Newsletter
The USA at the beginning of a new epoch?
Newsletter January · February 2009
Dear Readers
At the beginning of 2008, the historian Fritz Stern attested to a special type of resilience in his speech to an American audience in Hamburg. With that, he was referring to the American gift of coping with difficult crises and emerging from them even stronger than before. Today, with Barack Obama’s assumption of the highest office, this is indeed what we are experiencing, as if written in the stars: A window of opportunity has opened for the USA, into a new era.
With his swearing in, the new US president Barack Obama literally “awakened” his nation. “We are proud of our country again,” and “America is back,” echo the voices of Americans since Obama’s inauguration. But this new president brings more than a new administration to the White House. With him, Americans are plugging in to a new political culture, a new understanding of themselves as a nation, and a new feeling of social solidarity. There are even those in the international community who now pin their hopes on Obama. In this newsletter, the US-expert Michael Werz of Washington, D.C. provides you with an analysis of this historical moment and links it with the challenges still to come.
With the hope that this will be a fascinating read, and best wishes for the New Year,
Your Eveline Metzen
Executive Director
Contents
“Obama Hot Sauce” by Michael Werz
Remarks on the Theme, “Obama’s Assumption of Office”
Upcoming Events
In February we offer you two panel discussions around Obama’s Inauguration with distinguished Transatlantic scholars.
February 11, 7 pm in Essen, The University of Duisburg-Essen
With Dr. Peter Woeste, Department Head of the Foreign Office, Berlin
Glaspavillion, Universitätsstr. 2
February 12, 8 pm in Münster, Historisches Rathaus
With Dr. Jackson Janes, Director of the American Institute for Contemporary Studies, Washington D.C., and Ruprecht Polenz, MdB, Leader of the Foreign Committee of the Bundestag
Both events are in German. Entry is free.
Register at: info@amerikahaus-nrw.de
Imprint
Texte: Eveline Metzen, Michael Werz
Redaktion: Eveline Metzen
Gestaltung: Eveline Metzen
Fotos: S.1: Amerika Haus e.V. NRW; S. 2:Michael Werz
