The partnership between Germany and the U.S. is based on common security and economic interests but also relies on the mutual agreement on democratic and liberal values. After WWII, it was the U.S. that encouraged Germany to become one of the more progressive powers in Europe. In recent years, the relation between the two countries – while maintaining a professional tone and continuing on a working level – has noticeably cooled off. We need to recognize that the issue is mainly to be located at the political level rather than the working level. In order to push political decision makers towards better cooperation, it is useful to focus to create bottom-up pressure through civil society. Additionally, it is recommendable to select issues that currently do not create contention on governmental level and where both countries can learn from each other.
This is why I want to make the case for diversity as a vehicle to re-develop U.S. – German relations.
The U.S. as a country of mass-immigration has historically found itself with a more diverse population and therefore also a long history of civil rights activism. This is not confined to racial relations but also includes people with disabilities, religious communities and gay people. While there are still open questions about equality and discrimination, the U.S. has achieved a high level of integration for disabled people and recognizes shortcomings in terms of racial equality, e.g. by means of affirmative action. The “Black Lives Matter” movement
In the past decade, especially the gay community has achieved many political and legal victories in the U.S.. Beginning with the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010” to the “Obergefell v. Hodges” Supreme Court ruling from 2015 that guaranteed the right to same-sex marriage, the gay community can look back at a decade of successful activism. And while it might be true that societal values have changed quickly in an age of internet and instant communication, these victories have to be mainly attributed to the activists who fought those battles.
Hence, there is certainly a lot to be learned from civil rights campaigns in the U.S. and this one part of my suggestion.
Germany used to be more progressive than the U.S. until recently when it came to topics such as abortion and gay life. For example, the German army already in the 1980s decided to accept gay people to serve in the force. While there is still a lack of recognition of same-sex marriage – to stick to this example – the German way is less activist-driven, but more top-down and legalistic. Especially with the recent intake of several hundred thousand refugees, and the rise of a new conservative movement, Germany has civil rights issues that need to be addressed.
And this is where both countries can learn from each other. Germany can learn about civil rights activism from the U.S. and in return, the U.S. can learn how to establish a legal framework that not only reacts to societal changes but also anticipates them and creates a liberal order that enables diversity.
I therefore suggest a low-cost program that brings together civil rights activists from both countries to exchange knowledge and elaborate common strategies to push their respective governments towards more openness and civil liberties. This process would ideally be supported or even chaired by policymakers who come from the activist community. In a first step, NGOs and activists from both countries would be invited to jointly coordinate and run webinars and exchange online. Modelled after the Atlantic Expedition (but with a narrower focus), these webinars will serve the theoretical knowledge exchange in terms of common issues and campaigning strategies. This theoretical phase can be followed by exchange visits and practical workshops that help participants understand each others’ respective situations first hand and establish a strong network of activists on both sides of the Atlantic. In a third step, the transatlantic diversity activists can coordinate their campaigns and thereby nudge their governments to work on civil liberties and diversity issues at the same point in time which increases the chances of success in both countries.
International relations are ultimately created by people and diversity is one aspect that the U.S. and Germany can learn from each other and improve upon. With new and diverse networks of activists, we can re-imagine transatlantic cooperation and maintain our leadership in a global liberal world.
Hi Thomas, I really enjoyed this article! Your idea is a good one, and I believe would prove to be well worth its implementation. One question I have though is about the likelihood of establishing a legal framework within the United States right now. While I commend your calls for bottom-up pressure, I am concerned about the possibility of getting anywhere with the current U.S. administration. You note the rise of a new conservative movement within Germany, but either Merkel or Schulz is set to lead the country, while the far-right AfD has been tanking recently. Therefore, it seems the German political situation has made the legal framework much more viable (and I do not see that today in the United States). Do you agree? I think your emphasizing bottom-up pressure through civil society is the best remedy, but do you think enough pressure can be created to sway an administration that has shown no desire towards addressing diversity issues? Or do we have to wait for the next administration?
Thomas, thank you for your comments! While I share your concerns regarding the current US administration, I do think that this should not keep us from organizing on the ground. On the contrary, it should encourage bottom-up organization. And activists from both sides of the Atlantic can learn from each other, and this can be across issues. In the weeks since I submitted the article, for example, gay marriage has been legalized in Germany, seemingly in a top-down decision by a conservative chancellor who ended up voting against the legalization bill. It would be interesting to learn how pressure groups made that happen behind the scenes and civil rights groups in the US might be able to apply similar methods in their struggle with the current administration. Many essays during this debate have focussed on elites or a general public. I wanted to put the focus on activists who after all might be more effective ambassadors for transatlantic cooperation than other groups.
Hello Thomas,
thank you for this great article. Although luckily gay marriage has been legalized in Germany in the meantime I enjoyed you contrasting the different strategies Germany and the US pursued to reach equality. I am interested in your proposed webinars and was wondering how we would secure their inclusiveness? Most, if not all of the fellows at Altantic Expedition, have a university education, so what would be a possible strategy to have a more diverse group of participants in these webinars?
Christin, thank you for your comments! How quickly things can change these days… I agree with you that it is difficult to reach people across academic barriers. From the German perspective, I would suggest to bring together a wide variety of activists. This could be issue-driven political activists but also sport or cultural clubs. Through organizations like the German Red Cross or voluntary firefighters, one could possibly reach a non-academic audience. In terms of the content, the webinars could initially present the different organizational structures and then work on concrete topics, like fundraising, membership expansion or recommendations for mobilization. We see that our exchange on this platform works pretty well, so I am confident that a more interactive webinar format would spark interest to get to know the other side beyond the exchange of content.
Hi Thomas, Following up on that, I love your idea of including sports clubs or firefighters as potential target groups. I think you hit the nail on the head when you’re saying that there’s a lack of diversity in our transatlantic debates. Your idea also works well with Sophie’s approach of reflecting on our own communications and the abstract nature of some of our debates (http://atlantic-expedition.org/the-struggled-to-convince-myself-to-apply-for-this-project/). In addition to Christin’s point, I was also wondering about political diversity though. Especially with activist groups this is a tricky subject. What’s your take on this? Best, Carolin
Carolin, thanks for the feedback! Activist groups are a truly tricky question since one would try to avoid to pair, let’s say, a group of leftie squatters with a conservative religious group. I think that there is a self-selection mechanism in place, meaning that mainly politically moderate people are interested in such an exchange. Equally, there should be some sort of pairing in advance. And if the leftie squatters want to learn from the religious conservatives and vice-versa: even better!
Dear Thomas & Carolin,
what a brilliant idea (Thomas), and Carolin is totally right that I was thinking in the same vein. It’s encouraging that we sort of diagnosed the same problem. Good luck!
Thanks, Sophie! Now we just need to make it happen 🙂 I hope the expedition will offer the chance to actually develop projects and next actionable steps for implementation.
Hi Thomas,
You’ve detailed a wonderful idea here. Given the passion that civil rights activists and NGOs exude on a particular topic/issue of interest to them and the multitude of civil liberties and diversity topics that could be addressed, how would you determine which cause or issue is tackled first in these online exchange forums?
Johanna, thanks for the kind words! First and foremost, the respective groups need to be interested in the idea of exchange. And then, the webinar/exchange would be guided by their interests. As mentioned before, if two groups are interested in exchange, they should initially present their organizations, then maybe one exemplar project and finally develop a joint idea. The webinar should merely serve as a facilitation and not as a selection mechanism.
Dear Thomas,
Thank you for your ideas. I believe you have made an important point there. Germany can learn a lot from the US vast experience and struggles with integration, also due to common tendencies in Germany to copy cultural minority aspects like rap-music but also political debates like stop-and-frisk. he circumstances are quite different in Germany which is just
My apologies, I am currently on a train.
Dear Thomas,
Thank you for your ideas. I believe you have made an important point there. Germany can learn a lot from the US vast experience and struggles with integration, also due to common tendencies in Germany to copy cultural minority aspects like rap-music but also political debates like stop-and-frisk. Why not learn from the US in the integration of communities when it has worked. Do you think that the cultural/historical differences between the US (country of immigrants) and Germany (still fairly homogeneous society/culture) might make this more difficult and what methods would you consider to work around this obstacle?
Heiko, thanks for your comments and questions! It is true that the two countries have a very different narrative, history and legal framework for immigration and integration. But that does not necessarily mean that experiences on the micro- and activist level are significantly different. I can see the relevance of “Gangs of New York” with its homgenous group vs the newcomers scenario for today’s Germany. In terms of learning methods, I do have strong sympathies for Paulo Freire’s liberation pedagogy but I would not limit the exchange too much. It should be a guided journey through the experiences of both sides with the goal of learning jointly. A gay rights activist might be able to teach a mother from a minority something in terms of activism and vice-versa, while the volunteer firefighter might bring another intersting perspective into such a learning environment.
Hi Thomas,
Like you I think it is certainly worth to build a diverse society especially on campus where students of different backgrounds share their experiences and views. Constant cultural and religious exchanges between Germany and the US would showcase the two countries common commitment towards democratic ideals, religious tolerance and diversity in a world where harmony is not the common order. The more both countries practice and share their ideas, the more they can work together to fight the vices of intolerance, anti-Semitism and bigotry in the world.
Greetings
Tim