Human rights vs. security? The EU’s secular international identity from a transatlantic perspective

This paper is a very first attempt to explore the EU’s secular identity as it is constructed through the EU’s external relations and in comparison to its main transatlantic partner, and ‘other’, the US. It primarily aims at understanding how the EU and the US interpret the role of religion in their foreign policies and whether and how their interpretations resemble or differ from each other. Against the background of debates on the EU’s international role identity and based on a discursive approach, the paper analyzes official documents produced by EU and US foreign policy institutions in their relationship with predominantly Muslim states in which religion is political salient, such as Nigeria and Pakistan. The results suggest a relatively similar relevance of religion in EU and US foreign policy but differences in how issues of religion are framed. Whereas for the EU, religion is primarily a human rights as well as a security issue, which mainly contributes to political problems, the US primarily securitizes religion but also sees it more frequently as a resource for solving problems. EU institutions, especially the European Parliament, as well as the US Congress represent Islam and Muslims much more often in a negative way than Christians, while the US administration pursues a more balanced approach

What did the German federal election mean for equality and diversity in the Bundestag?

How diverse is the new Bundestag following Germany’s federal election on 26 September? Anne Jenichen writes that despite the share of women and the share of representatives with a minority background increasing by a small margin, there is still a long way to go before the Bundestag is genuinely representative of the citizens it is intended to represent

Cologne and the ‘sexism of the other’: why tougher migration policies won’t solve sexual abuse

Sexual assaults, theft and violence occurred in several European cities on New Year’s Eve, most notably in Cologne. Anne Jenichen discusses the debate that ensued following the incidents, criticising the focus on the race of the perpetrators in much of the subsequent discourse. She argues that restricting immigration won’t solve the problem of sexual assault, which is a global issue with a strong incidence in western Europe

A Transatlantic Secular Divide?:The Representation of Religion in EU and US Foreign Policy

It is a common – often stereotypical – presumption that Europe is secular and America religious. Differences in international religious freedom and religious engagement policies on both sides of the Atlantic seem to confirm this “cliché”. This article argues that to understand why it has been easier for American supporters to institutionalise these policies than for advocates in the EU, it is important to consider the discursive structures of EU and US foreign policies, which enable and constrain political language and behaviour. Based on the analysis of foreign policy documents, produced by the EU and the US in their relationship with six religiously diverse African and Asian states, the article compares how both international actors represent religion in their foreign affairs. The analysis reveals similarities in the relatively low importance that they attribute to religion and major differences in how they represent the contribution of religion to creating and solving problems in other states. In sum, the foreign policies of both international actors are based on a secular discursive structure, but that of the US is much more accommodative towards religion, including Islam, than that of the EU

Real structure of lattice matched GaAs-Fe3Si core-shell nanowires

GaAs nanowires and GaAs-Fe3Si core-shell nanowire structures were grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on oxidized Si(111) substrates and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Ga droplets were formed on the oxide surface, and the semiconducting GaAs nanowires grew epitaxially via the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism as single-crystals from holes in the oxide film. We observed two stages of growth of the GaAs nanowires, first the regular growth and second the residual growth after the Ga supply was finished. The magnetic Fe3Si shells were deposited in an As-free chamber. They completely cover the GaAs cores although they consist of small grains. High-resolution TEM micrographs depict the differently oriented grains in the Fe3Si shells. Selected area diffraction of electrons and XRD gave further evidence that the shells are textured and not single crystals. Facetting of the shells was observed, which lead to thickness inhomogeneities of the shells.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure

Between global ambitions and local change:how multi-level cooperation advances norm implementation in weak states

The purpose of this article is to investigate in which ways multi-level actor cooperation advances national and local implementation processes of human rights norms in weak-state contexts. Examining the cases of women’s rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina and children’s rights in Bangladesh, we comparatively point to some advantages and disadvantages cooperative relations between international organisations, national governments and local NGOs can entail. Whereas these multi-level actor constellations (MACs) usually initiate norm implementation processes reliably and compensate governmental deficits, they are not always sustainable in the long run. If international organisations withdraw support from temporary missions or policy projects, local NGOs are not able to perpetuate implementation activities if state capacities have not been strengthened by MACs. Our aim is to highlight functions of local agency within multi-level cooperation and to critically raise sustainability issues in human rights implementation to supplement norm research in International Relations

How to be "Wunderbar Together":Strengthening the U.S.-German relationship through civil society cooperation

AICGS is pleased to present the written results of the third and final year of its project “A German-American Dialogue of the Next Generation: Global Responsibility, Joint Engagement.” The six authors together with several other young Americans and Germans engaged with each other during the course of 2018-2019 in discussions to identify solutions to global issues of concern for the transatlantic relationship. The purpose of the project is to emphasize the important role of the next generation of transatlantic leaders and experts and to give them a platform and voice in the critical dialogue of crucial global issues that require joint transatlantic attention and solutions. The project participants come from a variety of disciplines and have a wide array of expertise. Representing the three AICGS program areas—Foreign & Domestic Policy; Geoeconomics; and Society, Culture & Politics—the participants formulated a set of recommendations that were presented in a variety of venues and through innovative means. The essays presented in this Policy Report summarize the outcome of a year-long engagement with current critical transatlantic issues, which include challenges and opportunities related to the digital transformation, the future of work and education of the workforce, the rise of China as a global player, the growing influence of Russia, populism, the energy transition, European defense capabilities, transatlantic security cooperation, the inclusion of minority and immigrant populations, as well as the role of civil society in strengthening the transatlantic alliance