Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won a record 44% in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, leaving a small party with seats that could determine whether it can lead the nation's first far-right state government since World War II. Why it matters: Germany rebuilt its democracy after Nazi rule with unusually strong safeguards against extremism. AfD's breakthrough shows those barriers aren't stopping Europe's far right from becoming dominant electoral forces. The latest: AfD more than doubled its 20.8% share in 2021, hitting its highest vote share ever in a state election and finishing ahead of the center-right CDU at 17%. - BSW, the party that hasn't ruled out working with the AfD, barely cleared the 5% threshold parties need for…
State of the Union: Increased Russian influence threatens Chinese preeminence in North Korea. The post China’s Xi Visits North Korea, Hails Countries ‘Traditional Friendship’ appeared first on The American Conservative .
Chinese President Xi Jinping made a rare trip to North Korea on Monday to call for increased economic and military cooperation between the two Asian governments. The two-day visit to Pyongyang is the first Xi has made in seven years and is the Chinese premier’s first trip abroad in 2026. Before the trip, Xi wrote in a letter to North Korean media that “no matter how times change or how the international situation evolves, the traditional friendship between China and North Korea remains unbreakable, enduring, and constantly radiates vitality.” Xi was welcomed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Kim’s wife, Ri Sol Ju, in a ceremony that included cheering crowds, a mounted cavalry escort, and a 21-gun salute, Chinese state media…Open