AGI

Foreign Policy

Today, Germany stands at the center of Europe and is the most influential member of the European Union. Germany is a key partner of the U.S. in its most important international relationships. There is no other country with which the U.S. shares a stronger mix of interests and values on twenty-first century challenges.
Reset

The AfD’s New Transatlantic Network

Tracking the AfD’s Engagement with the United States As the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has gained support domestically—exemplified by 20.8 percent of the vote in the 2025 Bundestag election—they have …

Merz’s Initiative on Ukraine’s EU Membership

Will He Follow Through? Chancellor Merz sees anchoring Ukraine in Europe as a security imperative for both sides and wants to move forward quickly to do so. He will try …

Episode 148: Weaponized Interdependence in a Changing International System

The United States has exploited strategic networks and dependencies to its advantage in foreign policy. As the international system has transformed, more countries seek to play at the game of …

The Bundeswehr as the Center of Europe’s Conventional Forces

Germany’s new military strategy unveiled in a paper of the Federal Ministry of Defense dated April 2026 is an answer to Trump’s challenge of NATO and America’s more fundamental cultural …

AGI Asks: Assessing the First Year of the Merz Government

Friedrich Merz was sworn in as Germany’s chancellor on May 6, 2025. The country faces its biggest challenges in a generation: a sluggish economy, Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine, a …

U.S. Troop Withdrawal from Europe: AGI Expert Analysis in the Media

On April 29, U.S. President Donald Trump said the administration was reviewing troop numbers in Europe, and on May 1, the Pentagon announced the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany. …

Episode 145: Transatlantic Fractures and the Future of U.S. Relations with Europe

The United States is reevaluating its place in the world, not only because of President Trump. The metamorphosis in American politics is affecting U.S. foreign policy profoundly, as well as …

The With-Limits Partnership

The March 3 visit of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to Washington was planned well before the launch of the American and Israeli war on Iran. While the U.S. military action …

Merz Aims to Improve Coordination, Shore up Party Support with Chancellery Shakeup

In office just eight months, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has replaced his once closest aide as part of an effort to demonstrate his focus on economic reform, improve coordination between …

Episode 139: The German-Polish Relationship amid Changing European Security Challenges

The European security landscape is shifting. The United States is pressuring Europe to manage the defense of its region, and many NATO allies have growing doubts about the long-term reliability …

A Disastrous Year in German-American Relations

2025 will surely go down as the worst in German-American relations since World War II. To be sure, there have been many deep disagreements since the formation of the German-American …

Episode 138: The Trump Administration, the AfD, and German Foreign Policy

Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been known for its foreign policy embrace of Russia and China, but in recent months, the party has turned its sights on building ties …

The Minilateral Turn in Transatlantic Security Cooperation?

How Minilateralism Fits into Trump’s Deal-Making Foreign and Security Policy Only two weeks after the re-election of Donald J. Trump as the forty-seventh president of the United States, the defense …

Episode 137: Friedrich Merz: Foreign Policy Chancellor

Chancellor Merz has received praise internationally for many German foreign policy and defense initiatives in 2025: suspending the “debt brake” to allow for more security investments, expanding the Bundeswehr, committing …