Baltic and German foreign ministers warn about threat of north-south division in Europe
Foreign ministers of the Baltic states and Germany warned on Thursday about a growing threat of Europe being divided into the north and the south and called for further integration, including closer cooperation on economic and fiscal policy. READ MORE
Is Russia at a dead end on Syria?
Russia is sticking to its position on Syria, although its objective is unclear. Agreement within the United Nations Security Council seems impossible to broker, but diplomatic wrangling continues. READ MORE
The State of the World: Germany's Strategy
The idea of Germany having an independent national strategy runs counter to everything that Germany has wanted to be since World War II and everything the world has wanted from Germany. In a way, the entire structure of modern Europe was created to take advantage of Germany's economic dynamism while avoiding the threat of German domination. In writing about German strategy, I am raising the possibility that the basic structure of Western Europe since World War II and of Europe as a whole since 1991 is coming to a close. READ MORE
New German military role stresses partnership
The US is hardly eager to bear the brunt of foreign military deployments these days. On a recent US visit, German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere explained how German forces are adapting to the situation. READ MORE
European press review: Wulff and public morality
Opinions are divided on what Christian Wulff's resignation represents. Commentators variously point to Germany's hubris in the debt crisis, Wulff's long-standing image problems and a press with too much power. READ MORE
Poland and Germany: How Close is too Close?
For hundreds of years, Poland suffered from an overbearing Germany that trampled on the rights of the Polish nation, occupied the country, and, at times, worked to extinguish the Polish nation-state entirely. No wonder that there is a residue of skepticism and caution in Poland when it comes to relations with its big neighbor to the west. A healthy distance and dose of hedging have long been the default position of the country’s foreign policy. Poland’s accession to the European Union has changed all that. Nearly eight years on, Poland is rephrasing its German question, and in a baffling way: how close is too close? READ MORE
Minister of Foreign Affairs Guido Westerwelle in Washington: "Euro and the Future of Europe"
I am honoured to be the guest of the Brookings Institution today. And I am especially pleased to see so many friends of Europe in the audience.
The famous line from Mark Twain's memoirs about Wagner is also true for Europe: "The music is better than it sounds". And I say that as a great fan of both Richard Wagner and of European integration. READ MORE
Baltic Dimension of Cooperation
In a narrow understanding the notion Baltic countries covers the states possessing direct access to the Baltic Sea, options for direct sea communications between each other without crossing borders of other states. And these are nine countries: Germany, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Estonia. READ MORE
The Hundred Years’ German War
Germany’s dominance was won by national character, not arms or handouts. READ MORE
The Polish-German Tandem
On November 8, the Polish and German foreign ministers, Radoslaw Sikorski and Guido Westerwelle, issued a joint letter to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and representatives of other member states calling on the EU to revamp its relationship with Russia. While hard to imagine just a few years ago, the joint penning of the letter represents a milestone in the two countries’ common policy toward Moscow. READ MORE
