Section: The German Marshall Fund of the United States (USA)
New GMF Leadership Hubs Advance Inclusion and Democracy
Politics and societies on both sides of the Atlantic seem increasingly imperiled and divided. Most observers, regardless of their political persuasion, agree on this point. But with sustained investment, we can approach a tipping point through inclusive and democratic initiatives that lead to bold innovation. Given this unique moment in history,...
Isolationism is Not an Option
Editor’s Note: This blog is part of an ongoing series of contributions from participants in The German Marshall Fund’s flagship leadership development program, The Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF). I received a typical American education. In high school, I was taught that the United States’ love of isolationism was a root...
Beyond Zapad 2017: Russia’s Destabilizing Approach to Military Exercises
The world can be relieved that Russia did not use this fall’s Zapad 2017 military exercise as a pretext for aggression or to permanently base troops in Belarus, as many analysts feared before the event. Much has been written about the exercise, most of it focusing on competing claims regarding its size and purpose. What has received less...
Securing Democracy Dispatch
News and Commentary Continuing social media response to Russian disinformation: Facebook announced that it is developing a tool in its Help Center that will show users a list of their followed or liked Facebook and Instagram accounts that were developed by the Russian IRA troll farm. The new transparency portal will be live by 2018. However, the...
German Ambassador to Ukraine on the Future of Defense Cooperation
New leadership on both sides of the Atlantic are considering their priorities against the realities of continued instability inside and outside Europe. While NATO looks East and South, the EU is also increasingly preoccupied with its hard security. Ukraine remains an important part of the equation, amid other challenges facing the transatlantic...
The New Reality of a Differentiated EU
In the aftermath of the Brexit vote and in the midst of Europe’s ongoing crises, references to a multi-speed Europe, two-tier EU, or variable geometry have moved from the fringes to the political mainstream. These suggestions for differentiated integration (DI) would mean that groups of member states can choose to move forward on...
Perceptions of Democracy and Governance in the West
On both sides of the Atlantic, recent elections and referenda reflect a groundswell of populist sentiment, highlighting public dissatisfaction with the status quo, rejection of the establishment, and a desire to “take back control.” GMF experts offer their analysis on the recently released Pew Report, “Transatlantic Dialogues: In Europe and North...
Russian Government’s Fission Know-How Hard at Work in Europe
In May 2016, prominent Russia expert Mark Galeotti warned that “the [Russian] Foreign Intelligence Service and FSB are now especially active in Europe, and the organizations they support include … separatists from Spain to Scotland.” Fast-forward to September of this year: a sophisticated mix of “Kremlin-run outlets, pro-Kremlin or aligned...
Moldova’s Future: East, West, or Somewhere in the Middle?
Moldova, located — although often described as “sandwiched” — between Romania and Ukraine, faces a crossroads. It aspires both to be a part of Europe within the EU’s Eastern Partnership, yet feels pressure from Russia and instability due to the Russia-backed separatist area of Transnistria on Moldova’s border with Ukraine. As one of...
In Spite of It All, America
Photo Credit: Andrew Linscott / Shutterstock A Transatlantic Manifesto in Times of Donald Trump — A German Perspective 1. International Order — the new German–American conflict of interests One of the new German government’s premier challenges will be to manage the transatlantic relationship during Donald Trump’s presidency. Its...
