Politics & Society
Swing State? Belgium’s Arizona Coalition Walks a Tightrope
Belgium’s June 2024 federal elections yielded a surprising second-place finish for the far-right Vlaams Belang (VB) party.
Politics & Society
Roadblocks at Home, Full Speed Abroad
Friedrich Merz’s First 48 Hours
On the morning of May 6, Friedrich Merz prepared for the formality of being elected Germany’s 11th postwar chancellor.
Politics & Society
An American in Berlin
Why the U.S. Needs an Ambassador to Germany
The United States and Germany have long shared many important ties.
Democracy
Pianissimo:
Brussels’ Silence on Italy’s Democratic Decline
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, once heralded as a danger to EU cohesion, has become Brussels’ favored bridge-builder.
Politics & Society
Coalition, Opposition, Extinction
Challenges for Germany’s Major Parties
Germany’s 21st Bundestag convened on March 25, the first meeting of a new parliament with 630 members.
Politics & Society
Striking A(I) Balance
Paris hosted the AI Summit last month, with regulation and, with a bit more weight, innovation being the talk of the town.
Politics & Society
Transponder Issue #7: The Future
The seventh issue of Transponder Magazine explores the critical choices shaping the future of our world, from the geopolitics of space and the race for rare earth minerals to the rise of AI and its societal impact. Global perspectives include young voices in Taiwan and South Korea, a deep dive into...
Democracy
The Third Way
New Caledonia and French Strategy in the Indo-Pacific
In May 2024, tensions in New Caledonia reached a breaking point.
Politics & Society
Winners, Losers and Coalition Questions
The 2025 German Election Results
Germany went to the polls on February 23 in an election held seven months ahead of schedule, prompted by the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s tripartite coalition in November 2024.
Politics & Society
A Green Light for Lichtenberg
Interview with Elisabeth Giesemann
Lichtenberg, tucked into the eastern edge of Berlin, has long been home to strong political forces. During World War II, a Wehrmacht officers’ mess hall was there, and, once the war ended, the main office of the city’s Soviet military administration set up shop in the same building. After the...
Politics & Society
Alice, Elon, and Aliens
A Conversation between the First Buddy and the Far-Right Frontrunner
Elon Musk made waves last December with a tweet proclaiming “Only the AfD can save Germany”.
Politics & Society
Red Light
The Collapse of Germany’s Traffic Light Coalition
Just a day after Donald Trump’s decisive U.S. presidential win, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz ushered in the end of his own government with the firing of his finance minister and coalition partner, Christian Lindner. Lindner, representing the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP), objected...
Politics & Society
Now Charging
Tariffs Rev Up Transatlantic Alignment on Chinese Electric Vehicles
The EU announced on August 20 that it would be lowering its proposed tariffs on Tesla electric vehicles (EVs) manufactured in China. The notice, the latest in a series of seismic shifts in European EV policy, was emblematic of the challenging position in which the bloc now finds itself. In an effort...
Politics & Society
Rhetoric Meets Reality
NATO’s Indo-Pacific Turn
Outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted at a Wilson Center event in June that “the growing alignment between Russia and its authoritarian friends in Asia makes it even more important that we work closely with our friends in the Indo-Pacific.”
Politics & Society
Security over Scandal
AfD Successes from Brussels to Brandenburg
Germany’s far-right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD) is no stranger to controversy. The party is regularly accused of xenophobic language and anti-migrant policies, and has repeatedly played down the significance of Germany’s Nazi past.
Politics & Society
The Gambler
“I’ve decided to give you once more the opportunity to decide your parliamentary future by vote, I therefore have decided to dissolve the National Assembly tonight.” In a televised address to 11 million of his citizens, French President Emmanuel Macron made the historic decision on the heels of the...
Politics & Society
France’s Litmus Test
Macron’s Government and the European Elections
Of the 720 seats up for grabs in the upcoming European elections, 81 of those will be for French members of the European Parliament. For French voters, the stakes for this election are high, as this is the first time they are able to vote since the 2022 presidential elections.
Politics & Society
There is no Sustainable Future of Work if Young People Are Left Behind
The debate on the future of work is gaining momentum on both sides of the Atlantic as several initiatives are animating the conversation. The discussion not only focuses on the impact new technologies have on on the future of work but also considers consequences for the future of social protection...
Politics & Society
Addressing the Global Digital Skills Gap
U.S. and EU Member State Perspectives
Global labor markets face massive skill gaps and labor shortages that continue to grow with the onset of technological change and digital adoption. Given existing disconnects among skills development, workforce programs and postsecondary credentialing initiatives, the skills gaps will continue to...
Politics & Society
Between Infrastructure and Digital Skills for Africa
Is the EU Ready to Step In?
The European Union’s (EU’s) role as Africa’s primary trading partner is facing a significant challenge as the future of work in the growing African digital realm becomes progressively entwined with new socioeconomic dynamics, mostly in the digital sphere.
Politics & Society
Unlocking Third-Country Nationals' Full Potential to Feed in the EU Future of Work
In her 2022 State of the Union address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that 2023 would be the European Year of Skills. She listed several measures needed to counter shortfalls in the workforce and stressed the need to attract workers with the right skills to help...
Politics & Society
Generative AI and the Future of Work
Geography Matters
It is well known that digital technological changes affect the labor market, but the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) will be more far-reaching. AI is a general-purpose technology that is touching nearly every sector and occupation. Unlike other digital technologies, it does not just automate...
Politics & Society
The Promise and the Challenge of AI in Education
Humankind has long prided itself on innovation, creativity and intellect as the singular advantages that have propelled it to its role as the dominant species on earth. The rapid ascent of artificial intelligence (AI) is now testing these longheld convictions, challenging not only the natural order...
Politics & Society
Putting Immigrant-Origin Workers at the Center of the Future of Work Discussion in the United States
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, two themes dominated the discussions about the future of work in the United States. One focused on the impact of an aging population, declining birthrates and falling labor force participation of white men on the slow growth of the workforce.
Politics & Society
France: From Incubator Nation to Startup Nation?
Founders of 14 of the most prominent startups in France were President Emannuel Macron’s guests of honor at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos. A first for the country and a symbol of Macron’s objective to turn France into Europe’s “Startup Nation,” a welcoming and supportive venue for...
Politics & Society
Dual Vocational Training
A Key Education Model to Solve the Unemployment Paradox in Spain
“Instead of millions of people looking for jobs, millions of jobs are looking for people in Europe.” This statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her 2023 State of the Union address exemplifies the employment bonanza Europe is experiencing today. Paradoxically, a few...
Politics & Society
Putting Physical Health at the Heart of Workplace Policymaking
The future of work could be substantially different from today. From embracing the benefits (or being wary of the risks) of artificial intelligence (AI), to supporting young people in designing their future, the potential of transitioning to new models is exhilarating. As part of this transition, it...
Politics & Society
People and Places Left Behind:
Policy Recommendations for a Future that Works
As leaders in the United States and Europe develop approaches to manage the future of work, they should prioritize economic development policies that target distressed regions and the people who call them home.
Politics & Society
The Future of Work in the Twin Transition to Green and Digital
The concept that the digital and energy transitions go hand in hand is rapidly transforming the EU economy and labor markets. New technologies and new forms of work stemming from digitalization, as well as climate change and the effort to
move to a low-carbon economy are leading the twin transition....
Politics & Society
Using Technology to Bring "Hidden Workers" to Light
Amir Magdy Kamel is a Visiting Scholar and Instructor at Stanford University and Associate Professor at King’s College London. His research and expertise focus on two areas: 1. transformative technologies and how they impact states and policymaking, and 2. political and economic issues across the...
Democracy
Macron’s Millennial Minister: Winning Over the Next Generation
French President Emmanuel Macron had to shake things up. His government was unable to secure parliamentary majorities for two hot-button issues, pension reform and immigration, each a major setback. “La Macronie”, as the French have nicknamed his political brand, now finds itself at a difficult...
Politics & Society
Farmers, Fatherland, and the Far Right: How the AfD Cultivates an Ethnonationalist Agenda
In November 2023, Germany’s Constitutional Court ruled that €60 billion in special funds originally designated for Covid-19 relief could not be redirected to the governing coalition’s landmark climate and transformation fund. This left an estimated €17 billion hole in Germany’s tightly regulated...
Politics & Society
Cleantech Entrepreneurship Education
Building a Transnational Initiative
Francesco Matteucci is an innovation manager with 20 years of experience spent as a researcher in materials science, as a Corporate R&D Manager within the field of technologies for renewable energy production and storage, and as an intermediary of knowledge trying to exploit the research results...
Politics & Society
System Updates
Resetting the Future of Work
System Updates is a reflection of the conversations and debates that spanned the Bertelsmann Foundation Fellowship (BFF) in 2023. Our eleven fellows and two guest authors lay out how the EU and the U.S. can build a future of work that works for all.
Future Leadership
Class of 2024
Learning Innovative Approaches to Defending our Democracies
The BFF Class of 2024 centered around defending democracy.
Politics & Society
Transponder Issue #5: Democracy
The fifth issue of Transponder features a range of compelling articles that illuminate the many facets of citizenship and electoral politics leading up to a momentous year of major parliamentary and presidential elections.
Politics & Society
Cordoned Off: The Far Right in France and Germany
Far-right European parties have recently rung up a spate of victories, while a formula for containing them continues to elude mainstream policymakers.
Digital World
Hotspots
The Internet and Collective Action in Authoritarian Settings
Over the last decade, a degree of cynicism has set in regarding how society views the internet’s impact on democracy. What is the impact of digital tools on non-democracies when a majority of the global population lives in far less than “full democracy.” Does the internet offer repressed citizens an...
Politics & Society
France and India’s Strategic Partnership in a Contested World
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attendance at this year’s Bastille Day celebrations in Paris was an important show of support for the critical relationship between his country and France.
Digital World
Hidden Layers | Biden’s AI Executive Order, EU AI Act, and the UK AI Safety Summit
In this issue, we discuss recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) regulation: the Biden administration’s executive order (EO) on AI, the UK AI Safety Summit, the EU’s AI Act, and an executive order to regulate generative AI in California.
Democracy
Pictures Worth a Thousand Policies: Campaign Imagery from Bavaria’s State Election
On October 8, 2023, Bavaria hosted its state election. Ranked second in gross regional product and population, Bavaria has always had a sizable influence on German politics, with many seeing this year’s state election as a bellwether for what to expect at the national level in 2025.
Politics & Society
Europe once stretched into Algeria
The French Empire’s bid for a European Algeria—and the French Republic’s crusade against an Algerian France
“We had French nationality, but not French citizenship. We were part of Europe, but we were not European. We were immigrants, but not foreigners.” Sitting in a Parisian café, my great-uncle reminisces about when he and his brother answered France’s call for cheap manual labor in the 1950s.
Politics & Society
Shifting Identities: From Victims to Changemakers
An interview with José Luis Loera
José Luis Loera is the co-founder of Programa Casa Refugiados, a UNHCR-backed non-profit organization in Mexico that works to promote the rights of people displaced by violence. He is the head of the organization’s board of directors and leads the “Education for Peace” team, supporting the long-term...
Politics & Society
(N)ostalgia
On October 3, 1990, the carefully negotiated Unification Treaty took effect, and over four decades of divided Germany came to a legal end. Reunification also meant the dissolution of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), a socialist workers’ state born out of the Soviet Union’s occupied zone...
Democracy
On the Fringe
28% of French citizens chose not to vote in the second, and final, round of the April 2022 French presidential election. This was the highest rate of abstention in over 50 years and the second highest rate in the history of the Fifth Republic.
Politics & Society
The Changing Spirit of the Fifth Republic
In March, French President Emmanuel Macron invoked Article 49.3 of his country’s constitution to push through an increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64 over the next seven years. The provision allows the government to bypass a parliamentary vote and force a bill into law, and it is deeply...
Politics & Society
Turning the Key to Maltese Identity
The blue waters surrounding the Maltese archipelago run as deep as the nation’s multicultural roots. Located approximately 60 miles from the southern coast of Sicily and 186 miles from the northern coast of Libya, Malta is commonly referred to as the stepping stone between the European and African...
Politics & Society
The Past, Present, and Future of Transatlanticism
Five transatlanticists tell us what drives their commitment to their work
Friendship and strong relations between the United States and Europe have been a foreign policy mainstay on both sides of the Atlantic for the better part of the last 70 years.
Politics & Society
Home Game
Our Identities as Sports Fans
Last October, my father, oldest brother, and youngest brother came to visit me in Washington, DC. This was not normal. In fact, it was the first time they had come to visit all at once, and it would mark the only time we would all be together in 2022.
Politics & Society
Jalil's Journey
For over four decades, Afghanistan has been fraught with conflict. The country, known for the bustling capital city of Kabul — the “Paris of Central Asia” — and the ruggedly beautiful natural landscape, was once a destination for artists, adventurers, and tourists. But the nation was plunged into...
Politics & Society
Pension Reform in France – Can Macron Strike a Balance Between Work and Workers?
The combination of aging demographics and declining birth rates have many European leaders worried about their future workforce. In France, this concern resulted in political chaos when constitutional provision 49.3 was invoked by French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne in March.
Democracy
Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd, and Four’s a Misfortune: Germany’s Next Coalition
An August 2023 ARD-Deutschlandtrend survey found that 79% of Germans are dissatisfied with the governing coalition of Social Democrats (SPD), Greens, and Free Democrats (FDP), including a majority of SPD and FDP voters and 48% of Greens. In-fighting over climate, budget, and defense have worn down...
Digital World
Hidden Layers | New AI Regulations & A Transatlantic Privacy Decision
In this issue, we discuss AI regulation in the U.S. and the EU, a new adequacy decision from the European Commission on the Transatlantic Data Privacy Framework, the UK Online Safety Bill and the use of AI in hiring.
Politics & Society
There and Back Again
My junior year of college, I arrived in London on the way to Cambridge — where I would spend the next six months as a visiting student immersed in poetry — on an early January day of classically, delightfully awful weather. My umbrella broke almost immediately, and I was soaked through by the time I...
Digital World
Where Online Meets Offline
Social Media's Double-edged Sword
Young people have grown up alongside social media platforms and many have never known a world without them. Teens and young adults are often very intentional about what they post on social media and how they present themselves on each platform. Social media allows users to carefully curate content...
Politics & Society
A Green Light for the Far-Right: Environmental Policy Strife Creates Opening for AfD
In a time of radical change due to war in Ukraine, rising inflation, energy transition, and a second major refugee influx during the past decade, it is no surprise that German democracy is feeling both internal and external pressure. But an unlikely culprit is driving this shift to the far-right:...
Digital World
Hidden Layers | Section 230, Chat GPT & the TikTok Hearing
Welcome back to another edition of Hidden Layers. In this issue, we discuss two cases heard by the Supreme Court at the end of February that may decide the future of Section 230. We also look at a bill from Congress that could ban Chinese apps such as TikTok from the U.S. market. Finally, we cover...
Democracy
Dialogue with Professor Carol Anderson
New York Times best-selling author and professor of African American studies at Emory University
On September 7, 2022, the Bertelsmann Foundation, Humanity in Action and Emory University hosted the premiere of the Foundation’s new documentary, “I, Too”, at the Carter Center in Atlanta. The film, which features New York Times best-selling author and renowned African American studies scholar...
Democracy
What's a City Worth?
Cities hold riches of memory, but they are also wonders of forgetting.This paradox is key to their magic, the endless possibility they promise to those who seek it and to the democracies they push to evolve.
Politics & Society
Local Environmental Activists in Bor, Serbia
A photo essay
Over the last year, Sam George has been working on a film investigating the impact of Chinese investment in the Balkans. Such investments help China secure access to commodities, and they fill the coffers of the Balkan governments. But the projects can put significant stress on locals, who often...
Politics & Society
Emerging Ties
Essays on Transatlantic Engagement in the Developing World
Emerging Ties is a reflection of the conversations and debates that spanned the Bertelsmann Foundation Fellowship (BFF) in 2022. Our nine fellows and guest author lay out the ways in which the EU and the U.S. can further engage with developing countries and encourage positive global change.
Politics & Society
This Is (Not) Our War
For Belarusians, the regime of President Aleksandr Lukashenko leaves few options but to flee the country if they want to stand with Ukraine.
Like many others running from war or severe repression, I no longer have a home. But there is a vast difference between me, who had a choice, and those who woke up to bombs. What unites us is a great fear of, a long struggle with, and an intense hatred for those who have dared to claim our freedom...
Digital World
Democracy Needs Tech Support
Technological development offers seemingly endless benefits and convenience. Internet connectivity was critical for personal and professional interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, and, more broadly, everyday emerging technology is saving lives, whether from 3D printed organs or automatic brakes...
Digital World
E-Stonia Rewired
A Nation Transformed from Cyberattack Victim to Cybersecurity Leader
In April 2007, the Estonian government approved a controversial plan to relocate a statue from the center of its capital, Tallinn. Soviet authorities had unveiled the monument, a life-sized World War II Russian soldier with a clenched right fist and a bowed head, 60 years earlier, after their forces...
Politics & Society
Interview with John Blackburn
Former Deputy Chief of the Royal Australian Air Force (Retired)
Blackburn spoke with the Bertelsmann Foundation in August 2022 about the need to foster resilient societies in a time of geopolitical and environmental upheaval, and about possibilities for the transatlantic partnership to work with Australia on a green energy transition. He highlighted in the...
Democracy
What's Past is Prologue
Teaching History to Strengthen Democracy
In the heart of Wilmington, North Carolina, sits a neo-classical building with imposing columns and a whitewashed façade. Thalian Hall doubles these days as a performing arts center and city hall. But the building is the November 1898 site of the only successful coup d’etat in American history.
Politics & Society
The Resilience of Truth
Despite the vast amount of broadcast and online Russian disinformation, Western audiences have been transfixed by the bravery and resilience of the Ukrainian people. Ukraine has been waging its own information war, and it is winning in that arena.
Politics & Society
Diary of War
This is a story—based on the diary entries of and interviews with those who have survived the war in different parts of Ukraine—chronicling the swift and brutal destruction of people’s lives and the country they call home. It is an ongoing story of bombs and silence, fire and snow, family and loss....
Digital World
Hidden Layers | TTC December Outcomes & the White House's AI Bill of Rights
In this issue, we discuss the future of Big Tech-related bills that Congress is deliberating after the U.S. midterm elections, the December 5 Trade and Technology Council meeting, the status of Privacy Shield 2.0 and the White House’s AI Bill of Rights.
Digital World
Growing Audiences and Influence: Russian Media in Latin America
Russia’s first move against Ukraine on February 24 was not the full-scale military invasion covered in the news. Several hours before its troops crossed the border, Moscow launched a round of destructive cyberattacks aimed at weakening Ukraine’s digital infrastructure. These cyberattacks were...
Politics & Society
The Policy Prism | April 2022
Your Quarterly Transatlantic Legislative News
In this edition of The Policy Prism, we’ll provide an overview of the impact of Russian illicit financial networks in the West, a brief snapshot of what’s been happening on the Hill, Europe’s approach to energy security as well as a fun fact on the history of the internet in France.
Democracy
Autocratization and the decline of international cooperation
The last decade has not been favorable to democracy worldwide. The rise of right-wing populists and the hardening of autocratic rule have left clear imprints. The Bertelsmann Stiftung's Transformation Index (BTI) traces this development for 137 developing countries and emerging economies, or...
Democracy
Graphic Images: Autocrats and the Use of Power
Disrupting Democracy Volume IV
In this fourth and final installment of our Disrupting Democracy series, Graphic Images: Autocrats and the Use of Power, we will look at how three authoritarian regimes undermine the prospects for democracy and stability in their respective regions. Drawing from the more than 15 years of data from...
Digital World
The U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) In Detail
During the TTC’s inaugural meeting in Pittsburgh on September 29, U.S. and EU leaders identified five issue areas that the various working groups will focus on until their next meeting in spring of 2022. To learn more about the structure of the TTC and its working groups, read The U.S.-EU Trade and...
Digital World
Hidden Layers | Facebook Whistleblower Hearings & Pittsburgh Outcomes
Your Quarterly Transatlantic Technology News | Issue 1
In this inaugural edition, we discuss some of the main tech policy discussions that occurred at the end of 2021 and early 2022, including the U.S. and EU’s approach to regulating Big Tech and Facebook whistleblower hearings, the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council, privacy legislation, and a debate...
Politics & Society
Cross-Cutting Currents
Transatlantic Primer 2022
The U.S. and Europe have an opportunity to engage closely on a broad range of challenges in 2022. To that end, the Bertelsmann Foundation has produced Cross-Cutting Currents, a transatlantic primer, as a foundational and introductory resource for those who seek a better understanding of the...
Politics & Society
Transponder Issue #1: The Transatlantic Relationship
The first issue provides insight into a past and present that bodes well for the future, while exploring the question, “What is rocking the transatlantic relationship today?” Topics include Angela Merkel’s legacy, climate security and action, transatlantic trends, diplomacy, democracy, and how film...
Politics & Society
A Transatlantic To-Do List
Assessing Year One of the Biden Administration
In our latest B|Brief, Sara Leming examines the transatlantic relationship one year after the European Commission released, “A new EU-U.S. agenda for global change”, which provided a “to-do” list for the Biden administration to follow for a reinvigorated EU-US relationship.
Politics & Society
The Policy Prism, November 2021
Your Quarterly Transatlantic Legislative News
In this edition of The Policy Prism, we’ll give you a quick run down of the Trade and Technology Council, a brief snapshot of what’s been happening on the Hill, Europe’s approach to preserving media freedom as well as the history of climate activism in the transatlantic relationship.
Politics & Society
The Policy Prism | November 2021
Your Quarterly Transatlantic Legislative News
In this edition of The Policy Prism, we’ll give you a quick run down of the Trade and Technology Council, a brief snapshot of what’s been happening on the Hill, Europe’s approach to preserving media freedom as well as the history of climate activism in the transatlantic relationship.
Politics & Society
Green Ideas
Incentivizing Innovation: Sustainable Solutions
Wildfires. Blistering temperatures. Hurricanes. Earthquakes. Melting Ice Caps. The natural disasters that will be exacerbated by climate change are numerous. The statistics coming out of every report about what has been dubbed the anthropogenic era describe a very dark future—one that might cause...
Politics & Society
Coalitions of Convenience
The US, France, and the Politics of Winning
In November 1988 at a campaign rally, President Ronald Reagan famously claimed: “I’m a former Democrat, and I have to say: I didn’t leave my party; my party left me.” The 2020 presidential election flipped the slogan, with many Republicans, disillusioned by their party under Trump’s leadership,...
Politics & Society
Italy’s Modern-Day Renaissance
From the Euro Cup to the G20
Italy is on a winning streak this year. The country’s national soccer team won the European championship. Måneskin, Italy’s entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, took home the top prize and has since dominated global charts. And Italian Matteo Berrettini… well, he almost won the gentlemen’s singles...
Digital World
The No Collar Economy - Vol. I
The digital revolution is turning the global economy on its head. The most valuable workers in today’s labor market—the millennials creating billion-dollar empires with laptops and a case of La Croix—aren’t wearing white collars or blue collars and they certainly don’t own anything in pinstripes....
Politics & Society
The Policy Prism | August 2021
Your Quarterly Transatlantic Legislative News
In this edition of The Policy Prism, we explain the diverging transatlantic approach to China. In D.C., we explore infrastructure and making the bipartisan bill a potential soon-to-be reality. In Strasbourg, the ways in which AI have been regulated are highlighted. And finally, is the French...
Politics & Society
The Policy Prism | August 2021
Your Quarterly Transatlantic Legislative News
In this edition of The Policy Prism, we explain the diverging transatlantic approach to China. In D.C., we explore infrastructure and making the bipartisan bill a potential soon-to-be reality. In Strasbourg, the ways in which AI have been regulated are highlighted. And finally, is the French...
Democracy
When States Go Rogue
How the US and EU Can Strengthen Democracy at Home to Bolster its Prospects Abroad
Political unions, like healthy marriages, require a fair bit of give and take. Interests, priorities, and values may diverge, but mutual understanding about lines never to be crossed is a must. In the United States and the European Union, some family members have lost sight of this basic principle...
Politics & Society
Transatlantic Trends 2020
Transatlantic opinion on global challenges before and after COVID-19
2020 has been marked by an unprecedented series of political, economic, and societal shocks that have tested the resilience of the transatlantic relationship.From the Covid-19 pandemic and its global implications, to regional issues such as the risk of military escalation with Iran, to purely...
Politics & Society
Transatlantic Trends 2021
Transatlantic opinion on global challenges
2021 opens a new chapter for the transatlantic relationship. The change of the U.S. administration as well as the political, economic, and societal implications of the coronavirus pandemic have redefined transatlantic policy dialogues. New priorities have emerged, as the calls for increased...
Politics & Society
Trouble Brewing in Saxony-Anhalt’s Elections
How Nostalgia is Challenging Germany’s Political Future
The eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt in Germany is often overlooked. In a 2018 poll, Deutsche Welle users voted it the German state that they would least like to visit, ranking just below Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and Saarland.
Democracy
Out to Vote
A Movement to Restore Voting Rights in Maryland
When has an individual convicted of a felony fully repaid their debt to society? When should they be welcomed back into the fabric of civic life as a contributing and engaged citizen? In the United States, the answer has often been long after being released from prison or, in some cases, never.
Politics & Society
The Transition Compendium
European Perspectives on a New Transatlantic Agenda
From the election of Joe Biden as the 46th American president to his 100th day in office, we provided monthly briefings offering the new administration European perspectives on the issues that will define a new transatlantic agenda in a period of significant volatility in the US, Europe, and beyond.
Digital World
Our Post Pandemic Future of Work Part 2 of 2
Policy Approaches for a Contested World
To many, the future of work is a question of technology and its impact on jobs, workers, the economy, and work itself. This way of looking at it has resulted in policy solutions focusing on workers and what they can do to prepare for the inevitability of technological disruption.
Digital World
Our Post-Pandemic Future of Work Part 1 of 2
Making Sense of the Debate
More than a year has elapsed since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The news presaged a public health crisis that generated massive unemployment and upended the world of work as we know it. As the pandemic metastasized, it forced workers, employers, and policymakers into...
Politics & Society
The 535 | March 2021
Quarterly Newsletter on the U.S. Congress
Trump’s failure to accept the election results and his refusal to concede led to an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Since then, more than 400 Americans have been arrested on charges ranging from breaking and entering to conspiracy. A large, protective fence now encircles the...
Politics & Society
Brussels & Berlin | March 2021
Quarterly Newsletter on the European Parliament and German Bundestag
After a bumpy four years in transatlantic relations, EU allies have warmly embraced the Biden administration. In addition to working with the White House to reaffirm the importance of the transatlantic alliance in global affairs, the EU is looking inward as it works to rebuild the economy...
Politics & Society
From Sea Shanties to Sustainable Commerce
Using Trade as a Force for Good
A sea shanty revived from the 1800s has gone viral this year, garnering millions of views worldwide and catapulting a young Scot to international stardom. The Wellerman tells a tale of men on a long and treacherous sea journey. The story follows a whaling vessel that has speared — but not killed — a...
Politics & Society
The Steady Decline of Alternative for Germany
Incitement, Infighting, and Inquiries
Nearly a year ago, the far-right, populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerged victorious from an unprecedented political scandal in Thuringia. The party’s nationwide approval rating hovered around 14 percent, higher than the 12.6 percent it garnered in the most recent federal election more than...
Politics & Society
Federalism in Crisis
U.S. and German Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic
In the United States and Germany, two countries with federal systems of government, responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have varied considerably. While conflict and dysfunction have embodied the U.S. response, cooperative and unified strategies have underpinned Germany’s approach. Federalism in...
Politics & Society
Stars Align for German Foreign Policy
Merkel Takes Action on the EU-China Investment Deal and Bosnia’s High Representative
Just around the time Jupiter and Saturn converged in the night sky in mid-December 2020, it seems the stars also aligned in Berlin’s halls of power. With the end of Germany’s six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union and the sun setting on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s 16-year reign,...
Digital World
Transatlantic Digital Trade
Is the Data Flows Conundrum Fixable?
With the European Court of Justice’s ruling striking down the transatlantic Privacy Shield program, U.S. and EU companies, government agencies and people who need to do business with virtually anyone across the Atlantic were sent into legal limbo.
Digital World
10 Questions That Will Determine the Future of Work
In the span of a few months, the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a rethink not only of how workers work, but of long-term policies that respond to disruptions being unleashed by technology and automation.
Politics & Society
The 535 | December 2020
Quarterly Newsletter on the U.S. Congress
With the highest voter participation rate since 1900 and the most votes ever cast in a U.S. election, incumbent President Donald Trump lost the November 3rd election to former Vice President Joe Biden.
Digital World
Two Sides of the Same Coin
The Overdevelopment of American Magnet Cities, the Decay of the American Town, and How the Digital Economy Can Help
The White House in Washington, DC and City Hall in Baltimore, Maryland, are just 40 miles apart. Barring much traffic, a trip between the two takes but an hour. Though Baltimore is older, the two cities share similarities. Neither features many skyscrapers, for example. Instead, their streets have...
Politics & Society
Brussels & Berlin | December 2020
Quarterly Newsletter on the European Parliament and German Bundestag
As The New York Times puts it, “Donald Trump’s presidency was marked by exceptional contempt for European allies and the NATO alliance.” After a bumpy four years in transatlantic relations, the EU certainly has many tough problems ahead, from fine tuning its goals of strategic autonomy to the...
Politics & Society
Nord Stream 2
The German-American Honeymoon May End Soon, Then the Real Work Begins
The election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris serves as a breath of fresh air for transatlanticists on both sides of the ocean. But of all the European countries heaving a sigh of relief, Germany’s exhalation may be the loudest. Berlin has been, after all, the proverbial punching bag for the Trump...
Digital World
Toward Deeper Cooperation on EU-US Digital Trade
Over time and in conjunction with technological developments, the nature of international trade has evolved. Trade is no longer just about the exchange of goods or the provision of simple services. It increasingly involves actions related to various dimensions of the digital economy.
Digital World
President Biden's Future of Work Plans
The future of work was on a lot minds during the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. Candidates proposed retraining truckers, instituting modified forms of universal basic income and reconstituting jobs in post-industrial cities decimated by automation.
Digital World
An Alternative Take on Trade
Adding to the Menu of Agriculture Trade Options
In hundreds of thousands of years, evidence of civilization will not be decaying skyscraper spires, nor meticulously painted canvasses at archeological dig sites. Instead, humans’ imprint on fossil layers will be the trillions of chicken bones left from conventional agriculture. Rather than cultural...
Politics & Society
Brussels & Berlin | October 2020
Quarterly Newsletter on the European Parliament and German Bundestag
It seemed like Washington spent the summer looking longingly toward Europe: freedom of movement abounded, and holidays proceeded, albeit it under unique circumstances. Now, however, the European Union is experiencing a second wave of the pandemic, eliciting fresh questions about the efficacy of the...
Politics & Society
The 535 | October 2020
Quarterly Newsletter on the U.S. Congress
With the unemployment rate hovering around 8 percent, Americans are bracing for a winter filled with economic and election uncertainty. While September and the beginning of October promised to be action-filled, few could anticipate the deluge of news that unfolded in mere weeks.
Politics & Society
Clean Network’s Summer Tour
EU in the Middle of U.S-China Rivalry Over 5G
Dueling diplomatic trips in Europe this summer by United States Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi sought to sway the European Union’s stance on the China-U.S. rivalry. Among other goals, Pompeo would like to convince more countries to pledge not to use parts made...
Digital World
Learn to Code
The Challenges of Creating Mass Employment in Our Digital World
In January 2019 internet trolls took to Twitter to taunt recently fired journalists with some advice: “Learn to Code!” It was a shot at American “elites” who were deemed dismissive of blue-collar workers whose jobs are disappearing. The trolls caustically suggested a more promising future could be...
Democracy
Graphic Images
Disrupting Democracy Vol. III
For this third edition of the series, we decided to turn everything you’ve come to expect from Disrupting Democracy on its head. Through the use of carefully constructed algorithms by our partners at the Institute for Competitiveness, we have collected more than 10,000 data points that are the...
Politics & Society
The Transatlantic Relationship’s High Noon
The end of the film High Noon, a 1952 Western that rendered Gary Cooper's image synonymous with that of the lonesome, gun-slinging frontiersman, was equal parts controversial and iconic. Playing Sheriff Will Kane, Cooper’s town selfishly leaves him alone to face a band of outlaws. After he...
Politics & Society
The 535 | August 2020
Quarterly Newsletter on the U.S. Congress
In what has been one of the tensest periods in modern history for the American public and lawmakers alike, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed stark political divisions among the country’s two main parties. Congress and the Trump Administration were able to agree on the initial bailout package, the...
Politics & Society
Brussels & Berlin | August 2020
Quarterly Newsletter on the European Parliament and German Bundestag
In late July, following tense negotiations that echoed divisions of the financial crisis, the European Union at last agreed to a massive bailout of $857 billion. When countries and their economies were forced to shut down during the pandemic, countries such as Greece, Italy, Spain, and...
Digital World
The No Collar Economy - Vol. II
Our Digital World
This publication stems from a simple observation: across the world, humanity navigates a digital revolution that upends life as we knew it. And yet, despite the near universal impact of this revolution, the increased connectivity has resulted in misconnections.
Politics & Society
The Geopolitics of TikTok
Once the domain of teenage dancers, pranksters, and aspiring influencers, TikTok has become a lightning rod in disputes among global powers. The Chinese video app is in the crosshairs of policymakers whose options to move against Beijing are limited.
Digital World
American Workers Need More Than Just Another Stimulus
Today, July 9th, American workers awoke to improving jobs news, with unemployment rising less than expected to 1.4 million new claims. In June, payrolls rose by 4.8 million and unemployment fell to 11.1 percent. Still, lashed by COVID-19 and the subsequent economic downturn, 45 million Americans...
Democracy
Cyber Democracy
Regulating the 21st Century Internet
As the debate regarding Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act highlights, tech platforms, left to their own devices, are in many ways helping to codify what is increasingly an internet bifurcated by political and philosophical beliefs: you’re either in the “Dorsey” or “Zuckerberg” camp.
Politics & Society
COVID-19 and Germany’s Political Transformation
In February, a political earthquake in the small eastern state of Thuringia sent shockwaves across Germany.[1] After the state-level Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Free Democratic Party (FDP) broke political taboo by collaborating with the populist far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD),...
Digital World
How Can Automation Accelerate Economic Recovery from Coronavirus?
As COVID-19 courses through the United States, technology and automation are often touted as primarily positive forces that unlock home grocery delivery and the flexibility to work from home. But for many low-wage workers, COVID-19 has catalyzed a pernicious chain reaction that will impact their...
Politics & Society
EU Enlargement Talks Stalled by COVID-19
Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron shocked his European Union counterparts by vetoing the start of EU accession talks for North Macedonia and Albania. It was a bitter pill to swallow; both countries have been waiting for over a decade since applying for EU membership to proceed to...
Politics & Society
Grassroots Tech Offers Hope in the Age of Coronavirus
During the 1918 influenza pandemic, more than 500 million people worldwide were infected with the virus and around 675,000 people died in the United States. More than a century later, we are in the middle of another pandemic that has already infected 4.2 million people worldwide, killed over 80,000...
Democracy
When the Levee Breaks
Can Institutions Save Liberal Democracy?
With liberal democracy already mired in a slump, democratic institutions face a massive challenge in mustering a response to the novel coronavirus of 2020. How these institutions perform in the coming months will have long term ramifications for democracy in the 21st century. Is the West’s...
Democracy
Remote Control
Legislating in an Empty Chamber
The outbreak of COVID-19 has changed the habits of ordinary citizens the world over. We don masks and gloves in supermarkets, and follow one-way arrows up and down the aisles in search of that elusive box of pasta. We interact with pixelated versions of our families, friends and colleagues on...
Digital World
COVID-19’s Future of Work Wrecking Ball
As COVID-19 cuts its path across the world, attention is shifting away from the immediate need to contain a public health crisis and toward the crisis’s long-term impact on jobs, workers, and the “future of work.” What was once a long-term, wonk-dominated discussion centered on upskilling and...
Digital World
The US-German Economic Relationship
Trends in bilateral trade and investment
According to the realist school of thought, the world is a brutal, dangerous arena. It is anarchical. No government of governments enforces rules. The motives of other countries are unpredictable, and the threats they pose are potentially existential. In such an environment, one country cannot...
Politics & Society
The 535 | April 2020
Quarterly Newsletter on the U.S. Congress
In what likely would have been a period of legislative stalemates and election year politicking, the COVID-19 pandemic has instead forced those in the capital to cross party lines and work together. Despite an increase in bipartisanship, the pandemic has brought to light numerous systemic problems...
Politics & Society
Brussels & Berlin | April 2020
Quarterly Newsletter on the European Parliament and German Bundestag
The European Union started 2020 out with a bang. It announced grandiose promises of digital sovereignty, ambitious climate change mitigation plans, and a futuristic optimism about the direction of the continent. The outbreak of COVID-19 has suddenly shifted legislative agendas and forced countries...
Politics & Society
Privacy and Pandemics
In bucolic China, a child has braved cold temperatures for some fresh outdoors air. Overhead, a drone hovers. Its loudspeaker, a haunting combination of human direction in the machine age, chides him for being outdoors. “Hey kid! We’re in unusual times… The coronavirus is very serious… run!!” it...
Democracy
Third Parties Won’t Win the White House
But They Could Decide the Election
Given the polarized state of American politics, it can be easy to assume that Americans have a binary decision to make this November. They do not.
Democracy
Common Enemies
Coalition Building in America’s Major Political Parties
In countries with parliamentary systems, like Germany, consensus is built after the election. Parties work together to form coalition governments and craft platforms that represent their values. In the United States, the elections themselves are consensus building exercises, as the parties undergo a...
Politics & Society
Battle Won, War Lost?
The Downward Trend of Germany’s Social Democrats
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) triumphed in the recent Hamburg state election, held last Sunday, February 23. However, this victory is no reason to celebrate for Social Democrats across Germany. While the party has won a battle, it is losing the war – and pretty severely.
Politics & Society
Trade War 2020
What Iowa Tells us About Trump’s Chances in the Presidential Election
The United States’ ongoing trade war could be President Donald Trump’s biggest liability in the 2020 elections. Many of those bearing the brunt of the conflict are Trump supporters, especially in swing states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Iowa, which could impact his chance of reelection later this...
Politics & Society
E3 in the Middle
Europe’s Awkward Position between the U.S. and Iran
Though it may be hard to remember how close we felt to the brink of war earlier this month in the wake of the American-ordered assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, tensions between the United States and Iran are far from resolved. Conflict could flare back up at any moment, making an...
Politics & Society
The 535 | December 2019
Quarterly Newsletter on the U.S. Congress
The world of Trump trade policy has been turbulent and unrelenting. After an anxious summer in trade affairs, Europeans are able to breathe easier now that the Trump Administration missed its own deadline to impose auto tariffs.
Politics & Society
Brussels & Berlin | December 2019
Quarterly Newsletter on the European Parliament and German Bundestag
The first woman elected to lead the European Commission took office on December 2, a month after the European Parliament settled in and a month after the presidency was intended to begin.
Politics & Society
Powerfrauen?
How Germany’s Political Parties are Approaching the Question of Female Representation
This weekend, Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans were named the new leaders of Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) after a runoff election against Klara Geywitz and Olaf Scholz. The candidates partnered up in male-female duos as part of the center-left party’s efforts to address...
Politics & Society
Edge of a Precipice
Understanding French President Macron’s EU Vision
In an interview with The Economist released November 7, French President Macron laid out a grand strategic vision for the EU. He called for the creation of an EU military, stronger technological sovereignty, and reforms to deepen the political unity of the EU instead of just growing the single...
Politics & Society
Trick or Treat
The Rule of Law Comes Knocking
In a week dominated by ghouls, goblins, and the forces of darkness, there is some reason for optimism on the streets of Washington and London. For the better part of three years, President Trump has sidelined norms and legal precedent to further his stated objective to “make America great again.”...
Politics & Society
Shared Values No More?
Climate Change and the Transatlantic Relationship
Pundits have wrung their hands about the deterioration of the transatlantic alliance, as U.S. President Donald Trump has slapped tariffs on steel and aluminum and attacked the Federal Republic for its limited defense spending. However, the alliance may be careening toward another – and likely much...
Politics & Society
Brussels & Berlin | August 2019
Quarterly Newsletter on the European Parliament and German Bundestag
Heading into the European Parliament elections in May, many pundits and politicians on both sides of the Atlantic cautioned that Europe would soon bear witness to a new era of Euroskeptics elected into the European government. However, the elections’ results brought far less change than many had...
Politics & Society
The 535 | August 2019
Quarterly Newsletter on the U.S. Congress
Summer in the “swamp” has been anything but quiet. From increased calls for President Trump’s impeachment to drama within the Democratic ranks and the ongoing border crisis, Congress heads into its August recess with many unanswered questions and a mounting workload for the fall. Here are some key...
Digital World
Britain’s AI Power Play
In the 1980s British sitcom Yes Minister, civil servant Sir Humphrey Appleby remarks that diplomacy is about surviving until the next century, whereas politics is about surviving until Friday afternoon. Sir Appleby’s wry observation rings especially true today, with U.K. watchers caught up in the...
Democracy
Six Steps
Recommendations for Building Resilient Democracy in the 21st Century
In April 2019, the Bertelsmann Foundation convened two dozen international leaders from the fields of business, politics, nonprofits, and the arts for the Washington Symposium, which asked how to make democracy resilient enough to face the challenges of the 21st century.
Politics & Society
A Transatlantic Perspective on China’s Belt Road Initiative
At the end of World War II, the U.S. Embassy in Prague requested that General Eisenhower permit U.S. troops to proceed fifty miles further east to liberate Prague. Caving to congressional constituent requests that their boys come home for Christmas, Eisenhower deferred, and Czechoslovakia welcomed...
Democracy
Washington Symposium
Liberal democracy as we’ve come to understand it over the last century is vulnerable from every angle. Democratically-elected leaders with autocratic leanings are using the very tools of democracy – elections, constitutions, political parties, the media – to undermine the system.
Democracy
Liquid Democracy
Transforming Democracy for the Digital Age
In the recent European Parliament election, the influence of populism was once again evident. It remains a worrying force, just as it has been in a slew of other elections in the last several years, and is a major threat to the functioning of liberal democracies around the world. While many in the...
Politics & Society
Brussels & Berlin | May 2019
Quarterly Newsletter on the European Parliament and German Bundestag
The European Parliament plays an important role in translating the interests and will of the bloc’s 500 million citizens into real policy. It is one of three institutions involved in creating EU legislation and the only one whose members are elected through direct universal suffrage. The European...
Politics & Society
Red Notice in Rip City
For NBA player and Turkish national Enes Kanter, life used to be simpler. There was a predictable routine: pass, dribble, shoot, defend, repeat. But as the lines between entertainment and politics continue to blur, there are occasions in which the two collide, drawing attention to issues that would...
Democracy
The Populist Uprising and its Victims
There is a famous passage in The Economic Consequences of the Peace1 where Keynes, writing a year after the end of World War I, paints a vivid picture of a globalized world at the pinnacle of the gold standard. He nostalgically reminisces of the time when his countrymen, through the convenience of...
Democracy
Alexa, Is Democracy Dead?
Five generations ago, in 1879, Thomas Edison introduced a technological innovation – the electric light bulb – that would change the world. At the time, few believed that anything could reliably replace gas-powered light, and in an October interview that year the New York Times illuminated the...
Democracy
Democracy’s Canary in a Coal Mine
Editorial Cartoonists and the Health of Democracy
In April 2019, the Bertelsmann Foundation convened two dozen international leaders from the fields of business, politics, nonprofits, and the arts for the Washington Symposium, which asked how to make democracy resilient enough to face the challenges of the 21st century.
Democracy
Democracy and Disinformation
Imagine this: Suddenly, everybody was an author. Everybody could publish; everybody could write. The men who had controlled access to information were now irrelevant; the establishment was crushed in a flood tide of new publications. New ideas multiplied; so did new conflicts. Violence followed –...
Democracy
Democracy
An Aristocratic Spirit
“The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” This conclusion by Saint Paul in his Second Letter to the Corinthians, as simple as it is wise, explains why in our own time so many great words have been so emptied of meaning that we no longer have any idea what they refer to, or continue purely out...
Democracy
Democracy 101
An Introduction
“Our democracy is dead.”
I’ve heard this phrase uttered all across the world after the passage of a restrictive voter law, the closure of an independent news outlet or the results of a questionable election. Friends and acquaintances over the years have lamented: Because of x, my country is no...
Politics & Society
Incoming!
Germany’s Thrifty Defense Budget Under Fire
NATO’s current infighting would probably have shocked even the reportedly unflappable Lord Hastings Ismay, the alliance’s first Secretary General. He famously declared that NATO’s mission was to “keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.” Seventy years later, the first two...
Politics & Society
Unclear on US Trade Policy?
President’s Proposed Budget Has Clues
In a recent Senate Finance Committee hearing, Senator Wyden (D-OR), the ranking Democrat, called trade one of the “least known and biggest issues” facing the country. Amid United States Trade Representative (USTR) opaqueness and a lack of details in recent congressional testimony, the Trump...
Politics & Society
The Green New Deal
Revolutionary or Recycled Policies?
In early February 2019, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and newly elected Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) released their Green New Deal (GND), a non-binding Congressional resolution that argues for “a new national, social, industrial, and economic mobilization on a scale not seen since World...
Democracy
Love Triangle
Italy, France, and Germany Ahead of the European Parliament Elections
In mid-January, two of the European Union’s largest economic powers met in Aachen to commit to closer cooperation and continued friendship. The treaty signed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron strengthened the two nations’ economic and security partnership,...
Democracy
Disrupting Democracy Vol. II
Election Series
In 2018, for our second instalment of the Disrupting Democracy project we turned our attention to elections. From the rise of Five Star and Lega in Italy to U.S. Democrats’ success winning the U.S. House of Representatives, and from to Morena and Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s victory in Mexico to a...
Politics & Society
Italy’s 2019 Budget Worries the EU and Global Markets
Rarely does Italian fiscal policy seriously worry foreign investors accustomed to successive crises, but the 2019 budget proposed by Rome’s new coalition government of the League (“Lega”) of right-wing parties and the populist Five Star Movement (5SM) is triggering bad reactions in bond and equity...
Digital World
Trade War on the Horizon
How Should the EU Respond?
The protectionist trade policy Donald Trump had already announced during his election campaign has been taking more and more concrete shape since March 2018. Although the European Union (EU) had initially been exempted from punitive tariffs, the U.S. government imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium...
Democracy
Arts and Culture - Part 1
Keeping Democracy Alive or Entertainment for the Establishment?
Is culture an early warning system for the erosion of democracy? Are the conditions of production and the acceptance of art an early warning system? Are art and culture prerequisites for a functional level of dialogue and communication, and thus for democracy as well? How can they generate momentum...
Digital World
Trilogue Salzburg
The articles included in this background paper Reviving Democracy in a Fragmented World – Not Attractive Anymore or Still a Success Story? have been written in preparation for the 17th Trilogue Salzburg, which focuses on the question of whether republican democracy remains the uncontested and...
Democracy
Democracy – Its Substance and Meaning
Can One Size fit All?
Of course, “one size” of democracy cannot, and should not, fit all! We are familiar with two variations, notably direct democracy 1 and representative democracy 2, and three democratic systems, parliamentary 3, presidential 4 and mixed 5, the last combining elements of the former two. In...
Democracy
Arts and Culture - Part 2
Keeping Democracy Alive or Entertainment for the Establishment?
Wolfgang Merkel, of the Berlin Social Science Center, emphatically notes in his more recent publications that a significant problem for current democracies stems from deficits of representation: “In the last two to three decades, a growing group of citizens has been taking shape that does not feel...
Democracy
Democracy, an Economic Review
Open Market Economies Under Pressure
The political model of a liberal and cosmopolitan democracy is coming under increasing pressure in many Western industrialized nations. This also applies to the economic model prevalent in liberal democracies, which is based on core elements such as private property, competition, open markets and...
Democracy
Taking Stock of Democracy
Still a Success Story or not Competitive Anymore?
Taking stock of democracy seems to be easy. Democracy doubtlessly was the most successful idea of the 20th century, in spite of its flaws and problems. Democracy is able to adapt to changing environments and has been able to cope with challenges and problems in most cases. As a consequence, the...
Democracy
Decoding the Writings on the Wall
In hindsight, we can see quite clearly that 1989 represented the heyday of an illusion that did not last very long. Has history ever seen similar situations, in which liberal beginnings led to illiberal outcomes? Does historical research provide explanations and analytical tools that might help us...
Democracy
The Erosion of Democracy in Developing and Transition Countries | Part 2
Crises relating to the legitimacy and performance of liberal democracies play into the hands of populists and autocrats all over the world. Even today, the discourse in Latin America still makes reference to the devastating social consequences of the “Washington Consensus” policy developed by the...
Democracy
The Erosion of Democracy in Developing and Transition Countries | Part 1
Political transformation as measured by the BTI 2018 has, on average, reached a new low around the globe. In more and more countries, rulers are strategically undermining control mechanisms in order to secure power and maintain patronage systems and opportunities for self-enrichment. At the same...
Democracy
The Square People
Politics of Protests
“Is our democracy in danger?” asked Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, the authors of the recently published How Democracies Die, and added, “It is a question we never thought we’d be asking.” “Nothing lasts forever. At some point democracy was always going to pass into the pages of history,”...
Politics & Society
Germany's Current Account and Trade Surpluses
During the past decade, macroeconomic imbalances – typified by countries’ surplus or deficit of exports, currency, or capital – have moved to the fore of international economic policy debates. Global events and developments, such as China’s integration into the world economy, the 2008 financial...
Politics & Society
The Far-Right Foundation
Just a few years ago, most Germans could not have imagined that members of a far-right party would enter the Bundestag. But in 2017, after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) took home 12.6 percent of the vote in the federal elections, over 90 members of the party moved into offices in...
Digital World
This Is Your Office on AI
The future has arrived and it’s your first day at your new job. You step across the threshold sporting a nervous smile and harboring visions of virtual handshakes and brain-computer interfaces. After all, this is one of those newfangled, modern offices that science-fiction writers have been dreaming...
Democracy
Disrupting Democracy
The Story of Italy’s 2018 Election
Italy’s 2018 election proved to be the latest shock to western democracies. By wide margins, Italians voted for populist movements at the expense of traditional parties. In May, the populist Five Star Movement and the right-wing Lega Party reached a tentative agreement to form a new governing...
Democracy
Disrupting Democracy | Italy
Digital World
Artificial Intelligence and the Transatlantic Alliance
Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to transform economies and touch virtually every aspect of our lives in the coming years. Until recently, its potential was framed almost exclusively in economic terms, with boosters estimating it would contribute $16 trillion to the global economy by 2030.
Democracy
A New Constellation
Making Sense of the Italian Election
Italians have a long history of conducting national elections that result in short-lived governments. With more than 40 prime ministers and over 60 governments since World War II, stability and longevity have not been the hallmarks of Italian democracy. When Italians return to the polls on March 4,...
Politics & Society
Germany's Coalition Agreement
Transatlantic Ties in Times of ‘Profound Change’
After months of tumultuous negotiations in Berlin, the CDU, CSU and SPD emerged on February 7 with a draft coalition agreement. Much of the document spells out a continuation of past priorities, but five short paragraphs on page 147 show a serious, and perhaps irreversible, shift in thinking about...
Digital World
The Future of Work is Trans-Atlantic
The past year has brought momentous disruption to the trans-Atlantic alliance. From the ascent of President Trump, to Brexit, to the rise of populist parties in France, Germany and Austria, voters have taken a cudgel to the status quo. Dumbfounded, leaders on both sides of the Atlantic have set off...
Democracy
Disrupting Democracy Vol. I
Point. Click. Transform
Beginning January 2017, the Bertelsmann Foundation embarked on a journey to explore how digital innovation impacts democracies and societies around the world in a series called "Disrupting Democracy." In volume one, we focused on key challenges that have emerged as a result of technological...
Politics & Society
The Turkish-German Tug-of-War
In the lead-up to Germany’s federal elections on September 24, the nation’s 2.9 million Turkish-born residents have found themselves in the middle of a tug-of-war between Berlin and Ankara.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long enjoyed a certain amount of support in the Turkish community in...
Politics & Society
China’s Play for Market Economy Status
In its 2001 accession protocol to the World Trade Organization (WTO), China agreed to provisions that would allow other countries to treat it as a nonmarket economy for the purposes of certain trade disputes, leveling the playing field for companies that otherwise could not compete with China’s...
Politics & Society
NAFTA Renegotiation | Recalibrating North American Economic Relations
The U.S. Senate voted to confirm Robert Lighthizer as United States Trade Representative last week, rounding out President Donald Trump’s cabinet and giving momentum to his trade agenda. At his swearing-in ceremony on May 15, Ambassador Lighthizer predicted that President Trump would permanently...
Politics & Society
NAFTA Renegotiation
State of Play and a Look Ahead
Trade officials from the United States, Mexico and Canada are gathered in Ottawa this week for the third round of negotiations to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The first two rounds, which took place over the past month in Washington and Mexico City, covered an uncommonly...
Politics & Society
French Election Brings Short-Term Relief, Raises Specter of Long-Term Polarization
Pro-reform forces across France breathed a sigh of relief after Emmanuel Macron and his En Marche! movement cracked 24 percent of the vote to advance to the second round of voting on May 7. Wielding a staunchly pro-EU platform emphasizing relations with Germany, support for the euro and a common...
Politics & Society
Merkel and the Trump Two-Step
Navigating the German Chancellor’s White House Visit
As German Chancellor Angela Merkel prepares for her first in-person encounter with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House this week, she faces a strategic reality that contrasts sharply with her previous visits hosted by Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Buffeted by challenges at...
Democracy
Italy’s Referendum Uncertainty
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi resigned his post last week after voters roundly rejected a referendum on constitutional reform. The proposal sought to revise nearly a third of the Italian Constitution’s 139 articles, and would have changed the composition and law-making procedures of the...
Politics & Society
The International Response to Crisis in the Middle East
A German Approach
The wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, stretching from Western Sahara through North Africa, the Middle East, to the Hindu Kush, is arguably the most crisis-ridden in the world. The war in Syria, the refugee crisis and the fight against so-called “Islamic State” (IS) terrorism dominate...
Digital World
The EU-US Privacy Shield Framework
A New Paradigm for an Evolving Digital World
In the age of Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Gmail – when one can peruse strangers’ selfies and read personal emails of presidential candidates on an iPhone – the very notion of privacy seems obsolete. The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union enshrines respect for one’s private...
Politics & Society
An American Revolution
The Election of President Donald Trump
The election of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States marks a seismic shift in American politics. Tapping into widespread economic discontent and exploiting cultural chasms throughout the country, the president-elect ran an unconventional campaign that resulted in a revolution of...
Democracy
An American Revolution
The Election of President Donald Trump
The election of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States marks a seismic shift in American politics. Tapping into widespread economic discontent and exploiting cultural chasms throughout the country, the president-elect ran an unconventional campaign that resulted in a revolution of...
Politics & Society
In Search of the Center
The Beginning of the End of Political Extremism?
As the U.S. presidential candidates limp toward the finish line, dragging a disillusioned electorate along with them, many have reflected on the long-term damage of Trumpism to the Republican Party, or whether those who were “feeling the Bern” will hold their noses and cast a vote for Hillary...
Politics & Society
TTIP Negotiators Make Small Gains
No Major Breakthroughs in Final Round before US Elections
U.S. and EU trade officials gathered in New York City during the week of October 3-7 for the 15th round of Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations. The round, which may have been TTIP’s last for the foreseeable future, followed a consequential month of trade summits,...
Politics & Society
The Energiewende
A Success Story at a Crossroads
Germany is a world leader in renewable energy deployment. The Renewables 2016 Global Status Report ranks Germany as third (after China and the U.S.) in absolute and second (behind Denmark) in per capita installed renewable energy capacity. Driven by a long-term renewable energy policy that dates...
Politics & Society
Echoes of History
Understanding German Data Protection
The discussion surrounding surveillance and the collection of personal data—whether by the private or public sector—and the debate over the authority of the intelligence services have never been more relevant in Germany. The debate has become more complex and contentious as a result of the...
Politics & Society
Russia - A Threat to European Security?
A View from Germany
Tensions between Russia and the European Union, the United States and others have been high since the Russian annexation of Crimea in February-March 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggressive move sent shockwaves around the world—few believed he was capable of such an overt maneuver. As the...
Politics & Society
Germany's Security Policy
From Territorial Defense to Defending the Liberal World Order?
Stark differences exist in the strategic culture between Europe and the United States. They concern as much the disparity in military power—all 28 member states of the European Union together spend less on defense than the United States alone—as well as the very different historical experiences. Two...
Politics & Society
Trans-Atlantic Trade at the Crossroads
Prospects for TTIP in 2016 and Beyond
Trade ministers from European Union member states will convene in Bratislava, Slovakia later this week to discuss the fate of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The goal of the summit is to assess whether negotiations are in an advanced enough state to enter the so-called...
Politics & Society
The End of Panda Politics
Somewhere in the bamboo forests of China’s Sichuan Province, two pandas are being readied for their journey to Germany. The animals are to accompany Chinese President Xi Jinping when he visits Berlin next year, and will serve as goodwill ambassadors in the city’s zoo. Everyone loves pandas: They are...
Politics & Society
Europe's Reluctant Leader
When U.S. President Barack Obama visited Europe early in 2016, he voiced concern about two central issues: recent political and economic strife in Europe and Germany’s duty to take on a more active leadership role in these turbulent times. The political landscape in and around Europe has changed...
Politics & Society
To Counter Extremism, Europe Must Move Beyond Security
and Focus on Neighborhoods
Following a spate of deadly attacks in Western Europe, governments have adopted a largely military-oriented response to secure the homeland and counter violent extremism. The Belgian government has pledged €298 million ($332 million) in additional funding to bolster the police, intelligence services...
Politics & Society
Inside Turkey’s Economy
On July 15, Turkey’s tumultuous 2016 took a shocking twist as elements within the country’s military attempted a coup against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The putsch rapidly snapped at the seams, and a night that began with soldiers blocking bridges yielded a morning with those...
Politics & Society
A New Role for France
Europe’s Pivotal Nation
In the early days of U.S. President Barack Obama’s term, the administration announced a strategic “pivot” toward the Asia-Pacific region. Implicit in this policy, however, was the assumption that if a nation pivots toward something, it is simultaneously pivoting away from something else – Europe and...
Politics & Society
Negotiators Advance TTIP Agenda
Several Key Issues Remain
The 14th round of negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) concluded earlier this month with an air of uncertainty, as U.S. and EU negotiators committed to continue the process of resolving differences and consolidating texts without concrete plans for when or where...
Politics & Society
Protecting Europe’s Family Ties in Trying Times
Bringing together 28 member states with diverse histories, cultures and languages naturally complicates a one-size-fits-all approach to policy. But the European Union has transformed the opt-out into an art form. From the Schengen zone to defense and justice, many countries have treated their EU...
Politics & Society
Preserving an Old Model in a New World
German Economic Policy
To describe the German economic and social system in a few words, only one term truly captures its essence: “social market economy.” This means a system characterized by a combination of economic dynamism and social justice. The social market economy is based on the freedom of markets and private...
Politics & Society
Pacific Alliance 2.0
Next Steps in Integration
The Pacific Alliance, an integration agreement between Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, has achieved remarkable success in recent years. Also known as the Pacific Pumas, the four countries have worked together since 2011 to eliminate tariffs on over 92 percent of goods, integrate their national...
Democracy
Austrian Elections
When the Peoples' Parties Lose the People
When Austrians went to the polls in last month’s presidential election, the political establishment received a jarring wakeup call. Typically, presidents hail from one of the country’s traditional Volksparteien, or people’s parties—the center-left Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) or the...
Politics & Society
Latest TTIP Round Yields Progress, Gridlock
Negotiators, regulators and stakeholders from civil society and industry convened in New York City last month for the 13th round of negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP. The round followed the highly anticipated visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to the...
Politics & Society
Germany's Response to the Refugee Situation
Remarkable Leadership or Fait Accompli?
With the Islamic State group terrorizing large parts of Iraq and Syria, the Syrian civil war raging with no end in sight, and the situation for refugees deteriorating in Jordan and Lebanon, more and more people in the Middle East have decided to flee to the European Union in an attempt to claim...
Politics & Society
A Road for Two
Brexit and the Future of Ireland
The last time a British exit affected the island of Ireland, the year was 1916. With the threat of a new Brexit looming, Dublin and Belfast must prepare to absorb and react to a concussive wave that will shake the island again.
Politics & Society
The EU’s Arc of Instability
Can the European Neighborhood Policy be Resurrected?
It has been over a decade since the European Union launched its European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) aimed at fostering “a ring of well-governed states” surrounding the EU. Now, a majority of the EU’s sixteen ‘partners’ find themselves entangled in increasingly intractable conflicts in an arc of...
Politics & Society
Three Things to Watch in Brazil
When I met with former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Sao Paulo earlier this month, he seemed tired and apprehensive. Two days later, in scenes that played out on live television, federal police raided his house and detained him for hours of questioning regarding percolating...
Politics & Society
TTIP Beyond the Beltway: American Perspectives
TTIP Beyond the Beltway: American Perspectives is the culminating report of the Bertelsmann Foundation’s TTIP Town Hall program, a two-year project that convened a series of town hall-style meetings with Washington trade experts and local stakeholders in five U.S. states.
Politics & Society
Making Trans-Atlantic Relations Great Again?
A Look at US Front-runners’ Positions on Europe
The latest, delegate-rich presidential primaries in Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio further cemented Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as front-runners within their respective parties. While official delegates will not be awarded until party conventions in mid-July, the often...
Politics & Society
A Temporary Alternative for Germany?
A Look at AfD’s Rise
In state elections on Sunday, the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party achieved double-digit support in all three states that held elections—Baden-Württemberg (15.1 percent), Rhineland-Palatinate (12.6 percent) and Saxony-Anhalt (24.2 percent) —surpassing their expected support by several...
Democracy
State Elections in Germany
Party Politics on Shaky Ground
This weekend, Germans will go to the polls in Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt to elect state leaders. While each of these states has its own distinct demography and political history, they have one thing in common this election cycle: The current migration crisis is...
Politics & Society
TTIP Talks Gain Momentum After Latest Round
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström meet this week for a stocktaking session in Washington to review the status of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), discuss outstanding issues and plan for the coming year. The meeting follows...
Democracy
Advancing Equity for Boston's Resilience
Politics & Society
TTIP Negotiations: A Summary of Round 11
Representatives from the United States and the European Union participated in the 11th round of TTIP negotiations in Miami, Florida during the week of October 19th. U.S. and EU officials are hopeful for TTIP’s conclusion by the end of 2016. To that end, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and...
Politics & Society
Erdogan's Bus Ride to Redemption
After 13 years in power, Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reached a crucial fork in the road that offers clear choices between rejoining the community of democratic leaders or attaining pariah status reserved for those who violate basic human rights and demonstrate contempt for the rule...
Politics & Society
Joachim Gauck
Obama’s German Interpreter
On October 7, German President Joachim Gauck will join US President Barack Obama to mark the 25th anniversary of German reunification. It will be the first time in 18 years that the White House receives a German president, which is indicative of the special nature of this president and this moment...
Politics & Society
TTIP: California’s Gateway to Europe
As the Obama Administration continues its pursuit of an ambitious trade agenda during its final months in office, it’s natural for the attention of Angelenos to be fixed on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the comprehensive free trade deal currently in negotiation between the US and 11 countries...
Politics & Society
Merkel's Mission
Navigating Domestic Politics To Save Europe
Today, Germany finds itself at the center of the Greek economic crisis, but it did not ask for this tremendous responsibility. A combination of its disproportionate economic heft and withering leadership in the rest of the European Union has forced Germany into a position that runs counter to its...
Politics & Society
Reining in Russia
The Parable of the Chinese Finger Trap
It is a simple device made of woven bamboo, but the Chinese finger trap has befuddled children for generations. Put an index finger into each end of the cylindrical tube, and there is seemingly no escape. The more force exerted from opposing directions only serves to tighten the grip further. The...
Politics & Society
Germany's Demographic Crash Course
In the aftermath of the financial crisis, Germany has impressed the world as a bastion of economic stability in Europe. Germany’s initial recovery from the Great Recession was one of the soundest among Western economies, and after a period of lower growth in 2012 and 2013, the economy has picked up...
Politics & Society
The Current Economic State of Play in Russia
In this Bertelsmann Foundation publication, Atlantic Council Senior Fellow Anders Åslund argues that Western sanctions are having a significant impact on Russia’s economy.
Politics & Society
Russia, Sanctions and the Way Forward
Balancing Assertiveness with Engagement
In this Bertelsmann Foundation report, Project Manager Josh Stanton assesses the current geopolitical state of play surrounding the conflict in eastern Ukraine and argues that the US and the EU need to develop a long-term, multi-dimensional strategy towards Russia.
Politics & Society
Brexit - potential economic consequences if the UK exits the EU
If the United Kingdom (UK) exits the EU in 2018, it would reduce that country’s exports and make imports more expensive. Depending on the extent of trade policy isolation, the UK’s real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita would be between 0.6 and 3.0 percent lower in the year 2030 than if the...
Politics & Society
Making TTIP a 21st-Century Agreement
The United States and the European Union meet again this week to try to make progress on a
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). This ninth round of talks aims to
advance a deal that further reduces tariffs on goods and services while setting common
standards for both. The eventual...
Politics & Society
The Essential Relationship
The trans-Atlantic bond was for generations defined by the strength of the “special relationship” between the United States and the United Kingdom. But the world changes, and so too must constellations among nations if they are to confront the vast problems of the modern era. In the early 21st...
Politics & Society
Samba Lessons for Greece
Could Lula’s Brazil provide the precedent for economic renewal?
Politics & Society
The EU's TTIP Negotiating Texts
What You Need to Know
On January 7, the European Commission released 23 fact sheets and eight EU negotiating texts to reinforce EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström’s commitment to more transparent Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations.
Politics & Society
A New Year's Resolution on Turkey
It’s harder to keep a New Year’s resolution than to make one. As 2014 began, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, then Turkish prime minister, pledged a “European Year” that would revive his country’s EU membership bid. As part of the effort, Ankara released in September a new “European Union Strategy” that aimed...
Politics & Society
It's About Time
Normalized US-Cuban Relations
A surprise prisoner swap this morning between the US and Cuba has triggered a new era―and a major thaw―in bilateral relations, which have been frozen for more than five decades. By noon, US President Barack Obama announced significantly broadened diplomatic, financial and technological contact with...
Politics & Society
The Berlin Wall's Power to Unify
Twenty-five years have passed since the Berlin Wall fell, and a new era for Europe and the United States began. We live today in a starkly different world, one that was formed – in part, at least – by the dramatic events in central Europe in 1989. So strong was the impact of that year that even...
Digital World
The Elephant in the Room
A Republican Congress and Trans-Atlantic Relations
The results of this week’s Congressional vote herald big changes in Washington that will also impact Europe. The Republicans, who have spent much of the Obama presidency as obstructionists, must demonstrate an agenda and an ability to lead. President Obama, for his part, must be more willing to work...
Politics & Society
Going "All In" in Ukraine
As election results go, supporters of a pro-European Ukraine were dealt what poker players would call a “full house”. The first parliamentary vote since the downfall of the country’s former president, Viktor Yanukovych, in February saw widespread support for reformminded parties, including current...
Politics & Society
Globalization Report 2014
Who benefits most from globalization?
The increasing economic, political and social interconnectedness of the world is ubiquitous. It is evident in the steadily rising sales of German mechanical construction companies beyond the country’s borders as well as in the fact that more Asians use Facebook than North Americans and that the...
Politics & Society
Argentina
Holding Up After Holding Out
The single seat at the press conference said it all. Argentine Finance Minister Axel Kicillof would be speaking alone. He would not be accompanied by a court-appointed mediator or representatives of holdout firms. There was no deal that would allow New York banks to process Argentina’s payments to...
Politics & Society
Obama's Choice
A new wave of spy allegations is further damaging German-American relations and now threatens to radically alter the mainstay of the entire trans-Atlantic partnership. Last week’s allegations of the CIA’s paying a German informant for documents related to a Bundestag committee’s investigations into...
Politics & Society
Keep Calm and Carry On with the Spitzenkandidaten
British Prime Minister David Cameron and the UK press’ furious trashing of future European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has come to naught. Though portrayed as an alcoholic and staunch federalist, Juncker was overwhelmingly elected at the June 26-27 EU summit. The real setback, however,...
Politics & Society
TTIP Negotiations: A Summary of Rounds 4 and 5
Maintaining Momentum
The framework for a potential agreement is coming to the fore following the fourth and fifth rounds of
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks. Negotiators have begun crafting
language for a final document now that the path towards an accord is becoming clearer. But...
Politics & Society
Is Seven Greater Than Eight
The math is simple, but world leaders are struggling with their numbers. The reconstituted Group of Seven (G7) scheduled to meet in Brussels on June 4-5 will be minus Russia, which was due to host the (G8) gathering in Sochi. Nevertheless, the summit, now hosted by the European Council following...
Politics & Society
Europe Inspires Despite Its Problems
As Americans enjoyed an uneventful Memorial Day weekend, Europeans went to the polls in two separate but strongly linked elections. Ukrainians braved political, economic and territorial instability to vote in a snap presidential ballot while EU citizens chose European Parliament (EP)...
Democracy
Did Washington Lose The European Elections?
Europe has voted, and the future European Parliament (EP) undoubtedly reflects a new political landscape across the continent. But the impact will go far beyond the western shores of Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal. The trans-Atlantic relationship is also about to embark on new challenges to its...
Politics & Society
Merkel in Washington
What Does She Want?
Among the US’s many allies, Germany has become one of the hardest for Americans to read. Washington sees the country under Chancellor Angela Merkel’s leadership as a power that is unwilling to fully execute its foreign-policy responsibilities by flexing its muscles and, when necessary, by...
Politics & Society
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
On Track but Off Message?
On June 17, 2013, US President Barack Obama, along with the presidents of the European Council, European Commission and the prime minister of Britain, announced that the United States and European Union would begin negotiations to establish what would be the world’s largest free trade area—the...
Politics & Society
Steinmeier's Mission Impossible?
As German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrives in Washington, DC today, his mission is to repair a badly frayed partnership and reconfirm its importance. There may be many items on the bilateral to-do list ― Ukraine, Syria, Iran, just to name three ― but it is the NSA scandal that...
Politics & Society
TTIP Negotiations: Stock-Taking Summary
US Trade Representative Michael Froman and EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht met February 17–18 to discuss the progress of TTIP negotiations, a so-called stock-taking exercise. Both agreed on specific issues on which negotiators can move forward in upcoming talks. Points of contention, however,...
Politics & Society
A Re-set for German Foreign and Security Policy
German President Joachim Gauck may lack the executive powers of his US counterpart, but his call today at the Munich Security Conference for a more active German role in global affairs is significant for the trans-Atlantic relationship. Berlin could now be at the threshold of a new era of global...
Politics & Society
TTIP Negotiations: A Summary of Round 3
The third round of negotiations, held December 16-20, 2013 in Washington, DC, began work on what US lead negotiator Dan Mullaney called “the architecture of an agreement”. Talks continued with the scoping exercises from the first two rounds. They ended with more specific work on issues such as...
Politics & Society
The Crossroads
US-Mexico Trade
The US-Mexico trade relationship emerged as an issue in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and it remains a critical fault line in globalization.
Politics & Society
Transponder Issue #2: Cities
In this second issue of the Transponder, we explore how transatlantic cities confront global challenges and bolster the transatlantic relationship. As more than half of the world’s population currently resides in metropolitan areas, we see that cities are becoming the epicenter for political,...
Politics & Society
Transponder Issue #3: Resilience
The topic of the Third Issue of the Transponder Magazine is Resilience, featuring a collection of written and visual works that explore how members of the transatlantic community can remain resilient in the face of new and old challenges.
Politics & Society
Transponder Issue #4: Identity
The fourth issue of Transponder features a collection of written and visual works that explore the diversity and breadth of identity on both sides of the Atlantic, revealing themes of citizenship, belonging, personhood, heritage, and online persona.
Politics & Society
Transponder Issue #6: Elections
The sixth issue of Transponder is dedicated to the seismic event that is the 2024 election year. Promising to be one of the most consequential election cycles in modern history, this issue takes you around the globe, exploring electoral topics and elections in Finland, Germany, Taiwan, India,...
Future Leadership
Class of 2025
The Geopolitics of Space
The Class of 2025 will focus on EU-U.S. Space Cooperation, regulatory alignment, and industrial competitiveness.
Digital World
Hidden Layers | EU’s AI Act, an AI task force from Congress, and a new Executive Order to protect Americans’ personal data
In this issue, we discuss updates on the EU’s AI Act, the Biden administration’s AI executive order (EO) and a new AI task force from Congress. We also address the outcomes from the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council’s (TTC) fifth ministerial meeting and a new EO to protect Americans’ personal...
Future Leadership
BFF Spotlight: Travis Moore
Bertelsmann Foundation Fellow Class of 2012; Founder and Executive Director of TechCongress
Travis Moore is the Founder and Executive Director of TechCongress, which places computer scientists, engineers, and other technologists to work for Members of Congress and Congressional Committees on key policymaking challenges like AI ethics, election security, encryption, and data privacy through...
Democracy
Graphic Images: Autocrats and the Use of Power
Disrupting Democracy Volume IV
In this fourth and final installment of our Disrupting Democracy series, "Graphic Images: Autocrats and the Use of Power," we will look at how three authoritarian regimes undermine the prospects for democracy and stability in their respective regions. Drawing from the more than 15 years of data from...
Future Leadership
Class of 2023
Learning from our Transatlantic Partners on the Future of Work
The BFF Class of 2023 focused on the future of work.
Digital World
Hidden Layers | TTC Edition June 2023
A fourth meeting in Sweden brings wide-ranging progress
U.S. and EU officials gathered May 30-31 for the fourth ministerial meeting of the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Luleå, Sweden. The meeting focused on transatlantic cooperation on emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and 6G, export controls and investment...
Politics & Society
The Policy Prism | March 2023
In this edition of The Policy Prism, we’ll provide the latest update on President Zelenskyy’s speeches around Europe and the U.S., a brief snapshot of the 118th Congress, and Europe’s response to the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, before finishing with a quick fact on the NORAD.
Politics & Society
The Policy Prism | November 2022
In this edition of The Policy Prism, we’ll provide the latest update on the debate around the future of nuclear energy in Poland, a brief snapshot of midterm election results, and Europe’s criticism to the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, before finishing with a quick fact on the...
Politics & Society
The Policy Prism | August 2022
In this issue, Section I on the war in Ukraine and its impact on global food security is meant for all readers. Those in Europe may wish to continue to Section II, which provides the latest from Capitol Hill as U.S. voters gear up for autumn’s midterm elections. American readers may want to skip to...
Digital World
Hidden Layers | US-EU Meeting in Paris & Congress' New Digital Platform Commission
Your Quarterly Transatlantic Technology News | Issue 2
In this issue, we discuss tech legislation making headlines in the first half of 2022, including the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), Digital Services Act (DSA), Digital Governance Act (DGA), and the U.S. Congress’ proposed Digital Platform Commission Act. We also cover the latest on the U.S.-EU...
Politics & Society
How German Elections Work
Politics & Society
Zeitenwende: The Next Era of German Security
Politics & Society
The European Energy Crisis Explained
Politics & Society
Stronger Than Hate: A story of resilience and humanity in a violent world
Politics & Society
What are the biggest challenges? | Talking Transatlantic Affairs, Episode 3
Politics & Society
Why are we so polarized? | Talking Transatlantic Affairs, Episode 2
Politics & Society
What does it mean to you? | Talking Transatlantic Affairs, Episode 1
Politics & Society
How Relevant is NATO to Transatlantic Security and Defense?
Politics & Society
How to Build a Governing Coalition in Germany
Politics & Society
How Voting Works in Germany
Politics & Society
Political Campaigning in Germany
Politics & Society
The Evolution of Germany’s Political Spectrum
Politics & Society
The Power of German-American Exchange
Democracy
The Boogaloo Ballad Of Henry Graves
Disinformation and Online Radicalization in the Age of COVID-19
Politics & Society
After Michael: Swing State Florida, Episode 3
Florida's Panhandle and the Aftermath of Hurricane Michael
Politics & Society
Liberty City: Swing State Florida, Episode 2
The Legacy of Miami's Segregated Past
Politics & Society
The Fields of Immokalee: Swing State Florida, Episode 1
Immigrant Laborers and Florida's Agriculture
Politics & Society
Reassessing US and EU Ties with China in the Post-COVID-19 World
Digital World
Putting Villa 31 on the Map: Bridging the Digital Divide
How Villa 31 in Buenos Aires Was Mapped
Democracy
How the US Presidential Election Works
A Primer on the U.S. Presidential Election from Primaries to Election Day
Digital World
Future of Work | Weinheim
Germany's Educational System Prepares for the Future of Work
Democracy
How the European Parliament Works
An Explanation of the Institutions of the European Union
Digital World
The No Collar Economy: Argentina
Digital World
Digital Mozambique: Inside a Country in Transition
Digital World
The Crossroads India: Growth and Growing Pains
Digital World
Cuba's Digital Revolution
Digital World
Infographic: Cybersecurity
Digital World
Which Countries are Regulating AI?
Politics & Society
How Important is NATO?
Politics & Society
The French Presidential Election: Who's in the Running?
Democracy
Power Projection in Putin's Russia
Democracy
Iranian Influence on the March
Politics & Society
How Do Germans Perceive the State of Their Democracy?
Democracy
American Democracy on Unstable Ground
Digital World
The Post-Pandemic Future of Work
Politics & Society
Europe's Gas Tug-of-War
Politics & Society
TikTok's Mixed Signals
Politics & Society
Pandemic Politics in Germany
Politics & Society
Who’s Helping the Western Balkans with COVID-19?
Tracking Coronavirus Aid Packages to the Western Balkans
Digital World
Flattening the Unemployment Curve
Digital World
Profiting in the Age of COVID-19
Politics & Society
Germany’s Political Shake-Up
Digital World
E-Commerce vs. Digital Trade
Politics & Society
EU Enlargement
Politics & Society
What Do Europe’s Right-Wing Parties Want?
Politics & Society
2020 Senate Races Overshadowed by Trump
Digital World
Will Technology Take Your Job?
Politics & Society
China’s Belt and Road Initiative
Politics & Society
NATO at 70 Military Spending
Digital World
The UK’s AI Play
Digital World
Who Will Wire the World?
Politics & Society
A Shred of Doubt Brexit’s Future
Politics & Society
Was 2018 Really the "Year of the Woman"?
Digital World
Filling the Reskilling Gap
Democracy
The Many Shades of Democracy
Politics & Society
Breaking Down Barriers
Politics & Society
Trump's Twitter Diplomacy
Digital World
Geography of Gain or Pain
Democracy
Fresco or Fiasco
Politics & Society
Online Hate Speech in Germany
Digital World
Game On or Game Over?
Politics & Society
Trump's Teetering Trade Policy
Politics & Society
Trans-Atlantic Tweeting
Politics & Society
The Turkish-German Tug-of-War
Politics & Society
Health Care on Life Support
Politics & Society
Trade Beyond the Tweet
Politics & Society
The EU's Arc of Instability
Politics & Society
The Downing of Turkish-Russian Relations
Politics & Society
A New Era of German-Turkish Cooperation?
Politics & Society
Major European Migration Flows from the 1990s to Present
Politics & Society
Greek Debt Crisis: Sisyphus' Latest Challenge
Politics & Society
Greek Debt Crisis: Will the Last Domino Stand?
Politics & Society
Something to Snack On
Politics & Society
When PIIGS Fly... or Fall
Politics & Society
Greece Under a Microscope
Politics & Society
12 Days of Christmas in Europe
Democracy
Season 5, Episode 15 | Jacob Heilbrunn
In conversation with Andrew Keen, the American journalist Jacob Heilbrunn, outlines the continuous history of the close association of conservative views and the Republican Party in the early to Mid-Twentieth Century. He describes the party's support of strong anti-immigrant racial differences in...
Democracy
Season 5, Episode 14 | James Kirchick
For this episode, host Andrew Keen sits down with James Kirchick journalist and author of the New York Times bestseller Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington. They discuss the historical exclusion of gay individuals within American democracy, with a particular emphasis on the...
Democracy
Season 5, Episode 13 | Jeffrey Rosen
In this episode we delve into Jeffrey Rosen's latest work The Pursuit of Happiness. As the President of the National Constitution Center and a Professor of Law at George Washington University, Rosen brings a unique perspective on America's democratic foundations. Through an exploration of classical...
Democracy
Season 5, Episode 12 | James Traub
In this episode journalist and historian James Traub delves into the paradoxical nature of liberalism in the postwar years. The continuation of New Deal social and economic reforms characterized a society of consensus in fulfillment of democratic ideals in the Cold War years. However, The illusory ...
Democracy
Season 5, Episode 11 | Sarah Snyder
In conversation with Prof. Sarah Snyder, an historian of Cold War international relations, Andrew Keen examines the relationship of democratic goals with the realities of American foreign policy. As the world’s great post-war democratic and capitalistic power, the US opposed Russia and China through...
Democracy
Season 5, Episode 10 | Carol Anderson
In this episode, host Andrew Keen speaks with Dr. Carol Anderson, Professor of History at Emory University. They discuss America in the post-World War II years when America emerged as the world's leading democratic country. That claim was belied by the reality of a flawed and unfulfilled democracy...
Podcasts
Season 5, Episode 9 | Kevin Baker
In this episode, host Andrew Keen discusses with writer and editor, Kevin Baker, the multifaceted changes and growth of American democracy. Significant cultural innovations, technological advancements, and societal shifts occurred between the two World Wars. Baker emphasizes America's transformation...
Podcasts
Season 5, Episode 8 | Jill Watts
In this How to Fix Democracy episode, host Andrew Keen talks to Jill Watts, author of The Black Cabinet, about the untold story of African Americans and politics during the age of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. That history, from the end of World War I deep into the years of the New Deal, reveals high...
Podcasts
Season 5, Episode 7 | Allida Black
Allida Black speaks with host Andrew Keen about the history of women in politics and the impact of their noteworthy political and social activism, which dates back a time well before the Women's Right to Vote.
Dr. Allida Black is a historian, author, and editor of the Eleanor Roosevelt Papers.
You...
Podcasts
Season 5, Episode 6 | Richard Norton Smith
In this episode of How to Fix Democracy, host Andrew Keen engages in a conversation with the author and historian Richard Norton Smith, delving into a discussion about the Hoover presidency and its profound relevance for the United States during a time of upheaval and economic depression.
Author...
Podcasts
Season 5, Episode 5 | Paul Sparrow
Paul Sparrow, former Director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, speaks with Andrew Keen about the immense challenges and legacies of FDR and his administration. Sparrow maintains that Roosevelt saved American democracy from an existential crisis caused by the Great...
Podcasts
Season 5, Episode 4 | Derek Leebaert
In this episode of How to Fix Democracy, author and historian Derek Leebaert provides a revisionist account of President Franklin Roosevelt and four members of his Cabinet. According to Leebaert, the 1920s were beset by economic distress and labor unrest that culminated in the Great Depression....
Podcasts
Season 5, Episode 3 | Robert Kagan
In this 3rd episode of the season, host Andrew Keen talks to Robert Kagan, the distinguished Brookings Institute scholar of foreign policy, about America’s dramatically changing place in the world during the Twenties and Thirties. According to Kagan, at the end of World War I Europe expected...
Podcasts
Season 5, Episode 2 | Edward Larson
In 1924, John Scopes, an instructor in a public school in Dayton, Tennessee, was indicted for violating the Tennessee Butler Act for teaching evolution in a publicly funded school. Strong personalities and strong beliefs clashed in the courthouse as they engrossed and even inflamed the country....
Podcasts
Season 5, Episode 1 | Adam Hochschild
American Democracy in the Aftermath of World War I | In the first episode of Season 5, How to Fix Democracy host Andrew Keen sits down with Adam Hochschild, historian, journalist, and award-winning author of “American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis."...
Podcasts
Season 4 Special Episode | Moisés Naím
How Authoritarian Leaders Wield & Maintain Power | On October 20, 2022, Moisés Naím joined host Andrew Keen for a live episode of How to Fix Democracy in the Bertelsmann Foundation office in Washington, DC to discuss how authoritarian leaders wield and maintain power in contemporary politics. Author...
Podcasts
Season 4, Episode 11 | Larry Diamond
The state of American democracy in the shadow of January 6th | Nearly two years on, the January 6th insurrection is still lingering over Washington, DC like a dark cloud. The events leading up to the Capitol insurrection, as well as the attack itself, have signaled a major threat to American...
Podcasts
Season 4, Episode 10 | Michael Thorning
Is Bipartisanship Possible in the United States? | The 2020 Presidential Election clarified the need for a unified, authoritative understanding of elections and election systems in the United States. In recent weeks, Democratic legislators have been working to pass the Electoral Count Reform Act to...
Podcasts
Season 4, Episode 9 | Dana Milbank
The Transformation of the Republican Party | Throughout the last thirty years, the Republican Party in the United States has undergone a great change. How did the party come to adopt such a polarized platform in which white supremacy, conspiracy theories, and authoritarianism are no longer off...
Podcasts
Season 4, Midterm Elections Special | Rebekah Caruthers
Midterm Elections Special | Many Americans are preparing to head to the polls on November 8, 2022 for the US Midterm Elections. Following the elections of 2020, many are worried about the rise of election denial and the growing distrust of electoral systems. Rebekah Caruthers, the Vice President of...
Podcasts
Season 4, Episode 8 | Darrell M. West
American Ideologies and Trumpism | “Trumpism'' has emerged as a powerful force in American political ideology since the 2016 election. It is characterized by a philosophy that leans heavily on populism, ultra-nationalism, and religious fundamentalism – all part of the platform that bolstered Former...
Podcasts
Season 4, Episode 7 | Dahlia Lithwick
The legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court | The popularity of the U.S. Supreme Court has been in sharp decline throughout the last two years. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June of 2022, many Americans, feeling unheard and unseen by the court’s decision, have been asking the question, “Why...
Podcasts
Season 4, Episode 6 | Katherine Stewart
Religion and American Conservatism | The American far-right has, in many ways, become inseparable from religious conservatism and fervor. Religious movements and organizations provide the foundation, funding, and voting base of the extreme right in American politics, explains our latest guest....
Podcasts
Season 4, Episode 5 | Cynthia Miller-Idriss
The Health of American Democracy | The erosion of democratic values in the United States has led many to refer to American democracy as “sick” and in need of healing. Extremism, disinformation, and civic illiteracy have fueled radical beliefs and led to grave polarization within American society....
Podcasts
Season 4, Episode 4 | Andrea Young
Andrea Young, the executive director of the ACLU in Georgia, is a lifelong advocate of voting and civil rights in the United States. Having participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches with her parents at nine years old, she has dedicated her life to ensuring the protection of civil liberties for...
Podcasts
Season 4, Episode 3 | Mónica Guzmán
Bridging the Partisan Divide | What does it mean to engage with someone on the other side of the political aisle? Mónica Guzmán has made it her mission to answer this question and facilitate thoughtful, constructive dialogue between the political left and right in the United States. In her latest...
Podcasts
Season 4, Episode 2 | Peter Wehner and Jonathan Rauch
In the latest episode of How to Fix Democracy, Peter Wehner and Jon Rauch join host Andrew Keen to discuss the history and implications of the stark transformation undergone by the Republican Party during and after Donald Trump’s presidency. As conservative researchers, they have a unique position...
Podcasts
Season 4, Episode 1 | Cheryl Welch and Arthur Goldhammer
Host Andrew Keen kicks off Season 4 with a discussion of Tocqueville's famous observational text, "Democracy in America." Our fourth season of the podcast will focus on just that: democracy in the United States.
Harvard University professors Cheryl Welch and Arthur Goldhammer are world-renowned...
Podcasts
Partner, Competitor, or Rival: The Transatlantic Relationship with China - 6
This sixth and final episode of Wisdom of the Crowd is all about China. From the race to define the use of Artificial Intelligence, to securing critical materials around the globe, the issues on the horizon are both new and daunting. There has been a long debate about whether China is a partner,...
Podcasts
A Trillion Dollar Partnership: The Future of the Transatlantic Economy - 5
In this fifth episode of Wisdom of the Crowd we explore the intricate trade and economic relationship between the United States and Europe. Within this trillion-dollar partnership lies a complex history of agreements, conflicts, and transformative shifts that have altered its course throughout the...
Podcasts
The 21st Century Space Race: Geopolitical Competition or Cooperation? - 4
In this fourth episode of Wisdom of the Crowd, we take a look at geopolitics, but not just how geopolitics play out here on earth. We’re going to zoom out a bit – looking at how space continues to operate as a stage for geopolitical competition, long after the Cold War of the last century. Today,...
Podcasts
The Great Tech Policy Debate: Should Innovation be Regulated? - 3
In this third episode of Wisdom of the Crowd we take a look at technology. Specifically, we’ll hone in on the relationship between the U.S. and EU in the world of tech and trade policy. We’ll discuss how transatlantic partners are working together to tackle the biggest challenges in this field,...
Podcasts
Are democracies a dying breed? - 2
In this second episode of *Wisdom of the Crowd* we take a look at the state of global democracy. More specifically, we discuss why some democratic societies are on the decline, and whether democracies are equipped to face the challenges that arise in this particularly volatile period.
Our guests...
Podcasts
Intro to crowdsourced forecasting - 1
Welcome to *Wisdom of the Crowd*, a podcast miniseries that explores the future of transatlantic relations. From democracy and geopolitics to climate change and technology, we take a closer look at the most pressing issues impacting the transatlantic alliance by interviewing top experts and using a...
Podcasts
Episode 6 | The Near Future of Transatlantic Relations
Last episode I spoke with guests about how younger generations will shape the transatlantic relationship in years to come, this time we take a look just down the road ahead. In the European Union, Spain took over the presidency of the Council of the EU through the end of this year, and in 2024, both...
Podcasts
Episode 5 | Transatlantic Generational Divide
How the transatlantic relationship looks in the future depends in large part on the younger generations who will inherit it. Millennials and Gen Z already exert their political influence through voting—and in some cases as legislators or even heads of government—but for the most part the...
Podcasts
Episode 4 | Change Beyond Climate
Earlier this year, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) announced that keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius was no longer feasible. A summer of wildfires and droughts from the west coast of the United States to southern Spain kept the impact of climate...
Podcasts
Episode 3 | Transatlantic Security
Vladimir Putin has brought war back to Europe, presenting transatlantic security with the massive challenge of supporting Ukraine and shoring up their own defenses. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shifted the conversation from whether EU countries will spend more on defense, to how can they spend...
Podcasts
Episode 2 | Online Platform Regulation, Content Moderation, & Free Speech
Disagreement over free speech online has been a thorn in the side of a common transatlantic approach to dealing with internet platform giants wielding huge influence over our online communication. Over time, the divide narrowed, but more importantly, policy approaches became more sophisticated....
Podcasts
Episode 1 | What Are Transatlantic Relations Today?
This episode reaches back into the past to one of the most important artifacts of transatlantic history. Then, Rachel Rizzo, nonresident senior fellow at the [Atlantic Council's Europe Center](https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/programs/europe-center/), explains the foundations of the Euro-Atlantic...