In 2013, when German politics had intruded aggressively and punitively into the daily lives of Greeks, The German Syndrome was an attempt to familiarize and understand "Germanness" and the Sonderweg, the German peculiarities, beyond the Greek stereotypes of the Occupation and World War II.

Today, in 2024, new serious reasons have emerged that necessitate a deeper understanding of "Germanness" (Deuschtung) and its aspirations. The German problem is a European problem, if not a global one. Thus, the update of the book was deemed advisable, in order to reposition the entire issue in current geopolitical and geoeconomic terms, particularly after the announcement of Germany's colossal rearmament program and the political crisis that erupted due to the recession affecting the country.

This edition concludes with an Appendix. In this, events from 2013 until today are recorded, the assessment of the decade of memorandums is presented—according to the thorough study conducted by the CEPS and NIESR institutes at the request of the Commission—along with the critique of this study by four Greek ministers of Economy.

A detailed presentation of the economic crisis that broke out in Germany during the two years of the Russo-Ukrainian war, due to the loss of the energy advantage and more, led to a major political crisis that drives the country towards early elections. It is noteworthy that the crisis erupted one day after Donald Trump's victory in the American presidential elections. The upcoming contest threatens Germany with political and economic destabilization; this, in a historical phase where conditions allow for the rearmament of the country, due to the threat from the East.

Consequently, the updated reissue of The German Syndrome comes at an interesting juncture for all of Europe, as in 2024, Wolfgang Schäuble's memoirs were first published, and now those of Angela Merkel, shedding light on aspects of German policy during the euro crisis and the crisis in Greece. The update focuses both on Berlin's strategy for rearmament and on the stakes of the German elections and the structural crisis of the economy.

Understanding Germany’s foreign policy requires, beyond knowledge of its historical manifestation, the intellectual and political framework within which it is shaped. Journalist Makis Andronopoulos made an initial attempt to understand Berlin's politics based on the formation of "Germanness" ("Deutschtum") in 2013, when the "news at 8" was flooded with German politics.

He did so with his book The German Syndrome – Greece and Europe Facing German Peculiarities; at the same time, this book was also an act of reaction, both political and cultural. It is no coincidence that the book was reissued in 2015 in two volumes by "Ethnos of Sunday." At that time, Andronopoulos made an observation—metaphorically called "the German syndrome"—that Germans are driven by a desperate obsession for recognition and dominance over the past two centuries.

Today, he estimates that in the twelve years that have passed, many events have accumulated that support the validity of this characterization. This is a set of political and social symptoms as well as historical choices of the German elite that repeat themselves and trace their origins to German idealism, the concepts of the state, destiny, recognition of superiority, and the right of the stronger.

The main symptoms of the "German syndrome" are the metaphysical obsessions that haunt Germanness, the uncontrollable will for expansion, the imposition of uniformity, and strict regulatory frameworks. All these symptoms were expressed in an extreme manner in the policies imposed by Berlin on Greece during the implementation of the three memorandums.

In Part A of the book, the author provides an impressionistic stroll through German history, the philosophical background of Germanism, and the Sonderweg, the special path that Germany followed in its evolution compared to the other great powers and societies of the 19th century. The dissolution of the Roman Empire, Germany's background in Europe, the delayed reform, Napoleon's role in the unification of Germany, Bismarck, the two world wars, the post-war economic miracle, the strategy of German capital, the economy of domination, and apocalyptic rationalism are topics that unfold with the logic and writing of a report.

In Part B, the German policy during the first three years of the Greek crisis is analyzed, the Greek-German relations—also under the lens of war reparations and the forced occupation loan—and the effects of the German management on the European Union. The 2013 text has been enriched with footnotes recording the evolution of events and their consequences.

It is particularly interesting that in the last chapters, the author refers to the main trends, scenarios, and policies that dominated ten years ago regarding the future of Europe, which allows the reader to reflect on where we stand now. This edition concludes with an Appendix. In this, events up to today are recorded, the assessment of the decade of memorandums is presented—according to the thorough study conducted by the CEPS and NIESR institutes at the request of the Commission—along with the critique of this study by four Greek ministers of Economy.