the second-largest donor of military and financial aid to Kyiv since 2022 (behind the US), much of the former was unnecessarily held up by Scholz, hindering its effectiveness and giving the impression of a dithering individual at the helm of Europe’s largest economy.

Merz must show this week that he has no such qualms. If the new chancellor is serious about strengthening Europe’s hand, he should begin by imploring the Bundestag to increase arms shipments to Ukraine today. With the Trump administration pressing for peace talks with Vladimir Putin in the near future, a bolstering of Kyiv’s forces and hopefully subsequent success on the battlefield would put the country in a stronger position to negotiate, while sending a clear message to the Kremlin and the White House that Europe, and Germany, deserve a say in any future settlement. For much of the postwar era, Germany has been scared of assuming a leading position in European defence but the time for timidity is over. If Merz doesn’t act on his rousing words then he is not the man for the moment.

Alexis Self is Monocle’s foreign editor. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

In the past, Oslo, Reykjavík and Geneva have been the go-to cities for people attempting to broker peace deals (writes Andrew Tuck). In recent weeks, however, Riyadh has been increasingly touted as an alternative; a place seen as neutral by both Russia and the US when it comes to Ukraine talks, for example. During a recent interview by Arab News editor in chief Faisal J Abbas at London’s Frontline Club, the Saudi ambassador to the UK was candid about his country’s perspective on a range of regional issues – and its potential to be a place where people with divergent worldviews could seek compromises.

Prince Khalid bin Bandar al Saud said that his country was pursuing a policy of “being engaged with everyone, talking to everyone” and that he saw merit in the description of Saudi Arabia as now being a “multi-aligned country”. But he also made it clear that this approach would mean including Palestinians in any discussions over the future of Gaza. “For us, it starts and ends with Palestinians,” said Al Saud.

In the February issue of Monocle, German fashion designer Jil Sander speaks to our fashion director, Natalie Theodosi, about her latest project: Jil Sander by Jil Sander. The book, published by Prestel, was conceived with Dutch graphic designer Irma Boom and journalist Ingeborg Harms. Here, Sander tells us about her philosophy and the process of putting together her monograph.

How did the idea for this book come about?
When I organised my archives for a Frankfurt museum exhibition in 2017, I realised how much material I had and that the right time had come. The book was a way to share and present this material in a personal way. Looking back, I wonder where the energy came from; how we consistently managed to maintain a sense of team spirit and preserve the high quality of our work. The memories are dear to me but they also remind me that my life was absorbed by work and a mission.

Now that you’ve taken a step back, how do you see the fashion industry today?
We face similar problems and ask the same questions. What’s new? How do we create awareness and express the moment that we’re living in? Iconic shapes and proportions are achieved by decisive details such as tailoring, lining and textiles. These are all important to my work – I wanted them to be noticed. I don’t believe in timeless design. Even classic shirts and jackets need contemporary interpretations. At a certain point, a suit looks dated, no matter how well it was crafted.

What’s your fashion philosophy?
I don’t identify with the minimalist tag. At the start of a collection my mind is wide open – I’m more of a maximalist. I develop and experiment with unusual fabrics, cuts and proportions, and I don’t exclude embellishment. Step by step, I reduce designs to a core message; not in the interest of providing less but in the interest of creating a strong essence.

Brazil’s Carnival might officially start on Friday but in many places the party has already begun: an estimated 350,000 people took to the streets of Rio de Janeiro to celebrate over the weekend (writes Fernando Augusto Pacheco). As samba schools add final flourishes to costumes and routines, many Brazilians are wondering which songs will define the year’s festivities and, ultimately, dominate the airwaves. Monocle Radio’s senior correspondent – and Carnival connoisseur – Fernando Augusto Pacheco, introduces the contenders.

‘Resenha do Arrocha’, J Eskine
The surprise hit of the year. Bahian singer J Eskine combines several distinct styles of music into a six-minute anthem dubbed as Brazil’s answer to “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

‘Sei Que Tu Me Odeia’ and ‘Capa de Revista’, Anitta
Brazil’s biggest international popstar has written two tracks for Carnival this year: brega funk tune “Sei Que Tu Me Odeia” and the synthy “Capa de Revista”.

‘O Verão Bateu em Minha Porta’, Ivete Sangalo
The queen of Carnival delivers once again. This celebratory song is full of sunshine, praising summer in Salvador.

‘Sequência Striptease’, Pedro Sampaio
Producer Sampaio has written yet another viral hit with an incessant beat. The video for this steamy track is accompanied by some rather sweaty choreography too.

‘Sambas de Enredo’, Rio Carnaval
One for the traditionalists. Nothing beats pure samba.

In the week following US vice president JD Vance’s explosive speech at the Munich Security Conference, European leaders scrambled to two emergency summits to consider the prospect of American detachment. In this special episode recorded at the conference, we reflect on this new reality almost exactly three years on from the invasion of Ukraine. We speak with current and former office-holders, including Pål Jonson, Sweden’s minister of defence, and Oleksii Reznikov, former minister of defence of Ukraine.