Genscher and Genscherism
The career and success of Hans-Dietrich Genscher, who died at age 89 on March 30, illustrate the strength of continuity in office. Such continuity has long been a feature of …
Hans-Dietrich Genscher: A Life of Longing for Stability
The resounding response from the press to the death of Hans-Dietrich Genscher reminds us of how much German political equilibrium depends on the existence of central, idealized, larger-than-life figures. Mr. …
Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Remembrance of a German Statesman
Hans-Dietrich Genscher was German foreign minister when I first met him. On 1 October 1982, I was in Bonn to consult with Wolfgang Ischinger, his office director. Our meeting was …
Hans-Dietrich Genscher: Recollections
Hans-Dietrich Genscher’s impact on politics in Germany did not begin with foreign policy but in domestic politics and that is where I met him first. As Minister of the Interior …
LGBT Refugees: Perpetuated Persecution in Asylum
Life as an asylum seeker is not an easy one. Having faced persecution and violence in their home countries and uprooted their entire lives, these migrants face political, socioeconomic, and …
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Support Our WorkBritish Referendum Pains and the EU Implications of BREXIT
On 23 June 2016, should a majority of British voters decide to leave the EU—nearly forty-five years after joining the Community—the EU would lose 17 percent of its GDP and …
From the AGI Bookshelf: Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning
Timothy Snyder’s latest book, Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning, presents exactly those two narratives. His review of how the Holocaust emerged and evolved has been and remains …
The Refugee Crisis Confronts Germany’s Society with Three Major Challenges
The dominant theme of this year’s discussions is that of refugees. Factual debates have turned into power issues now. Who will win the fight about the implementation of “ceilings” for …
A Party System in Flux
Coalition governments in Germany have a long tradition, though more so at the federal level (where there have always been coalitions) than at the state level. These two or more party coalitions are as a rule not desired, but are generally forced by the election results or determined by the strength of the political groups after the election.
Germans Go To The Polls
While many Americans were focused on the primaries underway in the U.S., on March 13, Germans in three states went to the polls to elect their state governments. The first …
State Elections as a Celebration of Democracy
Refugees decided the weekend’s state elections. The refugee politics were the 2016 power issue in competition between parties. All three incumbents were confirmed as minister-president in Rheinland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg, and Saxony-Anhalt, because they have showcased superior competence in the face of epochal challenges.
Super Sunday Was Not Black Sunday
In spite of the wide-spread, largely foreign, media reaction to the three state elections, the sky did not fall on March 13. Chancellor Merkel’s unprecedented decision to welcome over one …
