AGI

Domestic Policy

A variety of reasons, including demographic change, global migration patterns, economic hardship, and climate change, demand that both Germany and the U.S. craft domestic policies that effectively address their populations’ concerns. This imperative is also seen in the political sphere, as voters make their voices heard in state, federal, and supranational elections.
Reset

What’s happening in Germany, explained. A lot is riding on Merkel’s final shot at creating a coalition government.

Featuring Jack Janes via Think Progress on January 10, 2018.

Between Renewal and Responsibility: The SPD in the Face of the Paralysis of the Political Center in Germany

With the beginning of exploratory talks between SPD and CDU/CSU on January 7, 2018, the German political system offers a last opportunity to form a stable government after the September …

Multi-Ethnic Tenant Movements in Los Angeles and Berlin

Multi-ethnic and immigrant resistance play a pivotal role in challenging the political shifts right, which have been rooted in racism, xenophobia, and social, political, and economic isolationism. Housing movements serve …

Continuity in Turbulence

Political surprises have been a theme in 2016 and 2017, starting with the Brexit referendum, to the election of Donald Trump, to the success of Emmanuel Macron’s new party in …

The Governmental Crisis in Germany and the Future of Angela Merkel

Until late on November 19, 2017, Germany was one of the few large countries in Europe not afflicted by a major crisis. This perception of Germany as a pillar of …

The Populist Brake on European Integration

It’s now clear that the high-water mark of Angela Merkel’s chancellorship was August 31, 2015—the day she opened Germany’s borders to a wave of asylum seekers. In October, German voters …

German Economic Leadership in Europe: More Uncertain and More Needed

The instability produced by the failure to form a so-called “Jamaica” coalition in Germany increases the importance of moving from reliance on de facto German leadership of the Eurozone to …

Crafting a Coalition: The Options in Berlin

The results of the September 24 elections—losses by centrist parties and gains by a strong new far-right party—and the subsequent inability of party leaders to forge a coalition in Berlin should be a wakeup call for German politicians of all stripes. 

Merkel’s Troubles May Spell Trouble for All of Europe

Featuring Jack Janes via The New York Times on November 21, 2017.

Risky Bets in Berlin 

Germans are known for wanting order around them—it’s understandable, given past centuries of disorder. But since its inception in 1949, the government of the Federal Republic of Germany has been …

Is Berlin Becoming Weimar?

The collapse of the talks to form a new German government following the election of seven parties (counting the Bavarian CSU as a party separate from the CDU) to the …

Merkel favors snap election

Featuring Jack Janes via Handelsblatt Global on November 20, 2017.