Publications
In the spotlight
Nuclear Energy in the U.S. and Germany: Weighing the Risks
Energy and climate policy in the U.S. and in Germany seem to be miles apart. In 2011, Germany decided to phase-out nuclear, whereas in early 2012 the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted the first license to build and operate an extension of a nuclear power plant for the first time since 1978…. Read more >
The Rise of China: Implications for the Transatlantic Relationship
China’s Importance for the Transatlantic Relationship How does the rise of China affect the transatlantic relationship? The United States and European Union are increasingly shifting their attention toward China as its economic growth and greater significance in international affairs make the country’s resurgence to the world stage a central feature of the… Read more >
Nuclear Energy in the U.S. and Germany: Weighing the Risks
Energy and climate policy in the U.S. and in Germany seem to be miles apart. In 2011, Germany decided to phase-out nuclear, whereas in early 2012 the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted the first license to build and operate an extension of a nuclear power plant for the first time since 1978…. Read more >
Cybersecurity in Germany – Toward a Risk-based Approach
Cybersecurity has become a new buzzword in the German security policy discourse. Nearly every day German media cover stories of high-profile attacks in Germany or abroad – and with the advent of the German Pirate Party, cybersecurity and other issues of internet freedom, online transparency, and privacy are making their mark on… Read more >
The Decentralization of the Electricity Grid – Mitigating Risk in the Energy Sector
Industrial countries like the U.S., Japan, and Germany depend on a functioning electricity grid as the backbone of their economies and way of life. Impediments to the electricity grid not only harm the economy and hurt the bottom line; they can also cause loss of life and hamper a country’s ability to react to a large-scale catastrophe.
The Arab Awakening One Year On: A European Perspective
In early 2011, the debate in the European Union about the repercussions of the Arab awakening that started in late 2010 and continues to this day was largely framed in terms of opportunities rather than risks. The prospect of democracy finally making headway in one of the most static regions of the… Read more >
Energy Security Risk Assessment: A Transatlantic Comparison
The U.S. and West Germany once shared similar energy profiles and similar global energy challenges. Through the 1960s and in the beginning of the 1970s, with largely comparable energy mixes, they both saw themselves as vulnerable to oil shocks and in 1974, were both founding members of the International Energy Agency. At… Read more >
Climate 2.0 – Can Geoengineering Make the World a Safer Place?
Wizardry to some, anathema to others, geoengineering—or climate engineering—is slowly encroaching on the territory of traditional climate policy. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) next Assessment Report, due in 2013/14, will cover “the deliberate large-scale manipulation of the planetary environment”[1] as a potential strategy to counteract man-made climate change. Technological solutions… Read more >
The €20 Billion Problem in Germany’s Statutory Health Insurance
Health care policy experts in Germany are discussing a bizarre problem: What to do with €20 billion of accumulated reserves in the Statutory Health Insurance System? Of course, the availability of money creates the usual suggestions. Providers want their share of the cake through higher payments—for example, the chairman of the National… Read more >
Assessing Transatlantic Risks: The Erosion of Allied Solidarity
Approaching its summit in Chicago in May, NATO is desperately looking for a positive message to spread. But there’s little good news to be found on all major fronts. Intentions to paint a picture of success in Afghanistan while conducting its own withdrawal are being overrun by events on the ground. The… Read more >
White, Grey, and Black (Euro) Swans: Dealing with Transatlantic Financial Risk in 2012
The idea that the euro crisis is over is hopeful at best, naïve at worst. It is far from over. We are actually at the beginning of a dangerous new phase of political uncertainty across the eurozone that could massively impact its financial markets. On the other side of the Atlantic, continuing… Read more >
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