If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view
The Böll Brief Issue 2/2007 - July 2007
Dear Friends and Colleagues, Emboldened by Russia’s booming energy revenues, President Putin is challenging the West on key issues like Kosovo and Iran, undermining international institutions as in the case of the OSCE, harassing NGO’s working in Russia and at least for now it seems that he and his networks have abandoned the path towards democracy altogether. On the eve of President Putin’s unprecedented visit to Kennebunkport, we hosted a transatlantic discussion on how best to deal with these challenges. In a controversial but quite productive exchange of views, Ralf Fücks, the President of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, argued that while the West should seek cooperation and needs to accommodate legitimate Russian interests, it cannot accept Vladimir Putin’s treatment of the former Soviet Republics as objects of his geo-strategic game. Furthermore, as long as Russia pursues the ill-advised dream of becoming a “new-old empire” rather than a modern democracy, conflicts with the West will be unavoidable. Fücks also argued that the isolation of Russian people is dangerous and that intensifying the contacts and exchanges at the level of civil society should be part of our answer (see below for a transcript of Fücks’ speech.) Throughout the year, we will host further events debating these political challenges as well as a visitors program to Russia. “These days Green is the new Black”, Chris Flavin of the Worldwatch Institute recently told me, referring to what is fashionable today. I couldn’t agree more—the truth is that global warming has become not only a concern that nobody in Washington and beyond can ignore anymore but also now one could even argue that being eco-friendly has become fashionable in recent months. Every single day, the main papers run articles on energy, bio-fuels, and climate change; half Hollywood drives hybrids; and tens of thousands will participate in the Live Earth concerts all over the world next week. While the G8 summit’s result this June in Germany were rather modest—as discussed by Reinhard Buetikofer, Chairman of the German Green Party, and Eileen Clausen, President of the Pew Center for Global Climate Change at one of our recent events in Washington. The opportunities for a stronger transatlantic cooperation still exist. However, escaping the climate trap will take much more than we have achieved so far. Working as a team, the European Union and the Unites States are able to push for more ambitious reduction goals, support technological advances and together they are capable of bringing about a breakthrough for a global green economy. Instead of simply vague goals, concrete and binding steps will be necessary to assure substantial change and achieve the pivotal step of including China and India. None of this can be done without US leadership. Hence, it is encouraging to see the numerous initiatives currently debated in Congress dealing with energy efficiency, renewable sources and other issues. In the coming months, much will be happening and our team will contribute to these conversations by hosting European experts in Washington and having have them give talks and briefings on the Hill about tangible experiences and technical know-how in Germany and other European countries. During the fall, we will intensify our cooperation with cities and federal states that are taking the lead in establishing new energy regulations. We will also support direct exchanges with European cities and mayors. Now it is the time to trade ideas, tools, and experiences on both sides of the Atlantic. We hope that with our programs we will make a useful contribution to this endeavor. Sincerely, Helga Flores Trejo We hope you find this newsletter useful and welcome your comments. Helga Flores-Trejo Katja Wittke Executive Director Editor, The Böll Brief Note: You have received this e-newsletter because you indicated interest in receiving regular information from us. If this is no longer the case, please click here to unsubscribe from the Boell Brief.		In this issue Upcoming Events Neighbors to Partners: United States and Mexico Enhance their Partnership Engendering Economic Policies in a Globalizing World: A Closer Look at the International Financial Institutions Immigration in Europe Recent Events European and US Views on Russia – A transatlantic debate Does Europe Matter in the Debate on Iran? Perspectives on the G8 Summit: What does it mean for the future of climate change negotiations? Briefings on Climate and Energy on the Hill Memorialization and Democracy - State Policy and Civic Action The Future of Political Parties in Europe Latino-Jewish relations and the challenges of foreign policy and immigration reform Islam and Identity in Germany US Farm Bill and EU Common Agriculture Policy at the Crossroads: A Global Dialogue on US, Canadian and EU Agriculture Policies The Impact of Climate Change on International Development Reports & Articles How to escape the Climate Trap - Challenges and Opportunities Double Failure for Sustainable Development Russia and the West Slow Trade – Sound Farming. A Multilateral Framework for Sustainable Markets in Agriculture The Wolfowitz Affair One Week After: World Bank President Remains in Limbo Who Remains to Defend Women’s Rights at the UN? - UN Reform is hitting the Commission on the Status of Women Dossiers & Publications The Debate over Fixed Price Incentives for Renewable Electricity in Europe and the United States: Fallout and Future Directions Frameworks & Proposals - A Brief, Adequacy and Equity-Based Evaluation of Some Prominent Climate Policy Frameworks and Proposals Collection of dossiers on current political issues – In GERMAN BÖLL.THEMA online – In GERMAN
News
We welcome two new colleagues in our Washington office:
	Sebastian Gräfe joined our Washington office in June 2007 as Program Director for Foreign & Security Policy and Transatlantic Issues. Sebastian worked previously as Senior Advisor at the European Parliament in Brussels. In this capacity, he dealt with European integration of the Western Balkans, EU structural funds as well as the EU internal market. He has worked extensively on Iran and spent time in Teheran doing research. Born in Eastern Germany, he holds a Masters of Arts in political science, economics and ethnology from the Leipzig University.
	Arne Jungjohann joined the Washington office in July 2007 and will be directing our Environment and Global Dialogue Program. Prior to joining us, he worked for 7 years as Senior Advisor at the German Bundestag. Arne is an expert on environmental, energy policy and green economics and has extensive experience in emissions trading and efficiency legislation. Among other things, he worked on Germany's Renewable Energy Act as well as on international negotiations on climate. He holds a Masters of Arts in Political Science.
The 8^th Annual Foreign Policy Conference of the Heinrich Boell Foundation will take place in Berlin September 6/7 2007 Under the title “Western Policy towards China – Between Strategic Competition and Co-Operation” we will gather experts from Europe, US and China. Please find the agenda here.
Upcoming Events back to top
Workshop at the NCLR Annual Conference Neighbors to Partners: United States and Mexico Enhance their Partnership This workshop will introduce the views of policy-makers, foreign policy experts, and scholars from Mexico and the United States on the social, humanitarian, economic, trade-related, and political issues linking both nations. Panelists from both sides of the border will present U.S.-Mexico dynamics as they have seen the two countries design a mutually beneficial, strengthened, and forward-looking relationship. The goals of this particular event are to engage in an open exchange of views about the potential for Hispanics’ greater involvement in building the bridges that unite the U.S. and Mexico, to increase awareness of the dynamics of US-Mexican bilateral relations and to hear from experts about the future prospects of developing an enhanced partnership across the Rio Grande. Main Speakers: Arturo Valenzuela, Georgetown University Juan Manuel Sandoval, Director, Permanente de Estudios Chicanos y de la Frontera del Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) H.E. Arturo Sarukhan , Ambassador of Mexico to the United States (invited) Armand B. Peschard-Sverdrup, Director, Mexico Project Center for Strategic and International Studies (invited) In cooperation with the National Council of La Raza and the Heinrich Böll Foundation Mexico (www.boell-latinoamerica.org) July 22, 2007 Miami, Florida
Internationale Heinrich Böll Foundation Summer School - by invitation only Engendering Economic Policies in a Globalizing World: A Closer Look at the International Financial Institutions At this one-week capacity building program, global partners of the Heinrich Böll Foundation from all over the world will convene to discuss the gender implications of the policies and programs of International Financial Institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. The more than 60 participants from some 37 countries, mostly from the developing world, will attend a series of workshops, seminars, lectures and have some planned site visits to the IMF, the World Bank, the US Congress and the US Treasury Department. July 27 –August 4, 2007 Washington, DC
Conference Immigration in Europe In cooperation with the Woodrow Wilson Center September/October 2007 (please check back for updates at http://boell.org) Washington, DC
Recent Events back to top
Lunch Discussion European and US Views on Russia – A transatlantic debate On the eve of President’s Putin meeting with President Bush in Kennebunkport, the Heinrich Böll Foundation invited foreign policy experts and diplomats to discuss how Europe and the US should deal with Russia. The debate revealed that Cold War approaches attempting to explain the current frustrations with Russia are anachronistic. According to Ralf Fücks, Russia’s ambitions to establish its political and economic hegemony over the former Soviet Republics are colliding with strategic interests of the US and the EU. But Russia up to now hasn’t managed to develop a strategy to use its new power in a constructive way. Internally, Russia is no longer a country on its way to democracy. Dimitri Simes pointed out that Russia will never be part of the West but has no other partner for long-term strategic alliances than the West. He emphasized the need to obtain Russian cooperation on matters like nuclear nonproliferation, counterterrorism, and support of Western positions in the UN Security Council. Occasionally, the US administration has to accommodate the Kremlin to secure this help. Main Speakers: Ralf Fücks, President, Heinrich Böll Foundation Dimitri K. Simes, President, The Nixon Center June 29, 2007 Washington, DC read the speech of Ralf Fücks online			From left: Ariel Cohen (Heritage Foundation), Ralf Fücks and Helga Flores-Trejo
Lecture Does Europe Matter in the Debate on Iran? Reinhard Bütikofer, Chairman of the German Green Party, held a lecture on transatlantic approaches towards Iran and its attempts to obtain nuclear weapons. He suggested a triple prong approach: continuous diplomatic efforts, UN sanctions, and a “shadow-coalition of the willing". Bütikofer called for unity among the UN Security Council members to implement official sanctions. Beyond this, a second set of not formally agreed but much more stringent sanctions should be placed to stop business transactions with Iran. Bütikofer contended that military action would not prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb, rather it would nuke the strategic coherence of the West. In cooperation with the New America Foundation June 26, 2007 Washintgon, DC Listen to the podcast of this discussion here.			Reinhard Bütikofer
Discussion Perspectives on the G8 Summit: What does it mean for the future of climate change negotiations? Main Speakers: Reinhard Bütikofer, chairman of the Green Party Eileen Clausen, President of the PEW Center on Global Climate Change Mr. Bütikofer and Mrs. Clausen discussed the outcomes of the G8 talks at Heiligendamm. Mr. Bütikofer stated that the results of the summit were rather poor. Instead of insisting on immediate goals for emissions reductions and binding targets, the heads of state only agreed on long-term and vague goals. Eileen Clausen shared this evaluation but also made clear that to expect any more from the current US administration would be unrealistic. It is now up to the political will of all states involved to carry on the discussion to a point of stronger commitments within the framework of the UN. Bütikofer also emphasized that aside from sluggish negotiations with US Government representatives, a lot of promising developments are taking place on the state- and even on the company levels. This should be increasingly taken into consideration for a future multi-level approach toward discussions, exchanges and negotiations with the US. June 25, 2007 Washington, DC			From left: Eileen Clausen ( Pew Center on Global Climate Change), Rainhard Bütikofer, Helga Flores-Trejo and Deb Callahan (Adviser GMF) back to top
Briefings on Climate and Energy on the Hill On Monday June 25th, we organized the first of a series of Hill briefings on climate and energy issues. It focused on energy security and energy independence. Main Speaker: Pierre Noel, University of Cambridge (UK) Throughout this summer, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, in cooperation with the German Marshall Fund, will sponsor a series of discussions on the European perspective on emissions trading, renewable energy policies, energy and efficiency and the possibilities of transatlantic cooperation in these fields. June 25, 2007 Washington, DC
International Conference Memorialization and Democracy - State Policy and Civic Action This conference brought together activists, policymakers, practitioners, representatives of victims associations, and government officials. The discussion centered on memorialization practices, i.e. the creation of public memorials and monuments, the creation of museums, such as genocide or human rights museums, and the development of sites of conscience and how they contribute to democratic dialogue and the building of democratic societies. The question of how to bridge the gap between governments and victims served as a leitmotiv of the three-day conference. At the same time, the Chilean President, Michele Bachelet, announced the creation of a "Museum of Memory". Similar efforts are underway in countries as diverse as Afghanistan, Argentina, Germany, and South Africa. This conference is likely to directly influence those projects. Main Speakers: Alberto van Klaveren, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (Chile) Mrs. Romy Schmidt Crnosija, Minister of Bienes Nacionales, Chile Yasmin Sooka, director, Foundation for Human Rights in South Africa Lika Mutual, independent artist (Netherlands/Peru) Dr. Abdelhay Moudden, Conseil Consultatif des Droits de l’Homme (CCDH) (Morocco) Fahim Hakim, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission Bernard Khoury, Beirut Flight Architect (Lebanon) Co-sponsored by the Heinrich Boell Foundation and organized by the International Center for Transitional Justice, the International Coalition of Historic Site Museums of Conscience and Flasco June 20 – 22, 2007 Santiago, Chile read here the full agenda. More information about this conference (in Spanish) can be retrieved from: http://www.flacso.cl/flacso			from left: Marcela Rios (FLACSO); Louis Bickford (ICTJ); Liz Sevcenko (Coalition); Romy Schmidt (Minister of Public Goods/Lands, Chile); Lawrence Bropleh (Minister of Culture, Information, and Tourism, Liberia) back to top
Dinner Discussion The Future of Political Parties in Europe Main Speaker: Steffi Lemke, Secretary General of the German Green Party Steffi Lemke discussed the trend of generally decreasing voter turnout, and especially the decreasing support of the popular parties. As a reason for this trend in Germany, Ms. Lemke indicated that parties’ policy statements do not appeal to voters and thus do not mobilize them. Furthermore, the policy programs of popular parties are moving from the right and from the left towards the center, which is not entirely in agreement with the general principles among the rank and file members. Because members of the popular parties in Germany have, on average, exceeded the age of 60, new strategies are required to reach young and first-time voters and to engage more people in political participation. May 29, 2007 Washington, DC			from left: Carsten Wieland (Konrad Adenauer Foundation), Adrienne Woltersdorf (TAZ) and Steffi Lemke
Conference Latino-Jewish relations and the challenges of foreign policy and immigration reform Main Speakers: Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan Israeli Ambassador Sallai Meridor Raul Yzaguirre, Former President National Council of La Raza AJC Executive Director David Harris U.S. government officials, ambassadors, Latino policy activists, and top academics explored the challenges minorities face on foreign policy. The speakers of the five panels discussed how each minority group could benefit from active involvement in furthering not only its own but also other groups’ foreign policy agendas. Given that the number Hispanics in the US has exceeded 40 million, this seminar explored what implications this increase will have on the role of minorities in the formulation of foreign policy. While both the Latino and the Jewish communities are similarly confronted with prejudices within the US, panelists used immigration as a case study to discuss how domestic issues are intertwined with US foreign policy. In cooperation with the American Jewish Committee and the Latino-Jewish Working Group May 17, 2007 Washington, DC Read more: Agenda, joined statement, bios of all 25 speakers and a list of participants of this conference			from left:Senator Robert Menendez, Raul Yzaguirre from left:Rep. Diaz-Balart, Carlos Gonzales Guiterrez (Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores) back to top
Dinner Discussion Islam and Identity in Germany Main Speaker: Jonathan Laurence, Boston College Laurence recently wrote a report on Islam and Identity in Germany for the International Crisis Group. Jonathan Laurence presented his findings in a talk which provided a deep overview and numerous suggestions on the topic. The talk was followed by a discussion. Since 9/11 and after the terrorist attacks in London and Madrid the discussion on Muslim integration in Germany has become strongly connected with security issues. Germany’s immigration policies also raised interest in the US, since Hamburg functioned as a logistical base for 9/11. Debates about home-grown terrorism are intensified through the common expectation that the next terrorist attack on the US will be undertaken by someone with a European passport and the notion of Europe as the ‘soft underbelly of the US’. The discussion shed light on the fact that radical and violence-prone currents are relatively weak amongst Germany’s mostly Turkish dominated Muslim population, who migrated from a secular country with moderate Islam and do not have a colonial past. Laurence stated that the handful of terrorist suspects that have been found are either German converts or dual nationals of Arab origin, rather than of Turkish descent. Independent from the migrants’ country of origin, the creation of a parallel society and an underclass can be avoided by providing the possibility of full participation in public life including the granting of citizenship. Germany will have no choice but to promote the integration of Turks and other Muslims into the national political community if it wants to ensure social cohesion and political stability. May 15, 2007 Washington, DC			Jonathan Laurence (standing) in discussion with participants back to top
Workshop US Farm Bill and EU Common Agriculture Policy at the Crossroads: A Global Dialogue on US, Canadian and EU Agriculture Policies The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Action Aid International USA, Coordination Sud, GRET, Germanwatch, Agribusiness Accountability Initiative and the Heinrich Böll Foundation convened a two-day workshop that brought together some 60 Canadian, American, European and developing country agriculture experts and campaigners for a discussion on how to move forward an agenda for a more sustainable and fair agricultural (trade) system by using the campaigning opportunities of the US Farm Bill 2007 negotiations and the next EU Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) reform steps planned for 2008. May 14, 2007 Washington, DC Read the agenda A conference report is forthcoming, and will be posted on www.boell.org in late July 2007.
One-day Conference The Impact of Climate Change on International Development The Heinrich Böll Foundation, Friends of the Earth U.S., ActionAid International USA, Oxfam America, Center for American Progress, Jubilee USA Network, Oil Change International and U.S. Climate Action Network co-hosted a one-day conference to discuss the risks of global warming for developing countries and strategies for industrialized countries, developing countries and international organizations alike to mitigate climate change, to facilitate adaptation for those most threatened, and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Main Speakers: Rep. Ed Markey, Select House Committee on Climate Change Meena Raman, Friends of the Earth, Indonesia John Podesta, Center for American Progress Saleem Huq, International Institute for Environment and Development Madeleen Helmer, Red Cross Red Crescent Alden Meyer, Union of Concerned Scientists Ivan Azurdia-Bravo, Fundacion Solar April 16, 2007 Read the summary of this event. Get more information, including powerpoint presentation from the conference, videoclips and the conference program			Rep. Ed Markey, Chairman of the Select House Committee on Climate Change Panel on "Overview of Major Impacts and Challenges" with (from right to left): Antonio Hill (Oxfam International), Thoma Johnny (Action Aid Sierra Leone), Susmita Dasgupta (The World Bank) Saleemul Huq (International Institute for Environment and Development, UK) and Liane Schalatek
Reports & Articles back to top
How to escape the Climate Trap - Challenges and Opportunities By Ralf Fücks, Member of the Executive Board, Heinrich Böll Foundation June 2007 read article online
Double Failure for Sustainable Development By Barbara Unmüssig , Member of the Executive Board, Heinrich Böll Foundation Published in: Development and Cooperation, June 2007 read article online
Russia and the West By Ralf Fücks, Member of the Executive Board, Heinrich Böll Foundation June 2007 read article online
Slow Trade – Sound Farming. A Multilateral Framework for Sustainable Markets in Agriculture Report of a joint project of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Misereor and the Wuppertal Institute April 2007 read article online
The Wolfowitz Affair One Week After: World Bank President Remains in Limbo By Liane Schalatek, Associate Director, Heinrich Boell Foundation Washington Published in: World Economy & Development in brief, April 23,2007 read article online
Who Remains to Defend Women’s Rights at the UN? - UN Reform is hitting the Commission on the Status of Women By Franziska Brantner, Heinrich Böll Foundation scholarship holder April 2007 read article online
Dossiers & Publications back to top
The Debate over Fixed Price Incentives for Renewable Electricity in Europe and the United States: Fallout and Future Directions By Wilson Rickerson and Robert C. Grace Published in July 2007 by the Heinrich Böll Foundation Washington, DC. Download the full document as a pdf
Frameworks & Proposals - A Brief, Adequacy and Equity-Based Evaluation of Some Prominent Climate Policy Frameworks and Proposals By PAUL BAER & TOM ATHANASIOU (ECOEQUITY), June 2007 Published as the Global Issue Paper No. 30 by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Berlin Download the full document as a pdf
Collection of dossiers on current political issues – In GERMAN Most recent dossiers on the German G8 and EU Presidencies 2007, the Darfur Crisis and Emission Trading Published by the Heinrich Böll Foundation headquarters go to dossiers site (and scroll down)
BÖLL.THEMA online – In GERMAN Online magazine of the Heinrich Böll Foundation headquarters Issue 1/2007, April 2007 Berlin/Germany: Grüne Marktwirtschaft. Die grosse Transformation read online magazine or listen to pod casts of selection topics.
We are interested in your feedback. If you have comments please write us. Visit our website for further information about our organization. back to top © 2007 The Heinrich Böll Foundation North America