SinoTech
U.S., China to Resume Trade Talks, but Obstacles Remain
Rachel Brown, Preston Lim Wed, Sep 11, 2019, 2:02 PM
U.S., China to Resume Trade Talks, but Obstacles Remain
Latest in Germany
Drones
German Courts Weigh Legal Responsibility for U.S. Drone Strikes
Emma DiNapoli Thu, Apr 4, 2019, 9:18 AM
On March 13 and 14, a German court considered two challenges to the U.S. drone program in the Middle East and East Africa. Both cases, brought before the Higher Administrative Court of North Rhine-Westphalia in Münster, assert that Germany bears legal responsibility for the consequences of U.S.-led drone strikes in Yemen and Somalia that were conducted from the U.S. Air Force’s Ramstein base, located in southwestern Germany.
Foreign Policy Essay
Germany’s Strategic Repositioning
Gunther Hellmann Sun, Oct 14, 2018, 10:00 AM
Editor’s Note: For many years, Germany and the United States cooperated to advance mutual foreign policy goals while Germany embedded itself in the European Union. This mutually beneficial arrangement is now in crisis as the Trump administration questions the German alliance and as Europe turns on itself. Gunther Hellmann of the University of Frankfurt gives us a picture of Germany at a crossroads and discusses the perils of each possible path.
Daniel Byman
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Germany
Germany’s Position on International Law in Cyberspace
Nele Achten Tue, Oct 2, 2018, 1:47 PM
In February 2018, the German government’s network was attacked. Germany did not specify what kind of information was accessed by the foreign hackers, but it is publicly known that the hackers successfully attacked the IT system of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Western Europe
The New German Coalition: A Government if You Can Keep It
Shannon Togawa Mercer Sun, Mar 4, 2018, 4:49 PM
After five months of uncertainty, the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) are going to give their uneasy marriage another try.
Western Europe
What’s Next for the Bundestag, Merkel and Germany’s Security Policies?
Shannon Togawa Mercer Mon, Sep 25, 2017, 10:16 PM
The results of the German federal election this weekend were at once unsurprising and worrisome.
Western Europe
Happy German Election Day: What to Expect as the EU’s Dominant Power Goes to the Polls
Shannon Togawa Mercer Sun, Sep 24, 2017, 7:00 AM
German voters go to the polls Sunday in an election well worth close American attention. As with the French election in the spring and the British snap election in June, the German federal electorate is wrestling with the pull of a right-wing party in the face of mass migration and sweeping security threats.
Intelligence Oversight
New Rules for SIGINT Collection in Germany: A Look at the Recent Reform
Thorsten Wetzling Fri, Jun 23, 2017, 3:00 PM
Those following the Section 702 reauthorization debate may be interested in Germany’s recent intelligence reforms. One aspect of particular interest—which I also focus on in a new paper—is new limits on the collection of data from non-nationals outside of Germany, enforced in part by a new judicial oversight mechanism.
Context: Germany’s recent intelligence reform process
Middle East Ticker
Qatar Cut Off by Diplomatic Rift, Syrian Forces Begin Attack on Raqqa, Germany Withdraws Troops from Turkish Airbase
J. Dana Stuster Tue, Jun 6, 2017, 10:20 AM
Saudi Arabia and Others Sever Diplomatic Ties with Qatar
Going Dark
Germany’s Crypto Past and Hacking Future
Sven Herpig, Stefan Heumann Thu, Apr 13, 2017, 10:08 AM
Germany’s latest national cyber security strategy emphasizes “security through encryption” and “security despite encryption” as the main pillars of the government’s crypto policy. If you see a controdiction here, you are not alone.