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This message about a new list of German Studies at the Johns Hopkins Univ. has reached us via the german studies list. It is more of interest for "Landeskunde" than litererature studies. I have some more info. If you are intersted let me know. a.r. > Duncan Large writes: > I'm forwarding a couple of recent announcements from the mailing list > of the AICGS (American Institute for Contemporary German Studies, > Washington, DC). They have a Website at Johns Hopkins University: > > http://www.jhu.edu/~aicgsdoc/ > > To join their mailing list, fill out the on-line form at: > > http://www.jhu.edu/~aicgsdoc/mlist.htm > > DL > > ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- > Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 11:00:38 -0500 > From: AICGS <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: AICGS Electronic Newsletter: Rudolph Scharping > To: AICGS Mailing List <[log in to unmask]> > Reply-to: The American Institute for Comtemporary German Studies > <[log in to unmask]> > Priority: normal > > AICGS' series of profiles on Germany's new cabinet continues with this > latest update about Rudolph Scharping, Germany's new Minister of > Defense. The full list of the new cabinet is available on the > Institute's web site at > http://www.jhu.edu/~aicgsdoc/wahlen/cabinet/newcabinet.htm > > Rudolph Scharping > > Rudolf Scharping's appointment as minister of defense is perhaps > symbolic of the fact that he is one of the most diligent and committed > soldiers in the SPD. He worked himself up from the bottom ranks of the > party eventually becoming the SPD candidate to face Kohl in the 1994 > election. As minister president of Rheinland-Pfalz, he had conquered > the same state for the SPD that has been the training ground for > Helmut Kohl's rise to power. Yet, after the 1994 loss to Helmut Kohl, > Scharping also lost his position as party chairman to Oskar Lafontaine > in 1995. Scharping remained leader of the Fraktion in the Bundestag > and he expected to remain in that position in a Red-Green coalition. > But Gerhard Schroeder and Oskar Lafontaine decided otherwise, leaving > Scharping with his new duties as defense minister. > > Scharping has some immediate problems. The coalition > government decided to set up a commission to review the role of > the Bundeswehr. This leaves much speculation about the future of the > draft, the size of the Bundeswehr and the continuing debate over > participation in NATO out-of-area missions. Scharping, like his > predecessor Volker Ruehe, believes in the capacity and the need for > Germany to be engaged in peacekeeping efforts under NATO. Yet, he will > be facing challenges from both the Greens and the SPD over the extent > of such efforts and the necessity of a UN mandate. A long dormant > argument over whether NATO should adopt a "no first use policy" with > regard to nuclear weapons reemerged last week following statements by > Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. And if the government is to get its > fiscal house in order, the defense budget may be affected as well. > > Scharping is being accompanied in the ministry by parliamentary > State Secretaries Walter Kolbow (SPD) and Brigitte Schulte > (Greens). He has also recruited defense policy expert Walter > Stuetzle as a state secretary, formerly editor of Tagesspiegel, as > well as Peter Wichert. > > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > Sent through the American Institute for Contemporary > German Studies mailing list. The mailing list was > created for the purpose of sharing information > about the Institute and German Issues with those > who have an interest therein. > > It is a closed, e-mail based distribution system. > No addresses are sold or distributed to other > parties in any manner. > > If you wish to be removed from this list please > reply to this message with "remove" in the subject > line. > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > The American Institute for Contemporary German Studies > The Johns Hopkins University > 1400 16th Street NW, Suite 420 > Washington, DC. 20036 USA > (202) 332-9312 tel > (202) 265-9531 fax > http://www.jhu.edu/~aicgsdoc > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%