Security and Defense
Security and defense issues will continue to play a role in transatlantic relations in the years ahead. Determining the way forward for Afghanistan, the role of NATO, and defense systems integration, are only a few of the myriad challenges facing the German-American and transatlantic partnership. Analyzing the security issues and choices ahead allows policymakers and business leaders to understand transatlantic and global security challenges and provide innovative policy solutions on both sides of the Atlantic.
Germany and Elections: Dodging the Afghanistan Bullet
Dr. Gale Mattox, professor at the U.S. Naval Academy and Director of the Institute’s Foreign & Domestic Policy Program, writes that even though the grand coalition has tried to prevent the issue of Afghanistan from playing a role in the September elections, Germany’s role in Afghanistan could prove to be a critical issue during the campaign. Dr. Mattox argues that whether or not this turns out to be the case, it is clear that after the election there is a need for German policymakers to engage the public in a discussion about this contentious issue.
German-American Disagreement on How to Deal With the Threat of Terrorism
The close relationship between the U.S. and Germany has undergone a dramatic change, beginning with the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the resulting U.S.-led “war on terror,” and the Iraq War. In particular, the Iraq War and different counter-terrorism policies have led to a diplomatic crisis in the transatlantic relationship; it was a new phenomenon for Americans and Germans to disagree on fundamental policy issues…
Counter-Terrorism and German-American Relations: A German Perspective
German-American relations reached a historic low point during the years of the second Bush administration. Many argued that this was mainly due to widespread disagreements and a deep personal animosity between President George W. Bush and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who left office in late 2005…
Crossing the Red Lines? The Grand Coalition and the Paradox of German Foreign Policy
As the U.S. presidental election in 2008 and the German parliamentary election in 2009 loom large on the horizon, the topic of Afghanistan and the joint ISAF mission in the country is in the public discourse on both sides of the Atlantic. The U.S. finds itself overstreched in resources—both military and economic—and engaged in two complex wars. While the unpopular Iraq War is the focus of much debate, the conflict in Afghanistan continues, with successes and setbacks, for the United States and its NATO partners…
A European Realignment: German-American Responses
German and American relations with Russia; European and American energy security; and the future of NATO and the European Union are all pressing issues which will confront the new U.S. president in 2009. Germany, in the lead-up to its parliamentary elections in fall 2009, has its own interests in all three areas…
Security and Stability: German and American Cooperation in Times of Transition
Security issues have weighed heavily on the transatlantic partnership since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Yet different threat perceptions have sometimes led to different German and American policies, which was especially apparent after the rift between Germany and the United States over the war in Iraq in 2003…
No Germans to the (Southern) Front
In the run-up to the NATO summit meeting in Bucharest in early April, the Bush administration has launched an intensive diplomatic campaign to convince the European allies to send additional combat troops to southern Afghanistan. This is largely to overcome the troop shortfalls facing the alliance in fighting the Taliban insurgency and to increase the allies’ operational flexibility…
In the Shadow of the Six Parties: Europe and the Non-proliferation Process in North Korea
Speaking of the European Union as an international actor dealing with North Korea (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, DPRK) often raises eyebrows. Since the outbreak of the second nuclear crisis in October 2002, Brussels has played virtually no significant role in the international efforts to convince Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program…
Russia is Back on Stage: German and American Strategies
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent announcement that he would accept the nomination to head the United Russia ticket in the parliamentary elections in December has been only the latest in a series of surprising reports out of Russia..
Combating the Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: A Stronger Role for the UN Security Council?
On 29 March 2006 the United Nations Security Council for the first time addressed the issue of Iranian non-compliance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Since the wording of the presidential statement, which had been heavily disputed among the five permanent members of the Security Council (P5), has been significantly watered-down, the statement does not predetermine any specific future action by the Security Council. For the moment, it is hard to predict whether the Security Council could agree on any more resolute steps should Iran refuse to cooperate…
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