The Anticlimactic Opening of the Humboldt Forum
December will witness one of Germany’s (actually, Europe’s) biggest cultural events in at least a decade: the opening of a massive new museum and cultural complex in the heart of …
Winning Over Europe
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi began his European tour this week, with planned stops in Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, France, and Germany. China wants to recalibrate its ties with Europe …
The Saga of Berlin’s Long-Delayed Airport Opening
It’s finally happening: Berlin will soon have a new airport. After decades of repeated delays and mishaps, Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) is set to open this fall, with service beginning …
The SPD Goes Back to the Future
German politics today is fit for a Greek tragedy, which is particularly true for the Social Democratic Party (SPD). The quest for new leadership less than a year ago brought …
Episode 30: German Politics Heats Up
German political dynamics have made an early and perhaps unexpected change this summer, coming out of the “Sommerloch,” with two new announcements from the Social Democratic Party. First, the SPD …
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#BlackLivesMatter: Social Unsettlement and Intersectional Justice in Pandemic Times
Notes From Black Berlin in the Summer of 2020 Seven years after the initiation of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Khan-Cullors, and Opal Tometi, we are again facing …
Like Sands Through an Hourglass, So Are Angela Merkel’s Approval Ratings
German chancellor Angela Merkel may be cementing her legacy in the pandemic as the most popular leader in the history of the Bundesrepublik. While Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron, …
Lucky Soldiers
Part Four of Rubble Child’s World: Stories from Bremen’s Ruins Introduction George H. Jordan, Jr. did not like the movie Commando.[1] He made this clear to me as the Arnold …
Ami Goes Home
The announcement by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper confirming the removal of 12,000 U.S. troops from Germany marks the end of an era. Over 12 million American service personnel and …
Up from the Cellars
Part Three of Rubble Child’s World: Stories from Bremen’s Ruins Introduction In the Introduction to her outstanding work of oral history of German women who lived during the Second World …
Jeff Rathke on Trump’s Decision to Move Troops from Germany in CNN Politics
AGI President Jeff Rathke discusses the Trump administration’s recent decision to pull nearly 12,000 troops from Germany, nothing that removing troops removes them from, “the best place from which they …
Changing German Views Point to a Brighter Future for EU Foreign Policy
The European Union is not known for its hard power. Despite its status as an economic and regulatory superpower, the EU has consistently failed to exert true influence in crises …
