Euro Crisis
The Trust Trifecta
Engraved on the U.S. dollar bill are the words “in God we trust.” The sarcastic extension of that phrase says “all others pay cash.” It seems that forces rampant in the U.S. and in Europe are trending toward a decline in trust in leaders, currency, and in governments overall. Public opinion polls… Read more >
At Issue Interview: Peter Beyer
AICGS Senior Fellow Alexander Privitera sat down with Peter Beyer, member of the Christian Democratic Union, to discuss the current political landscape in Germany with general elections on the horizon. What effect is the recently formed anti-euro movement, Alternative fuer Deutschland, having on domestic German politics and how can Germany approach the… Read more >
Selling the German Model
In my recent piece from the Financial Times (paid content), I argue that the German economic model being sold so aggressively throughout the euro zone may not be the most effective policy for Europe’s lagging economies. The mere fact that some Germans still debate its benefits should raise a red flag for those… Read more >
Merkel’s Placet
Remember the saying it takes two to tango? In the case of the European Central Bank, that phrase could prove rather fitting for its President Mario Draghi, who will need the tacit support of German Chancellor Angela Merkel if he wants to introduce new unconventional policies, especially during an election year. What… Read more >
Germany’s Alternatives
There is a new metric in Germany to measure its “normalization.” Just like many of its neighbors, Germany now has a political movement forming as a backlash against the euro. The “Alternative for Germany” group is preparing itself for the next elections in September and its timing may be quite prescient. The… Read more >
Abenomics
‘Abenomics’ has taken Europe by storm. Don’t get me wrong, policymakers on the old continent expected the new Bank of Japan’s governor Haruhiko Kuroda to act, but they certainly did not think he would unleash a tsunami on financial markets. As we have argued here last week, the new unprecedented bond-buying program… Read more >
Growth in Times of Austerity: Looking beyond Germany at the Scandinavian Model
Mar 27Adrian Wooldridge joined us on March 27th to discuss his analysis of the Nordic model, and how that model can be applied to other countries. Prior to explaining the Nordic model, Wooldridge presented some important caveats. One was that the Nordic countries have a combined population of about 25 million people. This is important to note because Germany has a total population of about 80 million; and such a disparity highlights the potential difficulty of applying this model to countries with populations larger than the Nordic region. The other caveat was that the Nordic countries focused on structural reform and budget balancing during the 1990’s; this is important because during this period other countries were experiencing prosperity, not stagnation. The focus on promoting growth accompanied by the aforementioned factors aided in the success of the Nordic model.
The Cyprus Mess
There is truly no shortage of reactions to the European Cyprus deal that emerged over the weekend. The plan to raid depositors on the Mediterranean island—no matter how small their bank account—has not only drawn the ire of citizens in Cyprus itself, it has even managed to shake confidence among Germans. On… Read more >
Napolitano’s Plan
At age 87, the President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano, is getting ready to guide Italian politics out of the deep hole it has sunk into. He will need to gather all his strength in order to succeed. His main task in the coming weeks is to convince the leader of the Partito… Read more >
Germany’s Power Position
In this recent Financial Times piece, Ulrich Speck, Publicist for Global Europe and former AICGS Fellow, argues that Germany must finally decide the level of power is wishes to exert within Europe and on the global stage. While the nation may be content pushing through with the status quo, major global issues–particularly… Read more >
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