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To Rule the Euro Zone

As euro zone governments quietly work on a proposal to relieve Greek bond debt, a much louder debate over the future of the euro zone has come about across Europe. The following several articles focus on the debate and show the range of opinions regarding the future of the euro zone.
Germany has become the object of Europe’s resentment, writes Stefan Theil, Newsweek correspondent and a regular contributor to the Advisor, mostly because the weak euro has meant a strong German. But at the same time, Theil argues, Germans are starting to feel some disillusionment with supporting some fellow euro zone members, a growing attitude that will eventually force action – action that Germany will likely lead. This essay originally appeared in the January 23, 2011, edition of Newsweek.

Ordnungsmacht Deutschland

Jochen Bittner, a regular contributor to the Advisor, argues that behind all of the euro zone debate lies a simple but unpleasant truth: The monetary union came too soon. Certainly it is difficult to shift strategies in the middle of a crisis, but Bittner contends that nothing less than a ‘reset’ will help the euro zone out of this mess, something the German government is eager to tackle, even if it won’t admit so publicly. This essay originally appeared in the January 18, 2011, edition of Die Zeit and is available in German only.

Knausrige Kanzlerin verschärft die Euro-Krise

As Portugal, Spain, and others have to pay exorbitant interest rates on their government debt, all of Europe is threatened with an increasingly worse economic crisis, writes Senior Non-Resident Fellow Dr. Sebastian Dullien. Germany could help, Dr. Dullien argues, but instead a ‘stingy’ Chancellor Merkel is endangering the euro zone with her government’s mindset of demanding punishment for countries in crisis. This essay originally appeared in the January 17, 2011, online edition of Der Spiegel and is available in German only.

The Need for a Narrative

In this week’s At Issue, Executive Director Dr. Jackson Janes examines the efforts to deal with the shootings in Tucson and how both Germany and the U.S. try to come to grips with such violent acts.

Climate and Energy Policy After the U.S. Midterm Elections

Conditions for U.S. climate and energy policy have changed considerably after comprehensive climate and energy legislation failed in the 111th Congress. In the newly elected 112th Congress, emphasis will likely shift away from climate change to more orthodox supply side energy strategies. Writing from a European perspective, Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Managing Director of The Nature Conservancy in Europe and a regular contributor to the Advisor, explores the consequences of these U.S. changes for the European Union’s climate and energy strategy as well as for a future international climate regime.

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Germany’s Foreign Policy Challenges in 2011

State Secretary Dr. Werner Hoyer, MdB (FDP), discusses with Dr. Jackson Janes the foreign policy challenges facing Germany in the upcoming year, including Iran, the financial crisis, Belarus, and the Hungarian EU presidency.

The Financial Outlook in 2011

In an essay written for Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, AICGS Trustee Dr. Josef Joffe examines the global financial outlook for 2011 and writes that despite some negative indicators, global prospects in 2011 look brighter than previous years, leading to cautious optimism for the coming year.

American Education Reform Process in Isolation

While American education policy has mostly been conducted at the local level, recent reform efforts have been enacted at the federal level. These reforms, however, have been conducted in ‘isolation’ and with minimal consideration for international evaluations like the OECD’s PISA studies, writes Dr. Kerstin Martens, AICGS Visiting Fellow in fall 2010. Why are such reforms carried out independently of international studies? Dr. Martens examines this issue in her essay.

Don’t Mention the Four

“Football is not a matter of life or death,” claimed Bill Shankly, a former manager of Liverpool, one of England’s most well-known football clubs. “It’s much more important than that!” …

The Pope’s Purpose

Differing Catholic Communities While the Pope is making his historical visit to Washington and New York this week, he is grappling with a community of Catholics that looks different from …

Archived Working Papers

Unification and the Policy Predicament in Germany by Hallet, Andrew Hughes, Yue Ma and Jacques Mélitz Economic Studies Working Paper Series 1 (Washington, D.C.: AGI 1995). Wage Eastern Germany and …

Archived Transatlantic Perspectives and Web Essays

No Strong Conservative Mandate?: The Failed Social Security Reform of 2005 and the Prospect of Future Reform By Christian Eckert AGI/DAAD Web Essay (Washington, D.C.: AGI, 2007). The Good, the …