AGI Asks: Assessing the First Year of the Merz Government
Friedrich Merz was sworn in as Germany’s chancellor on May 6, 2025. The country faces its biggest challenges in a generation: a sluggish economy, Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine, a …
Can a Critical Minerals Pact Compartmentalize Transatlantic Trade?
On April 24, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and EU Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maros Šefčovič agreed to an Action Plan for Critical Minerals Supply Chain Resilience, committing the …
Public Debt: From a Stopgap to a Threat?
Public debt is in the spotlight. According to the IMF, global public debt stands at 93 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP). By the end of the decade, IMF …
Far Beyond a Name
Peter Arthur Gray’s Search for Identity and Trust Peter Arthur Gray has gone by many names over the years. When asked to identify himself at the beginning of an interview …
Tariffs, Germany, and South Carolina
Bavaria West German business loves South Carolina, and South Carolina loves German business. Currently, there are over 270 German companies employing over 44,000 people based in South Carolina. They have …
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The AfD’s New Transatlantic Network
Tracking the AfD’s Engagement with the United States As the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has gained support domestically—exemplified by 20.8 percent of the vote in the 2025 Bundestag election—they have …
Whither the Greens?
Özdemir’s unexpected triumph and the future of the party The Green Party, led by talismanic candidate Cem Özdemir, finished first on March 8 in the Baden-Württemberg state elections with 30.2 …
AGI Profiles: Leif-Erik Holm
Member of the Bundestag; AfD State Chairman in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Leif-Erik Holm is a father, politician, loyal party member, local celebrity, and a “nice guy.” A founder of the Alternative …
Time for a Change?
Thoughts on the National Anthem of Germany The story of the Deutschlandlied (song of Germany) is one of turbulence and shifting perceptions. It was written in 1841 by August Heinrich …
Toy Maker 2: Journeys
On June 20, 2018, the article “The Story of Bert Reiner, the Toy Maker, or: An Appreciation for the Individual Experiences of Former Shanghai Jewish Refugees” was published by the …
The With-Limits Partnership
The March 3 visit of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to Washington was planned well before the launch of the American and Israeli war on Iran. While the U.S. military action …
Gender-Blind, Not Gender-Neutral
Friedrich Merz and Pension Reform Hoping, for the third time, to become CDU party chair, Friedrich Merz declared in January 2021: “I know that we have to be better and …
