May 31, 2019
From 'mein Mädchen' to 'leader of the free world,' Angela Merkel is winding down her political career
President Donald Trump was the 2019 commencement speaker at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Thursday.
“In all things and ways, we are putting America first, and it’s about time,” Trump told the graduating class of just under1,000 cadets. “And we are restoring the fundamental principle that our first obligation and highest loyalty is to the American citizen. No longer will we sacrifice America’s interests to any foreign power. We don’t do that anymore.”
Across the country at Harvard University, new graduates heard a very different message on commencement day.
“Changes for the better are possible if we tackle them together,” Germany's Angela Merkel told the graduating seniors in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “If we want to go it alone, we could not achieve much. More than ever, our way of thinking and our actions have to be multilateral rather than unilateral.”
Listen to Julianne Smith's full conversation on PRI's The World.
More from CNAS
-
Germany's Historic Elections and What Comes Next
Podcast
Germany is currently at a critical juncture, balancing numerous challenges both at home and abroad. Just last weekend, populist parties including the far-right AfD scored subs...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend, Daniela Schwarzer & Christopher Schuetze
-
Why Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran are teaming up
Video
Probably the most surprising thing about the war in Ukraine is that Russia is getting a ton of help. North Korea and Iran are sending it millions of rounds of ammunition and l...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor
-
Putin Will Never Give Up in Ukraine
Commentary
The evidence suggests that on Ukraine, Putin simply is not persuadable; he is all in....
By Peter Schroeder
-
The Origins of Elected Strongmen
Since the end of World War II, democracies typically fell apart by coup d'état or through force. Today, however, they are increasingly eroding at the hands of democratically e...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Erica Frantz & Joseph Wright
