Given the current state of affairs regarding security and defense in the transatlantic community, it is of vital importance to assess the cooperation in these arenas between the US and its European counterparts.

Christina Tsafoulias (Bosch XXX) and Michael Stock (Bosch XXX) are currently participating as Fellows in the Atlantic Council’s US-German Next Generation Project. The RBFAA would like to share the report prepared by the Fellows recently, which details contemporary areas of tension the relationship between the US and Germany, and analyzes steps toward the new Next Generation prism.

The U.S. wanted Turkish and Kurdish fighters to fight, but not fight each other. Now the administration is scrambling to keep local allies with their own interests focused on America's goal: defeating ISIS.

Crafting a transatlantic approach in response to Russia’s aggressive behavior over the last two years hasn’t been easy. European countries continue to differ on the degree to which the West should pursue punitive measures. Some countries, particularly those closer to Russia’s borders, have advocated for more assertive and robust policies. Others are at least sympathetic to Russia’s argument that the speed with which the West enlarged both NATO and the EU is in part to blame for the rising tensions. Washington has also been divided on how best to craft a new grand strategy for Russia. It is therefore with considerable pride that policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic have managed to put together and maintain a series of steps aimed at shaping future Russian behavior and reassuring partners in the region...

"Ex-offenders pay a high price for their body art. Tattoos could brand them for life, hurting their prospects to find jobs, stay out of prison and even mend family ties. But with tattoo removal procedures costing hundreds or thousands of dollars, few former inmates have the resources to escape the visible markings of their criminal life. That’s given rise to tattoo removal programs for inmates and ex-convicts across the US. They’re proving so popular, the number of these programs has exploded—and even so, are still struggling to keep up with demand."

An estimated 8.8 million U.S. residents who are not citizens are eligible to naturalize, based on the latest available data from 2013, but between 2009 and 2015 only about700,000 did so each year. Even though the number of eligible people has been risingover the past several years, naturalization rates in the U.S. are low when compared to similar immigrant-receiving countries like Australia and Canada. Research has shown that naturalization can have a positive impact on tax revenues, home ownership rates, earnings, and even the overall economy. A number of factors, such as the English language requirement and cost for the application, dissuade many people from taking the step...

When I had my second child, I thought I’d be more laid-back than I was with my first child. And for a while, I was. Baby No. 2 nursed beautifully. He slept beautifully. He crawled at 9 months. And not long after crawling, he walked, then ran. He hit all of his milestones right on time. All but one. For nearly two years, my son didn’t talk...

An Afghan-American Muslim walks into a gay club in Florida on Latin night during Pride Month. In my dreams, that is the beginning of another great story of remix, tolerance and coexistence that is possible only in America. In reality, it’s the start of a nightmare massacre fueled by hatred and perpetrated by a man from a group already scarred by a generation of suspicion and surveillance.

Since 1984, the Robert Bosch Fellowship (link is external) program has selected 15-20 Americans each year to work at German institutions in various fields. The program is fully funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung (link is external), one of the largest foundations in Germany, and seeks to promote German-U.S. relations through an exchange of ideas and an intercultural immersion. Now in its 32nd year, the program has had many Hoya participants, with 51 Hoyas counting themselves as alumni of the program, or "Boschies." Alumni Miranda Gardiner (C'01) and Todd Williamson (G'07) are part of this year's group of fellows.

Amid the ongoing turmoil and fallout from the June 23 UK referendum in which British citizens voted to leave the European Union, it is easy to overlook that in addition to emotional reasons on issues like migration, some in the “Leave” camp made more important economic arguments.