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From the Editorial Team: Former German foreign minister Fischer criticizes the attitude of German politicians who refuse to send troops to the south of Afghanistan. He accuses Germany of conducting a security policy of “free riding.” What do you think? Is he right?
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Heinrich Bonnenberg: The need to reduce CO2 emissions, manage price increases, and deal with resource shortages is causing the energy economy to change. Electricity should eventually replace oil and gas. Nuclear power will have to play an increasingly important role in the new electricity economy.
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David Francis: Obama’s popularity should not be interpreted as a shift in German policy towards the United States. Many officials I spoke with while reporting from Berlin earlier this year said Germany will continue to act in its own interests no matter who is in the White House.
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Rüdiger Lentz: Obama’s speech at the Victory Column in Berlin, impressive as it was, contained more empty slogans than substance. This was not the radical change he promised during his primary campaign. His charisma might not be enough to win the elections.
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Video interviews at Obama rally in Berlin: The majority of Germans support Barack Obama for the US presidency, not because they believe he will radically change US policy, but because he is expected to return it to the familiar pre-Bush trajectory.
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Anne Applebaum: Obama’s visit to Europe signifies a change in America’s political culture – it shows American voters are aware of the damage the current administration has done to America’s image and are not indifferent to how their country is perceived abroad.
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David Francis: Germany is not only comfortable with Russia as an energy partner, it is comfortable with Russia as a strategic partner. This is at odds with the Bush administration, which views Russia with suspicion. Germany’s position has exposed an ideologically divide in Europe.
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Marek Swierczynski: One crisis is rapidly spiralling to another. The Irish “No” to the Lisbon Treaty spoiled the mood among the EU big players so much that they’ve threatened to halt enlargement plans. And it is not Ireland, they’re threatening but Eastern European new member states.
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Heinrich Bonnenberg: Germany and the EU must give stronger credit to Ukraine’s emergence as an independent democracy in the tradition of Europe’s historic liberal movements. The EU should quickly enable Ukrainian accession, but NATO membership should not be pursued, as this would likely exasperate tensions with Russia.
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Eckart von Klaeden: The “strategic partnership” between the EU and Latin America must be followed up with concrete and substantive political initiatives. The European Union, Latin America, and the United States must work towards a trilateral dialog.
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Mark Brzezinski: A special exhibit focused on the Holocaust opened recently on Ellis Island in New York City. It celebrates those who chose not to be indifferent. The National Park Service joined the nonprofit group “Visas For Life” to honor diplomats who rescued Jews before and during World War II.
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Andreas Umland: A conspirological form of anti-Americanism has become Russia’s new foreign policy doctrine. Paradoxically, the Russian elite, at the same time, wants to build closer relations with the US’s major partner in continental Europe - Germany.
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David Francis: Why is everyone outside of Germany worried about Nord Stream, while people in Germany seem okay with it? By looking at the United States, it’s apparent that it’s easier to ignore reliance on imported energy than it is to confront the problem.
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Frank-Walter Steinmeier: For the past 60 years the transatlantic relationship has been the world’s transformative partnership. America’s relationship with Europe - more than with any other part of the world - enables both of us to achieve goals that neither of us could achieve alone.
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Leon Hadar: The EU should put its money where its mouth is and work towards inviting both Israel and Palestine to join the EU. With the election of a new US president, Europe could gain more control in the Middle East, but only if it simultaneously accepts more responsibility.
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Robert Zoellick: The president of the World Bank expresses his concern regarding the German focus on bilateral aid programs in an interview with Rüdiger Lentz, head of the Deutsche Welle studio in Washington and executive director USA of the Atlantic Initiative.
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Volker Perthes: I admit that there is no simple checklist to determine how, when, or where German troops should be deployed abroad. But there are a number of valid questions that can be posed before soldiers are sent to peacekeeping and peace-enf
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Thomas Straubhaar: The oil price’s rise towards $100 per barrel is not a cause for concern over economic growth, but has many positive implications for the economy and the climate.
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Jan Techau: It is time for Germany to assert a leading role in world politics. The German public needs to overcome its aversion to international involvement and see today’s threats for what they are—because history isn’t waiting.
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Karsten Voigt: Shifting German troops out of the north of Afghanistan would be detrimental to the country. The troops should stay with their original mission, as they are providing significant support to the allied forces.
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David Vickrey: German businesses should take a cue from the vibrant start-up culture in the United States and be more open to the radical change that innovation can bring. There is no room for fear of failure if Germany is to achieve the sustainable economic growth that it so desires.
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Jan-Friedrich Kallmorgen and Andreas Beckmann: Germany should support the proposed US missile defense plan and broaden the plan through NATO. Though this issue is rarely understood in Germany, it is evident that the world faces a massive security problem as a result of Iran’s developing nuclear program.
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Daniel Fallenstein: Germans should learn from the strong American reaction to the Sudan genocide. The black-and-white US worldview is the only one that matters in such a clear-cut case of good vs. evil.
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Eckart von Klaeden: Europe and Germany need missile defense against the threat from Iran. Europe has long neglected the new strategic threats arising from missile proliferation.
This is the first of a two-part series from the Atlantic Initiative Advisory Board Member.
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Karsten Voigt: I cannot foresee an end to the German and Allied commitment in Afghanistan as long as the Taliban pose a threat to the country’s stability. We cannot allow pro-terrorist groups to take over, and that good governance is a priority.
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Global Must Read Articles
Two of the EU’s key assumptions towards Russia have been proven wrong: firstly, Russia obviously does not share the Western values and secondly, Russia does not oppose Iran going nuclear. ++ Moscow can assume that a nuclear Iran will hurt Western interests more than Russian and will shape balance of power favorably for Russia. ++ Yet, there is still a chance for the EU to pressure Iran through
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Dr. Jackson Janes has been engaged in German-American and European affairs for more than three decades. He is the executive director of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C.
Before joining the AICGS, he served as a director of the German-American Institute in Tübingen and as a director of program development at the
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Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder stated in his article on China that the economic wealth will advance the democratic transformation of the country ++ But it is not that simple: the Communist party uses the economic success to justify its rule. ++ Therefore, it is necessary to coordinate German policy towards China with that of other Western powers. ++ Schröder in his article
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Obama’s popularity last
Thursday showed the desire for a responsible global power and the unwavering belief that the US should be that power. ++ But the charisma of the presidential candidate should not blur our view of the other Obama: the Realpolitiker. ++ In his speech, he made clear that neither can the US be an arrogant superpower, nor can Europe neglect its military duties, e.g. in
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The German magazine Der Spiegel featured articles about Barack Obama with such satiric headlines as “The Messiah Factor” or “Germany Meets the Superstar.” ++ These examples show that Europeans are far less excited about Obama than Americans, even if they are also looking forward to the end of the Bush administration. ++ The mocking undertone that accompanies most descriptions of Obama in the
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The German government welcomes Obama’s call for a renewal of transatlantic relations. ++ The
reactions of the public are heterogeneous: some expected a key speech and were disappointed afterwards while others liked Obama’s decision to speak as a citizen of the world. ++ Political scientist Langguth warned of a transfiguration of the US-German relationship. ++ No matter who will win the US
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With the exception of Germany, all major European goverments seek out US leadership on global issues. ++ Merkel remains inflexible regarding enlarging the NATO contingent in Afghanistan and adopts an indulgent approach to Russia which is only surpassed by Schroeder and Steinmeier’s disturbingly close ties to the Kremlin. ++ Since Russia tries to divide the West through Germany: “Any American
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The need for a renewal of transatlantic relations is widely felt among the German public and the expectations are high regarding Obama’s stance on climate protection, peace, and shared values. ++ But there will also be delicate issues arising such as economic relations between both countries and the German fear that Obama could enhance protectionism in the US. ++ Moreover, the canditates’ plan
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After the end of the cold war the world experienced a transition period of US dominance. ++ The new world order will be multipolar. ++ Therefore, we need Beijing to solve the global challenges
and it is up to Germany to promote an international integration of China. ++ The economic and the civil domain are the keys for the development of bilateral relations. ++ China’s internal liberalization
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Although countless events and demonstrations have taken place at the gate, Obama’s intention to hold a speech divides the German political elite. ++ Merkel’s disapproval is thought to be due to her closer ties to the conservatives across the Atlantic and her East German preference for “right-wing and rather gruff figures of American politics.” ++ Most Germans however would gladly see Obama be
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It did not take Iraq to spur dislike for Bush. ++ Yet by overstating his mistakes and cropping his successes, Germans acquired a sense of ease and superiority which they will lose when he goes. ++ The president’s catastrophic image made it possible to blame him rather than the terrorists for the situation in Afghanistan, dodge military commitments to NATO, and use Iraq as an argument to refuse
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President Sarkozy has announced that citizens of the 2004 EU accession countries will be permitted to work freely in France beginning in July. ++ This development contrasts sharply with Germany where “borders will remain firmly shut for another three years.” ++ While wage modernization and the boom enjoyed by export partners mean that the short-run looks bright for Germany, the country’s
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Thanks to its massive
workforce and low labor costs, China
has become the twenty first century’s leading global production plant. Even for
German companies, China
has long been a fundamental market for supplies. Yet an inquiry released by
PricewaterhouseCoopers reveals some astonishing facts: for many businesses, China is not as
cheap as one may think. Indeed, on some products, there is a
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17,000 respondents in 34 countries perceived Germany as the country that has the most “positive influence” on world affairs. ++ 18 percent gave a negative assessment of Germany, the lowest disapproval figure for any of the 23 countries rated in BBC World Service survey. ++ For the first time since 2005, the number of people abroad that view the US as a positive force has increased slightly, to 35
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Europe needs Russia for its oil and natural gas and Russia needs Europe for revenue from these resources. ++ This reciprocal relationship explains Europe’s opposition to granting Ukraine and Georgia NATO membership. ++ The issue of energy security is one of the few issues where central and eastern European countries agree with the US and are in conflict with Germany and France.
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Troops in Afghanistan amount to a mere 10% of the contingent needed. ++ Quarrelling over NATO policy issues is preventing gathering the necessary means to effectively tackle terrorism and the Taliban. ++ While French, German and Greek troops are comfortably in the North “where the main threat they face is boredom,” their politicians are willing to take charge, but not to shoulder the war’s
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NATO has always been a two-tiered alliance in which some countries shouldered more burdens than others. ++ This fact will not change, but it also does not invalidate the significance of NATO. ++ A two-tiered NATO even has certain benefits for the US, especially since the Eastward expansion of NATO serves as a safeguard against Russia. ++ NATO’s future, if centered on sea power and not combat,
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During Merkel’s visit, Israel needs to clarify that Germany must support tougher sanctions, break diplomatic ties, and end governmental trade subsidies with Iran. ++ Brown and Sarkozy are already supportive of more restrictive sanctions, but if Germany remains indecisive, effective action against Iran will be impossible. ++ Israel only further endangers itself claiming that Germany is doing
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Jan Techau and Alexander Skiba of the German Council on Foreign Relations criticize the German Government’s rejection of the US request for more German combat forces in south Afghanistan. There are at least three reasons for Germany to re-evaluate its current position: stabilizing Afghanistan is in Germany’s national interest; strategically it makes sense for Germany to carry more of
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Sub-national units — namely states or regions — are playing an increasing role in environmental policy-creation find R. Andreas Kraemer and Miranda A. Schreurs in “Federalism and Environmentalism in the United States and Germany”, the latest report by the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS). The impact sub-national units have on national governments is becoming stronger,
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A lack of strong European leaders has made German Chancellor Angela Merkel into America’s most important partner, say Jackson Janes and Stephen Szabo. Janes, Executive Director of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies and an Atlantic Initiative Advisory Board member, describes with AICGS Director of Research Szabo how challenges in implementing domestic reforms have led
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With the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome approaching, journalist Rosemary Righter suggests that Angela Merkel stop worrying about the EU constitution and instead help Europe stimulate growth by “joining forces” with the United States and creating a transatlantic single market. Germany and France should not disdain US assistance now: the EEC owed much of its early success to the American
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The United Nations approach to halting the Iranian nuclear program is a deepening hole that the Security Council and Germany should “stop digging,” says Christoph Bertram, the former director of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin and a member of the Atlantic Initiative Advisory Board. Bertram notes that attempts at sanctioning Iran have heightened Tehran’s
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Globalization has come full circle, says Deutsche Welle. 10 years ago, Germany set the tone of its economic relationship with India. German companies outsourced parts of their production to India and attempted to lure Indian IT-Specialists into the country. Now, Indian companies are opening up subsidiaries in Germany, employing Germans, and an Indian steel giant is making bids to buy its
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