AGI

Memory Politics

Germany’s approach to acknowledging and providing redress for past crimes has offered other nations around the world a guide to reconciliation. While Germany’s efforts resulted from a unique situation and are not considered a blueprint for other nations to emulate, they have nevertheless informed and impacted other countries dealing with the difficult processes of memory, commemoration, and rebuilding bilateral relationships.
Reset

From the AGI Bookshelf: The Passage to Europe

The effort to create a European community of nations and peoples is one of the most important experiments in world history. On a continent shaped by war and conflict for …

Academic Opportunity: Societies in Transition. Former Soviet Union and East Central Europe between Conflict and Reconciliation

Currently accepting applications and papers, the International Summer School “Societies in Transition. Former Soviet Union and East Central Europe between Conflict and Reconciliation” will be held from August 22-28, 2014  …

Twentieth Century Milestones in 2014

On Sunday, February 9, 2014, The Globalist republished “2014: Marking Twentieth Century Milestones” by AGI President Dr. Jackson Janes. In the essay, Dr. Janes discusses the historical significance of prominent …

The Dynamics of Collective Memory and German Foreign Policy Since Unification

Policy Report 57 In this Policy Report, Ruth Wittlinger, Senior Lecturer in the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University, UK and former DAAD/AGI fellow, discusses the extent …

Shaping Transatlantic Solutions: Challenges of the 2012 and 2013 Elections

The U.S. elections in 2012 and the German elections in 2013 demonstrate that, despite their geographic distance, the two countries are confronted by both similar and shared problems: debt crises, …

Receiving Reconciliation? Invitations from German Cities to Jewish Refugees of National Socialism in the United States

“I don’t have anything to do with Germany anymore, other than the few times that I went there. And that’s very funny, because the first time, my friend who went …

The Impact of Textbook Diplomacy: Refraining from a Too Narrow Assessment

Along with official state apology, financial reparations for victims, and truth commissions, international textbook activities have been a core symbol of reconciliation since the end of World War II. The …

German Unity Day: President Gauck Speaks on Freedom

Marking twenty-three years of one Germany, President Joachim Gauck emphasized German citizens’ and policymakers’ responsibilities both domestically and internationally during his speech in Stuttgart on October 3, 2013. This speech …

The Official German Commitment to Fighting Anti-Semitism

Budapest On May 6, 2013, in a major speech to the World Jewish Congress in Budapest, German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle continued an official German tradition. Like German foreign ministers …

The Franco-German Elysée Treaty at Fifty: A Model for Others?

The fiftieth anniversary of the 1963 Elysée Treaty provides occasion for reflection on the larger meaning of this landmark for Franco-German relations, but also raises the question of whether its …