Digital World

The Elephant in the Room

A Republican Congress and Trans-Atlantic Relations

The results of this week’s Congressional vote herald big changes in Washington that will also impact Europe. The Republicans, who have spent much of the Obama presidency as obstructionists, must demonstrate an agenda and an ability to lead. President Obama, for his part, must be more willing to work with them if he hopes to achieve anything during his final two years in office. Divided government often makes strange bedfellows, but it also opens the door to new opportunities. These may include an overhaul of US policy on three key elements of trans-Atlantic collaboration: trade, the crisis in Ukraine, and nuclear negotiations with Iran.

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Josh Stanton

Anthony T. Silberfeld

Director, Transatlantic Relations
Bertelsmann Foundation

anthony.silberfeld@bfna.org