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Djörn Eversteijn: NATO’s reliance on its global partnerships may seem innocuous today - even helpful, in fact. Contributions in Afghanistan from a diverse array of nations, such as Australia and South Korea, are seen as indispensable in security and reconstruction efforts. Until a full commitment by member states is exhibited, though, NATO’s long-term credibility is in danger.
The dissolution of the Soviet Empire removed the traditional raison
d'être for what had become history's most successful military alliance
and forced the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to go "out of area or
out of business." At the dawn of the 21st century, NATO responded
accordingly by linking its future relevance to what is often referred
to as the organization's most important mission: the stabilization and
reconstruction ...More
Francisco J. Ruiz: It is time to examine relations between Russia, the US, and the EU. With emerging global threats, there are areas in which these three can cooperate in defense and security. All three actors must change their policies enabling more collaboration on these issues.
After the events in the Caucasus it is the right moment to evaluate future relations between Russia and the West. If we accept the axiom that European security can be built with or without Russia, but never against Russia, we should compare the strategic interests of the US, the EU, and the Russian Federation, as well as their perception of the emergent threats in the global world, in order to evaluate if a common security space could be ...More
Jackson Janes & Tim Stuchtey: Drastic differences exist between the political party systems in the US and Germany. A German might be shocked to learn that many Americans believe the most capable candidates for political office are the ones who make decisions on the basis of high moral integrity. Americans might be taken aback by the German notion of a party program.
In a recent poll for the German weekly "Stern," 61 percent of
Germans favored an Obama presidency in the United States. But would
they also support the Democratic Party? Right before the Democratic
National Convention in Denver, a draft for the Democratic Party
Platform was published. The Party Platform comes closest to what in
Germany is known as the party program. But those who read the
fifty-one-page document will be either disappointed about the lack ...More
Thorsten Benner & Lars Zimmermann: Germany lacks an informed and responsible debate on the country’s engagement in Afghanistan. The looming populism of the 2009 election year is set to make matters even worse. Politicians and the media must prevent this from happening.
A political paradox: polling frequently shows that more than three-quarters of citizens trust Chancellor Merkel's foreign policy decisions. Both Merkel and the Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, regularly secure the top spots on the list of most popular politicians. However, with regard to their leaders' most important and riskiest foreign policy venture, Germans refuse to pledge loyalty. A majority of Germans ...More
Alexandros Petersen & Ryan R. Miller: Poland and Lithuania can play an important role in advancing U.S. priorities in the “New East Europe.”
CEPA analyst Ryan R. Miller and Alexandros Petersen, a CEPA Senior Associate Scholar, see a Polish-Lithuanian diplomatic tandem as a "force multiplier" for US priorities in the "New East Europe."
Miller and Petersen argue that a schism between Western and Central Europe was laid bare for all to see during last month's Georgia crisis - calling into question whether the EU as a whole can be an effective partner when confronting challenges in Russia's backyard. Moving forward, they suggest setting up the Poles and Lithuanians as America's point men on Europe's eastern periphery.
John Mathiason: The Copenhagen Conference will hopefully produce a successor to the Kyoto Protocol; but then the real work begins. Independent organizations will be necessary to tackle adaptation and mitigation requirements, while ensuring, through effective monitoring, that states comply. Self-policing is not an option.
The negotiation of climate change agreements has been the major focus of inquiry to date leading up to the fifteenth Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, which should agree on the successor to the Kyoto Protocol. But, once this is agreed, what will happen next? Here the issue of managing climate change comes into play, and with it the role of the international public ...More
Dale Medearis: Following the collapse of a cap-and-trade climate bill in the US, it is evident that any substantive policies will begin at the local and state levels. Fortunately, this also happens to be the level at which the US and Germany can pursue very solid and mutually beneficial cooperation.
Until real and actionable climate and energy policies emerge at the national level in the United States, the burden of addressing sustainable climate and energy work will fall on the shoulders of local and regional authorities. The central role that local governments are likely to play, offer several positive opportunities for dealing with climate change and bridging differences in the transatlantic environmental ...More
From the Editorial Team: The current financial crisis has sent economists, politicians, and citizens alike scrambling to find solutions. In the US and Europe, expert opinion is divided on how to revamp the economy. How should the United States, the EU, the private sector, and others respond to this international situation?
The current financial crisis has not only traumatized the financial system in the United States but has sent shockwaves across the globe.Furthermore, the financial crisis has given rise to a new bout of "transatlantic sniping," according to the New York Times. German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück stated yesterday that "the financial market crisis is above all an American problem," and "the US will lose its status ...More
Thomas Speckmann: To Western democracies, the idea of war privatization is still largely associated with the reign of warlords in Africa and Afghanistan. However, privatization is also sneaking into Western warfare. This new financial aspect of war needs to be regulated on a national and global scale.
During the Yugoslav wars,
President Clinton sent private US military advisors in order to train Croatian
troops in their fight against Serbian forces, a decisive factor in a favorable
outcome for the Croatians. During the Gulf War in 1991, one-tenth of the allied
troops were made up of private support, which was chiefly used for the purpose
of replacement forces and maintaining infantry numbers. In the Iraq invasion ...More
Ralf Fuecks: There is a tendency to ignore discomfiting facts so as not to disturb good relations with Russia. This approach, which borders on Russian blackmail, is a categorical failure. Moscow needs to be integrated into the EU fold; but at the same time, the EU must be willing to evince a willingness to face the right conflict at the right time.
The war involving Georgia has changed the political landscape far beyond the Caucasus. In addition to its recognition of the separatist provinces, Russia is about to reinstate the principle of “limited sovereignty” for Georgia. The West appears helpless – the United States is far away, its forces engaged elsewhere. The European Union has concluded a partnership agreement with Georgia but the European Neighborhood ...More
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