After much speculation, Barack Obama’s team has announced he will travel to Europe this summer — to 
Paris, Berlin, and London (the dates have not yet been announced for security reasons, although the London stop … Continue Reading…
“We are freezing, but we are very excited to be here” was the reaction of the first group of American, African and European TFMI participants descending from the airport shuttle bus and pulling their suitcases across the gravel to Castle Hotel … Continue Reading…
BERLIN (via Washington) — My colleague Constanze Stelzemueller wrote this piece in the Financial Times about Germany’s recent state elections in Hesse and Lower Saxony before they happened. It was a critical test for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, and the results were, … Continue Reading…
WASHINGTON — Warm relations between the President and Europe are expected to continue as Bush prepares to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at his Crawford, Texas ranch. GMF’s John K. Glenn, director of foreign policy, comments in this latest story from Reuters…. Continue Reading…
WASHINGTON — Perhaps the crucial institutional question in the transatlantic relationship has concerned the roles of the European Union and NATO in providing for European security. How much of the transatlantic relationship should be managed through the U.S.–EU prism, how much through NATO, and how much on a bilateral or … Continue Reading…
WASHINGTON — This year’s Transatlantic Trends shows that U.S.-European relations are less and less about how we feel about each other and more and more about what we can do together in the world. Unsurprisingly, Europeans didn’t wake up this past year and fall in … Continue Reading…
Sixty years ago today, on June 5, 1947, then Secretary of State George Marshall delivered a short speech at Harvard University’s commencement that would change history. The resulting Marshall Plan provided substantial U.S. financial assistance to a war-torn European continent. By the time the Marshall Plan ended in 1952, the US had invested $13.3 billion.
The Marshall Plan is not only an example of successful U.S. diplomacy or U.S. magnanimity, but also of self-interest. The United States wanted to prevent further stagnation of world trade, promote the economic recovery of Europe, and stop any further Communist gains on the continent.
For GMF, June 5 is important for another reason beyond Marshall’s famous speech. Today marks the 35th anniversary of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. GMF was conceived of and established as a permanent memorial to the Marshall Plan. On June 5, 1972, Willy Brandt, then Chancellor of West Germany, in a speech at Harvard University, announced a significant financial gift to establish GMF. Continue Reading…
The beginning of the 21st century has been bad for transatlantic relations. The past seven years have been among the worst since World War II. Yet, there are now signs that this time of troubles may be drawing to a close. The wheels of history are again … Continue Reading…
According to a study conducted by the British firm FDS, and partially published by the AFP, French workers are the ones who complain and moan the most at work, followed by British and Swedish employees ex aequo. Americans come right after, even if, according to the study, they … Continue Reading…
Europe is growing, and more strongly than was thought only a few months ago – that’s the positive message to come out of the European Commission’s spring economic forecasts, published on May 7th. Growth of 2.7% in 2006 represents the best performance by the euro area since 2000, and … Continue Reading…