How Germany Lost Its BATNA

Germany didn't lose its energy BATNA in 2022 out of nowhere. It had been weakening it for years. BATNA is one of the most important concepts in negotiation and strategy. Germany's experience with Russian gas shows what happens when alternatives gradually become harder, slower, or more expensive to activate. The deeper lesson isn't simply about energy or geopolitics. It's about optionality. Companies make similar decisions all the time: choosing the cheapest supplier, removing spare capacity, reducing liquidity, or becoming dependent on a single partner. These decisions can look efficient until circumstances change. Sometimes you're not buying efficiency. You're buying options. And those options can become your leverage. On this channel, I explore the strategy behind business, geopolitics, contracts, energy and sport, looking at the incentives, leverage, assumptions and decisions happening underneath the headlines. Think Beyond the Headlines. #Strategy #Geopolitics #BATNA