Democracy & Civil Society
GMF has worked for over 20 years to help strengthen the democracies of Central and Eastern Europe. While this region had made tremendous progress, GMF remains active and engaged throughout Central Europe, the Balkans, and the Black Sea region through a variety of programs supporting the continued process of democratic consolidation and the integration of the region into Euroatlantic structures. In addition to robust grantmaking programs, GMF also reflects on the region’s collective experience and works to develop new analysis and policies toward current and future promotion of democratic values globally. Given the prominent role that civil society plays in solidifying democratic gains between citizens and their governments, GMF will not only continue to provide financial and consultative support to civil society organizations, but also will include prominent civil society actors in high-level discussions with policymakers and opinion shapers. GMF’s key programs in this area include:
- Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation
- Balkan Trust for Democracy
- The Commission on the Black Sea
GMF News & Analysis
Germany's electoral map has many colors in comparison to the red and blue of America, yet on both sides of the Atlantic, battleground state elections can portend change on the national level.
The Lid Cracks Open on Beijing’s Black BoxMay 09, 2012 / Andrew Small
After a long period of stasis, Chinese politics have entered a dramatic new phase. While no one expects major change to arrive quickly, the previous sense of inevitability about China’s internal trajectory is beginning to give way to growing unpredictability. For a long time, the animating China challenge for policymakers in the United States and Europe had been the integration of a rapidly rising power into the global economic and security order. Now they will need to do that while navigating a nation in political transition.
Programs & Projects more
Wider AtlanticGMF’s Wider Atlantic Program, led by Dr. Ian O. Lesser, the executive director of GMF’s Transatlantic Center in Brussels, builds on the experience of the past three years, and will promote a more comprehensive approach to Atlanticism, with north-south and south-south relations at the core. The GMF-OCP Foundation partnership looks to move beyond the traditional northerly axis that has driven contemporary transatlantic relations. The new initiative underscores the growing importance of Africa and Latin America as actors in the Atlantic space. It also focuses on the shared policy challenges shaping the future of four continents around the Atlantic basin. From the rise of Brazil to the growing role of China, the Atlantic equation is evolving rapidly, and so is the need for a wider conversation about Atlantic futures.
Balkan Trust for DemocracyThe Balkan Trust for Democracy (BTD) is a 10-year, $36-million grantmaking initiative that supports democracy, good governance, and Euroatlantic integration in Southeastern Europe. This award-winning public-private partnership was created in 2003 by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. BTD is structured to allow both European and U.S. partners to join the effort to strengthen transatlantic cooperation in the Balkans.
Events More
Does Hollande’s Victory Signal a Shift in International Relations?May 16, 2012
As part of the Berlin office’s Domestic Elections: Global Implications series, the German Marshall Fund (GMF) hosted an off-the-record luncheon discussion on “France after the Presidential Election.First YTN Happy Hour in BerlinMay 11, 2012
On May 3, the German Marshall Fund’s Young Transatlantic Network (YTN) gathered for its first Happy Hour in Berlin, a format intended for networking, making new contacts and discussing transatlantic issues in an informal and relaxed setting.
Conversation on the Wider AtlanticMay 11, 2012
GMF’s Brussels office hosted a lunch discussion on the Atlantic Dialogues and GMF’s Wider Atlantic ProgramAsst. Secretary Philip Gordon Previews the Chicago NATO SummitMay 03, 2012
U.S. Assistant Secretary Philip Gordon provided an overview of what to expect at the Chicago NATO Summit at a discussion in Berlin.
Publications More
Reversing the Vicious Circle in North Africa’s Political Economy: Confronting Rural, Urban, and Youth-Related ChallengesMay 09, 2012 / Maria Cristina Paciello, Habib Ayeb, Gaëlle Gillot, Jean-Yves Moisseron
This report provides an analysis of the policy failures behind the process of marginalization and exclusion that was at the origin of the Arab Spring.
Religious Education in Public Schools: Going Parochial or Democratic?April 13, 2012 / Ilter Turan
This policy brief examines the debate over the place of religion in Turkish public schools. 