Soft Power: Its Use in German and American Cultural Diplomacy
At an AGI workshop about Germany’s cultural policies in 1998, Harvard historian Charles Maier summarized his critical observations in one sentence: “Germany is a country that wants to run without …
Which Carrots and Which Sticks? Searching for a Strategy to Deal with Russia in the Ukraine Crisis
The Western community faces a dilemma in Ukraine. On the one hand, Putin is known to react to pressure with fierce counter pressure.[1] If you bully him into a tight …
Developing Advanced Work-Based Higher Education: What Germany and the U.S. Can Learn from Each Other
Currently, many countries are experiencing a strong renewed interest in work-based training.[1] When it comes to discussions in this field, American policymakers usually identify dual apprenticeship training as the “crown …
Ostpolitik Reset: How Germany is Re-Evaluating its Relationship with Russia
The Chancellery recently announced that Angela Merkel will not attend the May 9 Moscow celebration to mark the seventieth anniversary of the end of World War II. She will, however, …
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Support Our WorkRethinking Trust: U.S.-German Relations Beyond the NSA Affair
In political rhetoric, trust is a powerful trope.[1] Various speeches, policy papers, and internal notes use the term trust and emphasize its crucial meaning for bilateral partnerships. The benefits of …
Second Life of Political Leaders: A Case Study of Adolf Hitler
The Role of Adolf Hitler’s Image in American Popular Culture In recent times, the term “second life” relates to a web game in which people create characters of themselves. However, they …
Banking Union: Another Step on the European Journey
The start of the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) in the euro zone adds an important element to the euro’s financial ecosystem. It should help to restore trust in the system …
Dealing with a Violent Past and Reconciliation as a Challenge for Policymakers and Civil Society Actions Experience from the Church’s Reconciliation Work between Germans and Poles
Twenty-five years after the Kohl-Mazowiecki meetings and joint mass that inaugurated “official” German-Polish reconciliation after 1989, German-Polish reconciliation is viewed as an instructive example both in Europe (Polish-Ukrainian relations) and East Asia (Japanese-Korean relations).
Transatlantic Cooperation on China: More than an Ocean Between
Transatlantic cooperation on East Asia is characterized by benign neglect, at best. It’s been two years since then U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and then EU High Representative for …
The Swiss Apprenticeship System: Its Institutional Specificities and Strengths in International Perspective
If the U.S. aims to learn from the Swiss experience, it should seek ways to improve the reputation of work-based training programs through better linking the vocational and academic worlds of learning.
The Policy Trap: Is the Euro Crisis Back?
Now in the second half of 2014, the European economy has hit a rough patch, triggering renewed anxiety among policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic. Economists and politicians are …
