Atlantic Community:Open Think Tank Article "Priorities for German-American Cooperation"

November 19, 2008 | 3 comments | Print this Article | E-Mail Your Opinion

Priorities for German-American Cooperation

Interview with Jackson Janes: The executive director of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies tells Atlantic-community.org that Russia, energy security, climate change, Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the financial crisis are all pressing issues to be addressed jointly by Germany and the United States under an Obama administration.

A New Road Map for American-German Relations, a memorandum to the US president-elect, details how Germany and the US can cooperate in the coming years on global issues. Therein, the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) makes a variety of policy recommendations:

Craft a coordinated strategy on Russia to avoid a transatlantic rift, which would be exploited by Russia to the detriment of the US and Europe.
Engage Russia, together with Germany, more creatively on issues not currently dominating the discussion, such as arms control and proliferation issues, global health, and global warming.
Use NATO's sixtieth anniversary in 2009 as an opportunity for an important speech early in the year on NATO's strategic orientation convincing America's European allies, and especially Angel Merkel, to extend a strategic debate into their nations.
Use Germany's role as an honest broker in the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process to achieve a two-state solution.
Negotiate with Iran together with the EU-3 and Russia under a common strategy that includes sticks and carrots.
Involve Germany in non-proliferation efforts concerning state and non-state actors.
Implement common environmental standards (e.g., in the automobile sector) with Europe.
Use leverage of combined American-European economic weight (60% of global GDP) to shape new economic world order.
Invest political capital into the Transatlantic Economic Council.
Jointly push Asian countries and in particular China to let their currencies float freely.

Watch an exclusive interview with Jackson Janes, detailing the opportunities and pitfalls of the American-German relationship in the years to come.

Dr. Jackson Janes is the executive director of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at John Hopkins University.

David Neil Lebhar holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Davidson College and is currently an editorial intern at atlantic-community.org.

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November 22, 2008

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In a time where everybody still speaks of German anti-americanism, it's nice to be remembered of the "success story" German-American relations really represent. The AICGS Road Map suggestions could make this story even more successful. What is more, a synergy on environmental and energy issues would actually be a profit to the global community as a whole. Let's hope that the new president will bear in mind this memorandum...

November 22, 2008

Donald Stadler, Self-employed, Diamond Contributor (1052)

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Viewed over the entire period from 1945 to 2008 I suppose it is a success.

What concerns me is the failure of thr relationship to grow and change since the fall of the Berlin Wall. I think some on both sides don't wish the relationship to change, though it may be more accurate to state that many from both countries don't wish to change themselves but strongly prefer for the other to do so.

Germans point out that the US behave irresponsibly (from the Germany perspective) while failing to realize that helping to enact international treaties governing the use of force while radically shrinking their own defense budget appears very much to be putting more weight upon the shoulders of the US while removing the means to accomplish the increased responsiblity.

On our side, Americans have often stopped listening to the nagging voices of Germans and other Europeans, viewing their demands for moral improvement as one-sided or self-serving.

I think both sides are right and wrong on these matters. Germans are correct that it's desireable to make improvements - Americans are correct in that Germany needs to participate far more than it has rather than limit itself to legislating the efforts of others, as it now does.

November 22, 2008

Goran Radakovic, , Silver Contributor (28)

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Being one of the strongest economies in the world, Germany ought to be one of the important political actors in international relations. Yet the German political elites have not been willing enough to commit to such responsibility.

The new American administration led by the ever popular president Barack Obama could be a window of opportunity for Germany to create a new relationship with America and discuss important international issues, create viable strategies - set up bilateral relations with America without jeopardising EU policies.

I think that the New Road Map for American-German Relations contains some important points, especially the ones regarding Russia. Germany could play a crucial role in bringing Russia closer to the values that the European Union represents, and could act as a key mediator in trans-Atlantic relations, having a somewhat special historic relationship both with America and Russia.