Governance

On March 31,  the Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship and the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies hosted a discussion with Wolfgang Ischinger, former Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Joseph S. Nye Jr., Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor, and Daniela Schwarzer, Executive Director for Europe and Eurasia at the Open Society Foundations, on how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as well as the brutality of its action has caused an unexpected reversal of Germany’s long time security policy and led to strong reactions in the rest of Europe, NATO, and the posture of the Biden administration. The seminar examined the dimensions and consequences of these developments for the future of the EU and the West. Karl Kaiser, Senior Fellow at the Project on Europe, moderated.

A year ago today, George Floyd died in Minneapolis after officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for several minutes. Shortly thereafter, a wave of "Black Lives Matter" protests swept the country. There was, however, no accompanying major reform movement, says Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook. [translated from German; interview in German]

The 2020 US presidential elections deepened the political divide between Republicans and Democrats. Joe Biden has now been President for 100 days and the debates seem to have calmed down. Can he really bring people closer together again? How does his ambitious investment program work? And what role does social media play now? [translated from German; interview in German]

A committed climate policy, billions of dollars for infrastructure, extensive social spending, condemnation of racism and predictable foreign policy — Joe Biden's agenda is clearly  different from that of his predecessor. The question is: what can he actually implement? [translated from German; interview in German]

The secretary of state has postponed diplomatic travel during the coronavirus pandemic, which experts say is a challenge at a moment of flux in the world.

Within NATO, and in U.S.–EU and NATO–EU relations, considerable effort will have to go into: rebuilding trust; strengthening democratic governance and shared values; aligning threat perceptions; breaking down barriers to collaboration; maximizing defense value for money; and tackling new and emerging challenges collectively. No problem can be solved successfully by the U.S. alone, by NATO alone, or just in the U.S.–EU context. The most effective approaches will combine the institutional strengths of both NATO and the EU and all 36 of their respective member states.

Donald Trump’s second impeachment proceedings have begun. What is the future of the Republican Party now? Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook with first analysis [interview in German].

Hate speech, racism, and a divided society. Former US President Donald Trump left behind many problems that a new human rights policy has to face. A conversation with the German-American political scientist Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook. [translated from German; interview in German]

In the foreseeable future, Russia continues to pose serious challenges to the European and international security order, democratic systems of Western countries, and cohesion of major Western organizations such as the EU and NATO. The U.S. and Europe need to tackle these challenges together and pursue a hard line vis-à-vis Russia in order to put limits to its malicious actions. Europe has to take more responsibility for defending and protecting itself and promoting stability in its neighborhood, but the U.S. contribution to European security, especially when it comes to countering and deterring Russia, remains indispensable. The U.S. and European allies need to continue to develop credible defense and deterrence against Russia in the framework of NATO.

The inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden has brought a new wave of hope for reinvigorating the transatlantic relationship. The EU has already capitalized on this enthusiasm by offering fresh proposals for EU-U.S. collaboration while raising its ambitions to boost its international role and shape global policies.

How alignment and divergence play out across the Atlantic in the coming months will have implications for all major global challenges, from climate change and the coronavirus pandemic to security and economic recovery.