Facing the Future: Germany and the U.S. in a Transforming World
Those who remember the heady days of 1989 in Europe will recall a breathtakingly fast pace of change. The chain of events in Eastern Europe seemed like a volcanic eruption of citizens and governments—an eruption that would change the contours of the continent in ways many had hoped for, but few expected in their lifetimes. In retrospect, it was in large measure set in motion by ordinary citizens who changed the course of history. The ripples of those days are still being felt today—a quarter of a century later.
From the AGI Bookshelf: Schwankender Westen
Is the West a sustainable concept and operating principle? Are we entering a phase in which a consensus surrounding the notion of law, freedom, and the foundations of what is …
Refugee Realities: Between Bridges and Boundaries
Just as she marks the tenth anniversary of her tenure as chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel is confronted with a crisis—one whose magnitude diminishes others she has encountered over the …
From the AGI Bookshelf: Dead Wake
With all the publications on the centenary of World War I that have emerged over the past few years, there has been a focus on the forces that led to …
Fear Factors
Plato once wrote, “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” Fear is …
From the AGI Bookshelf: Zwischen Koran und Kafka: West-östliche Erkundungen
Those who can build effective bridges between Islam and the West are rare. Navid Kermani is one. He has a unique command of German literature which, combined with his Iranian …
From the AGI Bookshelf: Superpower – Three Choices for America’s Role in the World
In Washington, DC, one signal that a presidential election year is around the corner is the appearance of books pitching all kinds of ideas for the next president to consider …
Managing Global Migration
Seventy years ago, one of the largest movements of refugees in European history was taking place following the capitulation of Germany and the end of war on the continent. Europe …
Facing Uncertainty in Ukraine
While most of Europe has been obsessed with the Greek crisis over the past weeks, another crisis is continuing to threaten the continent with dangers that go well beyond the …
From the AGI Bookshelf: The Great War of Our Time
After over three decades in the world of intelligence services, Michael Morell’s personal biography of his career at the CIA offers some insights about how that secretive world looks from …
From the AGI Bookshelf: After Snowden: Privacy, Secrecy and Security in the Information Age
Amid the continuing saga of the NSA affair—spanning from the German debate about privacy and security to the USA Freedom Act—there is now another set of perspectives on the impact …
Can We Handle the Truth?
Amid the tensions between Berlin and Washington generated by the NSA affair, one might be tempted to remind both sides of the Atlantic that (apologies to Jack Nicholson’s character in …