On Capitol Hill, Transatlantic Trade Returns to Its Roots
Once, when I was trying to explain to a German acquaintance the personalities and geography of U.S. trade politics, I casually mentioned that despite skepticism toward trade among many Democrats, …
A Strained, Yet Indispensable Partnership: German-American Relations in the Age of Donald J. Trump
For the past seventy years, the German-American and the European-American partnership has rested on a shared understanding of common goals: The transatlantic partners believed that the promotion of democracy, rule …
Merkel’s Retreat
Angela Merkel’s name appeared nowhere on the ballot October 28 as voters went to the polls in the western German state of Hesse. But this election sealed the fate of …
Angst of Demise: The Dilemma of German Social Democracy After the Elections in Hesse
Surviving in a Multiparty Political Environment After the recent disastrous election results in the states of Bavaria and Hesse, the ground is shifting rapidly for Germany’s Grand Coalition of CDU/CSU …
Refugees bring the downfall of Germany’s Angela Merkel
AICGS President Jeff Rathke spoke with NewstalkZB, a nationwide New Zealand talk radio network, about the role that the refugee crisis played in Merkel’s and the CDU’s declining popularity and …
Recent Authors
Support the insights you need into the German-American relationship.
Support Our WorkMerkel’s political exit is a kind of vindication for Trump
On what Chancellor Merkel’s decision to step down as CDU party leader could mean for President Trump and the transatlantic alliance, AICGS President Emeritus Jack Janes tells The Washington Post, …
Local Election in Hesse has National Impact
The state election in Hesse was a disaster for Germany’s two Volksparteien, the CDU and the SPD. Although the CDU remains the strongest party with 28 percent, this election marks …
Berlin Is Not Bonn—But Also Not Weimar
Today marks the end of a political era with Angela Merkel’s announcement not to seek reelection as party chair of the Christian Democrats in December. In the influential 1956 book …
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 …
Susanne Thelen, DAAD/AICGS Research Fellow
AICGS is pleased to welcome Susanne Thelen as a DAAD/AICGS Research Fellow from October to December 2018. She is currently a doctoral candidate at the Institute of Political Science at the …
Statement of a Polarized Society: The Bavarian Election Results
The results of the October 14, 2018, Bavarian elections mark a watershed in German politics. So far, the Free State has been the last bastion of the conservative Christian Democrats …
The 2018 Bavarian Election: Earthquake or Tremor?
Bavaria looms large in Germany. With 16 percent of the country’s population (13 million inhabitants), it is the second-largest state by population, and the largest by geographic area. Its economy …
