For several years now — especially since the Russia–Ukraine war up to today (2025) — Germany has been going all-in to stay in the race, whether in the automobile sector, mechanical engineering, or the electronics industry, particularly semiconductors.
The country is investing and pouring in all the energy it has in order to remain competitive and keep running.
But can you really stay competitive when the players are exhausted?
Can you stay competitive when the different playbooks don’t even allow the players to deploy the little energy they have left?
Is Germany managing to get back into the race, or are we instead falling further behind when the players are worn out and kept on the field?
Is the economy a game to be played when we are exhausted — or rather, when we have recovered our strength?
How does Germany approach its own break, its time of rest?
When, on the playing field, a coach senses the players’ energy running low, does he call for a break, or does he keep putting his team in danger — thereby reducing the chances of getting back into the race?
A competitive economy is an economy that knows how to pause — and accept the pause. Pauses exist even in economics. It’s not only in sports that you must take a break; in the economy, it is also necessary. And a pause is simply a pause.
The greatest teams in history have gone through times when they were dominated and accepted that it was a time to pause — and used it to prepare better for future competitions.
All the great nations and kingdoms of the past that failed to recognize this period in their existence either disappeared altogether or lost a significant share of their economic influence.
Today’s economy is being played by new players — and they are in better shape.
So, what should Germany do?
Should it try to compete at all costs — or preserve its assets and remaining strength in order to maintain at least a minimal score?
