The first Leopard 2 tank battalion from Europe will come earliest in 3 months. Whether the tanks will arrive in Ukraine for the next phase of the war is uncertain. Military experts have warned that Russia is preparing for a spring offensive

Polls often find that identity politics are irrelevant to most people. A new Forsa poll in Germany finds that 88% of Germans don't care whether there is gender parity in government. Even for voters of the Greens, who stand for gender parity, the figure is 85%

The Panzer Chancellor: For days, Germany's @OlafScholz  was derided as a ditherer. In the end, he managed to persuade Biden to send US tanks as part of one of the boldest moves by the West to support Ukraine´. But he'll get little credit via @WSJ 

Yet Scholz's effort to build a broad tank alliance incl the U.S. - like his other major policy coups - was conducted secretly and never explained to voters or allies, it left his reputation diminished abroad and at home

RIP Tom Verlaine