At first glance, everything seems pretty much the same. Hollywood movies still attract huge audiences in Germany, even in the smallest towns. American tourists continue to marvel at Heidelberg and Munich. And Germans’ enthusiasm for US culture still seems to be just as strong as the pride with which every sixth US citizen declares they have German roots.

But if we look at the political arena, we have to admit …

She had to get accustomed to Twitter long before she took up her post in the capital of Twitter king Donald Trump’s empire. Emily Haber shakes her head. The 62-year-old began using the online news and social networking service as a state secretary back in Berlin. But somehow in Washington she must have caught the Twitter bug: the new German ambassador in Washington, who is more impartial to – and …

We were having breakfast at Berlin’s Hotel Adlon when I said to Richard S. Lugar, “I need your help, Senator!”

That was back in 2003. At the time, the friendship between Germany and the United States had chilled considerably after the federal government had signaled its unwillingness to participate in the war against Iraq. I had come up with an idea as to how we could sustain the dialogue across …

Sighs of relief resonated throughout the German business community when US President Donald Trump and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker agreed on negotiating a EU-US trade deal in late July. In a joint statement, the two leaders decided to work together towards zero tariffs, zero non-tariff barriers and zero subsidies on non-auto industrial goods. They also agreed to launch a close dialogue on standards in order to ease trade. An …

In 2017, I became a German citizen. The decision to become deutsch was not made lightly and was surprisingly emotional. The American presidential election and my personal abhorrence of Donald Trump played a major role, but my choice was actually a natural outcome of my personal reality. Both of my parents had died, there was no house in the US to keep up and no legacy to pass on, plus …

Nine months ago, most European Union member states took their biggest step yet toward a common European army. It was not, however, a moment that lent itself to easy symbolism: No common European uniform nor common weapons and equipment, nor even a joint high command. Militarily, what the EU now has is rules. They allow for cooperation between individual European states to jointly shape military facilities and capabilities.

At the …

The times when we could fully rely on one another are more or less over, so I can only say that we Europeans must take our fate into our own hands.” It was a rather uneven remark, but one that nonetheless resounded like a thunderbolt throughout the Western world. It came from German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a 20-minute speech on a hot Sunday afternoon over beer and pretzels in …

Cornelia Funke talks about the high regard many Americans have for Germans, but also about German anti-Americanism and how the world can overcome nationalism.

The German Times: The German- American relationship has reached a new low point. Do you notice this in your private life?

Cornelia Funke: I live in California, the “out-of-control” state. No one in my circle of friends or acquaintances voted for Trump. This is not surprising, …

The music that led us to one another was Dvořák’s Piano Concerto in G minor. One night, after listening to the radio and hearing a recording I had made with the Northwest German Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein, who would have turned 100 this summer, invited me to play the piece with him and the New York Philharmonic. We became close friends, and soon he and his family were regular guests …

A conversation with Dieter Kempf, President of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), on tariffs, trade balances, the image of German companies in the US and German industry’s contribution to the US economy.

The Federation of German Industries (BDI) is sup­porting Deutschlandjahr USA 2018/2019. What expectations do you have of the campaign?

Dieter Kempf: The goal of Deutschlandjahr is to render Germany and German industry more prominent in the US …