As longtime allies, the United States and Germany have had a history of productive cooperation and mutual interest, but the new Bush administration should avoid taking Germany for granted in the coming years, suggests a panel of experts on U.S.-German relations. This is especially true for such issues as NATO expansion, the European Rapid Reaction Force and missile defense.

"This is a new Germany," said Jackson Janes, executive director of the university's American Institute for Contemporary German Studies. "This is a Germany with a new head on its shoulders. And we've got to pay attention. It's important to realize that you can't take this country for granted."

Janes was part of a group of experts convened by AICGS to discuss critical issues facing the United States and Germany as the Bush administration takes over in Washington. AICGS released a 20-page report on its findings last week at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., as part of the club's "Newsmaker" series. The report is online at www.jhu.edu/news_info/news/home01/feb01/pdf/report.pdf

Janes was joined at the National Press Club by Steven Muller, president emeritus of the university and chair of the committee of experts, and several panel members, including Robert Hunter, former NATO ambassador; Helmut Sonnenfeldt, of the Brookings Institution; and Ronald Asmus of the Council on Foreign Affairs.
--Glenn Small