Publications

The Politics of Gun Control in the United States

The Arizona assassinations and the assassination attempt on Representative Gabrielle Giffords have again focused attention on U.S. gun control laws, which are among the most permissive in the developed world. With 4 in 10 Americans reporting to own a gun, and polls showing that Americans are roughly equally divided between those who want stricter gun laws and those who want to keep gun laws as they are, the public opinion itself seems split on how best to address gun control policies.

Die Tea-Party

Gruppierungen, Hintermänner und Wahlerfolg

Der Wahlkampf 2010 war von einer Gruppe besonders geprägt:der Tea-Party. Die Bewegung mobilisierte und unterstützteKandidaten und richtete ihren Zorn auf Barrack Obama, NancyPelosi und Harry Reid. Vor allem die Medienpräsenz derSenatskandidaten war enorm. Kaum ein Tag verging ohneMeldungen über den Senatswahlkampf zwischen Sharron Angleund dem Senator Harry in Nevada. Die von der Tea-Partyunterstützte Herausforderin verlor, ungeachtet der Führung insämtlichen Umfragen knapp gegen den DemokratischenMehrheitsführer im Senat.

Tea Party Candidates and the 112th Congress: Time for Change

The increased government spending that occurred in late 2008 and early 2009 to bail out major U.S. corporations and attempt to jump-start the economy concerned many Americans and helped fuel the Tea Party movement, leading to significant Democratic losses in Congress in the midterm elections. Tea Party backed congressional members will now have to espouse their ideas regarding how best to move the economy forward, produce jobs, lower overall government spending and reduce the national debt while staying true to the Tea Party ideals.

State Department Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review

Consultation Draft

The U.S. State Department, under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, planned its first-ever Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR). Its goal, as stated in this draft version obtained by the Washington Post, is "to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of State and USAID in delivering results for the American taxpayer, by modernizing their capabilities and aligning their efforts as core pillars of America’s civilian power". The report lays out strategies for U.S. foreign aid and diplomacy to function together.

Could She Reach the Top in 2012? You Betcha

“THE perception I had, anyway, was that we were on top of the world,” Sarah Palin said at theclimax of last Sunday’s premiere of her new television series, “Sarah Palin’s Alaska.” At thatpoint our fearless heroine had just completed a perilous rock climb, and if she looked as if she’djust stepped out of a spa instead, don’t expect her fans to question the reality. For them, Palin’sperception is the only reality that counts.

Europe and America, Aligned for the Future

With this week’s NATO and United States-European Union summit meetings in Lisbon, I am proud to have visited Europe a half-dozen times as president. This reflects an enduring truth of American foreign policy — our relationship with our European allies and partners is the cornerstone of our engagement with the world, and a catalyst for global cooperation.

NATO's Milestone Lisbon Summit

The upcoming NATO summit in Lisbon this weekend promises to be significantboth for an American-backed plan for withdrawing allied troops fromAfghanistan by the end of 2014 and for the presence of Russian President DmitryMedvedev. Medvedev's willingness to join the summit is an important moment,says Robert E. Hunter, U.S. ambassador to NATO from 1993 to 1998, signalingthat Russia is interested in playing "a positive role in the future of Europeansecurity" and might even join the new missile defense plan that's on the table.

The G20-Summit in Korea - Reactions from the U.S.

Abdication of Power

During the G20-Summit in Seoul the expectation was that global imbalances, currency values and financial regulation would bring leaders together to form a consensus on how best to move forward in the lasting global financial crisis. However, when world leaders failed to agree, declaring at the end of the summit that they would work to tackle global economic tensions and vulnerabilities, they heightened rather than lowered the fears of expanding currency wars and trade protectionism.

The Perils of Proximity

China-Japan Security Relations

Das chinesisch-japanische Verhältnis ist historisch gesehen ein sehr problematisches. Zwei Kriege haben die jüngere Geschichte der beiden Staaten und ihre Beziehung zueinander geprägt und beeinflussen noch immer die Politik der ehemaligen Rivalen.

Midterm Elections in den USA - Konfrontation oder Kooperation?

Zwei Jahre nach seinem glanzvollen Sieg bei den Präsidentenwahlen 2008 hat Präsident Barack Obama eine heftige Wahlniederlage einstecken müssen. Zwar stand sein Name auf keinem der Wahlzettel. Die Wähler haben diese Zwischenwahlen jedoch vor allem als eine Gelegenheit empfunden, dem Präsidenten eine Botschaft zu übermitteln: dass sie mit der aktuellen politischen und insbesondere wirtschaftlichen Situation des Landes höchst unzufrieden sind.