In this week's At Issue, Executive Director Dr. Jackson Janes discusses Vladimir Putin's speech at the International Security Conference and the reactions to it in Europe and the U.S. He argues that the speech, as controversial as it was, actually highlighted our commonalities as much as our differences.

In Issue Brief # 13, "Disturbing Fundamentalism," which is part of the AICGS Project on Religion and Politics in Germany, Europe, and the United States, Dr. Joshua Yates outlines what the relationship between modernity and fundamentalism is. The Issue Brief further examines if religion presents a threat to secular Western societies.

After years of quasi-stagnation, the German economy has managed an impressive turn-around in 2006: investment has picked up and employment is growing at its fastest since 1999/2000. Is this a sustained turn-around or is it just merely a coincidence caused by a number of short-term factors such as an increase in purchases prior to the VAT increase earlier this year? What are the different scenarios for the German economy until 2010? Dr. Sebastian Dullien, DAAD/AICGS Fellow, will address these issues and more in a luncheon event on February 23, 2007.

Germany's role in the Middle East has seen a change in recent years. In her essay, Dr. Lily Gardner Feldman, Senior Fellow in Residence at AICGS, describes how Germany has become more actively engaged in the Middle East. Outlining the road ahead for Germany's involvement in that volatile region during Germany's EU- and G-8 presidencies, Dr. Gardner Feldman also addresses the obstacles Germany will have to face.

Professor Dr. Karl-Rudolf Korte, former DAAD/AICGS fellow, analyzes in his essay the internal power struggle over the succession of Bavarian Prime Minister Stoiber as head of the CSU as well as head of the state of Bavaria. While this seems to be only a regional issue on the outset, Professor Dr. Korte argues that because the CSU is also part of the governing coalition in Berlin, this power vacuum has a ripple effect on the federal level.

To read this essay in German, please click here.

Dr. Dagmar Pruin completed her DAAD fellowship at AICGS in December 2006. This essay is based on the workshop she conducted during her fellowship analyzing the lessons one can draw from the Jewish- Christian dialogue in Germany in regards to a dialogue with the Muslim world. Dr. Pruin describes the variety of stages the Jewish-Christian dialogue in Germany went through by focusing on the religious aspect.

In light of the recent controversy over Germany's contributions to the NATO engagement in Afghanistan, Dr. Detlef Puhl, German Associate Dean of the College of International and Security Studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and a frequent contributor to The AICGS Advisor, argues in his essay that the future of NATO hinges on the success of its mission in Afghanistan. This mission has become the test case for NATO's member-states and their ability to reconcile different opinions while still being successful militarily.

In response to Mr. Detlef Puhl's article, Michael Hanpeter, a frequent AICGS Advisor contributor, focuses on on two aspects of Mr. Puhl?s article. The first concerns perceptions regarding different operational concepts and rules of engagement which Mr. Hanpeter argues are symptoms of more fundamental issues. The second portion explores implications beyond the specific parameters in Mr. Puhl?s piece.

Current DAAD/AICGS fellow Dr. Sebastian Dullien analyses in his essay Germany's recently published economic data for 2006, which is surprisingly positive. He argues that this positive trend will continue in 2007 and that it is not only based on short-term trends such as advanced purchases prior to the VAT increase.

Recent AICGS Senior Visiting Fellow Henryk M. Broder will be awarded the Ludwig-Börne-Preis of the Frankfurter Börne-Stiftung in June 2007. This price is awarded annually to a German author for outstanding contributions in journalism. AICGS congratulates Mr. Broder to this prestigious award!

Former AICGS Fellow Jeffrey Herf is one of the recipients of the 2006 National Jewish Book Awards. Professor Herf's book The Jewish Enemy won in the category Holocaust. The National Jewish Book Awards is the longest running North American awards program of its kind in the field of Jewish literature and is recognized as the most prestigious. AICGS is proud of Professor Herf's affiliation with the Institute and congratulates him to this achievement.

Professor Charles Maier, Harvard University, was recently a panelist at a symposium in honor of Fritz Stern. In his very personal remarks, Professor Maier elaborates on Fritz Stern's many contributions to Germany's second chance after World War Two and how Stern's personal live and Germany are intertwined.

On January 30, 2007, a distinguished panel examined the issues of German history Professor Fritz Stern touched upon in his latest book and discussed the outlook for Germany today and in the future. The publication of Professor Stern's memoirs, Five Germanys I Have Known, provided occasion to take stock of a lifetime's reflections on the central issues of modern history as seen through the eyes of Professor Stern.

For the first half of 2007, Germany will wield significant power as simultaneous president of both the European Union and the G-8 conference. AICGS has created a new section of its website dedicated to covering the developments of these two major positions, with elements ranging from original AICGS analysis to international media coverage of the presidencies. These sites will be updated regularly, so please check back often.