The ACG and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation will host a discussion and reception with Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Chairwoman of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and former Federal Minister of Defense of Germany.
The international environment is very different today than it was in the immediate post-World War II era as Konrad Adenauer was navigating myriad challenges. Today, the international order faces pressures on more fronts than at almost any point since then. Armed conflicts have reached a record level as Russia’s illegal war of aggression in Ukraine rages on, military conflict intensifies in the Middle East, and instability continues to spiral in Sudan, the Sahel, and elsewhere. At the same time, the international community is struggling to address the effects of climate change, the risk of future pandemics, energy and economic insecurity, and rapid technological change – including advances in artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons. Any of these challenges alone would put significant pressure on the multilateral system. Their combination raises a broader question about whether an order designed in the twentieth century is still equipped to meet the demands of the twenty-first.
Tensions are also playing out in the transatlantic relationship – which for decades has been a central pillar of the Western security order in general and for Germany in particular. Since returning to office, the Trump administration has challenged several long-standing assumptions about the transatlantic partnership. For one, Washington has put renewed pressure on European allies to increase defense spending and has raised questions about the extent of future American security commitments. More broadly, the administration has taken a more transactional approach to alliances. Meanwhile in Europe, far-right, nationalist, and Euroskeptic parties are gaining ground, and their growing electoral support is increasingly influencing mainstream political debate.
As the United Nations’ second-largest contributor, Europe’s largest economy, and NATO’s most significant European member, inter alia, Germany’s decisions on multilateralism, defense, security, and European integration have far-reaching repercussions. In this time of crisis and geopolitical recalibration, how can – and should – Germany and Europe respond? What lessons from Konrad Adenauer’s leadership can be applied to today’s challenging times?