Episode 20: Defender Europe 20: European Security and U.S. Commitments
Security threats, military spending, and concepts of burden-sharing have changed in the years following the end of the Cold War, and the transatlantic alliance has adapted to meet the new …
Yearning for Familiar Wine In Well-Known Bottles
Parsing the leitmotif of this year’s Munich Security Conference (MSC)—Westlessness—is worth the effort as it does not merely equal semantic pondering. The term invented by the organizers of the MSC …
The Future of Transatlantic Security Cooperation: Past Successes and Emerging Threats
The AICGS-BAKS Transatlantic Series “The U.S. and Germany: Partnership under Stress” held its fourth and final workshop, “The Future of Transatlantic Security Cooperation: Past Successes and Emerging Threats,” on November …
Jeff Rathke on defense agenda in DefenseNews
AICGS President Jeff Rathke discusses the German defense agenda after this year’s Munich Security Conference with DefenseNews. Of efforts to protect global shipping lanes, he says “It’s the mission that …
Does Germany Need a National Security Council?
In an op-ed for Tagesspiegel Causa, AICGS Trustee Julianne Smith calls on Germany to engage a National Security Council, a stance recently reiterated by German defense minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who …
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Episode 14: Adapting to a New Foreign Policy Approach
Following the Bonn International Security Forum, AICGS President Jeff Rathke sat down with the hosts of the popular German-language podcast Sicherheitshalber to discuss the evolving dynamics of foreign and security …
The United States and Europe: The Need for Adaptation
The American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) and the German Academy for Security Policy (BAKS) convened a joint workshop on The U.S.-German Relationship: Partnership Under Stress? on June 25-26, …
Ohne Mich Once Again
The German government’s decision not to participate in a Western effort to respond to Iran’s actions in the Persian Gulf is not surprising but deeply disappointing nonetheless. It is not …
Episode 12: Memorializing Afghanistan: German and American Experiences
The United States, along with Germany and many U.S. allies, have been at war in Afghanistan for 18 years. It is the longest-running military operation in either country’s history and …
Kramp-Karrenbauer’s Gamble, and Washington’s Opportunity
Ursula von der Leyen left the German defense ministry behind this week when she was confirmed as President of the European Commission by a narrow vote of the European Parliament. …
Sitting in a Schleudersitz
If Ursula von der Leyen and Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer soon meet for a drink to discuss their respective new job prospects, one wonders which woman thinks she faces the greater challenge. …
Engaging the Next Generation of Transatlantic Leaders
The project “A German-American Dialogue of the Next Generation: Global Responsibility, Joint Engagement” engages young Americans and Germans in a dialogue on relevant issues within the transatlantic relationship. The participants …
Felix Berenskötter, Visiting Fellow
AICGS is pleased to welcome Felix Berenskötter as a Visiting Fellow in June 2019. Felix Berenskötter is Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in International Relations at SOAS, University of London. He …
German Moralism Irritates Allies: Defense Spending and Export Controls
At a 2015 rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump considered the freedom of the press, assuring the crowd that while he hated some reporters, he wouldn’t kill …
