To understand the current state of transatlantic relations one has to glance not only at the latest political debates, which have been blasting through the media regarding many negative topics – mainly the new President-elect Donald Trump. This relationship between USA and Germany revolves around far more than just politics. Both countries are firmly connected by their history and culture. Hence, these two countries are on very similar journeys, which creates opportunities for both countries to help and benefit from each other.
On an international scale, the US and Germany are commonly understood as leaders and protectors of democratic values and human rights. Together they form the “Western world” and are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This bond developed after the 2nd world war, when the US supported Germany after it was completely demolished. Meanwhile it has regained its old strength and stands on its own feet – even helping other countries in peril as well. Both countries have been helping and assisting each other directly on a daily basis.
However, most people do not recognize all the beneficial side effects of this common and similar path. Problems and challenges that one country faces today, the other has to face tomorrow. One country thereby has the opportunity to learn from the other’s past failures and successes to then make better decisions when they are confronted with the same issue.
A political example is the latest presidential election. The American people have just elected Donald Trump to become the next President of the United States. A result that has caused much outrage amongst a large part of the country. Especially the American “mainstream” media (CNN, NBC, CBS, Fox News, etc.) was shocked that Clinton lost to a political outsider who was famous for his countless racist, fascist and populist remarks. German “mainstream” media (ARD, ZDF, etc.) could not believe this outcome either, when during the night of the election Trump was winning slowly but surely more and more electoral votes. What politics and media in general did not grasp until that night, was that they had created a “bubble” around themselves making them believe they were in control of the outcome of the election. They all sided with Clinton, so her victory was inevitable. Yet, they miscalculated their power because in the end it was not them in the voting booths, but the American people. Whilst many were laughing arrogantly about Trump inside their bubble, working-class people outside of it were upset and fed up with the political establishment. They therefore turned to a man that they thought was the counterpart to this social elite.
Now, the German political establishment has the chance to learn and reflect from these mistakes. They still have the power to change their course and thereby stop or at least inhibit the growth of the nationalist right-wing AfD party until the upcoming elections for the German parliament (Bundestag) in September 2017.
On a different note, to portray an area where the US can learn from Germany, we have to take a look at the sport that is deeply rooted in the German culture: Soccer.
More and more Americans are rushing to soccer stadiums and American interest in the sport is growing. But when comparing the men’s national teams of both countries it is clear that the US still has much to learn from the World Cup winner of 2014.
Then again, over the last decade a former German national head coach has had enormous influence on American soccer, making their national team more and more competitive on the international stage: Jürgen Klinsmann. Klinsmann witnessed the German reforms regarding the DFB in 2004 and used that experience to develop and reform the American soccer organizations. However, it is still long road to the first World Cup title. The multitude of divided youth programs need to unify to create a healthy and attractive environment for young talented players. Perhaps the answer to forming this conglomerate lies in understanding the roots of the very successful DFB model in Germany.
All in all, the transatlantic relationship is closer than ever before. Tensions regarding certain topics such as politics – and especially the presidential election – are just one page of an even bigger book. They should not distract us from the positives of this partnership. Observing the other and learning from their failures and successes is the most valuable benefit. But overcoming similar issues and protecting the same values is the real day-to-day challenge that US and Germany can only face together as a unit.
John-Markus,
I enjoyed reading your article because it offers a perspective on the US-German relationship that is often overlooked. There are many of these types of soft power initiatives that occur on a daily basis, but often we are distracted by the high-profile crises that dominate the news cycles. In order to highlight the cultural initiatives, how would you recommend implementing, say a soccer exchange? Should this begin at the university level with teams training or practicing together on a yearly basis or do you envision it occurring during secondary school? Likewise, is the end goal to encourage these participants to work in the economic, diplomatic, or military sectors of the US-German partnership or is it better to keep the cultural realm separate from the others? I would be very interested in learning more about your recommendations to strengthen cultural exchanges!
Hi Michelle,
Glad to hear you enjoyed the article!
There are many points how the US can and must change their system to compete with let’s say the top-notch German professionals. You mentioned university and secondary school as a starting point, but in my eyes starting there would be (and is) too late. The “golden years” (as they call it in the DFB) to enhance technique skills are at the ages from 12 to 16. After that time period you still can grow, but only in much smaller steps and with far more work.
In comparison, German children have opportunities to play the game in local village teams starting at the age of 3 or 4. From then on they usually play the game non-stop until they are grown men. Seasons are not 3 or 4 months long like in the US, but 10-12 months for every age group with games every week. Considering how many hours of practice a German professional of tomorrow thereby attains, it would be (and is) impossible to catch up those hours if you start at secondary school or university level.
So in general to create competitive American soccer talents, those talents would need year-long exposure of the sport from early age to compete with the gathered training hours a German professional has at 20 years of age. That being just the “quantity-milestone” that needs to be overcome.
There are good programs in the States like ODP that are outside of school that offer that exposure.
There is much more I could say about that first topic but to get to your second question:
I think becoming an expert of the sport opens many doors into economic, diplomatic and military sectors. I for example live near the Ramstein Military Base in Germany and worked last season as a coach for a local German club that is only accessible for American military kids. I was able to help and share my experience in the German soccer system to these military families, which was beneficial for both me and them.
Also, I have German friends, that are playing for Division 1 college teams in the US on full scholarships. Ultimately these – as you call them – cultural exchanges benefit one’s knowledge and understanding of the “other side”. Then again, in the long run I believe the future leaders in economics, politics and military who are responsible for administering, optimizing and advancing the soccer systems, whether in Germany or USA, should be those with that knowledge and understanding. They have the required qualifications for the job.
Hello John-Markus,
I enjoyed reading through your article. Two thoughts struck me as I worked to process your ideas. First, do you believe the upcoming German elections will see a similar trend in terms of a backlash to the political elite? In many circles, I know people who were conservative but backed Trump due to America’s strict 2-party ruling system. I would be curious to your views on how Germany’s multi-party system might be a way to defuse this movement as people could vote for a candidate or party more in line with their views without the worry of a winner-take-all system.
Second, I resonated with your discussion on soccer. I am an avid fan and a longtime coach (year 15 currently in progress) who actually attended 7 games in Germany during the 2006 World Cup. The geographic and assosiated costs with soccer development in the USA have certainly been more a challenge than in Western European countries where clubs have established academy programs who grow and develop talent. This is slowly been taking hold in the USA but still has a long way to go. The US could certainly learn from the reforms the DFB put in place in the mid-2000s to overhaul a stagnant and underperforming system, moves that have paid dividends in terms of their recent success. Sorry to see things end for Jurgen!
Brian
Hi Brian,
To answer your first question: Sadly no. The multi-party system ten years ago might have been able to dampen the AfD’s success. But today there are only few differences between the political parties due to the great coalition between SPD and CDU that has been going on since the last election. These two “Volksparteien” (largest parties) usually competed against each other and gave the people two very different options. But many Germans feel betrayed, especially the working-class by the SPD. The majority believes the two big parties have forced themselves into line.
The alternatives are not too bright either: The green party has lost trust since they have been coming closer to the SPD on their views. “Die Partei” is a joke. The FDP has been gaining good numbers in the polls. Yet, they represent the entrepreneurial class. It all comes down to the working class, who mostly feel left behind and will probably vote for AfD next year.
A great article from one of these AfD voters who feels left behind on the following link: https://www.welt.de/debatte/kommentare/article159839255/Es-reicht-Bekenntnisse-eines-angeblich-Abgehaengten.html
Secondly, yes you are absolutely right! The geopraphic and associated costs are enormous in comparison to Germany. Still, there are great programs such as ODP that are trying to overcome these obstacles. On the other hand there are also many regional and local organizations that are all trying to pull the game into different directions and implement different soccer philosophies. This I believe is very confusing for a young player and hinders his growth. There needs to be a clear structure from the bottom to the top if we want healthy environments for young American players, which means some organizations will have to submit their ideas for the sake of conformity.
Yet, the philosophy that comes from the top needs to be from true experts of the game that understand what is important. Just a year ago, I experienced first-hand a college soccer camp with established Divison 1 college coaches that was very shocking. It was very football-biased, rating players more on physical attributes than there actual understanding of the game. I bet if Xavi and Iniesta would have taken part in that camp, they barely would have been noticed.
Hello John-Markus,
I really enjoyed your article. “What politics and media in general did not grasp until that night, was that they had created a “bubble” around themselves making them believe they were in control of the outcome of the election. ” I cannot agree more to this statement. Your analysis is nothing but correct.
You may be too young to know but the foundation of the success for Germany’s national team in soccer goes back to the 1990s. Vogts, the former national coach, made sure, that all youth teams play the same system. They formed special schools to teach young talents. Klinsmann then came and copied a lot from US sports. Training methods, medical support, the use of quantitative analytics. So in fact Germany’s success story in soccer is partially the result of a transatlantic relation (Klinsmann is married to an American woman and has lived in the US for many years).
Hi Manuel,
Thank you for your comment! I didn’t know about Vogts or even think of the connection between Klinsmann and that he copied American sports. However, I do remember my father saying in the early 2000s that the day USA decides to play soccer with the statistical thoroughness which they use in basketball, football and baseball, USA will take over the world of soccer. Now I see the connection, that it was Germany using those scientific methods (latest technology coming from SAP) to advance to its leading role in the world of soccer.
Once again, thanks!!
Hi John,
I appreciate your comment on the importance of German-American relationsships. I, myself, living near the American Military Base in Ramstein, had a lot of opportunities in engaging with American citizens and found them to be really nice people. My question to you is: Do you personally think a multi-party sytem would have prevented the election of Donald Trump and if it could be worth considering for the American people?
Hi Heiko,
I do believe that a multi-party system could have prevented the election of Donald Trump. But I also believe a functioning two-party system would have done the trick as well.
Why I say this, is because when looking at Germany’s multi-party system of today, I believe a Donald Trump would have won the majority of votes for his party in the Bundestag too. The big parties in Germany have all fallen into line and are barely distinguishable in what they stand for. CDU, SPD and Die Grünen are all very center and progressive. This backlashes with the result that working class citizens, who are being overlooked and overheard, seek for an alternative voice in politics. This is where the AfD at the moment has been winning all their votes. But I could very much imagine a man like Donald Trump filling the void as well.
All in all it doesn’t matter what system you have. What matters is what it offers to its voters and how it functions. A well functioning two-party system could offer a right conservative and a left progressive option. Each option then again offering to listen to their extremists of their wing. Yet, when these parties ignore their voters and only act in favor of their donors, these “abandoned” voters seek for an alternative.
These citizens simply want to be heard and want to know that someone is fighting for them. Whether it is in a two-party system or a multi-party system.
Hi John-Markus, thank you very much for this inspiring article! It satisfied my personal interest in the cultural and historical background of the transatlantic partnership that way too often lost out of sight in the current discussion dominated by economic perspectives. I would be curious to know more about one aspect you mentioned: It is very general, but since you argue for the opportunity to learn from each other I was wondering about the comparability of Germany and the US – two very different geographical, political, historical and cultural settings. You say “problems and challenges that one country faces today, the other has to face tomorrow”. I would be thankful to know more what you think how and to what degree this transfer is possible.
Hello Nora,
I am glad you enjoyed the article! Well I believe the transfer happens everyday in all kinds of shapes and forms. Just tonight I visited a law lecture on “Internal Investigations” which is highly advanced in the US and still undiscovered territory in Germany. Whether in sports, theatre, politics, business or education, there are so many topics that both sides can learn from each other. One just needs to be open-minded and always in search of similar patterns.