| July 2006
Transatlantic Relations | German-American Relations | European Union | NATO |
F1 - Moment of Reflection, Commitment to Action
Serfaty, Simon
Center for Strategic and International Studies/Europe Program, August 1, 2006, 6p
This paper puts forward a series of key recommendations for the European Union and the U.S.-EU partnership. The paper is based on discussions of a working group composed of leading experts on the European Union and transatlantic relations which met for a pair of two-day seminars in spring 2006 at CSIS. This is the first of three reports which will be produced over the course of a larger, two-year project, A Global Euro-Atlantic Dialogue About the U.S., the EU, and NATO in the 21st Century." Simon Serfaty holds the Zbigniew Brzezinski Chair at CSIS and is a senior adviser in the CSIS Europe program. Fulltext
F2 - Brussels Unbound
Cimbalo, Jeffrey L.
The National Interest, Summer 2006, #84, p115-122
“President George W. Bush's recent visit to the European Commission and his endorsement of a "strong Europe" were largely seen as signaling a new paradigm of American foreign policy towards Europe. Not only did the President distinguish himself from a New Europe-Old Europe mindset, he also suggested that on a variety of issues the US would accept the apparent inevitability of European political union and increasingly conduct its foreign policy with the largely unaccountable bodies of the European Union. Here, Cimbalo discusses the joint US-EU initiatives.” Jeffrey L. Cimbalo, Jeffrey L. is a lawyer in Virginia. Fulltext
F3 - The Unraveling of the Atlantic Order: Historical Breakpoints in U.S.-European Relations
Kupchan, Charles A.
University of California, Berkeley, Institute of European Studies, Paper 060414, web-published on April 14, 2006, 31p
“The argument of this paper is that the Atlantic order is in the midst of a fundamental transition. The transatlantic discord that has emerged since the late 1990s marks a historical breakpoint; foundational principles of the Atlantic security order that emerged after World War II have been compromised. Mutual trust has eroded, institutionalized cooperation can no longer be taken for granted, and a shared Western identity has attenuated. To be sure, the Atlantic democracies continue to constitute a unique political grouping. But as scholars and policy makers alike struggle to diagnose the troubles that have befallen the Atlantic community and to prescribe mechanisms for
redressing the discord, they would be wise to recognize the scope of change that has been taking place in the Atlantic order.” Charles Kupchan is an Associate Professor of International Relations in the School of Foreign Service and Government Department at Georgetown University. He is also a Senior Fellow and Director of Europe Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Fulltext
F4 - Globalization and the Atlantic Community
Kornblum, John
American Institute for Contemporary German Studies, AICGS Advisor, May 26, 2006, online edition
“Our democratic Atlantic Community is at the threshold of the most exciting era in its history. We can achieve unprecedented freedom and prosperity at home and provide the essential framework for global peaceful change. But to do so, we must get our partnership in better shape. We are spinning our wheels; our strategy has been overtaken by events.” Kornblum maintains “that the Atlantic community has an opportunity to achieve unprecedented freedom and prosperity at home and to provide the essential framework for global peaceful change. In order to do so, he argues, the stability of the transatlantic relationship must first be repaired. Former Ambassador John Kornblum is the Chairman of Lazard & Co. GmbH and a member of the AICGS board of trustees. Fulltext
F5 - Tipping the Scales: Why Central Europe Matters to the United States
Mitchell, Wess
National Center for Policy Analysis, 2006, 58p.
“In recent years, as Central Europe has become more fully integrated into the Western free market system and more pressing concerns have arisen in other parts of the globe, the region has lost its visibility in the United States. Though the Iraq War momentarily brought Central Europe – dubbed the “New Europe” by U.S. Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld – back to the fore, it remains among the most neglected areas of concern for the U.S. foreign policy establishment.” In this paper Mitchell argues that Central Europe still matters economically, militarily and geopolitically to the United States. Wess Mitchell is a senior policy analyst at the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington, D.C., where he assists in the strategic development of the Center and works on European integration and trans-Atlantic relations. Fulltext
F6 - Democracy Promotion in the Middle East and North Africa: Recent Experiences and Further Prospects
Speck, Ulrich
American Institute for Contemporary German Studies, AICGS Advisor, May 12, 2006 , online edition
"Since 9/11, democracy promotion in the Middle East and North Africa has become a high priority in American foreign policy … Building support in the U.S. foreign policy community, convincing the European partners of the virtues of the new approach, and making it work in American diplomacy and policy towards the region has turned out to be a hard task … But given the huge socio-economic problems of the region, which are mainly caused by the poor governance of the current autocratic regimes, Europeans and Americans have every interest to make democratic reform a priority in their policy towards the Middle East and North Africa, in order to achieve, at the end of a longer process, the kind of real stability that market economy and settled democratic governance do provide. Simply to maintain the status quo would sharply increase the likelihood of chaos and violence in the region in the coming years, with dramatic effects on global energy security as well as on a whole range of other American and European interests.” Ulrich Speck is a political analyst and journalist, based in Frankfurt am Main. This essay is the product of a two-month DAAD/AICGS fellowship at AICGS in Spring 2006. Fulltext
F7 - President Bush in Europe: Shaping U.S. Policy Toward Germany
Gardiner, Nile Ph.D.
Heritage Foundation, July 12, 200, WebMemo #1157, online edition
"Despite the thaw in relations between the United States and Germany, underlying long-term tensions still remain, particularly in regard to the war on terrorism, with Guantanamo and rendition remaining major issues of contention… Washington must adopt a pragmatic, realistic approach toward working with Germany. Realpolitik should be the order of the day. As the EU member with the largest economy and largest population, Germany is too important to be ignored. It is in the U.S. interest to engage Berlin on an issue-by-issue basis, working together where agreement can be reached. But Washington should be under no illusion that the Germany of today is the same as the Germany of Helmut Kohl or Konrad Adenauer in its approach to transatlantic relations." Nile Gardiner, Ph.D., director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, at The Heritage Foundation. Fulltext
F8- Germany Stalled
Stokes, Bruce
AICGS, July 2006, online edition, 7p (This article originally appeared in the July 15, 2006 National Journal.)
Stokes highlights the importance of German reform initiatives. He maintains that, as Europe’s largest economy, Germany is the key to boosting growth rates on the Continent and to expanding trans-Atlantic trade [and that] Berlin’s recent labor-market reforms aren’t enough to jump-start the sluggish economy… Washington knows that Americans also need a successful German economy. As the largest European economy, Germany can be, and has been, the economic engine that leads all of Europe into faster growth rates and thus bolsters U.S. exports. Except for Germany’s disagreement with the United States on Iraq, Berlin has been a reliable partner in Washington’s European and global foreign-policy initiatives…. But the growing divergence in economic performance between Europe and the United States is rapidly eroding the economic conditions that have nurtured trans-Atlantic political relations and fostered U.S.-European joint leadership of the world economy. Bruce Stokes writes for the National Journal and is a frequent AICGS contributor. Fulltext
F9 - Bush's Visit to Stralsund
AICGS compiled a list of important links highlighting the coverage of President Bush's visit to Chancellor Merkel's constituency in Stralsund and the G-8 Summit that followed in St. Petersburg, Russia. Fulltext
F10 - Diversity as a Foreign Policy Asset
Werz Michael
German Marshall Fund Paper Series, June 15, 2006, 31p
“In the inaugural paper in the GMF Paper Series, Michael Werz argues that Europe's, and specifically Germany's, demographic changes over the last 15 years have not been reflected in the makeup of its governments and especially its foreign policy and foreign service. Werz argues that European governments could learn much from the United States' experience with its own foreign service and diversity in government. ” He writes, “Analyzing the successes and failures of the State Department’s policies is an important tool for other governments developing similar programs. Such an analysis is useful in two ways: First, using the United States as a model for understanding why diversity is necessary in today’s changing global climate provides benchmarks to learn from, and it will benefit organizations and governments seeking information on diversity hiring issues. Second, a debate inspired by the American experience may help establish a new comparative perspective across the Atlantic, thereby adding to a constructive dialogue on the major policy initiatives of the future.” Michael Werz is Director of the Hessen Universities Consortium in New York, a liaison office for 12 German universities and the Hessen State Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and the Arts. Fulltext
F12 - Is the European Union Destined to Fall?
Kupchan, Charles
The Globalist, June 16, 2006, online edition
”Well beyond the current problems at Airbus, Europe is in trouble. While many U.S. analysts have long been critical of the European Union, that was not the case with Charles Kupchan, author of "The End of the American Era." He has long been a courageous advocate for Europe. Now that he is changing his mind, it is time for Europeans to take a close look at their own troubles.” Charles Kupchan is an Associate Professor of International Relations in the School of Foreign Service and Government Department at Georgetown University. He is also a Senior Fellow and Director of Europe Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Fulltext
F13 - Counterterrorism and the Integration of Islam in Europe
Klausen, Jytte
Foreign Policy Research Institute E-Notes, July 7, 2006, online edition
In this article, Klausen draws on research performed for her recent book on European Muslims. She describes how important faith is to them and what if any effect it has on their policy positions. She continues with a comparison of Muslim integration in the United States and Europe. Jytte Klausen is associate professor of comparative politics at Brandeis University. Fulltext
F14 - Europe ’s Jihadist Dilemma
Neumann, Peter R.
Survival, Summer 2006, v48,#2, pp.71-84
“Various conditions have facilitated Europe’s rise as a “hub” of global jihad, especially the presence of nucleus of foreign Islamist activists, a large pool of potential recruits and the freedom to operate with few, if any restrictions. The Iraq war has prompted a revival of the jihadist network in Europe. In response, European policymakers need legal reforms, increased institutional cooperation and sustained efforts to engage with the European Muslim Communities. The threat is both urgent and profound and it will be necessary to embark on considered long-term strategies which may require European leaders to re-examine some of the tacit arrangements that have allowed European Societies to enjoy an unparalleled degree of domestic freedom, peace and prosperity.” Order Article
F15 - Transatlantic Homeland Defense
Binnendijk, Hans et al.
National Defense University, Center for Technology and National Security Policy and Institute for National Strategic Studies Special report, May 2006, 6p
“This report proposes that enhanced transatlantic homeland defense be a major initiative for adoption at the 2006 Riga Summit and completion at the 2008 summit....The initiative would include four categories of homeland defense ... The four categories are:
- guarding the approaches and achieving border security for the NATO region · pursuing enhanced/integrated and linked continental early warning and air/missile defense capabilities
- preventing and managing terrorist incidents
- strengthening transatlantic capabilities for consequence management, ranging from terrorist use of WMD to large-scale natural disasters." Dr. Hans Binnendijk is Director of the Center for Technology and National Security Policy at the National Defense University. Fulltext
|
