Militant Democracy
The Party Banning Process in Germany The prospect of banning Germany’s premier right-wing populist party, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), now classified as a suspected extremist party, is a topic …
Building LGBTQ+ Communities in Germany and the United States: Past, Present, and Future
A Three-Year AGI Project – Final Conference Summary The American-German Institute held a final conference in Washington, DC, for the three-year project, “Building LGBTQ+ Communities in Germany and the United …
The Effects of Majoritarian vs. Non-Majoritarian Political Systems on the Queer Community
The United States and Germany have constructed their democratic political systems in distinct ways. These frameworks can pose particular challenges to achieving progress in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. In …
Episode 150: Valuing Civil Society Organizations
Civil society organizations are funded differently in the United States and Germany, and LGBTQ+ organizations must take different approaches when seeking financial support from the public and private sector. Preston …
Heated Relations
The Past, Present, and Future of the LGBTQ+ Community in Germany and the United States For over a century, LGBTQ+ communities in Germany and the United States have fought for …
Recent Authors
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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 …
When Your Ally Is Not an Ally Anymore
Recently, the United States has seen immense turnover in policies and practices toward the LGBTQ+ community. One such reversal was the exclusion of transgender persons from the U.S. military. Alone, …
Building on Legacy
Generational Differences Within the Queer Community In 1980s Berlin, queer life existed largely in the shadows. While reforms to Paragraph 175 in 1969 and 1973 partially decriminalized sex between men, …
Episode 147: Merkel, Leadership, and Crisis
Why are some women leaders hailed as brilliant crisis managers while others draw widespread criticism? Louise K. Davidson-Schmich’s new book Gender, Leadership, and Crisis: Possibilities and Perils for Women Leaders (Oxford University Press, …
Zsuzsanna Végh, DAAD/AGI Research Fellow
AGI is pleased to welcome Zsuzsanna Végh as a DAAD/AGI Research Fellow in Spring/Summer 2026. Zsuzsanna Végh is a program officer with the European Resilience program of the German Marshall …
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 …
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 …
Episode 143: Germany’s Political Barometer
Two state elections in western Germany this month resulted in one win for Chancellor Merz’s Christian Democrats and two poor outcomes for the Social Democrats. The Alternative for Germany, meanwhile, performed better …
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 …
