Religious Freedom?

Male circumcision can be dated back to ancient Egypt. It is said that circumcision is performed as a religious sacrifice and as a rite of passage marking a boy's entrance to adulthood. It is a religious law and tradition in Judaism and Islam.

The foreskin is opened and then separated from the glans after inspection. Though anesthesia is an option, many procedures done worldwide are often performed without a specialized circumcision device. Bleeding and infection are the most common complications.

Infant circumcision has been debated over many years. Many medical associations take the position that the parents should determine what is in the best interest of the infant or child, but some think it is unethical to perform the act without the child's consent.

In the U.S., professional associations and legislators lean towards the attitude that circumcision is a non-recommended routine, but they also think there is no need to prohibit the practice.

However, on June 26th, 2012, a court in Cologne, Germany equated the practice of circumcision with inflicting bodily harm on boys too young to consent. It brought an international criticism as an infringement of religious freedom and also caused legal confusion. Due to this case in June, many hospitals in the country, and even in neighboring Austria and Switzerland recommended doctors to refrain from carrying out circumcisions until legal clarity is created.

Later in the year, German lawmakers passed a resolution to ensure that the practice could be carried out safely. "Jewish and Muslim religious life must continue to be possible in Germany."

After passing this law, I thought everyone was happy with this outcome with their right to practice circumcision, but the visiting rabbi, Yona Metzger stated that the proposed compromises that would allow doctors to perform the rite in the presence of mohelim, or the use of anesthesia during the practice were seen as unacceptable because of the sacred significance of the rite, passed down as a decree from God, for Jews.

However, what about the consent of the child? It is no doubt a violation of a child's bodily integrity, and I think it should not be carried out until the boys are much older, at least when they have the knowledge in the procedure and right to choose to do it or not.

"Religious freedom cannot be used as an excuse for carrying out violence against an under-age child," the Bavarian Radio quoted the petition to prosecutors as saying.

Though personally I don't think it is a kind of violence per se, but I do agree that religious freedom shouldn't be abused.

The relationship between Germany and American/Israeli Jews

During my stay in Germany last summer, I met two interesting friends from Israel, who have been working in Berlin for years. From an outsider's perspective, this scene of me sitting outside a coffee shop in Berlin with two Israelis seemed a bit surreal to me at the time. This confusion was caused mostly by the Holocaust films I've watched throughout the years and the American- influenced mentality towards the Nazis.

However, the attitude towards Germany from American Jews and Israeli Jews are very different. As Avi Primor, a former Israeli ambassador to Germany who travels regularly to the United States, has often told the American Jewish groups how good Israeli-German ties have become. "The reaction is often one of shock, pain and indignation." said Mr. Primor. It seems that the American Jewish community has an inclination to preserve Germany as a negative nation.

Curiously, the situation is very different in Israel. A peculiar friendship between the two countries has been born after the Second World War.  36 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations, Germany has become the second most important ally outside the United States, providing significant support in the military, intelligence, economic, and political spheres.

Despite of this continually growing rapprochement, the effort has never been widely advertised. The reconciliation between Germany and American Jews is not being worked on as much as that in Israel.
"American Jews have always been a step or two behind Israel in understanding Germany's postwar evolution," said David A. Harris, the executive director of the American Jewish Committee.

The ties between Germany and Israel have been intensified in recent years. After the United States, Germany is the second biggest ally of Israel, who, after the war, has quietly provided over $50 billion, machinery, and industrial investment. In addition to being military partners, Germany is also, after the United States, the second largest trading partner.

Germany has put great effort in reconciliating the relationship between the two countries. "We feel co-responsible that the existence of Israel be guaranteed, and the political consequence is that, when in doubt, we side with Israel, because that is our unique duty," said Rudolf Dressler, the German ambassador to Israel.

Nevertheless, the quiet rapprochement between Germany and Israel is not well-known outside the two countries. "The recent negotiations on compensation for slave and forced laborers under the Nazis have left bitterness in Germany," said Deidre Berger, director of the American Jewish Committee in Berlin. He went on saying that, "many German companies feel they are being blackmailed by American Jews. On the other side, there's a lot of enduring prejudice in the American Jewish community-- the prejudice that Germany can never be trusted. "

Though with great effort of reparations between Germans and Jews, it seems that effort has been placed unbalanced. After all, the United States has the second largest Jewish population in the world, but Germany has only been predominantly focusing on the reconciliation with Israel. The efforts are seen by Israeli but not so much by American Jews.

Perhaps, after 5 decades of effort in Israel, it is time for the Germans to put more time and effort in their relationship with American Jews. "The coming-together was a long and painful process," said Mr. Merhav, the retired senior diplomat who is also the member of the Mossad and Middle East scholar. "But postwar Germany won over the body politic of Israel through a constant policy of friendship. American Jews, of course, were never exposed to this sort of practical friendship, and I suspect their anger at Germany is also anger at themselves, for they were very late to realize what was going on in Europe."

What do you think, should be done to enhance the relationship between Germans and American Jews? Do you agree that the Germans have not put enough effort in the U.S., as they have done in Israel?
What could be done?




Quotes and data from NYT

John McCain on Policy

I came across an interesting article on the Der Zeit website this afternoon which consists of the German newspaper interviewing John McCain, the Republican Presidential candidate from 2008. In this interview, he discusses his views of current affairs between Egypt and Israel, Syria and more locally, America. What I was surprised by as I read the article was not so much what they talked about, but rather what they didn't say. Admittedly, I'm not the most politically aware human being in America, not even close. But I was interested to see that McCain didn't seem to blame Obama or democrats for anything, but rather just expressed hope that they would make good decisions from here on out. He also admitted weakness in the republican party by agreeing that they have largely underestimated the effects of demographic shifts on their policies. Needless to say, this was not at all what I was expecting to see when I read the article. 

Looking at the article, McCain says that Americans are tired of war and would rather not send ground troops into more war. I can agree with that statement, although I am unsure about the "no-fly zone". Again, I am not the best-informed person in this area, but I don't see how that would necessarily help anything. Thoughts? Does McCain make good points in his discussion of foreign relations? Or is he just saying what the interviewers wanted to hear?

Schleswig-Holstein government unanimously recognizes Roma and Sinti

Roma immigrants protest in front of German parliament, demanding equal rights for German Roma.
(Image courtesy of Der Spiegel Online)

Yesterday, the German state of Schleswig-Holstein unanimously voted to grant Roma and Sinti ethnic minorities protection under the state constitution. German government officers are recognizing this legislative passage as a historic moment because, in previous years, the Christian Democratic Union shot down the measure. After much criticism within the government and from outside organizations, the CDU agreed to vote for the protection of these peoples when it resurfaced on the ballot. With the CDU for the bill, the vote to protect Sinti and Roma became unanimous.

Sinti and Roma have been protected by Germany's federal government since 1995. This passage, however, is completely new in the state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Many Sinti and Roma emigrated to Western Europe from the Balkans, particularly from Macedonia and Serbia. One Roma spokesperson reported that many are leaving Eastern Europe to receive better federal care. Upon applying for asylum, a person could receive as much as €360 per month during the application process. Thus, the migration of Roma and Sinti to Germany has been labelled an economic migration. Because of this title, Christian Social Union member Michael Hartmann is urging German lawmakers to initiate a reform of the country's policies regarding immigration, particularly for economic reasons.

In the United States, immigration is a constant issue of contention. Especially in Southwest border states such as California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, the immigrants from Mexico tend to be treated as a nuisance to the country. Like the German Roma and Sinti groups, Latin Americans seem to be migrating for economic opportunities.

Despite these admirable causes, the U.S. federal government and state governments are still trying to crack down on border control and deal with immigrants who have come here illegally. It is currently being debated whether to grant recent illegal immigrants resident status and to then to tighten security around the border.

How would you propose immigration be dealt with in the U.S.? Is Germany's choice to grant asylum a good model with which to work? Would this protection be granted in the U.S.? Why or why not?

Germany and the Eurozone

The New York Times recently started a discussion about whether or not Germany should stay in the Eurozone. This discussion prompted questions of whether or not it was beneficial to Germany's growing economy to stay in the Eurozone.
    Charles Dumas, chairman of Lombard Street Research, said that by staying in the Eurozone Germany was weakening its economy and undervaluing its labor. In contrast Astrides N. Hatzis, an associate professor of law and economics at the University of Athens, pointed out the costs of Germany leaving the Eurozone, such as having the devalued euro provide competition for an overvalued deutsche mark. He also points out that Germany will lose financial and political investments if they leave. Finally, Stephan Homburg, a professor at Leibniz University, thinks Germany should leave because the legal framework of Europe's common currency has been corrupted, it is costly to stick with the euro, and staying with common currency will poison Europe's political atmosphere even more. 
   I found it really interesting to look at the different views on this subject as well as where the people writing were from. It seems to me like place of origin has a large influence on whether or not one thinks Germany should stay in the Eurozone. 
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/11/12/should-germany-leave-the-euro-zone/germany-should-leave-the-euro-zone

German Programs in the U.S.

What is the most learned language in the U.S.? 

Spanish and French definitely. But what about German? 

Why is there a significant decrease in German programs across the country? 

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, the whole world started to take

an interest on all things German; and German classes in American public schools

saw significant enrollment increases. However, the increase ended by the mid 1990s.

The surge of the powers in the Mideast and China has caused many German programs 

across the country got pushed out of American curriculum. Ever since, the future of German

language across the globe has been a concern for the German government. 

This shift in language learning not only reflects the new surging powers in Asia, 

but also the shift in American demographics. Though the U.S. has always been a 

country built by immigrants, its population has shifted from predominantly White 

to more and more multiracial, and German has never been a popular language 

among the minorities. There is a general impression that German is a difficult language,

and many American students, not only minorities, still associate Germany with the Third Reich 

and the holocaust, a land of blue eyes and blond hair, and beer. Additionally, the U.S. 

is a country of immigrants and foreign-language speakers, but not a country of foreign language 

"learners." Even today, many Americans still don't see the importance of acquiring foreign-language

skills. 

Another reason why the German programs have been gradually pushed out of

American curriculum has to do with the well-financed Chinese government campaign that

tries to expand Mandarin Chinese across the States. "China pursues a very active policy

of subsidies, with the avowed goal of anchoring Chinese instruction in the U.S. educational 

landscape."

So far, German(half a million students) still remains the third most-studied

language in the U.S., after Spanish(more than 7 million students) and French(More than a million). But the decline in enrollments is astounding. A study financed by the federal Department of Education found that only 14 percent of high schools taught German in 2008, down from 24 percent in 1997. 

Nevertheless, not only is there a drop in German language programs, the proportion of high schools teaching French has also dropped from 64 to 46 percent, and the French government also has its own effort to promote student enrollments in French. Even worse, Italian is suspended by The College Board of its Advanced Placement

Test in 2009 due to its low student participation. Interestingly, after subsidized by the Italian government, the program has returned. 

The Think Trans-Atlantic campaign at the UW Germanics department is also an event sponsored by the 

German government and promoted by students of German. However, besides the German film-series and 

the promotion of the campaign within German-related programs(such as the language courses and European Studies

courses), are there other ways to attract new students to learn German? Ideally, a more multiracial classroom? 

I think it is important to show students that Germany is also a multicultural country, that not only Europeans, but also many Asians and Africans speak fluent German. Another important aspect is to perhaps, recruit more younger generation

German teachers that represent the "young Germany." In this way, the students can relate more with their teachers. 

The UW Germanics department does a good job in this aspect, which exchange students from Germany not only come 

here to study, but also gain experience in teaching. 

European Leaders React to Obama's Re-Election

In light of Tuesday's election I thought I'd post a gallery of quotes from European leaders about Obama's Re-election. Most European leaders were pleased with Obama's Re-election, saying that he shared many of the same foreign policy values as Europe and had more similar ideals than a right wing president would have. 

Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she is pleased that Germany and the U.S. can continue to work together and overcome foreign and economic challenges as friends and allies. European Parliament President Martin Schulz said that the U.S. and the EU had much more that unites them than what separates them. 

   

German President Joachim Gauck also said that the U.S. and Germany were "charged with taking on the global challenges and threats to freedom, peace, prosperity and threats to our environment." This quote is particularly interesting because it highlights Germany's concern with the environment, particularly climate change, and their continued pressure on the U.S. to take more action in terms of the environment.  

Transoceanic Profiling: ongoing racism in Germany and the United States

Police brutality, particularly in altercations involving immigrants or people of color , has been on the rise in recent years. With immigration rising in both the U.S. and Germany, it appears that diversity comes with a cost.
(Photo courtesy of cagle.com)

Last week an unnamed German citizen, 26, won a landmark discrimination case in the Higher Administrative Court for Rhineland-Palatinate.

Here is the catch: he is black. 

Both a German citizen and a student at a university in Kassel, the man has been taken aside at least 10 times by federal police. On this occasion, he was traveling to visit family in Offenbach. The police took him aside, thinking he was another undocumented illegal.

However, when the police harassed him to hand over his travel documents, he finally decided to stand up to them. Other train passengers spoke out against the officers, but nevertheless, the officers continued to harass the student. Eventually, he was taken to the police station where he was finger printed and placed into a holding cell. They questioned whether or not he could speak English and had documents.

Eventually, he was released once he showed his driver's license. His reason for resistance? Due to his past experiences being taken aside, he found that police need to give at least one reason for questioning passersby. In his case, the police failed to do that.

Though the student did not seek monetary damages, he characterized the experience as "the worst day of [his] life."

In California, this experience is common amongst Latino immigrants, legal and illegal alike. Thus, racial profiling has become especially prominent, particularly in border states. Racial profiling is defined as taking a person's race or ethnicity into account when deciding whether to engage in enforcement.

In 2008, the ACLU of Southern California released a report, which analyzed Los Angeles Police Department pulling over pedestrians and determined that African Americans and Latinos were "over-stopped and over-frisked" by law enforcement, much like the officers in Germany.

According to this ACLU study, blacks and Latinos were 76 and 16 percent more likely to be pulled over and searched than whites. Twenty nine and 32 percent of blacks and Latinos were more likely to be arrested as a result of these searches.

What other trends have there been in regards to racial profiling in the U.S. and abroad? Are there any patterns you have notice?

A German View of America's "Democracy"

How do German's view America's Presidential election? It seems the answer to that question would be "pointless". In an article published in Der Spiegel, they said "Democracy is about choice, but Americans don't really have much of a choice ... the people are helpless in the face of their power, as is the president". This article begins with a brief overview of some problems the East Coast has been facing in the wake of Sandy, and goes on to give a bleak view of our democracy. Later, the author mentions that "From a European perspective, it doesn't matter who wins this election. Only US foreign policy is important to us". This statement sends a very clear picture, if the previous writings didn't, of how Germans feel about American politics. And of course, if the message hadn't been clear enough, the article ends on a point of hopelessness, saying, "The downfall of the American empire has begun. It could be that the country's citizens wouldn't be able to stop it no matter how hard they tried. But they aren't even trying".

Is this true? Is America dying or is it just in the midst of a rough patch? Is there anything we can do to repair our reputation among Germany and the rest of Europe or are we forever going to be viewed as a failed democracy?

Twitter Blocks Germans’ Access to Neo-Nazi Group

    With the flourishing of social media, the distance between different countries has grown smaller, and the spreading of

information has never been easier. It seems that this very democratic culture of open information from the U.S. has

quickly spread across the globe, even to places that freedom of speech has never been guaranteed; such as the middle-

eastern countries that had started their revolution via Facebook.


    However, on September 25th, 2012; one of the largest and most influential social media, Twitter made a controversial

move in Germany that triggered debate all over the world. This controversy started with the group "Besseres Hannover,"

a neo-Nazi group in Germany that had been posting far-right tweets and swastika symbols, which could be prosecuted

according to the laws in Germany. Though this incident caused little resistance due to its laws and Nazi past in Germany,

people from other countries have raised their concerns over freedom of speech. What if, the government of Russia

decided to suppress youtube videos that acted against the government? This is a serious problem since it makes the

social media companies potentially subject to manipulation by governments that are authoritarian.


    On the other hand, JIllian C. York, the director for international freedom of expression at the Electronic Frontier

Foundation said that, "It's not a great thing, but it's a way of minimizing censorship. It's better for Twitter if they can keep

countries happy without having to take the whole thing down." As China did. Youtube also has a similar company policy

about removing videos that contain hate speech. However, if content being deemed inappropriate could be removed by

company policies or the legal system of the country, then, what is freedom of speech? Or moreover, what is

appropriateness? 

Gay marriage abroad: policies in Germany and the United States

Angela Merkel, DE Chancellor, is part of the Christian Democratic Union. (Photo courtesy of CNN.com)

According to CNN writers Grep Pleitgen and Janina Bembenek, the German high court has granted same-sex couples the same tax benefits of heterosexual couples. Over the past couple years, there has been a heated debate between Christian Democratic Union (CDU), headed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the Liberal Democrats.

In the past, the Christian Socialist Union, a sister union to the CDU, has spoken out against equal tax benefits, saying that heterosexual couples receive those benefits because their relationship goes towards "making new life."

Much like civil unions in California and Delaware, German government officials passed domestic partnerships into law in 2001. Now, the Bundestag is permitting the same tax benefits for these couples at the urging of German liberals.

There is a similar situation in the United States. As the election closes in on U.S. citizens, the gay marriage debate is becoming even more heated. Religious groups are speaking out against same-sex marriage, citing the Bible as their moral reasoning.

In Washington state, Referendum 74 is up on the ballot. Should the bill be passed, gay marriage would become legal in Washington state.

Washington state candidates, Jay Inslee (left) and Rob McKenna (right). (Photo courtesy of KATU.com)

However, its passage depends both on the election of Republican candidate Rob McKenna or Democrat Jay Inslee. With much of Washington's gay population focused in Seattle, the King county vote will likely reflect their vote.

As a supporter of R-74 and a democratic voter, I can only hope that the United States government will turn in favor of supporting gay citizens' rights.

Racial Profiling: Germany vs. Arizona

In a recent ruling courts ruled against racial profiling based on skin color. After an incident where 26-year-old student refused when asked to show his identification on a train due to his dark skin color and was subsequently held at a police station, the student brought the case to court, suing for discrimination.  After a lower court deemed the police action acceptable a higher court overturned the ruling, saying that this action had gone against Germany's anti discrimination law. This case could set a precedent against racial profiling by the police.
   As a US citizen and resident of Arizona this case reminded me of SB1070, Arizona's recent illegal immigration law. This law, while it does not openly accept racial profiling, does promote it by allowing officers to demand immigration papers if there is reasonable suspicion that they are dealing with an illegal immigrant. The term reasonable suspicion basically allows the officer to decide who could or could not be illegal. In the case of Arizona, most illegal immigrants come across the nearby border with Mexico, thus making it extremely easy to suspect anyone of hispanic heritage of being illegal. In any case, I was glad to see that Germany has made it clear that requesting identification purely based on one's looks is not acceptable. I hope that Arizona can learn from this example and eventually follow suit.

German Guilt, Postwar Burden

In this article written by German- Canadian journalist Ingeborg Boyens, she confessed the ambivalence growing up as a German immigrant in Canada. In her memory, children of German heritage were often being bullied and recruited as the evil losers in war games that were played out on the street. The German identity of these second generation children was often being purposely disguised. “I was so desperate to blend in, on the walk to the bus stop most mornings I undid the braids my mother had earlier lovingly plaited. On the walk home, I redid the braids to complete my transformation from German to Canadian to German again. Did my parents not notice my flyaway, disheveled look? If so, they never said.” This sense of German guilt has prevailed since the Second World War. Though it might have subsided over the years, the residue of the war has still been nibbling many Germans and people of German heritage. “My German guilt will be with me until the day I die. ” Boyens admitted. She also mentions that in Winnipeg, the German-populated town where the author grew up has only one German restaurant, with the fear of any hint of German nationalism. However, this is the reflection of an at least 40 year-old, decades have passed, and the situations are different to those of the next generation German- Canadians and Americans. In Seattle, just by walking around U-District and a little further down to Roosevelt, at least 3 German restaurants/ bars can be seen, and the restaurants also do not avoid playing German TV shows and music. Time has passed, it seems that, although many Germans are still afraid of showing patriotism and nationalism, but the circumstance has changed, and the identification with German heritage and culture are slowly making their way back.

~Eunice

Marijuana

Marijuana has been a hot topic of late in the U.S. with the debate over whether or not to legalize it. It appears that the same is also true in Germany. Der Spiegel's article "German Politician Inhales on Live TV", they briefly discuss the legal state of marijuana, and the repercussions of using it.

They also mention the possibility of classifying marijuana "on the same level as other 'soft' drugs such as alcohol and nicotine". How does this compare to the American discussion? Would Germans agree with how we regulate "soft" drugs? 

Is US Foreign Policy Falling Behind?

In light of the recent American foreign policy debate, I thought it would be interesting to see what Germans are saying about the subject. In an article from Der Spiegel titled "Debate Reveals Outdated US Foreign Policy", both Romney and Obama were bashed for their outdated, Bush era, stance on foreign policy. The article stated that they were not focusing on important, new global challenges such as green technology and the rise of Asia, but instead still stuck in a world order created by the Bush administration that focused on the Middle East.
    From an American perspective I found this idea completely new. I had just assumed that because the US was so focused on the Middle East, so was the rest of the world. Instead I was caught completely unaware by the idea that what the US considered some of the most pressing issues in foreign policy were outdated. This lead me to wonder what this could mean for the US as a global power if many of the world's other countries consider it to be wrapped up in problems of the past. What do you think?

Leipzig becomes Germany's hipster playground

Students study outside the University of Leipzig. Photo courtesy of University of Missouri.

According to Der Spiegel writer Maximillian Popp, Leipzig has taken Berlin's title of "Germany's hippest city."

Just in the last year, approximately 9,000 people have moved to the city, raising Leipzig's population to highest its been since the Berlin Wall fell.

Young artists and writers are flooding the city, occupying the city's Clara Zetkin Park and formerly abandoned warehouses-turned-studios.

Much like the U.S., Germany also has a high unemployment rate with nearly a "fifth of the country's population living on unemployment benefits."

In the U.S., considering the difficulty for recent graduates to get hired for entry level positions. Thus, it has  more common for students to begin studying subjects they do not necessarily find practical. Instead, students both in the U.S. and in Germany are studying subjects they just find interesting like arts and literature. 

What remains to be answered is whether this trend will remain prevalent in both American and German culture. Do you see this as a short-term trend? If so, how do you think this will effect popular cities like Leipzig?

"A Million a Day..."

"A Million a Day..." by Ana Sofia Knauf, Eunice Cheng, Magdalena Cooper, Andrew Johnson, and Amy Hartquist

Currently, German citizens of migrant background makes up 10% of the population, while immigrants without citizenship make up 8%.

In creating this cartoon, we wanted to comment about the tendency of "first world" countries, like Germany and the U.S., to willingly throw foreign aid money at "third world" nations. However, should the people of those nations immigrate to Germany, the migrant groups are treated as though they are unwanted.

What are your thoughts about this issue? Please feel free to leave comments below!

Global Power in Decline

This article from the Spiegel  looks at the October 22nd U.S. presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. The article states that both candidates failed to adequately adress many of the growing concerns of the American people such as climate change, the rise of Asia, education and infrastructure. More importantly, the Spiegel argues that neither candidate fully explained how they will deal with an increasingly outdated foreign policy at a time when American citizens are tired of being a world police force but still want to believe in American exceptionalism. Thoughts?

Immigrants in Germany

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/excerpt-from-we-new-germans-a-858622.html

In this article about second-generation Germans, the magazine Spiegel investigates the mentality of immigrants who carry German passports but lack a sense of belonging with the country. 

This question of one's identity has become prevalent in this time of globalization.

Perhaps this identity crisis is even more prevalent in the U.S., whose history of mass immigration can be dated way before Germany even started.

I myself am also a member of the league of identity crisis. Though both of my parents were born and raised in Taiwan, both of their families are essentially not Taiwanese in the traditional sense. As Taiwan is also an immigrant country(predominantly from China) just like that of the U.S. that can be traced back to hundred of years ago, my ancestry consists of Japanese, Indonesia, the Netherlands…etc. As growing up in different continents, one of the questions that I get the most is, "What are you?" As in the U.S., when I reply, "Taiwanese," people would automatically assume me as Chinese, which I am not. On the other hand, in my hometown Taiwan, many people would also automatically assumed I was a foreigner, and pick on my accent when I speak Chinese.

This article from Spiegel is an epitome of this ongoing global trend, in my opinion, a projection of the future of human race. Perhaps one day in the future, all of the countries will be united into one, and there will be less racial conflicts, since everyone will be somehow racially mixed.

Gender Issues

As I was looking for interesting articles to share, I found this one by Der Spiegel, entitled "Berlin Conference Addresses Male Troubles" about a woman well known in Germany for her unusual stance on gender equality. It brings up interesting ideas about gender equality, especially men's place in the fight for equal rights. Is a conference like this likely to occur in America as well as in Germany? What kind of reaction would a conference like this receive here? Thoughts?

Children of Immigrants

    A recent article,"Immigrant Children's Complicated Search for Identity", from Der Spiegel discusses what it means to be the children of immigrants in Germany. This article discusses the issue with the three authors of "We New Germans" who are also the children of immigrants. One of the interesting points brought to light by this article is the refusal of many Germans to accept a multicultural society in Germany. For example, many politicians are making the distinction between Germans with immigrant backgrounds and Germans with German heritage. This creates a new in-between class of people who are not entirely immigrants, but are also not entirely German. So, what potential effects does this refusal to completely allow immigrants or their children to become part of German society have on future immigration and acceptance of immigrants? How is this attitude different from that of Americans. Is it?

German disillusionment with Obama administration seated in violence and lack of environmental change

                                               Photo courtesy of REUTERS/Jim Young

In this article from Der Spiegel, author Bruce Stokes analyzes the changing German political view of the Obama administration. As election season encloses upon U.S. citizens, Germans are beginning to worry about the promises with which they believe Obama has not followed through.

Their grievances include Obama's use of military drones and perpetuated violence in the Middle East as well as disappointment regarding the President's failure to implement his promised environmental policies to combat global warming.

With such concerns about the President's potential reelection, only 49 percent of Germans aged 50 and older and 61 percent with Germans aged 19-28.

Do you think these are fair criticisms? Let's discuss in the comments!

—Ana Sofia Knauf

Differences Between the United States and Germany

http://www.kendallschoenrock.com/blog/2006/11/22/8-differences-between-germany-and-the-us/

I came across this list of 8 differences between the U.S. and Germany. As a group of individuals who are interested in this topic and who have done a fair amount of travelling throughout Germany I thought this would be appropriate for us to discuss.

So, what are your thoughts? Do you guys agree with this article? Why or why not?