Five Years in Iraq: Political Leadership and Lessons Learned
In this week's At Issue, Executive Director Dr. Jackson Janes marks the five year anniversary of the Iraq invasion with a look at how the conflict is shaping the current global security debate, as well as the internal German debate

To read this essay, please click here.

 

In the midst of the U.S. primaries, America's European allies are preparing for transatlantic relations under the next U.S. president in 2009. How do these allies view the race for president? AICGS has compiled a page of foreign media coverage for a global perspective which will continue through the November election and will be updated frequently.

To access this page of links, please click here.

 

In the newest AICGS Podcast, Ralf Fücks, board member of the Heinrich Böll Stiftung, speaks with Dr. Jack Janes of AICGS about the German party landscape and the role of Die Grünen in next year's federal elections.

Additionally, Fücks offers some written commentary on the consequences of the changing party landscape on potential coalition building in the future. This essay is available in German only.

To access this AICGS Podcast, please click here.

To read this essay (German only), please click here.

 

AICGS founding director Robert Gerald Livingston takes a look at Chancellor Angela Merkel's strong political standing and analyzes where this standing comes from, concluding that her foreign policy achievements and modest but fiscally sound domestic reforms will lead her to victory again in 2009.

To read this essay, please click here.

 

DAAD/AICGS Fellow Almut Möller writes about French President Nicolas Sarkozy's push for a new Mediterranean Union and argues that Europeans should support this idea which could open up the Middle East and North Africa in political and economic terms.

To read this essay, please click here.

 

Former AICGS Fellow Dr. Paul J.J. Welfens, who is currently President of the European Institute for International
Economic Relations (EIIW) at the University of Wuppertal, recently wrote an article for International Economics and Economic Policy in which he argues that the leading finance centers are responsible for the shocking international crisis characterized by a loss of confidence in major markets. Welfens believes that the crisis will continue or reoccur if banking supervision systems are not improved; click the links below to find out more about the article and Professor Welfens' view of the crisis.

To read this article in English, please click here (PDF).

To read this article in German, please click here (PDF).

 

On March 27, 2008, AICGS will host a discussion with Almut Möller, DAAD/AICGS Fellow, on "Different Perceptions, Diverging Concepts? The Future of Transatlantic Cooperation in the Middle East." Many Europeans are expecting a phase of readjustment of Washington's Middle East policies once a new administration enters into office. Where are U.S. policies towards Iraq, Iran, and Syria moving? Will there be a shift in policies at all, as Europeans expect and hope for? Ms. Möller will address these questions and more.

To RSVP and for more information, please click here.

 

On March 28, 2008, AICGS will host Dr. Franz-Josef Meiers, DAAD/AICGS Fellow, for a lecture on "Crossing the Red Line? The Merkel Government and the Afghanistan Test." Preceding the NATO summit in Bucharest in early April, Dr. Meiers will discuss Germany's role within the NATO-run International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan and the continued opposition of the Merkel government to allied demands to send German troops to the turbulent south of Afghanistan.

To RSVP and for more information, please click here.

 

The Institute relies on annual membership support to conduct its research on economic and political issues that are vitally important to the transatlantic relationship. Membership revenue underwrites the work of our Fellows and enables them to produce in-depth seminars and publications on these issues. In return, Members receive recognition for their support on our website as well as a range of other benefits.

AICGS offers a variety of membership options for both individuals and corporations, starting at just $100 per year. All Members have the option of designating their contributions for either General Support or for one of our three Program Areas.

For detailed information about the levels of membership that we offer, as well as an application form, please click here (PDF).

 

AICGS would like to introduce its newest member of the Board of Trustees, Ms. Amity Shlaes. Ms.Shlaes is a syndicated columnist for Bloomberg and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and AICGS welcomes her years of experience to the Board.

For a short biography of Ms. Shlaes, please click here.
 

On March 10-March 11, 2008, AICGS, in cooperation with the University of Birmingham, UK, and with the generous support of the National Intelligence Council and the International Association for the Study of German Politics, held a workshop on "German Vulnerabilities in a Globalizing World." This conference sought to explore the collection and nature of challenges that Germany faces as a state, as well as Germany's responses to these challenges.

For a summary of this event, please click here.

 

On March 12, 2008, AICGS hosted a discussion with AICGS Visiting Fellow Tobias Heider on "The Effectiveness of European Security Policy: Evaluating EU Crisis Management in the Balkans." Mr. Heider presented his empirical findings on his case studies of Bosnia and Macedonia, as well as the reactions of both the U.S. and the EU to violent conflicts in the Balkans.

For a summary of this event, please click here.