Spotlight
Russian Roulette
East-West arms control has a different logic in the 21st century
by Elizabeth Pond | 12.03.2010
There may be light at the end of one of President Obama’s many tunnels. The first major strategic arms treaty in a generation between Washington and Moscow is nearly final. This could unblock other arms control agreements, promote the desired “reset” in ex-superpower relations—and perhaps improve relations between the United States and Germany.
Current Print Issue
Global Issues
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Hands Off Our Shackles, Please
by Constanze Stelzenmüller | 05.03.2010
The momentous decision made by a German colonel in September to call in a NATO air strike on fuel trucks hijacked by the Taliban could become a test of Germany’s maturity 20 years after regaining complete sovereignty. But this incident, and its handling, has already turned a harsh spotlight on the shortcomings of German security policy.
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The Bomb for Beginners
by Michael Rühle | 25.02.2010
Building a nuclear weapon has never been easier. NATO’s Michael Rühle provides step-by-step instructions for going nuclear, from discretely collecting material to minimizing the fallout when caught. These simple steps have worked for the likes of Israel, Pakistan, and North Korea, among others. The nuclear club is open to your country, too.
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Rethinking Iran
by Peter Jenkins | 20.02.2010
The May review of the NPT will inevitably address the case of Iran. The key to handling the issue wisely and keeping Iran at the table is to distinguish NPT non-compliance from the flouting of UN resolutions. Iran must show, through regional diplomacy, that it does not seek nuclear weapons. Greater realism can yield political and economic advantages.
In the Latest Print Issue
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Global Pulpit
by Otto Kallscheuer
Are there rational reasons for a political presence of the Vatican on the world stage? The German philosopher and self-described “Rhineland Catholic,” Otto Kallscheuer, thinks there is. But Pope Benedict XVI is not off to a flying start.
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Europe’s New Faces
by Henning Riecke
The post-Lisbon European Union can finally establish itself as a serious player in a multipolar world order. It has the potential to develop a foreign policy combining political, economic, and military elements. But will Brussels make the most of Lisbon? In the end, it is still the member states that call the shots on foreign policy.
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Europe’s Green Diplomacy
by Martin Kremer und Sascha Müller-Kraenner
The Lisbon Treaty provides new tools for Europe to combat climate change. Europe will have to figure out how to put the European External Action Service to use in order to avoid another failure of global environmental leadership like that in Copenhagen. Obviously, leading by example is not enough.
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Book Reviews
Bound to Muddle?
by Cameron Abadi
The Treaty of Lisbon was written, at least in part, under the assumption that incoherent institutions were the great scourge blocking the European Union on the international stage. A bit of tinkering—a Council president here, a foreign minister there—and Brussels’ influence would flow freely to all corners of the globe.
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You Should Know...
Ronald Pofalla, Chancellory Chief of Staff
Described as a “tireless fighter for Angela Merkel," (WDR Radio) Ronald Pofalla is the current Chancellory Chief of Staff, as well as the Federal Minister for Special Affairs in Merkel’s current cabinet. Pofalla first joined the CDU in 1975 and was voted into the Bundestag for the first time in 1990. From 2004 to 2005 he served as chairperson for the CDU devision of Economics and Labor, and in 2005, he was named general secretary of the CDU.
