Mars-Venus Conference (cont.)

.... The two-day Conference engaged the key issues of current debate in historical perspective: does a set of common values still link Americans and Europeans? How have the United States and the EU defined democratic values and liberal democratic institutions since 1945? How do trade policies influence the Euro-American relationship? To what extent has the post-9/11 war on terrorism had an impact on relations? What are the prospects of a common approach on climate policy, privacy regulation, intellectual property, and weapons of mass destruction?

The Conference was distinctive in several ways. It highlighted the importance of an historical perspective for the understanding of present and future trajectories. By keeping the number of participants relatively small it sought to encourage fruitful and wide-ranging discussion. Finally, by inviting younger researchers as well as established experts the Conference stimulated new thinking on present and future transatlantic perspectives.

The event was a tremendous success, attended by many students, faculty, and members of the community, representatives from several European consulates. Mars-Venus was co-sponsored with the Institute of International Studies, the American Council on Germany, Goethe-Institut San Francisco, the French Studies Program and the Center for British Studies. Several papers from the Conference have been published in the IES Working Paper Series on the California Digital Library's archive.

— Yana Feldman