Reflections on Legacies and Lessons of 1989
In evaluating history, T.S. Eliot reminded us that human beings often “had the experience but missed the meaning.” In efforts to make sense of our past, we look for patterns …
New Policy Report Now Available
Cooperation or Division? The German-American Relationship in a Changing World Policy Report 70 AICGS is pleased to present the written results of the third and final year of its project …
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 …
The 70th Anniversary of the Federal Republic of Germany: Challenges and Opportunities for the German-American Future and the Atlantic Community
On May 23, 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany was established, a new state formed out of the zones of American, British, and French occupation. It was an incomplete step …
From Bonn to Berlin: Seventy Years of the FRG
When I first visited Bonn in 1973, I had just read John le Carré’s “A Small Town in Germany.” Bonn was as he described it—a comfortable low-key atmosphere vastly different …
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Sovereignty Regained, Economic Order Uncertain: Germany’s Social Market Economy at 70
The Federal Republic of Germany gained de jure sovereignty as a nation-state on May 23, 1949, but its road to de facto sovereignty—actual power to advance its interests in the …
Advancing the German-American Alliance
Updating the Transatlantic Partnership for the Next 70 Years AICGS-ECFR Berlin Symposium, May 15, 2019 The year 2019 marks several major anniversaries that trace the arc of the transatlantic relationship: …
Episode 10: Transatlantic Strategy on China: Still Elusive?
Never before has China featured so prominently in discussions among political leaders in Europe, Germany, and the United States. There is a growing consensus in Germany that China represents a …
Pompeo’s No-Show in Berlin: An Occasion for Less Outrage and Considering More Options
When U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo suddenly canceled his visit to Berlin citing “pressing issues,” many Germans felt insulted. It was taken as another slap in the face from …
Episode 09: Legacy of the “Hinge” Years: 1990 to Today
Divided Germany was a microcosm of the standoff between West and East, and the Berlin Wall was the iconic symbol of the Iron Curtain (listen to Episode 2 with Mary …
Germany: Hegemon or Free Rider?
Germany has been the most pro-European of all the big players within the EU. Europe’s largest country in terms of population and economic weight, Germany has always been reluctant to …
Frustration in US over Germany’s defense spending shortfall
AICGS President Jeff Rathke tells Michael Knigge in Deutsche Welle, “There is very little understanding in the United States, quite frankly — whether among Republicans or Democrats — for the German government’s …
A Germany Alone?
Those trying to hold the transatlantic relationship together now not only have to contend with the tweets and erratic policies emanating from the White House, but with the actions and …
Episode 08: German and European Security at a Crossroads
As the March 29 deadline for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union approaches, no one knows how it will ultimately turn out. But some lessons are apparent despite the …
