Like Sands Through an Hourglass, So Are Angela Merkel’s Approval Ratings
German chancellor Angela Merkel may be cementing her legacy in the pandemic as the most popular leader in the history of the Bundesrepublik. While Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron, …
Lucky Soldiers
Part Four of Rubble Child’s World: Stories from Bremen’s Ruins Introduction George H. Jordan, Jr. did not like the movie Commando.[1] He made this clear to me as the Arnold …
Ami Goes Home
The announcement by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper confirming the removal of 12,000 U.S. troops from Germany marks the end of an era. Over 12 million American service personnel and …
Up from the Cellars
Part Three of Rubble Child’s World: Stories from Bremen’s Ruins Introduction In the Introduction to her outstanding work of oral history of German women who lived during the Second World …
Jeff Rathke on Trump’s Decision to Move Troops from Germany in CNN Politics
AGI President Jeff Rathke discusses the Trump administration’s recent decision to pull nearly 12,000 troops from Germany, nothing that removing troops removes them from, “the best place from which they …
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Changing German Views Point to a Brighter Future for EU Foreign Policy
The European Union is not known for its hard power. Despite its status as an economic and regulatory superpower, the EU has consistently failed to exert true influence in crises …
Education for Boys
Part Two of Rubble Child’s World: Stories from Bremen’s Ruins Introduction Rand Paul was frustrated. During a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, the Republican Senator …
Israel’s West Bank Annexation: The End of the Special German-Israeli Relationship?
Israel’s intended annexation of up to 30 percent of the West Bank is further straining its relationship with Germany, one of its most committed European allies, a key provider of …
Rubble Girls
Part One of Rubble Child’s World: Stories from Bremen’s Ruins Prelude: The End of the War Experience of a Seven-Year Old Girl I spent my seventh birthday on April 25 …
Jeff Rathke on European Defense Agenda with Smaller U.S. Footprint in DefenseNews
AGI President Jeff Rathke discusses German defense minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer’s call for the European Union to prepare for the possibility of a U.S. disengagement from European security–regardless of election outcome: …
Cleaning Up an Over-engineered Mess? German Electoral System Reform
Germany’s electoral system is back in the news because the governing coalition has been considering making some alterations to address consequences of the last set of changes that went into …
Episode 29: German-American Relations in 2020
On this episode of The Zeitgeist, Peter Beyer, Member of the Bundestag and Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation in the German Federal Foreign Office, talks with Jeff Rathke about the broad …
