January/February 2010
The Afghanistan Conundrum
Germany is grappling mightily with its engagement in Afghanistan. This is not a bad thing, but rather an overdue corrective to eight years of obfuscation. Germany’s political elite is now debating the way forward in Afghanistan with the intensity that the matter deserves.
Out-of-Pocket “Problem Solving”
Letter from… Moscow 
Letters by Fred Weir
Berlin’s uncomfortable silence on the Bundeswehr mission in Afghanistan
Hiding in Plain View
Article by Derek Scally
Despite German soldiers in body bags and dead civilians in Afghanistan, Berlin has yet to commit openly to its mission in Afghanistan. But with new engagement from the United States and scandals pummeling the leadership in Berlin, ambivalence is no longer an option. The Germans should make up their own mind before Obama forces their hand.
Germany owes the Atlantic alliance too much to let it fail
NATO’s Last Stand
Article by William Drozdiak
Even if most Germans are not convinced of it, their security is at stake on the Hindu Kush, too. Germany can help the Americans at this critical juncture, with troops, police trainers, and development resources. Defeating enemies like the Taliban and Al Qaeda requires more than sheer military force. Nothing less than NATO’s viability is at stake.
Interview with Social Democrat and Bundestag member Hans-Peter Bartels
“We can’t Just Sit Around and Complain”
The events of early September in northern Afghanistan and the German government’s handling of the crisis have exposed the German deployment in Afghanistan to scrutiny like never before in its eight-year history. The German-ordered air strike and the incomplete information provided to the Bundestag and the public have forced the resignation of two senior defense officials and the former defense minister, Franz Josef Jung.
Afghanistan and the limits of Intervention
Exit Strategy for a Culture War
Article by Heinz Theisen
The West has failed in Afghanistan because it underestimated cultural factors and set the unrealistic goals of democracy and human rights—instead of just establishing a functional state. Now, after eight years, we are forced to reevaluate moralizing and idealistic concepts of world order and make plans for withdrawal.
How to get out without forsaking Afghanistan’s stability
Last Exit Kabul
Article by Simon Koschut
Fixing a concrete date to withdraw from Afghanistan is wrong-headed. An exit strategy should be coordinated within NATO and has to be linked to clear criteria. These include the training of security forces and the creation of stable governance structures, as well as strengthened regional cooperation and development coordination.
Germany should lead in forging a new European approach toward Russia
Courting Russia
Article by Dmitry Suslov
Russia’s uncertain place in Europe is the greatest structural challenge to both reform in Russia and European security. Tension with Moscow keeps Europe divided and destabilizes it like no other factor. By stamping her imprint on a rejuvenated Europe-Russia alliance, Angela Merkel could cement a place for herself in the history books.
Germany, Poland, Europe: What Warsaw expects
Between Erasmus and Autism
Article by Adam Krzeminski
The romance of the post-Cold War German-Polish relationship has faded, leaving umbrage in its stead. What does today’s Poland want from Germany? Warsaw’s wish list includes engaged involvement in a European strategy that covers energy, defense, and Ostpolitik. And not least, a fresh start by a new generation of politicians.
Is Europe Becoming a Global Power?
After Lisbon
Article by Ulrike Guérot
The European Union now has a dual leadership composed of an EU president, Hermann von Rompuy, and an “EU foreign minister,” Catherine Ashton. This duo is supposed to provide the Union with a single voice in the wider world. So, will the European Union now finally be taken seriously or will foreign policy continue to be made by the most powerful of the member states?
An interview with Romanian political scientist Alina Mungiu-Pippidi
Our Revolution Isn't Finished Yet
Alina Mungiu-Pippidi, director of a Romanian think tank promoting good governance, is cautiously optimistic about Romania’s future. Twenty years after the Christmas revolution, her country is in the European Union, “just where it should be,” she responds to Romania’s critics. Today Mungiu-Pippidi teaches Democratization Studies at the Hertie School of Governance.
From nuclear sharing to a European deterrence strategy
Getting to Zero
Article by Benjamin Schreer und Patrick Keller
The new German government has pledged to remove all U.S. tactical nuclear weapons stationed in Germany. Although this is in keeping with President Obama’s aim of achieving “global zero,” a world free of nuclear weapons, it cannot impede a debate in Germany on Europe’s deterrence strategy.
German Whine
Punchline
They are playing the low expectations game, again
