Carnival of German-American Relations

Defense spending
For almost four decades the Munich Conference on Security Policy has been a unique informal forum for military issues with high-ranking representatives from many very different countries. This year Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld listed the many terrorist attacks before and after 9/11, compared the "war on terrorism" with the "Cold War" and appreciated that Chancellor Merkel labeled terrorism "the greatest challenge to our security in the 21st century." Like most US politicians in recent years, Secretary Rumsfeld urged the continental European NATO members to contribute more ressources to defense:

Merkel's Atlantic Crossing
Angela Merkel passed the acid test: her first US visit as German chancellor proved her ability to please disparate audiences without causing offense. With amazing speed Merkel established her authority in Germany by forging a national consensus on economic policy, and in Europe by leading the way out of the EU budget impasse. Germany’s economic policy may be deeply flawed, and the EU budget consensus may not hold; yet for now Merkel is seen as a surprising political success. In Washington she broke new ground, or rather re-conquered ground abandoned by the blustery Gerhard Schröder. Surely but subtly Merkel is nudging Berlin’s foreign policy a bit closer to the US-UK Atlantic Alliance, delicately relaxing links with the Franco-Russian entente that so entrances Schröder. The question is: can she manage these power relations to strengthen US-German relations without weakening Germany’s role in Europe. If history offers any guidance, the answer is yes.

German Anti-Americanism and What to Do About It
When the Germans and other Europeans succeed in making us try to please and appease them, THEY ARE CONTROLLING the United States. In other words, Europe is still trying to rule the world, now like the wizard manipulating the Great Oz. Considering their bloody track record, that bodes ill for the world. It's much safer and better off with awesome power of the United States in the good hands of the American people.

Whose Side is Germany On?
Germany is supposed to be our ally, but there seems to be nothing in their recent actions to prove that this is true. In fact, one can say that Germany is actively working against the US, on many fronts. The main European powers (especially Old Europe) have long thought that the US is a too-powerful influence in the world and that there is no counterbalance to keep the power of the US in check since the Soviet Union fell apart. Their actions might also be some sort of subconscious payback for Germany’s defeat by the US in WWII, and WWI for that matter. Or it can just be simple economics. Their economy sucks and ours does not.

Berlin still having trouble remembering stuff
The natives are generally obsessed with something called Vergangenheitsbewaeltigung (getting a grip on the past) and, I must say, I see it as being one of their finest qualities...

Gringo!
Submitted to Carnival of German-American RelationsBefore I begin, apologies to friendly bloggers Statler Waldorf who run the German part of this blog carnival: I prefer to write something for the American reader, hopefully supporting the transatlantic dialogue. Nevertheless I strongly recommend all English-language readers use Google Translate to get

Driving a Wedge of Hostility Between America and Europe
The GOAL is to infuriate us -- to drive a wedge of hostility between America and Europe by being so hostile as to evoke hostility in return. (They incite hostility to American business too.) When we pull out, there will be a big sucking sound as a gigantic power vacume forms. And guess who's ready to fill it? France, Germany, and Russia again. Then they can start throwing their weight around again, like seven-foot-tall basketball players elbowing each other under the hoop. The little guys will just have to take it, and everything will go back to internecine European politics-as-usual before World War I. This is why Prime Minister Blair promised to serve as a "bridge" between America and Europe. He even spoke to Congress about it on July 18, 2003.

Americans Anonymous
Keep Your Hopes Up, Overseas Americans, Help Is Available! "Hello, my name is Eric, and I'm an American." "HELLO, ERIC!" "I used to be embarrassed to admit I carried a U.S. passport, and ashamed in turn to be embarrassed about that. These dark secrets led to feelings of guilt and to an evil circle from which I couldn 't escape. That's when I discovered AA (Americans Anonymous)… "Thanks to this 12-step group, and to the fellowship of like-minded people, I have learned true humility. I have had to face up to the truth. The sad and uncomfortable truth. I now realize that as Americans, we cannot, and never will, measure up to Europeans (among others) in the areas of honesty, generosity, tolerance, solidarité (en français dans le texte), clear-mindedness, humanitarianism, infinite wisdom, true democracy, world peace, and the love of one's fellow man. "Yes, unfortunately, I must confess the truth, there's no use denying it: I'm an American. That means I am not intelligent enough to realize the gravest dangers threatening mankind today are Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and a rodent named Mickey. It means I am too simple-minded to realize that modern European society represents the pinnacle of brotherhood (or is on the path thereto). It means I am

The Nazi Slur
Why do we call each other "Nazis?" Why is that the quick-draw insult to hurl in modern American politics? Some easy answers come to mind, especially if you consider the other candidates. "Nazis" and not "commies," for instance, because even though the communist governments in various lands have been just as deeply tainted by most of the atrocities charged to the Nazis (and some of them much more deeply), many Americans still brush off "commie" as a comical relic of McCarthyite extremism.

Oh yeah almost forgot. And death to Germany, too!
Is the cartoon controversy still going on? Does it matter? At least it's good to know that we (the USA) are not entirely alone anymore when it comes to being wished to death...

In my opinion, we need each other
Americans need the cooperation and friendship of Europeans, and vice versa. Whether the mechanism for that mutual support is to be a reformed and re-invigorated United Nations, an expanded role for NATO, or some other alliance, the future of Western civilization is at stake.

European culture and civilization is worth preserving.
European civilization and culture is worth preserving. Where has its vigor and energy gone? Why the dhimmitude?

Friedrich Wilhelm Wagner and the Death Penalty
Last December marked the 1000th execution in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in 1977. The event has received considerable notice in the international press, including The Washington Post and Der Spiegel. As Michael Naumann remarked

Clashing Mindsets
When I went to Germany to snatch my Little Rib away from "evil socialism", she was excited at first. America! Land of opportunities! Land of Ben Affleck! Land of shopping 24/7! Her enthusiasm soon gave way to the bitter realization that most people actually speak English and rarely understand German. "This stinks!" she told me, in German, of course. "I know. I feel the same way, but give it some time and your English will improve." “And have you noticed how Americans pronounce Volkswagen? They don’t even try to get it right!” “Yes, it’s horrible.” “Does the rest of America know that it gets this hot here in Las Vegas? And what is the government going to do about it?” “Nothing, Schnuckie. You just have to learn to live with it.” “They could at least pay the power bill, considering we have to run the A/C all day and all night. This is outrageous!” “I don’t think Bush is concerned about that right now.” Speaking of Bush. When I first met my Little Rib she was as anti-Bush as one could ever be. It didn’t really surprise me, because it was one of those realities that I had to face every time I traveled to Germany. It’s almost impossible to find a person who doesn’t have anything bad to say about the President of the United States. Well, you learn to live with it, and most important: You learn to keep your mouth shut if you don’t want to get into an argument. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never had a problem standing up for my new home, but it wears on you having to go through the same discussions over and over again. In addition to that oftentimes there wasn’t really any interest in honest discussions. To me it seemed as if people were just trying to vent their anger. Thank God my Little Rib

The Weimar Diaspora and American Political Thought
In thinking about a contribution to the Carnival of US-German Relations which the Fulbrighters over at the Atlantic Review have organized, it occurred to me that German influence on American political thought has never been greater. The ghosts of the

A Little Even-handedness Would Be Nice
The recent news about possible assistance to the US Military planners coming from German BND agents in Baghdad represents a cause for reflection. The uproar about this issue in the German media speaks volumes about the overall attitude of German society. There are several root questions about this story, and about the reaction to it in Germany.

In denial
Germany and the United States may not always agree upon everything, but even when they do agree, or might, or even could, they just can’t. Or simply won’t. Not unless they can deny having done so afterwards, that is.

Germany Frees Terrorist; Hostage Set Free; Coincidence?
Ten days ago Germany set a Lebanese Hizbollah highjacker who murdered U.S. Navy diver Robert Dean Stethem in Beirut. Stethem was beaten, tortured-the real kind-then shot and throw out onto the tarmac. He was on TWA flight number 847 from Athens, Greece to Rome, Italy. This was in 1985, and the USA has been trying to pursuade Germany to release him to US custody ever since. Germany has not complied, and now they have let him free before his parole hearing. He would have been back in Beruit earlier, but the assassination of journalist Gebran Tueni. I wonder, were they involved in this also?

Iran Review: America, Europe, and Japan at Crossroads to Deal With Nuclear Theocracy
It is my pleasure to submit the first issue of “The Iran Review” to the German-American blog carnival. As mentioned in the previous notice, this is a new project on this blog. In this post, I am going to explore policy gaps and cooperation among the United States, EU 3, and Japan. It is worth to note that America and Europe are acting closer on Iran, though they split on Iraq. While the transatlantic rift is being repaired, Japan does not articulate its stance on Iran. Will this disturb the common front of the Western alliance? I will discuss policy options, including military actions, diplomatic negotiations, and sanctions. It is necessary to talk of Western assistance to Iranian civil resistance when I discuss this issue. Nonetheless importantly, we need to understand the nature of current theocracy in Iran.

Rushing to Judge America: A Blinding German Obsession
In the repeated rush to judge the United States from the moral mountaintops of Europe, most German media have long forgotten Saddam Hussein's reign of terror. A morbid obsession with American crimes, real and perceived, has replaced most authentic concern for international human rights. And the contrast couldn't be more extreme: While the German government busily promotes German industry at annual trade fairs in Khartoum, the German media quietly looks the other way as the Sudanese government continues its campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing in Darfur. On the other hand, when previously unseen photos of Abu Ghraib recently emerged, the German media had an absolute field day. SPIEGEL ONLINE came out with a particularly exploitative cover and finger-wagging editorials popped up like so many mushrooms.

Der "Weltspiegel" - die Realitaet der US-Berichterstattung in den deutschen Medien
Der "Weltspiegel" ist eine TV-Magazin der ARD, dem bedeutendsten deutschen Public TV channel. Die Auslandskorrespondenten der ARD berichten darin ueber internationale Themen, die fuer deutsche Zuschauer von Interesse sein koennten. Die Berichterstattung ueber die USA, speziell über die Politik der U.S. Regierung, entspricht hoechsten journalistischen Standards, sie ist objektiv, ausgewogen und um sachliche Information bemueht. Was natuerlich nur als ironische Aussage gemeint ist.. Die Berichte des "Weltspiegel" aus den USA werden ganz überwiegend von einer arrogant-kritischen Pose der moralischen Überlegenheit und der Besserwisserei geprägt, die für die deutsche Linke seit dem Vietnam-Krieg zur Routine geworden ist. Im "Weltspiegel" erscheinen konservative pro-Bush Amerikaner als naive Trottel, denen nur dann Anerkennung gezollt wird, wenn sie sich zu Kritikern des Irak-Krieges wandeln. Linke Bush-Kritiker erhalten hingegen stets wohlwollend Gelegenheit zur Darstellung ihrer Positionen. Die Irak-Strategie der U.S.-Regierung wird selbstverständlich - wir sind hier schließlich im German public tv - für gescheitert erklärt, die Moral der U.S.-Soldaten im Irak (und ihrer Angehörigen in den USA) sinkt angeblich auf nie gesehene Tiefs, und natürlich hat die U.S.-Regierung alle Welt über die WMD im Irak belogen.

The day I woke as pro-American, part I
One morning, I woke as a pro-American. Now, considering my nationality, you can probably imagine, that I was in serious trouble. I suddenly got an idea of the situation Gregor Samsa from Kafka's novel The Metamorphosis found himself in: "One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin." Pro-american! How low can you get? How could that happen? In order to answer this questions, I had to investigate my own personal history. This investigation resulted in the following: I grew up with american TV series like Dynasty, Denver Clan, Hart to Hart and The Fall Guy (my favorite; I didn't hardly miss an episode) etc. Those series didn't coin my views about the U.S., though. I knew that it was only fiction." http://pursuitofserenity.blogspot.com/2005/12/day-i-woke-as-pro-american-part-i.html

Darfur, Diplomacy & the European Media
David's Medienkritik has a short but telling note about our allies in Germany: "In the repeated rush to judge the United States from the moral mountaintops of Europe, most German media have long forgotten Saddam...

Germany loses the brightest minds to the US
From the blog Atlantic Review, is this recent post on Germany's best and brightest increasingly leaving for the greener pastures of America and Canada (and Switzerland; many German physicians come across the border for the higher wages and better wor...

Ready...Aim...Fire!
Afghanistan and Iraq. Very different issues -- one simple, the other complex. Yet European elites destroyed their credibility on the Iraq issue, in advance, by their irrational opposition to our intervention in Afghanistan.

Heile dich, Deutschland!
Dieser Beitrag basiert auf meiner englischsprachigen Arbeit Anti-Americanism in Europe: a historic disease, die demnächst veröffentlicht wird. Er ist auch ein Beitrag für den Blog Karneval zu den deutsch-amerikanischen Beziehungen. In Deutschland he...

Anti-Americanism: Don't be afraid, it's only business!
Wer einmal in die USA reist und Washington DC besucht, sollte einmal das Pentagon besuchen - das liegt natürlich, genau genommen, im benachbarten Alexandria, aber sei’s drum. Das Pentagon besitzt eine eigene U-Bahnstation und dort gibt es einen grossen Buchladen. In diesem Buchladen wiederum findet man die wohl grösste Sammlung

Four more days...
.. until the second edition of the Carnival of German-American Relations. Check out the great submissions in the right column. More info about this carnival in English and auf Deutsch.President Reagan giving a speech at the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate,

The day I woke as pro-American, part III
When I headed back to Germany from China, I was looking for news sources to keep me up to date on China related issues. Since the German media outlets and blogs have little to nothing to add to that issue, the only way to keep myself informed was to turn to the Anglo-american China blogosphere, which is actually large and has lots of participants

A Question
Why Is Germany not France? For the past few months France has seen scarce time on the font page of International News that wasn’t somehow related to unrest. While the exact cause of this turmoil is nothing near scientific fact, you really can...

Are we having a Befreiungsschlag yet?
In soccer, I mean - in Fussball (football), of course. You know, Befreiungsschlag as in breakthrough. No, I'm referring to the United States, for crying out loud! The Germans beat the pants off us last Wednesday (4 to 1) and they are celebrating it as a major big-time Befreiungsschlag. And I can't blame them, either, considering their disastrous defeat against Italy recently. They're terribly nervous about the World Cup being hosted here this summer you see, and now they can finally ausatme (exhale, as in relax) again.

The West Wing
In Deutschland lebt man immer noch hinterm Mond, was viele Perlen der in den USA seit einiger Zeit kreativ sprudelnden Fernsehkultur betrifft [...] Ein paar der politisch interessantesten Formate allerdings finden in einer deutschen Medienöffentlichkeit, die Amerika doch sonst so gerne politisch thematisiert, nur Missverständnis oder Desinteresse. [...]