The Berlin Wall Thirty Years Later: Legacies and Lessons
On November 9, 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall—
and subsequent German unity—was a dream
come true for Germans. Over the next few years
the dream of a larger Europe, whole and free from
Cold War divisions, became a tangible goal. Three
decades later, Europe is feeling the centrifugal
forces of nationalist winds, and Germany is not
insulated from them. The forces that caused the
Wall to crumble thirty years ago are now confronting
equally powerful forces whipping up nationalist
sentiment and the desire to recreate divisions. Into play come the changing
U.S. policies toward Europe and new parameters of power set by Russia
and China. The Berlin Wall was more than a border–once lifted the forces
of its legacy are still at play in an era of transformation and uncertainty.
– Jackson Janes, Ph.D.
Dr. Jackson Janes Jackson Janes is the President of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC, where he has been affiliated since 1989. Dr. Janes has been engaged in German-American affairs in numerous capacities over many years. He has studied and taught in German universities in Freiburg, Giessen and Tübingen. He was the Director of the German-American Institute in Tübingen (1977-1980) and then directed the European office of The German Marshall Fund of the United States in Bonn (1980-1985). Before joining AICGS, he served as Director of Program Development at the University Center for International Studies at the University of Pittsburgh (1986-1988). He was also Chair of the German Speaking Areas in Europe Program at the Foreign Service Institute in Washington, DC, from 1999-2000 and President of the International Association for the Study of German Politics from 2005-2010.
Dr. Janes is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and the Atlantic Council of the United States. He serves on the advisory boards of the Berlin office of the American Jewish Committee, Beirat der Zeitschrift für Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik (ZfAS), the Robert Bosch Foundation Alumni Association, and the American Bundestag Intern Network (ABIN) in Washington, DC. He is a member of the Board of the German American Fulbright Commission and serves on the Selection Committee for the Bundeskanzler Fellowships for the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. He is a member of the Cosmos Club in Washington DC.
Dr. Janes has lectured throughout Europe and the United States and has published extensively on issues dealing with Germany, German-American relations, and transatlantic affairs. In addition to regular commentary given to European and American news radio, he has appeared on CBS, CNN, C-SPAN, PBS, CBC, and is a frequent commentator on German television. Dr. Janes is listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in Education. In 2005, Dr. Janes was awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Germany’s highest civilian award.
