Politics of Fear: The German Constitution in Crisis, personally signed by Volker Boehme-Neßler

The text is a polemic arguing for a ruthless and comprehensive reappraisal of COVID-19 policies. At the same time, it becomes a plea for reconciliation within society after the devastation of the pandemic and the policies implemented during that time.

Volker Boehme-Neßler, a respected constitutional lawyer, demonstrates how fear became a political weapon during the pandemic and how the government, with often unnecessarily harsh restrictions on civil liberties and targeted intimidation, eroded citizens' trust. He also makes it clear that all institutions – from parliament to the federal president to the Constitutional Court – failed during the pandemic. The same applies to the media, which did not fulfill its role as the "fourth estate of the realm."

However, the author does not stop at criticism. He is concerned with the future. He advocates for learning lessons from this period and for finding ways to strengthen democracy and social cohesion again. Thus, the book is at once a ruthless analysis and an urgent appeal to come to terms with the past in order to revive mutual trust.