Europe & Transatlantic Relations

Bundestagswahl 2013: A Look at the Themes of the September Federal Elections

Germany is in the midst of a unique campaign season, gearing up for the September 22 elections. Despite this wide gap between the two frontrunners, Angela Merkel of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and current chancellor and Peer Steinbrück of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the final results are far from certain. Mattis Hennings reviews main campaign issues and the politics behind the elections.

Diversity and Community: On the Future of the European Union

When we speak of the future of the EU, it’s about more than saving the Euro. The question is whether Europe wishes to remain relevant as a strategic actor. If it does, then we must strengthen internal solidarity, as well as our capacity to act externally.

NATO’s Defense and Deterrence Posture Review – A Missed Opportunity?

American Non-Strategic Nuclear Weapons (NSNWs) currently forward deployed in five Europe countries - have always been endowed with a symbolic value that far outweighs their strategic importance. It was therefore not surprising that NATO’s Defense and Deterrence Posture Review (DDPR) discreetly published at the Chicago Summit concluded that in the current circumstances, the existing mix of capabilities is a sound one.

Solidarity and Strength. The Future of the European Union - Foreign & Security Policy

With the ink on the Treaty of Lisbon scarcely dry, the European debt crisis has once more raised the question as to how the EU should be constituted. The Union’s ability to hold together and withstand the crisis is being put to the test. Against this background, the Heinrich Böll Foundation set up a commission in 2010 to examine the future of the EU and a summary of its findings can be found in this publication. FULL PUBLICATION NOW AVAILABLE.

Saving for Germany?

The European crisis is not only a Euro or financial crisis, it also has far reaching political implications. In his article Rainer Emschermann analyses the political dynamics while Europe is struggling for ways to solve its deepest crisis since the foundation of the European Union.