BERLIN — The roughly 2.7 million immigrants of Turkish origin in Germany have been at the center of the country’s debate on immigration and integration as long as the debate has existed. Now, almost 50 years after the first Turkish guest workers arrived, a new phenomenon gains attention: University-educated children … Continue Reading…
WASHINGTON — “Bush was right” is not a view frequently expressed in the New York Times. But, there it was, in Thomas Friedman’s March 10 column: “Former President George W. Bush’s gut instinct that this region craved and needed democracy was always right.”
Friedman was referring to … Continue Reading…
It is official—China has emerged as the world’s reining export champion, dethroning Germany for the title in 2009. China’s exports of goods totaled $1.2 trillion last year, slightly ahead of German goods exports of $1.1 trillion. It was in 2003 when Germany knocked-off the United States for the top spot, … Continue Reading…
VENICE — The Greek crisis is the product of decades of mismanagement in public finance, a lack of transparency, and the pitfalls of sovereign debt in an age of credit default swaps. But the resolution of this crisis and others of differing scale and kind besetting Portugal, Spain, and Italy … Continue Reading…
WASHINGTON — Israel last week submitted its response to the UN’s Goldstone Report. That report investigated the conduct of Israel and Hamas during the Gaza war in January 2009, accusing both sides of war crimes. It recommended resorting to the International Criminal Court if the sides failed to investigate the … Continue Reading…
PARIS — On November 18, the European Council selected Herman Van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton to become, respectively, President of the European Council for a two and a half year-term, and High Representative/Vice-President of the Commission for external affairs for a five-year term. In Europe and beyond, comments have ranged … Continue Reading…
BRUSSELS — To many people outside of Brussels, the process that resulted in the selection of Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy as President of the European Council and Catherine Ashton to the dual-hatted position as High Representative for External Affairs and Vice President of the European Commission was a … Continue Reading…
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — For those of you who haven’t seen our tweets, facebook, e-mails, or any of the other ways we’ve been broadcasting this weekend, check out the Halifax Forum website for all sorts of good material: videos (including livestreams), … Continue Reading…
BERLIN — In West Berlin the days and nights after November 9, 1989, we welcomed and hugged complete strangers, our East German countrymen, on the streets, chatting over a cup of coffee or a glass of Glühwein, with inconceivable and indescribable sentiments of ecstatic joy and happiness. The political mood … Continue Reading…
GMF Paris Office Director Francois Lafond discusses the special relationship between France and Germany on the occasion of Armistice Day and a meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.