The Hamburg Election Aftermath
The results are in from Hamburg: the SPD, as expected, dominated the Bürgerschaft election and finished with 48.3 percent of the vote, its strongest showing in a state election in thirteen years. The debate surrounding this specific election, however, is whether the results can be extrapolated to the federal level. Chancellor Merkel argued that local issues caused the results, but others argue that this is the beginning of the end for Merkel’s governing coalition. Which side is right? Senior Non-Resident Fellow Prof. Dr. Dr. Karl-Rudolf Korte gives his immediate take on the election in an essay below; additionally, AICGS has compiled essential links and media coverage surrounding the election in Hamburg, and will do so for each of the remaining Land elections throughout the year.
Run-up to the Hamburg Election
On February 20, Hamburg’s Bürgerschaft election marks the first of seven major Land elections to shape the political atmosphere in 2011. The SPD – with main candidate Olaf Scholz – looks to gain some momentum with a victory in Hamburg, a result that could send a message to voters in the other elections later in the year and have implications for Chancellor Merkel’s federal coalition. AICGS has compiled essential links and media coverage surrounding the upcoming election in Hamburg, and will do so for each of the remaining Land elections throughout the year.
Assisting and Insisting in Egypt
In this week’s At Issue, Executive Director Dr. Jackson Janes examines the political earthquake in Egypt and the challenges ahead post-Mubarak – not only for Egyptians but for Europe and the United States in assisting the transformations in a new era for Egypt and the Middle East.
Hungry for Climate Action? NATO and Energy Security
NATO has a legitimate role to play in energy security, writes Michael Rühle, Head of the Energy Security Section in NATO’s Emerging Security Challenges Division and a regular contributor to the Advisor, but it is not yet clear what this role should be. In his essay, Rühle outlines the reasons for NATO’s interest in energy security and suggests what difference the Alliance could make in the energy security debate moving forward.
The EU: Pretension Without Power
Little more than a year after the passage of the Lisbon Treaty, the E.U. faces a much dimmer future, writes Doug Bandow, Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute and a regular contributor to the Advisor. The EU’s objective of becoming the globe’s third “Weltmacht,” alongside America and China, looks ever more like a fantasy, Bandow argues, especially as the financial crisis threatens European unity. This essay originally appeared in the author’s blog on Forbes online on February 7, 2011.
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Support Our WorkThe Euro: Halfway Full
In this week’s At Issue, Executive Director Dr. Jackson Janes examines the current concerns about the future of the euro and the challenges of securing both consensus among the euro zone members and domestic political support for the European single currency, especially in Germany.
Es fehlt der strategische Konsens
Nearly ten years after the first decision on a military commitment in Afghanistan, this week the Bundestag will again debate the renewal of the mandate for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Former DAAD/AICGS Fellow Dr. Markus Kaim examines the internal debate over whether or not a concrete withdrawal date should be included in the mandate and suggests some potential scenarios for the overall Afghanistan mission as the decision approaches. This essay originally appeared in the January 24, 2011, edition of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and is available in German only.
To Rule the Euro Zone
As euro zone governments quietly work on a proposal to relieve Greek bond debt, a much louder debate over the future of the euro zone has come about across Europe. The following several articles focus on the debate and show the range of opinions regarding the future of the euro zone.
Germany has become the object of Europe’s resentment, writes Stefan Theil, Newsweek correspondent and a regular contributor to the Advisor, mostly because the weak euro has meant a strong German. But at the same time, Theil argues, Germans are starting to feel some disillusionment with supporting some fellow euro zone members, a growing attitude that will eventually force action – action that Germany will likely lead. This essay originally appeared in the January 23, 2011, edition of Newsweek.
Ordnungsmacht Deutschland
Jochen Bittner, a regular contributor to the Advisor, argues that behind all of the euro zone debate lies a simple but unpleasant truth: The monetary union came too soon. Certainly it is difficult to shift strategies in the middle of a crisis, but Bittner contends that nothing less than a ‘reset’ will help the euro zone out of this mess, something the German government is eager to tackle, even if it won’t admit so publicly. This essay originally appeared in the January 18, 2011, edition of Die Zeit and is available in German only.
Knausrige Kanzlerin verschärft die Euro-Krise
As Portugal, Spain, and others have to pay exorbitant interest rates on their government debt, all of Europe is threatened with an increasingly worse economic crisis, writes Senior Non-Resident Fellow Dr. Sebastian Dullien. Germany could help, Dr. Dullien argues, but instead a ‘stingy’ Chancellor Merkel is endangering the euro zone with her government’s mindset of demanding punishment for countries in crisis. This essay originally appeared in the January 17, 2011, online edition of Der Spiegel and is available in German only.
The Need for a Narrative
In this week’s At Issue, Executive Director Dr. Jackson Janes examines the efforts to deal with the shootings in Tucson and how both Germany and the U.S. try to come to grips with such violent acts.
Climate and Energy Policy After the U.S. Midterm Elections
Conditions for U.S. climate and energy policy have changed considerably after comprehensive climate and energy legislation failed in the 111th Congress. In the newly elected 112th Congress, emphasis will likely shift away from climate change to more orthodox supply side energy strategies. Writing from a European perspective, Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Managing Director of The Nature Conservancy in Europe and a regular contributor to the Advisor, explores the consequences of these U.S. changes for the European Union’s climate and energy strategy as well as for a future international climate regime.
