American Council On Germany

Germany Event: “Reinventing Transatlantic Ties? The Future of German-American Relations”
2026-04-22 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York)
The American Council on Germany, in cooperation with 1014 Deutschland e.V. and various American Centers in Germany, will host a speaking tour for former U.S. diplomat Robin Quinville. In five cities, she will engage with local audiences and experts to explore the current state and future of German-American relations amid shifting global dynamics. These events will highlight both the challenges and opportunities facing the transatlantic community today. Each stop will feature a unique discussion – tailored to each community – addressing key themes such as geopolitical change, democratic resilience, and the evolving role of transatlantic cooperation in a complex global order.
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Join us in Stuttgart on April 22 for a discussion with Robin Quinville (Director of the Wilson Center’s Global Europe Program) and Martin Kilgus (United Nations Association of Germany–Baden-Württemberg), as they explore the challenges and opportunities facing one of the world’s most important bilateral partnerships.
For decades, the strong partnership between the United States and Europe has been built on shared values and mutual trust. Yet, in a time marked by geopolitical tensions, ongoing conflicts, and growing debates about the future of international cooperation and multilateralism, the transatlantic relationship faces both renewed expectations as well as new uncertainties. How are political developments in Washington, Brussels, and Berlin reshaping the alliance? What role will security and trade play in defining the next chapter of transatlantic ties? And how can we navigate disagreements while strengthening our shared interests? What is the role of civil society actors on both sides of the Atlantic and private friendships in fostering a stable relationship?
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To register, please email anmeldung@daz.org
Robin Quinville is the former Director of the Wilson Center’s Global Europe Program. She spent more than 30 years as a U.S. diplomat, having served primarily in Europe – including postings to two multilateral organizations (the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and NATO) and bilateral postings to Cyprus, Bosnia, Greece, the United Kingdom, and Germany. She also spent a year in Baghdad, Iraq. In Washington, she directed the Office of Western European Affairs at the Department of State and served as a Wilson Center State Department Fellow for a year. Her last foreign posting was as the Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, Germany.
Ms. Quinville holds a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Smith College. She is widely recognized for her expertise in European affairs, alliance politics, and transatlantic cooperation.
Dr. Martin Kilgus is chairman of The German Association for Foreign Affairs (DGVN) in Baden-Württemberg and a member of various committees and commissions on European and transatlantic cooperation. Until May 2025, he was a member of the Federal Executive Committee of the DGVN. He studied politics, American studies, international relations, and communication in Stuttgart and Washington, D.C. His main areas of focus are migration and integration in Germany and Europe, European integration and EU enlargement, German-American relations, and municipal and international development cooperation.

Germany Event: “Redefining Soft Power vs Return of the Strong Man – Women in the Diplomatic Service in the US and Germany”
2026-04-23 12:00 - 14:00
The American Council on Germany, in cooperation with 1014 Deutschland e.V. and various American Centers in Germany, will host a speaking tour for former U.S. diplomat Robin Quinville. In five cities, she will engage with local audiences and experts to explore the current state and future of German-American relations amid shifting global dynamics. These events will highlight both the challenges and opportunities facing the transatlantic community today. Each stop will feature a unique discussion – tailored to each community – addressing key themes such as geopolitical change, democratic resilience, and the evolving role of transatlantic cooperation in a complex global order.
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Join us April 23 in Freiburg in conversation with two women with extensive careers as diplomats – representing the US and Germany. Robin Quinville and Dr. Christine Althauser will compare notes on their careers as women in the US-American and the German Foreign Service and also look into the future on how international and especially trans-Atlantic relations are upheld by the Foreign Service. In particular, they will discuss, what women can bring to the table in today’s more challenging negotiation climate.
For 80 years, the transatlantic alliance served as the backbone of a rules-based liberal order. Today, that order is eroding—and the United States is increasingly signaling a move away from the multilateral commitments and institutional leadership that once defined its global role. With Washington adopting a more interest-driven, transactional posture, Europe faces a strategic moment of truth. What does transatlantic cooperation look like when the old assumptions no longer hold? Can Europe become a more autonomous partner—and what kind of global governance model might replace the one now fading?
RSVP HERE to Secure Your Spot!
Robin Quinville is the former Director of the Wilson Center’s Global Europe Program. She spent more than 30 years as a U.S. diplomat, having served primarily in Europe – including postings to two multilateral organizations (the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and NATO) and bilateral postings to Cyprus, Bosnia, Greece, the United Kingdom, and Germany. She also spent a year in Baghdad, Iraq. In Washington, she directed the Office of Western European Affairs at the Department of State and served as a Wilson Center State Department Fellow for a year. Her last foreign posting was as the Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, Germany.
Ms. Quinville holds a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Smith College. She is widely recognized for her expertise in European affairs, alliance politics, and transatlantic cooperation.
Dr. Christine D. Althauser joined the Federal German Foreign Office in 1987, where she began her career in the diplomatic service. After earning her doctorate, she served at the German Embassy in Moscow from 1997 to 2000, served in the Netherlands as well as at the European Council in Strasbourg and was German Ambassador to North Macedonia from 2014 to 2017, as well as Consul General in Shanghai from 2017 to 2021. Today, Dr. Althauser works in international diplomatic training in Berlin and continues to work on issues related to international relations with China, Russia, and Eastern Europe, as well as on questions of European integration, including for the Federal Foreign Office.

Germany Event: “Reimagining the Transatlantic Partnership: What a Strong Europe Means for the United States and Europe”
2026-04-27 18:30 - 20:00
The American Council on Germany, in cooperation with 1014 Deutschland e.V. and various American Centers in Germany, will host a speaking tour for former U.S. diplomat Robin Quinville. In five cities, she will engage with local audiences and experts to explore the current state and future of German-American relations amid shifting global dynamics. These events will highlight both the challenges and opportunities facing the transatlantic community today. Each stop will feature a unique discussion – tailored to each community – addressing key themes such as geopolitical change, democratic resilience, and the evolving role of transatlantic cooperation in a complex global order.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
For 80 years, the transatlantic alliance has served as the backbone of a rules-based international order. Today, that liberal order is eroding – and the United States is increasingly signaling a move away from the multilateral commitments and institutional leadership that once defined its global role. With Washington adopting a more interest-driven, transactional posture, Europe faces a strategic moment of truth. What does trans-Atlantic cooperation look like when the old assumptions no longer hold? Can Europe become a more autonomous partner – and what kind of global governance model might replace the framework that is now fading?
Join us in Berlin April 27 for an event bringing together leading foreign policy experts from both sides of the Atlantic to explore these questions and chart possible paths forward for the trans-Atlantic partnership: Robin Quinville, former Director of the Wilson Center’s Global Europe Program and former Charge d ’Affaires at the U.S. Mission to Germany; and Claudia Major, Senior Vice President, Transatlantic Security at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Moderated by award-winning journalist Vladimir Balzer.
RSVP HERE to Secure Your Spot!
Robin Quinville is the former Director of the Wilson Center’s Global Europe Program. She spent more than 30 years as a U.S. diplomat, having served primarily in Europe – including postings to two multilateral organizations (the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and NATO) and bilateral postings to Cyprus, Bosnia, Greece, the United Kingdom, and Germany. She also spent a year in Baghdad, Iraq. In Washington, she directed the Office of Western European Affairs at the Department of State and served as a Wilson Center State Department Fellow for a year. Her last foreign posting was as the Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, Germany.
Ms. Quinville holds a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Smith College. She is widely recognized for her expertise in European affairs, alliance politics, and transatlantic cooperation.
Dr. Claudia Major is GMF’s senior vice president overseeing the organization’s transatlantic security and defense work, and an executive team member. Previously, Dr. Major was the director of the International Security Division at the German think tank Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) in Berlin.
Her research, advisory work, and publications focus on German, European and transatlantic security and defense policy, NATO, deterrence and nuclear (dis)order, defense industry, and the Franco-German relationship. Currently, she is particularly focused on the repercussions of Russia’s war against Ukraine for Europe, the transatlantic relationship, and the nuclear order; options to end the war in Ukraine; and ways to ensure the long-term security of Europe and Ukraine.
Dr. Major previously held positions at the Center for Security Studies at the ETH Zurich, the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), the EU Institute for Security Studies (Paris), the NATO Department of the German Foreign Office, and Sciences Po Paris. She was and is a member of various committees, including the Advisory Board for Civilian Crisis Prevention of the German Federal Foreign Office (2010-2024) and the Advisory Board of the Federal Ministry of Defense on “leadership development and civic education” (lnnere Führung) (since 2023). She holds a diploma from the Free University of Berlin and Sciences Po Paris and a PhD from the University of Birmingham (UK).
Vladimir Balzer is an award-winning journalist who grew up in Leipzig and studied in Dublin, Venice, and Leipzig. He began his career as a presenter, reporter, and editor at Deutschlandradio and MDR. Mr. Balzer hosts, among other programs, the daily program “Fazit – Kultur vom Tage” on Deutschlandfunk Kultur. In 2022, he was selected to be a Kellen Fellow by the American Council on Germany. In 2023, he started as a correspondent at Deutschlandfunk’s capital city studio in Berlin. He is known as a commentator for German television, such as ZDF. He also regularly reports for his broadcaster from the U.S.

Berlin Event: "Navigating a Fragmented, Multipolar World"
2026-06-29 12:00 - 13:30 | Berlin, Germany
Join the American Council on Germany and the Freunde des American Council on Germany for a discussion in Berlin with Amb. John B. Emerson.

The American Council on Germany and the Freunde des American Council on Germany e.V. cordially invite you to a discussion and reception with Ambassador John B. Emerson, Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Vice Chairman at Capital Group International, and Chairman of the American Council on Germany on “Navigating a Fragmented, Multipolar World.”
Ambassador John B. Emerson was named Chairman of the American Council on Germany in January 2018. He is Vice Chairman at Capital Group International. Previously, he was the U.S. Ambassador to Germany from 2013 to 2017. In 2015, Ambassador Emerson received the State Department’s Sue M. Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service, an award given annually to one non-career Ambassador. In 2017, the Secretary of the Navy and the Director of the CIA awarded him their highest civilian honors for his service.
Prior to accepting the ambassadorial posting, Amb. Emerson was President of Private Client Services for the Capital Group Companies. Before joining Capital, he was Deputy Assistant to President Clinton where he coordinated his economic conferences, served as the president’s liaison to the nation’s governors, and led the administration’s efforts to obtain congressional approval of the GATT Uruguay Round Agreement and the extension of China s MFN trading status. Additionally, he was appointed by President Obama to serve on his Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. Before working in the Clinton White House, he served as Los Angeles Chief Deputy City Attorney and was a partner in the law firm of Manatt, Phelps, Rothenberg, and Phillips.
In addition to his role as Chairman of the American Council on Germany, he serves on the boards of the Pacific Council on International Policy and the German Marshall Fund of the United States and is a long serving member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He holds an honorary doctorate from Hamilton College, a juris doctorate degree from the University of Chicago, and a BA in Philosophy from Hamilton College.
With thanks to FGS Global for hosting this event.

Please email events@acgusa.org for more information.
