| July 2005
German-American Relations | US-EU Relations | NATO |
German-American Relations
F1 - Mission Possible? Can U.S. Based German Political
Foundations Help To Bridge The Transatlantic
Divide?
Renver, Nicole
AICGS working Papers, June 2005, 27p, online edition
"This paper assesses whether a unique instrument of German
foreign policy—German political foundations might be a tool to
bridge the gap between national politics and new global political
challenges... It focuses on the role and impact of the German
political party foundations in the United States... Does the new
global environment require a fundamental review of their work
and possibly a complete change of mode? Do they hold the key to
transcending the limits of traditional policymaking? Could the
political foundations serve as a model for other countries?"
Fulltext
F2 - The Media, Perceptions, and Policy in German American
Relations
Johnston, Karin L.
AICGS policy report #20, July 28, 2005, 26 p, online
edition
"Differing media realities in Germany and the United States
raise important questions regarding the role of the media in intensifying
transatlantic conflicts and deepening the feelings of a growing
and perhaps expanding transatlantic divide. The author examines
the media's relationship with public opinion and political leaders,
as well as the ways in which changes in communication technology
and the increasing commercialization of the news industry shape
journalism in the United States and Germany. Karin L. Johnston
is Research Associate at the American Institute for Contemporary
German Studies (AICGS). She was previously the Assistant Director
of the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) in the
Center for International Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM),
the University of Maryland. Fulltext
F3 - Siemens Shows Its U.S. Face
Smart, Tim
U.S. News & World Report, July 25, 2005, v139, #3, pp12-14
The article presents an analysis of Siemens USA, an arm of the
German company of the same name, and its business in the United
States. It describes the many areas of business and industry in
which Siemens is involved and how Siemens is competing with General
Electric in the medical equipment business. It includes comments
by Siemens CEO, George Nolen on the success of Siemens' 64-slice
computed tomography scanner and its dominance in other industries
such as lighting and telephone-based equipment for high-speed
Internet access. Fulltext
US-EU Relations
F4 - The EU and America in the World Economy
Peter Mandelson
Hampton Roads International Security Quarterly, July 15, 2005,
pp38-41
Mr. Mandelson, the European commissioner for trade, argues that
“[Africa’s] dynamic force [can be channeled into job creation,
wider prosperity, social and regional stability. The keys to this
are an effective WTO; fair rules and fair chances for all, and
a focus on development in the Doha trade negotiations.” Mr. Mandelson
argues that the United States and the EU need to work together
on the major challenges of our time. Fulltext
F5 - The EU Constitution and US-EU Relations: The Recent
Referenda in France and the Netherlands and the US-EU Summit
Bruton, John
Hampton Roads International Security Quarterly, July 15, 2005.
pp6-8
”The EU Constitution would have consolidated all those powers
and rights in one document, but it did not create them anew because
they are established by existing ratified treaties. The main changes
that the EU Constitution would have brought about were in simplifying
voting procedures, consulting national parliaments, unifying foreign
policy formation and allowing majority voting on cross-border
crime.” Fulltext
F6 - Europe's Angry Muslims
Leiken, Richard
Foreign Affairs, vol. 84, no. 4, July/August 2005, pp.120-135
Leiken warns of the growing danger of radical terrorist groups
throughout Europe, citing a Nixon Center study noting that a quarter
of the residents of Middle Eastern descent living in Europe are
European nationals eligible to travel visa-free to the U.S. He
notes the widespread resentment among Muslims in western Europe,
much of which stems from Europe's failure to integrate newcomers;
even in countries like the Netherlands, which has a historical
reputation of welcoming Muslims, there is disenfranchisement and
radicalization. Leiken writes that radical Islam has become an
"autonomous phenomenon" in which Muslim youth are now
embracing the fundamentalist line even without direct influence
from abroad. After the U.S. occupation of Iraq in 2003, Leiken
notes that terrorist recruitment has increased in Norway, Switzerland,
Poland, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic. Leiken worries that
Europe's emerging mujahideen could endanger the Western world.
He recommends greater cooperation between U.S. and European authorities
to require U.S.-bound transatlantic travelers to submit passport
information when purchasing tickets.
Robert S. Leiken is Director of the Immigration and National Security
Program at the Nixon Center and a nonresident Fellow at the Brookings
Institution. He is the author of Bearers of Jihad? Immigration
and National Security After 9/11. Fulltext
F7 - Containing Europe
Van Oudenaren, John
National Interest, Summer 2005, #80, pp57-64
Van Oudenaren discusses the relationship between the U.S. and
Europe. “Neither the pursuit of disaggregation nor the unconditional
embrace of the EU as a partner is likely to serve long-term U.S.
interests. Rather, the United States needs to steer a course between,
on the one hand, an unseemly and in the end probably futile attempt
to weaken the EU and, on the other, accepting a partnership on
terms essentially set in Brussels, Paris and Berlin. Such a policy
must address the key challenge facing the United States in relations
with the EU: the deepening transatlantic divide over how multilateralism
is defined and the objectives it should serve.” The author outlines
an alternative US approach. John Van Oudenaren is chief of
the European division at the Library of Congress and an adjunct
professor in the BMW Center for German and European Studies at
Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. Fulltext
F8 - Mergers and Acquisitions
Rosecrance, Richard
National Interest, Summer 2005, #80, pp65-73
Rosecrance comments on merging among states. “What are mergers
among states? They are arrangements that combine political leaderships
to project greater power and influence in the world at large.
A new superstate is not necessarily created. Countries retain
separate governments and legislatures. Internal elections and
democracy continue. But merged nations also accept a common code
of behavior that their electorates sustain. They create merged
bureaucracies and common decision-making councils that give effect
to their unity. Approval by democratic publics lends credibility
to the merger commitment on all sides.” Taking the European Union
as an sensible alternative to unilateral hegemony. Because “to
deal with a rising China, example the author suggests a merger
between the United States and Europe as a America and Europe must
form a more perfect union.” Richard Rosecrance is Distinguished
Research Professor of Political Science at the University of California
at Los Angeles and a senior fellow of the Belfer Center at Harvard
University. Fulltext
F9 - Religion and the West
Berger, Peter L.
National Interest, Summer 2005, #80, pp112-119
Berger offers a comparison of the status of religion in the US
and Europe. ”Much has been written to the effect that religion
is a part of "American exceptionalism." But in reality,
most of the world, not just the United States, is characterized
by an explosion of passionate religious movements. The real exception
is Europe. Explaining European secularity, especially its contrast
with America, is one of the most interesting topics for the study
of contemporary religion.” Peter Berger is director of the
Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs at Boston University.
Fulltext
F10 - Jihad Made In Europe
Gerecht, Reuel Marc
The Weekly Standard, July 25, 2005, v10, #42, , online version
Following up on the July suicide bombings in London, Gerecht discusses
what “is probably a locally generated Islamic militancy that is
as retrograde and virulent as anything in the Middle East” which
also lets the United States fear for the worst. To cope with the
situation he recommends a wise U.S. counterterrorist policy. “We
should prepare for the worst-case scenario and assume that European
society itself will continue to generate the most lethal holy
warriors. In doing so, American officials should be skeptical
of their own ability to identify through profiling which Muslim
Europeans might engage in terrorism against the United States.
Stamps in passports indicating travel to Middle Eastern countries
can't tell you much, since holy-warrior pilgrimages are not required
to fortify jihadist spirits and networks. Living in London, Leeds,
or Manchester can be more than enough. This means, of course,
that the Bush administration ought to preempt fate and suspend
the visa-waiver program established in 1986 for Western Europeans.”
Reuel Marc Gerecht is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise
Institute and a contributing editor to The Weekly Standard. Fulltext
F11 - U.S.-EU Cooperation Against Terrorism
Archick, Kristin
The Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service, CRS
Report for Congress, RS22030, updated July 12, 2005, 6p.
”The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks gave new momentum to
European Union (EU) initiatives to improve law enforcement cooperation
against terrorism both among its 25 member states and with the
United States. Washington has largely welcomed these efforts,
recognizing that they may help root out terrorist cells and prevent
future attacks. However, the United States and the EU continue
to face several challenges as they seek to promote closer cooperation
in the police, judicial, and border control fields.” Kristin
Archick is Specialist in European Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Defense,
and Trade Division. Fulltext
F12 - BLS and the Marshall Plan: The Forgotten Story
Wasser, Solidelle F. ; Dolfman, Michael L.
Monthly Labor Review, June 2005, v 128, # 6, pp 44-52
”The European Recovery Program (Marshall Plan) has been recognized
as the most successful foreign-aid program ever undertaken by
the United States. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) role in
the accomplishments of the Marshall Plan’s Technical Assistance
Program has largely been ignored. This article highlights the
BLS achievements in the Marshall Plan.” Solidelle F. Wasser
is Senior Economist and Michael L. Dolfman is the Regional Commissioner
for the Bureau of Labor Statistics in New York. Fulltext
F13 - The U.S. Needs Turkey in the EU
Selle, Robert
The World & I Online, June/July 2005, #6/2005
“The U.S. should be doing all it can to encourage the twenty-five
nations of the European Union to allow Turkey in as a member.
By creating a geopolitically stronger, economically healthier,
and more culturally vibrant EU, it would form a fitting economic
competitor and democratic partner for the United States as history
progresses in the twenty-first century toward a world of (hopefully)
much greater peace and prosperity, led by the liberty-embracing
Western bloc of nations.” Robert Selle is editor of The World
& I Online. Request
Article
F14 - Mending NATO
Kwok, James
Harvard International Review, Summer 2005, pp36-40
“The Cold War is over, and Europe is no longer under the clear
danger it once was from the Soviet Union. Yet NATO remains the
touchstone of the transatlantic relationship. While the current
state of the bond between Europe and the United States is anything
but rosy, U.S.-European collaboration is a fundamental ingredient
not only in their liberal ideals and freedom, but also in the
stability of the world order. NATO is not dead because it was
never intended as a purely strategic relationship based solely
on self-interested security policies. It was during the immediate
post-World War II years that NATO was established, ostensibly
to protect Europe from a possible Soviet invasion from the East.
NATO cannot be placed in the tradition of realism, with its shifting
alliances and balances of power. The North Atlantic Treaty, in
its content and proponents, took on a tone of sweeping moralism
that transcended the realm of pure geopolitics.” James Kwok
is associate editor at Harvard International Review. Fulltext
F15 - NATO’s Role in Nation-Building
Dobbins, James
NATO Review, Summer 2005, online article
“James Dobbins examines how NATO should work together with other
international institutions in nation-building. Nation-building
has been a growth industry since the end of the Cold War. The
United Nations, NATO, the United States and more recently the
European Union have all become engaged in missions that employ
armed force in post-conflict environments with the objective of
supporting a political transformation, that is to say democratization.”
James Dobbins is a former US Ambassador to the European Community,
Assistant Secretary of State for Europe, and special envoy for
Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Haiti, Kosovo and Somalia.
He is currently director of the International Security and Defense
Policy Center at the RAND Corporation. Fulltext
F16 - Reinventing NATO (Yet Again) Politically
Asmus, Ronald
NATO Review, Summer 2005, online article
“Ronald D. Asmus examines the remake that NATO requires to meet
the challenges of the post-post Cold War era that are centred
beyond Europe. . . . The precondition for NATO's second reinvention
is Europe and the United States reaching closure on a new sense
of strategic purpose and unity to face the very different challenges
of a new century. “ Ronald D. Asmus is director of the German
Marshall Fund of the United States’ Transatlantic Center in Brussels,
Belgium and author of “Opening NATO’s Door”, a diplomatic history
of NATO enlargement. Fulltext
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