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Marek Swierczynski: Regional cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe has changed direction. Recent years have witnessed the Visegrad Group practically disintegrate due to a lack of common positions on important issues in European and global politics. The result is that countries like Poland have shifted alliances, trying to link new EU and NATO members with EU and NATO hopefuls.
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Djörn Eversteijn: NATO's reliance on its global partnerships may seem innocuous today - even helpful, in fact. Contributions in Afghanistan from a diverse array of nations, such as Australia and South Korea, are seen as indispensable in security and reconstruction efforts. Until a full commitment by member states is exhibited, though, NATO's long-term credibility is in danger.
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Francisco J. Ruiz: It is time to examine relations between Russia, the US, and the EU. With emerging global threats, there are areas in which these three can cooperate in defense and security. All three actors must change their policies enabling more collaboration on these issues.
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Jackson Janes & Tim Stuchtey: Drastic differences exist between the political party systems in the US and Germany. A German might be shocked to learn that many Americans believe the most capable candidates for political office are the ones who make decisions on the basis of high moral integrity. Americans might be taken aback by the German notion of a party program.
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Thorsten Benner & Lars Zimmermann: Germany lacks an informed and responsible debate on the country’s engagement in Afghanistan. The looming populism of the 2009 election year is set to make matters even worse. Politicians and the media must prevent this from happening.
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John Mathiason: The Copenhagen Conference will hopefully produce a successor to the Kyoto Protocol; but then the real work begins. Independent organizations will be necessary to tackle adaptation and mitigation requirements, while ensuring, through effective monitoring, that states comply. Self-policing is not an option.
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Dale Medearis: Following the collapse of a cap-and-trade climate bill in the US, it is evident that any substantive policies will begin at the local and state levels. Fortunately, this also happens to be the level at which the US and Germany can pursue very solid and mutually beneficial cooperation.
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From the Editorial Team: The current financial crisis has sent economists, politicians, and citizens alike scrambling to find solutions. In the US and Europe, expert opinion is divided on how to revamp the economy. How should the United States, the EU, the private sector, and others respond to this international situation?
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Thomas Speckmann: To Western democracies, the idea of war privatization is still largely associated with the reign of warlords in Africa and Afghanistan. However, privatization is also sneaking into Western warfare. This new financial aspect of war needs to be regulated on a national and global scale.
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Ralf Fuecks: There is a tendency to ignore discomfiting facts so as not to disturb good relations with Russia. This approach, which borders on Russian blackmail, is a categorical failure. Moscow needs to be integrated into the EU fold; but at the same time, the EU must be willing to evince a willingness to face the right conflict at the right time.
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