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Oliver Krumme: Germany’s present foreign policy has been marked by not taking positions in crucial votes during its two-year membership of the UN Security Council. Whenever there was a decision to make, it was almost certain for Germany to abstain. Germany is the undisputed abstention champion.
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Hans F. Bellstedt: Increasing the European Stability Mechanism is matter of European solidarity and not financial common sense. Germany is being left to take the risk against its own interests and there is little evidence that this “Bazooka-strategy” will work.
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Soeren Keil: It seems as if Merkel is more interested in what is good for Germany in the short-term than what is good for the EU and consequently Germany in the long-term.
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Editorial Team: The media in the United States and Germany has been awash with speculation over the future of transatlantic relations as Obama tries to charm Europe’s strongest leader with a Medal of Freedom. Can Obama’s charm offensive convince Germany to show more global leadership?
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Hans Kundnani: In a sense, the central question of Germany’s post war identity is of whether it constitutes a part of the West or not. As the historian Heinrich August Winkler tells it, Germany has completed its long westward journey. However, the reality is more complicated considering the increasing shift of the Federal Republic’s foreign policy towards Moscow.
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Editorial Team: Prior to Chancellor Merkel’s trip to Washington DC both US and German journalists described a strained personal relationship between President Obama and Chancellor Merkel. Do you believe the two leaders’ different personalities and rhetorics have a negative effect on US-German relations?
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Interview with John C. Kornblum: The former US ambassador to Germany outlines the role of states, institutions and high-level political leaders in the transatlantic relationship at a conference hosted in Berlin by the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS).
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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?
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Andreas Umland: Don’t overestimate Berlin’s statements concerning Russian interests in the former USSR
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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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Nikolas Kirrill Gvosdev: The US course of action on statehood for Kosovo will be a major test for the newly fortified transatlantic relationship.
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Dear readers:, what do you make of Gordon Brown’s decision to take his first trip as prime minister to Berlin, rather than to Washington? Is Great Britain moving closer to Germany (and the EU), while the “special relationship” with the US takes a dive?
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William Drozdiak: I call on the United States and Europe to realize that conventional anti-Americanism is grounded in a few basic myths. Jan Ross called the growing tide of Anti-Americanism a new global ideology, but a closer look reveals that things are not as dire as they may seem.
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Jan Techau: I point to the blind spot in current EU policy: most of today’s EU leaders do not bring the interests of their constituents to the table. If Europeans are to cooperate on challenges such as climate change and energy security, they must be able to act as one.
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Global Must Read Articles
Merkel has taken bold initiatives at home and overseas. ++ At home, she opposed Greek’s exit from the eurozone, thereby preserving the unity of the union. ++ Abroad, she represented not only Germany, but the EU in her visit to China where she signified the need for the Chinese government to utilize its markets and funds to purchase German and European bonds. ++ Merkel will now have to seek
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Why not exclude ethnic origins from reporting on the Eurocrisis? ++ Hardly a day goes by in Greece without Chancellor Angela Merkel being depicted in a Nazi uniform. ++ Germany will not see a good deal of the €130 billion it will give to the bailout fund again but is being treated like it is invading Europe again. ++ Germany is now the America of Europe, hated “because it is too successful,
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Newly elected Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy has the country’s biggest mandate in 30 years, but he will still need plenty of outside support to tackle Spain’s imposing economic issues. ++ He is hoping that Germany and the ECB will publically support his proposed reforms, but Angela Merkel has said she wants to see real action first. ++ Because the situation is so tenuous and Rajoy will not
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Merkel and Sarkozy’s shifting strategy on the Euro crisis is undermining the credibility of the EU and hurting investment. ++ Suddenly introducing foreign exchange risk to the Eurozone has frightened the very market forces needed to rescue debt-ridden Greece and Italy. ++ This has created a vicious circle of political instability which further harms investment. ++ If it is to survive, the
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As the eurozone crisis groans on, a German-led Europe regains the stage as America’s most important foreign partner. ++ But this is more a matter of necessity than choice. “Openings to China and India have produced little. Relations with Russia, if improved, remain quixotic. And Obama now plays defense on the Middle East in this season of Arab revolt.” ++ Hoping to avoid a
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EU politicians, led by Germany’s Angela Merkel, have been too slow to realize that the eurozone crisis is the fault not of any single state, but of “a monetary union that refuses to be a fiscal union.” ++ Now, market attention shifts to indebted Italy, whose economy is buckling under high interest rates. ++ EU leaders must respond to this crisis by introducing a eurozone bond to
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Mrs. Merkel should draw the right lessons from the lost state elections and follow her and Germany’s principles and larger interests. ++ “Although NATO has long been the linchpin of Germany’s defense plans, she ostentatiously removed German ships in the Mediterranean from NATO command to keep them clear of operations in Libya.” ++ Mrs. Merkel’s predecessors rightly believed that
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The German soccer team is Chancellor Merkel’s last great hope for salvaging the political fortunes of her coalition government. ++ Only if the German team wins the world cup, “the whole country will party relentlessly and nobody will worry anymore about the disastrous government.” ++ The government’s coalition partner, the liberal FDP has turned into its worst nightmare,
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Germany has failed to keep its aid pledges to developing countries. ++ It has fallen short of both EU and UN aid requirements. ++ “In the international community, Germans are now seen as masters of the empty promise.” ++ Aid in Germany is no longer seen in terms of moral values but rather in terms of buying support for global challenges like security and climate change. ++ This frugality could
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After the first 100 days of her second term, Angela Merkel is receiving poor reviews from both the German public and the media. ++ The new “political dream team” of the Christian Democrats and the Free Democrats is quickly turning into a nightmare. ++ Many argue that the Christian Democrats’ vague campaign has translated into a dull second term agenda. ++ “She has been
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Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel will probably remain in office after the upcoming general elections on September 27 - a good thing. ++ After the Schröder-era Merkel managed Germany’s realignment in a good working relationship towards Washington, Russia, France and the rest of Europe. ++ With the legacy of the economic crisis, the war in Afghanistan, and North Korea’s and Iran’s nuclear
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The success of the left in Germany’s recent state elections does not mean a shift to the left for the country politically but rather that Chancellor Merkel’s time is over. ++ There is no “new strength” of the left but instead an obvious weakness in the German traditional majority parties of the CDU and SPD. ++ If Angela Merkel wants to bounce back in the federal election campaign, she must have
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The idea guiding the upcoming G20 Summit in April to address the financial crisis should be that “every crisis embodies a chance to change things for the better”. ++ On the one hand, the opportunity of the current crisis is the promotion of the concept of shared responsibility and cooperation. ++ On the other hand, it has made governments display their determination to “stimulate global demand
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Obama’s presidency is causing political divisions in Berlin. ++ Merkel is patiently waiting to see Obama’s actual policy plans before giving her unconditional support. ++ FM Steinmeier, on the other hand, has enthusiastically joined “Obamania,” perhaps thinking that this attitude might gain him popularity votes in the 2009 election. ++ But at the end of the day,
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Berlin witnessed the end of a stalemate between the Christian and Social Democrats on a 31-billion-euro economic stimulus package, but “Germans may find that the chances of their country’s economic recovery were higher when the grand coalition was still paralyzed.” ++ An additional 100 billion euros will go to rescue failing companies. ++ Both parties are positioning themselves for upcoming Fall
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her economic officials are standing in the way of a much-needed rescue plan for the EU’s economic woes. ++ “If there is to be a rescue of the European economy, Merkel wants no part of it, telling a party meeting that ‘we’re not going to participate in this senseless race for billions.’” ++ Due to its economic integration, a coordinated EU response is the
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In the past, the European right reliably took a hard-line stance against Russian expansionism, with the left playing the role of apologists. ++ “Today, there has been an odd reversal,” with the likes of Merkel, Berlusconi, and Sarkozy – Europe’s right – acting as stalwarts for Russia (the latter having done a phenomenal job of irking Eastern Europe in the process).
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Nicolas Sarkozy wishes to remain “president of the eurozone” for another year. ++ Chances are this coup will work, given the current situation. ++ The financial turmoil will likely require another eurozone summit meeting to address lingering problems; existing bank recapitalization plans need revision on a European level; Germany’s push for minimal eurozone intervention is not nearly as popular
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Financial turmoil has provoked leading nations to recognize the need for economic cooperation, yet fierce nationalism has reared its head amid the calls for global unity. ++ “Economics and finance may be global, but politics is still local.” ++ Western nations seek to retain power in the world system and emerging nations do not wish to yield their sovereignty. ++ Ideally the next US president
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Merkel’s uncertainty regarding the financial crisis is becoming increasingly evident. ++ Recently, three “Merkel myths” have been dispelled: the CSU loss in Bayern ended the idea of Merkel’s electoral invincibility; her rejection of an EU financial rescue plan proves she is not a European; and political vacillation has cast doubt on her leadership abilities. ++ As the
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Moscow’s recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia does not correlate with universal approval, and an international dialogue concerning the status of Georgia is set to begin. ++ Europe has proven itself too dissolute to confront Russia openly: Sarkozy has advocated global mediation, emphasizing Georgia’s weakness, and Merkel speaks of “Georgia’s core territory,” nearly cow-towing to the Russian
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By talking about terrorism instead of the financial crises in front of the UN, Bush has staged himself as “yesterday’s man.” ++ Even Germany - one of America’s closest allies - is distancing itself from the US and blames the state for opposing tighter international market controls. ++ German politicians do not see the US as the “superpower of the global financial system” anymore. ++ The view
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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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In the end of July, Obama is scheduled to meet with Chancellor Merkel and to hold a speech at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate. ++ He should consider saying something to the following effect: the lessons of Berlin illustrate “what far-sighted strategy can achieve” and teach shared sacrifice. ++ The transatlantic alliance depends on our shared resolve. ++ “I’m sure I can learn from Europe on universal
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Most EU leaders want to continue with the ratification of the Lisbon treaty regardless of the disastrous outcome of the Irish vote. ++ Sarkozy and Merkel in particular are pushing for the treaty to be implemented, yet only governments and political elites are eager to proceed. ++ The treaty has split the EU along geographical lines: the reluctant eastern Europeans, the Irish, and the others. ++
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Some may be tempted to ignore Bush during his final tour of Europe, a US President on his way out does not need the same attention as one on his way in. ++ Bush’s presidency, however, has marked an epoch-making shift: the emphasis of US diplomacy moved away from stability concerns and toward the spread democratic freedom; an emphasis that is strengthening the Atlantic
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US President George W. Bush’s final visit to Europe is likely to be only ceremonial and of little real substance. ++ The EU and the US are deeply divided over issues of trade, especially the import ban on American poultry. ++ Meanwhile, Bush - who’s presidency is soon to end - has too little leverage to elicit European cooperation on such issues as Afghanistan and Iraq. ++ The question remains
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While Medvedev “struck a friendly pose in Berlin,” future action or lack of thereof will be the true test of Russian-German relations. ++ Germany must be careful to avoid becoming “a mouthpiece of Russian interests” and hurting its relations with other Western powers. ++ Russia’s newfound confidence will affect all of its partners and its new leader is unlikely to make significant changes to
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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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Angela Merkel’s leadership style thus far has resembled that of Otto von Bismarck, Europe’s “honest broker” in the late 1870’s. But with new leaders in power in France and Britain, the real diplomatic test is still ahead, argues Josef Joffe. The publisher-editor of the influential German weekly Die Zeit writes that it remains to be seen whether Merkel can moderate diverging
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Der Spiegel writes that Angela Merkel has aligned herself with the US more closely than any previous German Chancellor. However, due to public skepticism and the SPD’s general mistrust of the Bush administration, Merkel must remain cautious. Some commentators have expressed concerns that the US might expect too much from Germany, but Merkel has done her best to keep recent improvements in
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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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The creation of a legitimate US missile defense system requires a NATO framework, bipartisan support within the US, and Russian participation, argues Ronald Asmus of the German Marshall Fund. The Atlantic Initiative Advisory Board member sees danger of a new division into “Old” and “New” Europe unless these key elements are resolved. While influential US allies Angela Merkel and Jaap de Hoop
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