A new Transatlantic Partnership

If Europeans could have voted in the 2008 US presidential election, they would have voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama. It is no secret that Europeans are greatly relieved to see the end of the George W. Bush administration and are thrilled to have Barack Obama as the new leader of the United States and the Western alliance.

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Letter from Stuttgart

As You Like It (Or Not)

Letters by Alan Posener

The decline of German theater

Letter from Belgrade

McBelgrade

Letters by Elizabeth Pond

How will Serbia’s youth shape the future of their country?

The Importance of Being Europe

Article by Eberhard Sandschneider

There are growing differences in the way the transatlantic partners assess each other. While Europe has embraced Barack Obama as an “American European,” America is looking for strategic partners in other corners of the globe. If Europe wants to be taken seriously, it must decide to become a meaningful actor.

Reaching Out to Russia

Article by Alexander Rahr

The European Union must finally adopt a consistent policy toward Russia. In addition to signing a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, Brussels should work with Russia to reform international organizations and expand joint projects such as free trade zones.

Help Wanted: Energy Coordinator

Article by Josef Braml

A new global energy framework is long overdue. The Obama administration could well be interested in teaming up with the European Union to create one. In addition to enhancing security, it would also spur economic growth and curb global warming.

Rethinking US-Europe Relations

Article by Paul Hockenos

The Obama administration has to rethink the transatlantic partnership in light of shifting power relations and new global security threats. Washington’s preferred Atlantic institution, NATO, is already overburdened. The European Union should be prepared to step in and contribute according to its strengths.

Jump Starting the Peace Process

Article by John Hulsman

If the Obama administration is going to lay the groundwork for peace in the Middle East, it has to realize that it can no longer set the agenda alone. America and Europe need to coordinate a common position. Ultimately though, they have to help the Israelis and Palestinians fashion peace for themselves.

After Gaza

Article by Muriel Asseburg und Volker Perthes

The war in Gaza seems to be over even if the cease-fire is shaky. A European-American initiative could now create the conditions for something more durable, which addresses the security needs of both Israelis and Palestinians. To do so, Syria and Hamas must be engaged in the peace process.

The Option to Protect

Article by Richard Herzinger

In Germany, “national interest” is no longer a taboo reason for involvement in military engagements abroad. This gives the debate around humanitarian interventions a new logic. Germany—and the United States too—would do well to think twice about the responsibilities and resources that their interventions abroad ultimately entail.

Learning From Europe’s Mistakes

Article by Andreas Kraemer

Europe has been focusing on greater energy efficiency for some time, while the United States has lagged behind. But with its impressive capacity for innovation, the United States still has the potential to become an alternative energy role model alongside Europe. Ultimately, together they will have to prepare the rest of the world for the effects of climate change.

Cold War in the Arctic?

Article by Gerd Braune

As it stands, Arctic policy is already a dense network of legal and political agreements between different national and supranational stakeholders. Now the European Union wants to play a greater role in shaping this policy.

Changing Regime Change

Article by Henner Fürtig

The United States and Europe need to alter their previous strategies if they want to influence Iran. The Obama administration should focus on using political and diplomatic means to address the regime in Tehran. The European Union should attach concrete and verifiable conditions to its stipulations.

European Integration

An Imperfect Model Student

Article by Gregor Walter-Drop und Thomas Risse

Twenty years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, it is time to take stock. Have expectations been fulfilled? Not entirely. There are three areas where Europe has clearly lagged: bridging the continent’s divisions; establishing a veritable common foreign policy; and fostering a sense of legitimacy for the project of European integration.

A New Division of Labor? The need for honest transatlantic dialogue on common strategies towards the Middle East1

Article by Zoé Nautré

The underlying issues and challenges in the Middle East, namely the lack of political and economic opportunities, still require attention and common transatlantic strategies. Greater cooperation between the United States and Europe is hampered by a lack of honest dialogue about common goals and the means to achieve them. Although Europe has a lot to offer, it needs to become more unified and proactive in order to have a meaningful impact in the Middle East. Political and economic reform in the region is in the transatlantic, national, and humanitarian interest. Supporting domestic endeavours to achieve this goal remains an enormous challenge that can only be met by working collectively and on a cooperative basis.

Hamas

What to do about Hamas

Article by Yossi Alpher

Israel has an array of options besides reoccupying the Gaza Strip. One alternative is to open passages linking it to Gaza, ending the damaging economic blockade. Another is to seek direct talks with Hamas. Both are preferable to long-term occupation, which Israel would be hard-pressed to end cleanly.

Central Europe

The Mice That Roared

Article by Wess Mitchell

It is not easy being small—especially in the world of global power politics. History has taught the Central Europeans this lesson all too well. But the young democracies of the region exert surprising clout today in the geopolitical arena. For once, they are thinking like players rather than pawns.

United Nations

No Early Retirement

Article by Jussi M. Hanhimäki

Critics of the United Nations are hasty to argue that it is outdated and fundamentally ill-equipped to handle the security and humanitarian needs of an increasingly complex world. On the contrary, while the United Nations is undoubtedly in need of reform, it is still an effective force for improving the lives of millions.

Modern China

The Pitfalls of Chinese Populism

Article by Yu Liu

The current Beijing administration inherited a China ridden with social conflict. The new government took a utilitarian rather than an institutional approach; it enacted a series of populist policies without significantly reforming political structures. Such efforts have been well-received by the general public, but their sustainability is questionable.

Learning from Failure

Book Review by Dominik Zaum

Postconflict state-building has to go beyond “development as usual”

The Fog of Mistrust

Book Review by Cameron Abadi

Above all, the past bars the way to a new era of US-Iran relations

Documentation

• Inaugural address of US President Barack Obama, January 20, 2009, Washington DC
• Executive Summary of the US National Intelligence Council’s Global Trends Report 2025, November 20, 2008, Washington DC
• Communiqué of the European Commission on the EU Arctic Strategy, November 20, 2008, Brussels
• Resolution 1860 of the UN Security Council on the situation in the Gaza Strip, January 8, 2009
• Press Conference by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev following the Conference on Ensuring Russian Gas Supplies to European Consumers, January 17. 2009, Moscow
• Election victory speech of US President Barack Obama, November 4, 2008, Chicago