Who is Us?
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Demographics, Europe, Immigration, Trade & Globalization E-mail, Print or Share this Event Page:
Debates about race, immigration politics, and battles about historical and national identity seem to be gaining momentum not only in the United States but also in many countries in the world. Sometimes it is extremely useful to look at similar cultural and identity tension in other contexts to reflect on our own circumstances -- and thus it pleases us to host one of Germany's most dynamic, young thinkers and politicians in this arena.
Cem Oezdemir has been a Member of the German Bundestag since 1994, and at 35, is one of that legislature's youngest elected members. He is the first parliamentary deputy of Turkish descent in German history and presently serves as the Green Party's Parliamentary Faction's speaker on internal affairs. Among many other accomplishments, Oezdemir played a crucial role in formulating the new German citizenship law.
Cem Oezdemir's mentor in politics has been Germany's current foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, and he comes from the seemingly pragmatic, results-oriented wing of the Green Party. He is often referred to as a person that either the Social Democrats or Free Democrats would love to lure into their own parties.
Participants
- Cem Oezdemir
Transatlantic Fellow, German Marshall Fund
