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 …
Reducing Vulnerability: A Transatlantic Approach to Energy Security
Policy Report 60 Energy security has become a major concern for the transatlantic community in the twenty-first century. In Europe, Russia’s seizure of the Crimean peninsula has renewed focus on …
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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A European Army: Who Speaks For Europe?
At a time when the challenge in Europe is holding together a common currency under enormous duress, the idea of creating a common European army might seem—at a minimum—a bit …
Strategic Change and Civil-Military Conflict by Gerlinde Groitl
U.S. civil-military relations have been troubled ever since the end of the Cold War. The nation’s highest-ranking military officers have regularly clashed with their political superiors in the national security …
Germany’s Policy Preoccupations: Taking Stock Ahead of the German Foreign Policy Review
Last year, German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier requested a review of Germany’s foreign policy by a wide range of German and non-German foreign policy experts. The results of that review …
Germany’s Moment
The Munich Security Conference this year found a German leadership comfortable with its new role in the world, but not without its critics. In the year since President Gauck announced …
Remembering MdB. Andreas Schockenhoff
Andreas Schockenhoff passed away recently, and AGI mourns a great loss. As a member of the Bundestag, Andreas was a frequent participant in our programs and a deeply committed transatlantic …
Rethinking 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 …
The Russian Challenge: Beyond the Double Track
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s speech in Brisbane following the G20 meeting made headlines for two main reasons: for publicly confronting Putin in the toughest manner to date, and for signaling the …
