AGI

Niklas Helwig

Niklas Helwig was a DAAD/AGI Research Fellow in October and November 2018. Prior to his research stay at the AGI, he was a Transatlantic Post-Doc Fellow for International Relations and Security (TAPIR fellow). He was based at the RAND Corporation and the Center for Transatlantic Relations in DC, as well as at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin. Between 2014 and 2016. he worked as Senior Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs in Helsinki. Dr. Helwig was also a Visiting Researcher at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels. He researched and taught at the University of Cologne and the University of Edinburgh, from where he received a double PhD (‘co-tutelle’). Dr. Helwig was a Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher in the Initial Training Network on EU external action (EXACT).

Dr. Helwig’s research interests include Germany’s foreign and security policy, European defense cooperation, transatlantic security cooperation, as well as the EU as a Global Actor. He wrote extensively for think tanks, online blogs, and academic journals, including European Foreign Affairs Review, The International Spectator, Internationale Politik und Gesellschaft, Huffington Post, EurActiv, and War on the Rocks.

During his time at the AGI, Dr. Helwig analyzes U.S. domestic perception of the transatlantic alliance during the 2018 midterm elections. Lately, the U.S. administration emphasized a transactional perspective on the relationship with its allies. Historically, however, it can be argued that the transatlantic alliance was about more than economic prosperity and mutual defense, and instead based on a broader societal belief in shared values and identity. By analyzing the debates around midterm races across the U.S., the project aims to shed light on the question whether this notion still holds true in today’s America.

Additionally, he was a 2017-2018 participant in AGI’s project “A German-American Dialogue of the Next Generation: Global Responsibility, Joint Engagement,” sponsored by the Transatlantik-Programm der Bundesrepublik Deutschland aus Mitteln des European Recovery Program (ERP) des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWi).

Recent Content

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Europe Faces Open Doors but Uphill Battles with New Congress

“The U.S. is bigger than the White House,” declared German foreign minister Heiko Maas in a recent interview. In response to President Trump’s well-documented ambivalence toward alliances, German leaders are …

The 2018 Midterm Elections: The Transatlantic Alliance Outside the DC Beltway

As a DAAD/AGI Research Fellow from October to November 2018, Dr. Niklas Helwig analyzed U.S. domestic perception of the transatlantic alliance during the 2018 midterm elections. Lately, the U.S. administration has …

Next-Generation Veterans Vie for Congress

But will they fight for Europe? Martha McSally, the Republican candidate in the Senate race in Arizona, touts her past as a fighter pilot to ridicule her Democratic opponent: “While …

Niklas Helwig, DAAD/AGI Research Fellow

AGI is pleased to welcome Niklas Helwig as a DAAD/AGI Research Fellow in October and November 2018. Prior to his research stay at the AGI, he was a Transatlantic Post-Doc …

New Ideas for an Evolving Transatlantic Partnership

Foreign and Domestic Policy Recommendations During 2017-2018, the AGI project “A German-American Dialogue of the Next Generation: Global Responsibility, Joint Engagement” examined transatlantic challenges and new ideas for the German-American-European …

The Dangers of Division: The Importance of Transatlantic Cooperation in a Changing Political Climate

Policy Report 67 AGI is pleased to present the written results of the second year of its project “A German-American Dialogue of the Next Generation: Global Responsibility, Joint Engagement.” The …

How to Explain PESCO to Trump?

Who would have thought that the signing of a new framework for defense cooperation in the European Union is worthy of a push notification? Now political wonks on both sides …

European Defense at Snail’s Pace: EU Defense Cooperation Remains Sluggish Despite Shifted German Military Role

The question of Europe’s ability to stabilize its neighborhood and even to defend its own territory was high on the agenda this year. The election of Donald Trump—who repeatedly questioned …