Publishing Institution: American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research / Political Geography: Berlin

Author:: Ronald W. Reagan
Publication Date:: 11-2009
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
Abstract:: In 1988, as he was about to step down as president, Ronald Reagan received the Francis Boyer Award, AEI's highest honor. He chose for the theme of his speech that December evening, eleven months before the Berlin Wall fell, the struggle of people everywhere for freedom. In his speech, he anticipated the momentous events that would occur in 1989: “So while our hopes today are for a new era, let us remember that if that new era is indeed upon us, there was nothing inevitable about it. It was the result of hard work—and of resolve and sacrifice on the part of those who love freedom and dare to strive for it.” Freedom works, he said. He saluted the Solzhenitsyns, the Sakharovs, and the Sharanskys, saying, “We have seen the thrilling spectacle of mankind refusing to accept the shackles placed upon us.” As we recall the events of November 1989, it is important to remember the struggle and to recommit ourselves to the hard work of extending freedom to those who have yet to enjoy its blessings.
Topic:: Conflict Resolution, Cold War, and Power Politics
Political Geography:: Russia, United States, and Berlin

Author:: Michael S. Greve
Publication Date:: 10-2005
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
Abstract:: Berlin is far from Baghdad, and the Germans at least want to keep it that way. But for all the obvious differences, Germany's inconclusive election results and the impending constitutional referendum in Iraq point to some identical obstacles to effective and constitutional government. These obstacles are proportional representation and “cooperative federalism.” As it happens, well-meaning UN officials, NGOs, and U.S. advisers have been urging these constitutional arrangements upon numerous fledgling democracies, including Iraq. That may not be good advice.
Topic:: Government and United Nations
Political Geography:: United States, Iraq, Europe, Middle East, Baghdad, Germany, and Berlin

Author:: Thomas Donnelly
Publication Date:: 12-2004
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
Abstract:: One of the key questions for the second term of the Bush administration is how to reposture U.S. military forces both at home and abroad. Fifteen years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, these forces resemble nothing so much as a smaller version of their Cold War selves, in many ways improved but hardly “transformed”— to use Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's mantra—let alone optimized for the missions they face today and are most likely to face in the near future. While the idea of “force posture” includes factors beyond basing, the tyrannies of time and distance still do much to shape the character of war. The value of bases is as the value of other real estate: it all comes down to location, location, location.
Topic:: Security, Foreign Policy, and National Security
Political Geography:: United States and Berlin

Author:: Leon Aron
Publication Date:: 01-2001
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
Abstract:: The Berlin Wall fell eleven years ago, and nine years have passed since Boris Yeltsin launched the Russian economic revolution by abolishing state control over prices. Although minuscule in historic terms, the time elapsed still furnishes a wealth of data for a provisional analysis of the key factors that shaped the political, economic, and social character of post-Communist nations. The same structural variables may help gauge the future—at least in the short to medium term.
Topic:: Democratization, Economics, and Emerging Markets
Political Geography:: Russia, Europe, Asia, and Berlin

Refine your search