NYC: Forging the 'China Solution' as a Challenge for the West: How the Chinese Communist Party Tries to Win Influence in Europe
2018-04-12 12:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
The American Council on Germany will host a discussion and luncheon with Dr. Kristin Shi-Kupfer, Director of the Research Area of Public Policy and Society at the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS). This is discussion is part of the 2018 Transatlantic Global Agenda Series.
There will be no charge for this event. Space is extremely limited.
You must register in order to attend.
RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Dr. Kristin Shi-Kupfer heads MERICS’ research on politics, society, and the media. She is an expert on media policy, civil society, religious policy, and ideology in China. Dr. Shi-Kupfer previously worked as a Research Associate at the University of Freiburg’s Institute for Sinology. She earned her Ph.D. from Ruhr University Bochum with a thesis on spiritual and religious groups in China after 1978. From 2007 to 2011, she was the China correspondent for the Austrian newsmagazine Profil, the German Protestant Press Agency epd, and Südwest Presse in Beijing. She also worked as a freelance contributor for other media, such as ZEIT Online, tageszeitung (taz), and Deutsche Welle in China. In May 2017, Dr. Shi-Kupfer was appointed a member of the expert committee of the German-Chinese platform on innovation under the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

NYC: Regional Visioning: Transforming City Regions and Public Participation
2018-04-19 18:30 - 20:00
The American Council on Germany, the German Center for Research and Innovation, and the University Alliance Ruhr will hold panel discussion Ullrich Sierau, Mayor of the City of Dortmund; Jamie Bemis, Mechanical Engineer and City Planner and Account Manager at Bright Power, Inc. (2017 ACG McCloy Fellow on Global Trends); Wolfram Hoefer, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; James G. Koth, Director of Parks & Recreation for the County of Bergen; and moderated by Bettina Oberhauser, Editor for the European public television channels ARTE and 3sat (2017 ACG McCloy Fellow on Global Trends).
Please RSVP by April 17. Registration is required to attend.
By 2050, more than two thirds of the world’s population is expected to live in city regions and contribute to an ever-increasing percentage share of the global GDP. While cities are often associated with higher levels of literacy and education, better access to health care and social services as well as enhanced opportunities for cultural and political participation, growing urban environs pose significant risks to economic, social and environmental sustainability. Likewise, formerly heavily industrialized regions such as the Ruhr area and parts of New Jersey face similar challenges as they stake out a new future for themselves as new technology and research hubs. Given the growing complexity of urban growth and the transformation of city regions, integrated planning approaches are needed to more equitably and inclusively set policy priorities. The success of sustainable urban development depends to a large extent on the participation of local actors. But how does top-down planning meet bottom-up planning, what forms of public participation in decision-making processes seem particularly promising? What works in New Jersey, what works in Dortmund, Germany? Join an international panel of experts and city officials who will discuss the future of sustainable urban development.

NYC: Is Democracy Dying?
2018-05-21 12:00 - 14:00
The American Council on Germany will host a discussion and luncheon with Dr. Yascha Mounk, Lecturer at Harvard University and Author of The People vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It.
There will be no charge for this event. Space is extremely limited.
You must register in order to attend.
RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Dr. Yascha Mounk is a writer, academic, and public speaker known for his work on the rise of populism and the crisis of liberal democracy. Born in Germany to Polish parents, Dr. Mounk received his Bachelor’s in History from Trinity College, Cambridge, and his Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University. He is now a Lecturer on Government at Harvard University, a Senior Fellow in the Political Reform Program at New America, and Executive Director at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Dr. Mounk has written three books: Stranger in My Own Country – A Jewish Family in Modern Germany, a memoir about Germany’s fraught attempts to deal with its past; The Age of Responsibility – Luck, Choice, and the Welfare State, which argues that a growing obsession with the concept of individual responsibility has transformed Western welfare states; and The People vs. Democracy – Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It, which explains the causes of the populist rise and investigates how to renew liberal democracy.
@Yascha_Mounk

NYC: The Future of European Security Cooperation and the Dangers Facing the Liberal Order
2018-05-24 12:15 - 14:00
The American Council on Germany will host a discussion and luncheon with Nikolas Löbel, Member of the German Bundestag (CDU/CSU)
There will be no charge for this event. Space is extremely limited.
You must register in order to attend.
RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Nikolas Löbel has been a member of the German Bundestag since October 2017. He sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee and serves as the CDU/CSU parliamentary group’s rapporteur on development policy. Mr. Löbel has been involved in politics since early in his professional career in his hometown of Mannheim. He is currently a member of the Mannheim local council; a member of the regional executive of the CDU Baden-Württemberg; Chairman of the Junge Union, the youth organization of the CDU, for Baden-Württemberg; District Chairman of the CDU Mannheim; and Deputy Chairman of the CDU district branch in Mannheim. From 2008 to 2014, Mr. Löbel was the Deputy District Chairman of the CDU in Mannheim, and he was a member of the 15th Federal Assembly of Germany in 2012.
Mr. Löbel is the Managing Partner of Löbel Project Management and Immosites Project Development. He holds a law degree from the University of Mannheim and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Steinbeis University in Berlin.
@NikolasLoebel

NYC: Media in a Society in Crisis: How Can Media Serve as a Control on Power and as a Social Adhesive?
2018-05-30 18:00 - 20:00
The American Council on Germany and the European Union Studies Center at the CUNY Graduate Center will host a Political Salon with Peter Weissenburger, Editor at Die Tageszeitung.
You must register through Eventbrite in order to attend. Eventbrite Registration
Peter Weissenburger is an Editor at Die Tageszeitung in Berlin and is currently an ACG Anna-Maria and Stephen M. Kellen Fellow researching media in the United States. Mr. Weissenburger is the editor of the Society and Media sections focusing on media politics, new media, public discourse, and LGBT politics. He graduated from Humboldt-Universität Berlin with a Master of Arts in Gender Studies and the Freie Universität Berlin with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.
political salon: promoting dialogue across generations. This series brings together a diverse group of younger and mid-career professionals for informal, open discussions on a range of current political, economic, and social topics in an increasingly interconnected global environment – with an emphasis on issues of concern for the transatlantic agenda. Speakers share brief remarks and engage in a dynamic discussion with participants. Each salon includes refreshments and networking opportunities.

NYC: National Security and the Transatlantic Partnership in a Post-Truth World
2018-06-07 08:00 - 09:30
The American Council on Germany will be hosting a breakfast briefing with General Michael V. Hayden, Principal at the Chertoff Group, Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and Author of The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security in an Age of Lies
There is not charge for this event. Space is limited. You must register to attend.

General Michael V. Hayden (@GenMhayden) has devoted his life to public service. As Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, General Hayden was responsible for overseeing the collection of information concerning the plans, intentions, and capabilities of America’s adversaries; producing timely analysis for decision-makers; and conducting covert operations to thwart terrorists and other enemies of the U.S. He has received scores of honors from the U.S. and around the world, including the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Commander’s Cross. Before becoming Director of the CIA, General Hayden served as the country’s first Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence and was the highest-ranking intelligence officer in the armed forces. Earlier, he served as Commander of the Air Intelligence Agency, Director of the Joint Command and Control Warfare Center, Director of the National Security Agency, and Chief of the Central Security Service. At the Chertoff Group, General Hayden uses his broad geographic and political knowledge to brief clients on intelligence matters worldwide – including developments in cybersecurity – that may affect their businesses. General Hayden graduated from Duquesne University with a Bachelor’s Degree in History in 1967 and a Master’s Degree in Modern American History in 1969. He also did postgraduate work at the Defense Intelligence School conducted by the Defense Intelligence Agency. He is currently a Distinguished Visiting Professor at George Mason University. General Hayden has authored two books, The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security in an Age of Lies (2018) and Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror (2016).

NYC: End of an Era? Transatlantic Relations in the Age of Trump
2018-06-08 12:15 - 14:00
The American Council on Germany and Deutsches Haus at NYU will host a discussion and lunch with James Kirchick, Journalist, Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Author of The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age
There is no charge to attend this event. You must register in order to attend
James Kirchick (@jkirchick) is a Visiting Fellow at the Center on the United States and Europe and Project on International Order and Strategy at the Brookings Institution. A widely published journalist, he is author of The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age (Yale, 2017), a correspondent for The Daily Beast, and a columnist for Tablet. Mr. Kirchick’s writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Ha’aretz, Newsweek, Time, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Slate, and National Review, among other publications. His writing appears regularly in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. He is a frequent commentator on television and radio. For more than three years, Mr. Kirchick worked at The New Republic, where he covered domestic politics, lobbying, intelligence, and American foreign policy. Following The New Republic, he moved to Prague to become writer-at-large for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, where he wrote about the politics and cultures of the 21 countries in RFE/RL’s broadcast region. Mr. Kirchick previously worked for The New York Sun, the New York Daily News, and The Hill. A leading voice on American gay politics and international gay rights, he is a recipient of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Journalist of the Year Award. Mr. Kirchick has been a Robert Bosch Foundation Fellow in Berlin, a Hoover Institution Media Fellow, and a Phillips Foundation Journalism Fellow. Born and raised in Boston, he is a graduate of the Roxbury Latin School and Yale College.

NYC: Transatlantic Dissonance: Reporting from Both Sides of the Atlantic
2018-06-19 12:00 - 14:00
The American Council on Germany will be hosting a discussion and luncheon as part of the Garrick Utley Memorial Lecture Series on Global Media Issues with Dr. Christoph von Marschall, 2017/2018 Helmut Schmidt Fellow and Chief Diplomatic Correspondent of Der Tagesspiegel (1999 ACG Kellen Fellow)
There is a $45.00 charge for members to attend. RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany.
Dr. Christoph von Marschall is the inaugural Helmut Schmidt Fellow of the German Marshall Fund and the ZEIT Foundation. He is currently working on a book on the future of transatlantic relations with a special focus on the question of what Germany’s immediate neighbors France and Poland, the EU as a whole, and the U.S. are expecting from Germany. Dr. von Marschall serves as Chief Diplomatic Correspondent of Der Tagesspiegel, the leading daily newspaper in Berlin. From 2005 to 2013, he was the U.S. Correspondent, Washington Bureau Chief, and White House Correspondent. Beginning when Barack Obama took office in 2009, Dr. von Marschall was the only German newspaper correspondent in the White House Press Corps. He studied East European history and political science in Freiburg, Mainz, and Krakow and received his Ph.D. from Freiburg University in 1988. From 1998 to 1990, he was a reporter for the Süddeutsche Zeitung, where he reported on the mass exodus of GDR refugees through Hungary to the West and the revolutions in Romania and Bulgaria. From 1995 to 2005, he served as the Editor of the Editorial Page. Dr. von Marschall interviewed nearly all of the Presidents of the Central and Eastern European reform countries during integration into the EU and NATO. In addition to his role at Der Tagesspiegel, he is a guest at ARD-Presseclub and a commentator at Deutschlandfunk and WDR, and he writes for Zeit Online, Cicero, Atlantic Times, and Das Parlament. Dr. von Marschall is the Vice-Chairman of the Berlin Presse Club e.V. and the author of many books.

NYC: Transatlantic Relations After the G7 Summit
2018-07-13 12:00 - 14:00
The American Council on Germany will host a discussion and luncheon with Ambassador Emily M. Haber, German Ambassador to the United States.
Ambassador Emily M. Haber has been German Ambassador to the United States since June 2018. Immediately prior to this, Ambassador Haber, a career Foreign Service Officer, was deployed to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, serving as State Secretary overseeing security and migration at the height of the refugee crisis in Europe. In this capacity, she worked closely with the U.S. administration on topics ranging from the fight against international terrorism to global cyberattacks and cybersecurity. In 2009, she was appointed Political Director and, in 2011, State Secretary at the Foreign Office, the first woman to hold either post. Earlier in her career, she served at the German Embassy in Ankara; in Berlin, she has served as Deputy Head of the Cabinet and Parliamentary Liaison Division, as Director of the OSCE Division, and as Deputy Director-General for the Western Balkans. She has extensive knowledge of the Soviet Union and Russia, having worked both in the Soviet Union Division at the German Foreign Office and on various occasions at the German Embassy in Moscow, where she served as Head of the Economic Affairs Section and Head of the Political Affairs Department.
Ambassador Haber attended schools in New Delhi, Bonn, Paris, Brussels, Washington, Bonn, and Athens. From 1975 to 1980, she studied history and ethnology in Cologne, earning her Ph.D. with a dissertation on German foreign policy during the Morocco crisis on the eve of World War I. During her time as State Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, Ambassador Haber spoke at the ACG’s American-German Young Leaders Conference.

NYC: Planning for the Future: Current Environmental Challenges Facing Germany
2018-07-17 18:00 - 20:00
The ACG will host a political salon with Klaus Mindrup, Member of the German Bundestag (SPD).
You must register in order to attend. Eventbrite Registration
Klaus Mindrup has been a member of the German Bundestag for the Social Democratic Party (SPD) since 2013. He is a member of the Bundestag’s Committee on the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety, as well as the Committee on Building, Housing, Urban Development, and Local Government. Prior to being elected to the Bundestag, Mr. Mindrup worked freelance as a biologist and was the Founder and Managing Director of a project development business. He was a district Council Member in Berlin-Pankow from 1999 to 2014, and since 2002 he has also served as a Board member for a residential building cooperative in Berlin. Mr. Mindrup is a strong advocate of cooperatives and the ecological movement, and has been active in various organizations supporting environmental protection and sustainability throughout his life. He studied biology and received his diploma from the University of Osnabrück, Germany, in 1988.

political salon: promoting dialogue across generations. This series brings together a diverse group of younger and mid-career professionals for informal, open discussions on a range of current political, economic, and social topics in an increasingly interconnected global environment – with an emphasis on issues of concern for the transatlantic agenda. Speakers share brief remarks and engage in a dynamic discussion with participants. Each salon includes refreshments and networking opportunities.

NYC: Transatlantic Stammtisch for Young Professionals
2018-07-27 18:30 - 21:00
The ACG will host a Transatlantic Stammtisch which brings together young professionals for informal networking opportunities with individuals interested in transatlantic relations, Germany, and the German language.
For more information, please email rcammarota@acgusa.org.

NYC: The Future of Europe and Transatlantic Relations in a New Global Order: A View from the European Parliament
2018-08-27 18:00 - 20:00
The ACG and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung will host a discussion and reception with Klaus Welle, Secretary-General of the European Parliament.
RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Klaus Welle has been the Secretary-General of the European Parliament in Luxembourg since March 2009. He has served in various roles within the European Parliament in Brussels including Head of the Cabinet of the President (2007-2009), Director-General for Internal Policies (2004-2007), and Secretary-General for the European People’s Party (EPP) in Parliament (1999-2003). He also served as the Secretary-General for the EPP and the European Union of Christian Democrats (EUCD), as well as the Head of the European and Foreign Policy Department at the CDU Central Office.
Mr. Welle holds a degree in Economics from the University of Witten/Herdecke and is the recipient of grants from the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (German Academic Scholarship) and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.

NYC: What Does the World Expect of Germany?
2018-09-04 18:00 - 20:00
The American Council on Germany and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung will host a discussion and reception with Frances A. Devlin, ACG Board Member and Director of Global Policy & International Public Affairs at Pfizer Inc, and Paul Ziemiak, Member of the German Bundestag (CDU) and Federal Chairman of the Junge Union.
There is no charge to attend this event. RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.

Multilateralism and international governance systems are increasingly challenged by populist voices emphasizing nationalism over shared goals and common values. The value systems developed after the Second World War and taken as universal achievements cannot be taken for granted anymore; the next generation of leaders on both sides of the Atlantic is grappling with a new world order. In the run-up to Germany’s non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in 2019, join us for a discussion about multilateralism and Germany’s global engagement.
Frances A. Devlin is Director of Global Policy & International Public Affairs at Pfizer Inc. In this capacity, she leads development and implementation of public policy and government relations strategies in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Ms. Devlin’s previous position was the Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Initiatives & External Engagement, and she has served in various Corporate Affairs roles since joining the company in 2008. Prior to working at Pfizer, she was a fundraising and public affairs consultant for major national political and charitable campaigns. She serves on the ACG’s Board of Directors and was an ACG Young Leader in 2012.
Paul Ziemiak assumed his duties as Federal Chairman of the Junge Union in September 2014. During the German federal election in 2017, he successfully ran for a seat in the electoral district of Herne-Bochum II and is now a member of the Bundestag. He has served in various roles within the CDU, including Chairman of the CDU Iserlohn, a member of the CDU Federal Board, and a member of the state executive board of CDU NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia). During his trip to New York, he is joined by the Chairmen of the Junge Union from the Federal States of Baden-Württemberg, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, Thuringia, and Saarland.

NYC: Authoritarianism, Populism, and Challenges to Democracy: A German Perspective
2018-09-10 18:00 - 19:30
The American Council on Germany will host a Political Salon with Annalena Baerbock, Co-Chair of Alliance 90/The Greens and Member of the Bundestag.
There is no charge to attend this event. You must register in order to attend. Eventbrite Registration

Annalena Baerbock is a member of the German Bundestag and was appointed Co-Chair of Alliance 90/The Greens on January 27, 2018. In this capacity, she has led the Green Party to a surge in the polls She has been instrumental in developing strategies to reach out to new voters and strengthen progressive politics in the age of authoritarian challenges.
Ms. Baerbock is a member of the Committee on Family, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth, as well as a deputy member of the Economic and European Committee. From 2013 to 2017, she served as spokeswoman on climate policy and was a member of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Energy, the European Affairs Committee, and the German-Polish Parliamentary Group. After the 2017 election, Ms. Baerbock was part of the coalition negotiation team for her party. Prior to joining the Bundestag, she was Chairman of Alliance 90/The Greens Brandenburg from 2009 to 2013. She was also a Board member of the European Green Party (2009-2012) and a member of the party council of Alliance 90/The Greens (2012-2015). She graduated in 2005 with an LLM degree in International Law from the London School of Economics. She previously worked as a journalist for the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung.

political salon: promoting dialogue across generations. This series brings together a diverse group of younger and mid-career professionals for informal, open discussions on a range of current political, economic, and social topics in an increasingly interconnected global environment – with an emphasis on issues of concern for the transatlantic agenda. Speakers share brief remarks and engage in a dynamic discussion with participants. Each salon includes refreshments and networking opportunities.
With special thanks to the German Consulate and Heinrich Böll Foundation for supporting this event.

NYC: Transatlantic Stammtisch for Young Professionals
2018-09-13 18:00 - 20:00
The ACG will host a Transatlantic Stammtisch with Kai Hennig, Deputy Chief of Mission of the German Embassy in Romania.
RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Transatlantic Stammtisch brings together young professionals for informal networking opportunities with individuals interested in transatlantic relations, Germany, and the German language.

NYC: Transatlantic Cooperation: Indispensable for American Prosperity, Freedom in Europe, and Global Security
2018-09-17 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG will host a discussion and luncheon with Peter Beyer, Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation at the German Federal Foreign Office and Member of the German Bundestag (CDU).
There is no charge to attend this event. RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.

Peter Beyer serves as the Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation at the German Federal Foreign Office. He has been a member of the German Bundestag since 2009 and a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 1996. Mr. Beyer is also a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, where he serves as Special Rapporteur on Transatlantic Relations. He is Executive Vice President of the Southeast Europe Association. Prior to his current roles, he served as Managing Chairman of the Heiligenhaus town branch of the CDU and a member of the Heiligenhaus town council from 2008 to 2009. In addition, he was an elected member of the Executive Committee of the Mettmann county branch of the CDU. Before joining the public sector, he worked as an attorney specializing in industrial property law in the Cologne office of Mayer Brown LLP, the Los Angeles office of Murchison & Cumming LLP, and the Chicago office of Brinks, Hofer, Gilson & Lione LLP. Mr. Beyer completed his undergraduate studies at the Universities of Düsseldorf and Bonn, and received his Master in Law at the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville.
With special thanks to Penguin Random House for hosting this event

NYC: The Opportunities and Challenges of Digitalization in the Workplace
2018-09-21 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG will host a discussion and luncheon with Reiner Hoffmann, Chairman of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB).
RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Reiner Hoffmann was elected Chairman of the German Trade Union Confederation (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund), one of the biggest national confederations of trade unions worldwide, in 2014 and re-elected this year. He became a member of the Executive Board of the DGB in 2014. Prior to this, he was a Regional Director of IG BCE – Industriegewerkschaft Bergbau, Chemie, Energie (the Industrial Mining, Chemistry, and Energy Union) of North Rhine. Mr. Hoffmann served as Deputy Secretary-General of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) from 2003 to 2009 and Director of the European Trade Union Institute (EGI) in Brussels from 1994 to 2003. Prior to that, he worked at the Hans Böckler Foundation in Düsseldorf from 1983 to 1994. Mr. Hoffmann started his career as a trainee at Hoechst and continued his education studying at the Bergische Universität-Gesamthochschule Wuppertal. He completed his studies in 1982 as a graduate economist and worked for a limited time as an assistant to the Economic and Social Committee of the European Community in Brussels. Mr. Hoffmann has been a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) since 1972. He serves on numerous Boards, including those of Bayer AG and Atlantik-Brücke.

With special thanks to Morgan Stanley Foundation & Endowment Services for hosting this event

NYC: The Reality Behind Artificial Intelligence
2018-09-27 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG will host a discussion and luncheon with Prof. Dr. Christoph Meinel, CEO of the Hasso Plattner Institut and Dean of the Digital Engineering Faculty at Potsdam University.
There is no charge to attend this event. RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Prof. Dr. Christoph Meinel is CEO of the Hasso Plattner Institut and Dean of the Digital Engineering Faculty at Potsdam University. He is also a Professor of Computer Science at HPI and holds the Chair of Internet Technologies and Systems. He teaches courses on IT Systems Engineering in HPI’s Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree programs and on the MOOC (massive open online courses) platform developed by his team openHPI. He supervises numerous Ph.D. projects and is a teacher at the HPI School of Design Thinking.

Prof. Dr. Meinel’s current research focuses on security engineering, knowledge engineering, and Web 3.0/Semantic Web. He is also scientifically active in Design Thinking research. His earlier scientific work concentrated on efficient algorithms and complexity theory. Prof. Dr. Meinel is the author or coauthor of more than 25 books and anthologies, as well as numerous conference proceedings. He has had more than 550 (peer-reviewed) papers published in scientific journals and at international conferences and holds a number of international patents. He is a member of the National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech), Director of the HPI-Stanford Design Thinking Research Program, Honorary Professor at the TU Beijing and at the Dalian University of Technology, Visiting Professor at Shanghai University, Concurrent Professor at the University of Nanjing, and a member of numerous scientific committees and Supervisory Boards.
With special thanks to NORD/LB for hosting this event

NYC: The Future of the German-American Relationship
2018-09-28 08:00 - 08:30
The ACG will host a discussion with Dr. A. Wess Mitchell, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
There is a $35 charge for members to attend this event.
RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212‐826‐3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Dr. A. Wess Mitchell took the oath of office as Assistant Secretary of State on October 12, 2017. As Assistant Secretary, he is responsible for diplomatic relations with 50 countries in Europe and Eurasia, and with NATO, the EU, and the OSCE. Prior to joining the State Department, Dr. Mitchell spent 12 years at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), a think tank dedicated to the study of Central Europe. A co‐founder of CEPA, he served as President and CEO from 2009 to 2017 and Director of Research from 2006 to 2009. Dr. Mitchell played an instrumental role in CEPA’s growth to become a leading transatlantic think tank with offices in Washington, DC, and Warsaw, Poland.
From 2013 to 2016, Dr. Mitchell chaired the Europe Working Group for the John Hay Initiative. He also served on advisory boards for several U.S. and European institutes, including the Zbigniew Brzezinski Institute for Geostrategy, the Slovak Atlantic Commission, the Prague Center for Transatlantic Relations, Atlantic Initiative Berlin, and the Alexander Hamilton Society.
Dr. Mitchell is the author of numerous articles and reports on transatlantic relations and international security. His work has been translated into 10 languages and appeared in major publications such as the Washington Post, Washington Times, International Herald Tribune, American Interest, National Interest, Orbis, and Internationale Politik. He is the coauthor of two books on geopolitics, including most recently Unquiet Frontier: Vulnerable Allies, Rising Rivals and the Crisis of American Power (with Jakub J. Grygiel).
Dr. Mitchell holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Otto Suhr Institut für Politikwissenschaft at Freie Universität in Berlin; an M.A. from the Center for German and European Studies at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, where he was awarded the 2004 Hopper Award; a certificate in EU Studies from the American Consortium on European Union Studies; and a B.A. in History from Texas Tech University. Dr. Mitchell participated in the ACG’s Young Leaders Study Group on the Future of Europe: Demographic Trends, Migration, and Social Cohesion in 2009 and 2010. He speaks German and has studied Dutch and Czech.

NYC: The 2008 Financial Crisis and Its Impact on the Transatlantic Relationship
2018-10-02 08:00 - 09:30
The ACG will host a breakfast briefing with Dr. Adam Tooze, Kathrynand Shelby Cullom Davis Professor of History and Director of the European Institute at Columbia University and Author of Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World.
RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Dr. Adam Tooze is the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Professor of History at Columbia University, where he directs the European Institute. He is the author and editor of seven books, including Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World, which was released in August. His research interests include modern German history with a special focus on the history of economics, and he is also the author of Statistics and the German State 1900-1945: The Making of Modern Economic Knowledge (2001). Professor Tooze formerly taught at Yale University, where he was Director of International Security Studies, and at the University of Cambridge. He has worked in executive development with several major corporations and contributed to the National Intelligence Council. He has written for publications including Foreign Affairs, The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, El País, Die Zeit, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Tageszeitung, and Spiegel Magazine.
With special thanks to Alliance Bernstein for hosting this event

NYC: Is Chemnitz Germany's Charlottesville Moment?
2018-10-02 18:00 - 20:00
The ACG, Deutsches Haus at NYU, and NYU’s Center for European and Mediterranean Studies will host a panel discussion with David Gill, Consul General of Germany in New York; Cigdem Ipek, Social Scientist in Berlin; and Dr. Christian Martin, Professor of European and Mediterranean Studies and Max Weber Visiting Chair in German and European Studies at New York University; and moderated by ACG President Dr. Steven E. Sokol.
There is no charge to attend this event. RSVP (acceptances only)
to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
David Gill (@germanyny) grew up in a rectory in Herrnhut in the eastern part of Saxony, in the former German Democratic Republic. He was denied attendance and completion of a public school and subsequently studied at a public university on the basis of political reasons. After an apprenticeship to become a plumber, he first underwent theological training and eventually attended a theological seminary of the Protestant Church in Berlin-Brandenburg. In 1990, he initially was Chairman of Normannenstrasse Citizens’ Committee at the headquarters of the Ministry of State Security (Stasi) and then Head of Administration, Parliamentary Special Committee for the dissolution of the GDR Ministry of State Security/Office of National Security. He was Spokesman and Head of Division of the Federal Commissioner for the Files of the State Security Service of the former GDR before studying law, amongst others in Philadelphia. After holding positions with the Federal Ministry of the Interior and with the Office of the Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information in Berlin, he was for eight years the Deputy Representative of the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD) to the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union. During the term of Joachim Gauck, President of Germany from 2012 to 2017, he was State Secretary and Head of the Office of the Federal President. Since August 2017, he is the German Consul General in New York.
Çiğdem İpek is a Berliner of Turkish descent. She holds a degree in social sciences from the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and studied abroad at the New School for Social Research in New York City. Her areas of interest include migration, integration, and identity, as well as education and employment policies. Her professional experience was shaped by a range of diverse employers: the Berlin Senate and the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, in addition to NGOs and freelance projects. Today, she is a staff member of the Chancellery and serves as a desk officer at the Office of the Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees, and Integration.
Dr. Christian Martin (@chwmartin) is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Kiel, Germany. He currently holds the Max Weber Chair in German and European Studies at New York University. He has studied political science at the University of Konstanz and holds a doctorate from there (2002). Dr. Martin was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Konstanz and at the Max-Planck-Institute in Jena (2003-2004). He was an Assistant Professor at the University of Hamburg (2004-2008) and a Visiting Assistant Professor at Northwestern University (2008-2011). Dr. Martin’s research interests focus on the political conditions and consequences of globalization and regional integration. He has published on the effects of globalization for electoral participation and on the incentive to adopt more proportional voting systems in a highly globalized environment. His current research project is on backlashes against globalization and EU integration. Most recently, Dr. Martin has written on voter turnout and the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as well as on the electoral fate of the German Social Democrats.

NYC: Current Trends and Challenges in German Politics
2018-10-05 08:00 - 09:30
The ACG will host a breakfast briefing with H.E. Hermann Gröhe, Member of the German Bundestag (CDU), Former Federal Minister of Health, and Deputy Chairman of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group.
RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Hermann Gröhe has been a member of the German Bundestag since 1994, and has served as the Deputy Chairman of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group since March of 2018. Prior to his current position, he served as the Federal Minister of Health in the third cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel, and it was during this time (in 2014) that he became a member of the CDU Federal Executive Board. Mr. Gröhe has served in various other CDU/CSU roles, including Secretary-General of the CDU (2009-2013); Legal Advisor of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group, Spokesman of its fact-finding committee, and member of its Committee on Foreign Affairs (2005-2008); as well as Chairman of the CDU Rhein-Kreis Neuss (2001-2009), Spokesman on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid for the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group (2005-2008), Spokesman of the “Young Group” in the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group (1994-1998), and a member of the CDU Program Commission (1991-1993). Mr. Gröhe was also a member of the County Council Neuss (1991-1993 and 1984-1989), Chairman of the National Junge Union Germany (1989-1994), and County Chairman of the Junge Union Neuss (1983-1989). Mr. Gröhe is a licensed lawyer and earned his degree at the University of Cologne in 1987. In addition to his political pursuits, he is the Deputy Chairman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, served as the Co-editor of the German Protestant magazine, Chrismon (2000-2009), and was Chairman of the Diakonisches Werk in Neuss, a relief organization of the Protestant Church of Germany (EKD) in Neuss (2000-2008).

NYC: Transatlantic Entrepreneur Partnership Conference
2018-10-15 08:00 - 2018-10-18 17:00
In cooperation with New York International, Berlin Partner, and the German Consulate of New York, the American Council on Germany will take part in the 8th annual Transatlantic Entrepreneur Partnership (TEP) Conference.
More information here: http://tep.nyintl.net/

NYC: When Cities Collaborate: Global Public-Private Partnerships in the Digital Age
2018-10-16 18:30 - 21:00
The ACG, Berlin Partner, German Consulate of New York, and New York International will host a discussion and reception with Eric L. Adams, Brooklyn Borough President; Ana Ariño, Chief Strategy Officer, New York City Economic Development Corporation; Dr. Stefan Franzke, CEO, Berlin Partner; Joachim Köhler, Managing Director, Commerzbank Open Space; Vanessa Liu, Vice President, SAP.iO Foundry NY; and Robin Cammarota, Program Director and Digital Strategist, American Council on Germany (Moderator).
RSVP (acceptances only), to the American Council on Germany at events@acgusa.org.

The Transatlantic Entrepreneur Partnership Conference – or TEP – convenes startups in New York for a series of discussions, meetings, and site visits. This year’s TEP program will focus on connecting startup and business ecosystems across cities around the world. The conference will focus on key areas including blockchain, cryptocurrency, and AI as a way of connecting business across the globe.

NYC: Brexit and the Future of Multilateralism
2018-10-23 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG will host a discussion and luncheon with Ambassador Thomas Matussek, Senior Advisor at Flint Global, Deputy Chairman of the International Business Council (Berlin), and Former German Ambassador to the UK, UN, and India.
RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Ambassador Thomas Matussek is a Senior Advisor at Flint Global and Deputy Chairman of the International Business Council (Berlin), after having served as German Ambassador to the United Kingdom, the United Nations, and India. He previously headed the public-policy representation of Deutsche Bank in Berlin and was the Managing Director of the Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft, the International Forum of Deutsche Bank. Early in his career, he served as Special Assistant for Europe to Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. He was the Director General of the German Foreign Ministry and held senior staff positions with Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher – when he was deeply involved in negotiations on German unification – and with Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel, when he worked toward a solution to the Balkan crisis. As Permanent Representative and Ambassador to the United Nations in New York, he negotiated the first four UN resolutions on the Iranian nuclear issue, which became the foundation for the so-called 3+3 Iranian nuclear deal, accomplished in 2014. Ambassador Matussek sits on a number of Boards, including the Deutsche Gesellschaft für die Vereinten Nationen (United Nations Association of Germany); Institute for Strategic Dialogue in London; Internationaler Wirtschaftssenat e.V. (World Economic Council) in Berlin; and Aspen Institute Germany.

NYC: Self-Perception and External Expectations: Rethinking Germany’s Role on the World Stage
2018-10-31 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG will host a discussion and luncheon with Dr. Christoph von Marschall, Chief Diplomatic Correspondent of Der Tagesspiegel, and Author of Wir Verstehen die Welt Nicht Mehr: Deutschlands Entfremdung von Seinen Freunden (1999 ACG Kellen Fellow).
There is no charge to attend this event. RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Dr. Christoph von Marschall is Chief Diplomatic Correspondent of the Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel. As the inaugural Helmut Schmidt Fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the ZEIT Foundation, he researched and wrote his most recent book, Wir Verstehen die Welt Nicht Mehr: Deutschlands Entfremdung von Seinen Freunden, which was published last month. From 2005 to 2013, he was Der Tagesspiegel’s U.S. Correspondent, Washington Bureau Chief, and White House Correspondent. Beginning when Barack Obama took office in 2009, Dr. von Marschall was the only German newspaper correspondent in the White House Press Corps. From 1995 to 2005, he served as the Editor of the Editorial Page. In addition to his role at Der Tagesspiegel, Dr. von Marschall is a regular guest at ARD-Presseclub and a commentator at Deutschlandfunk and WDR, and he writes for Zeit Online, Cicero, and Das Parlament. Dr. von Marschall is the Vice-Chairman of the Berlin Presse Club e.V. and the author of many books. He studied East European history and political science in Freiburg, Mainz, and Krakow and received his Ph.D. from Freiburg University in 1988.

NYC: Transatlantic Stammtisch for Young Professionals
2018-12-06 18:30 - 21:30
The ACG will host a Transatlantic Stammtisch for Young Professionals.
Appetizers will be provided, Cash Bar. You must register in order to attend. Click here to register
Transatlantic Stammtisch brings together young professionals for informal networking opportunities with individuals interested in transatlantic relations, Germany, and the German language. Conversations are conducted in both English and German.

NYC: Democracy Under Pressure: Cleavages and Contestations
2018-12-11 16:00 - 20:00
The ACG, in partnership with the Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences and the Germany Academy, will host a discussion and reception on Democracy Under Pressure: Cleavages and Contestations.
Processes of cultural, social and economic diversification are omnipresent in a closely connected world. While often peaceful, these processes also bring to the scene contestation and conflicts between groups over the distribution of economic resources and cultural influence: global realignments caused by migration, supra-national decision-making, and international economic interdependencies have added to citizens’ perceptions that their countries and societies are tightly coupled with other parts of the world and, as a consequence, are coming more and more “under stress”. People fear that their group or society might no longer be able to live as before or become one of the globalization losers. They perceive current global realignments as a threat to their individual identities, mores, economic prosperity, and political self-determination.
On both sides of the Atlantic, (too) rapid social change and growing social complexity may overwhelm indi-viduals who – nevertheless – attempt to deal with it via various mechanisms. One of the coping mechanisms can be seen in the formation and support of political and/or social movements that represent their interests. The America-First doctrine, Brexit, and the rise of right-wing (populist) parties in Europe might only be a harbinger of the new challenges which the Western democratic systems of representation, conflict resolution and regulation will have to face in the years to come. Additionally, new forms of mediatization and datafication are rising play-ers in the social and political arena, armed with the power to transform the perception of social and political ‘truth/s’ – making it/them more contestable than ever and thus contributing to the complexity at hand.
To grasp the phenomenon at hand in its full complexity, an interplay of social science and bordering discipli-nary perspectives (i.e. from law, anthropology, and media studies) are necessary. A transatlantic interdisciplinary research network (TIRN) and a joint doctoral program would provide the platform to explore these perspectives and to merge them in one comprehensive research program. The research aim of TIRN is then to investigate the (new) drivers, fields and forms of social and political re-formation which characterize Europe and the US in the 21st century, and to critically reflect the disciplines’ own role in past and present processes. The workshop on December 11-12, 2018, is dedicated to finding both the essentials for a common research program and also the academic and institutional partners to materialize our mission goal.
Registration for the event is required to attend. Seating is limited.
Please RSVP by December 7, 2018 by writing an e-mail to contestations@bigsss-bremen.de.

NYC: The Cultural Conditions of Democracy: An Explanation of Populism
2018-12-13 18:00 - 20:00
The ACG and Deutsches Haus at NYU will host a discussion and reception with Professor Christine Landfried, Professor Emerita of Political Science at the University of Hamburg, Senior Fellow at the Hertie School of Governance, and DAAD Visiting Scholar.
There is no charge to attend this event. RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Professor Christine Landfried, Professor Emerita of Political Science at the University of Hamburg and Senior Fellow at the Hertie School of Governance, is currently a DAAD Visiting Scholar at Deutsches Haus at NYU. From 2014 to 2016, she held the Max Weber Chair at NYU, and for the 2016-2017 academic year, she was Senior Emile Noël Fellow at NYU School of Law. Since 2016, she has chaired the Advisory Board of the Social Science Research Centre Berlin (WZB). She has taught at Sciences Po, the University of California at Berkeley, and Yale Law School. She analyzes the political role of constitutional courts, the impact of campaign finance on democratic governance, and the process of European integration. Her work on the European Union explores the conditions that enhance the potential of cultural, economic, and political difference for governance beyond the nation state.

Berlin, NYC, and Washington, DC: The Current State of German Politics: A Transatlantic Town Hall with American Policy and Media Experts in Berlin
2019-01-24 12:00 - 14:00
The American Council on Germany and the Robert Bosch Foundation Alumni Association will host a discussion with Brent Goff, Chief News Anchor, Deutsche Welle; Julianne Smith, Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow, Bosch Academy in Berlin & Adjunct Senior Fellow, Center for a New American Security; Sudha David-Wilp, Deputy Director Berlin Office and Senior Transatlantic Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Refreshments will be served and there will be no charge to attend. RSVP here by January 22nd.
Since his election, many transatlantic panel discussions have focused on Donald Trump – and how his election has transformed politics in the United States as well as his impact on transatlantic relations. Meanwhile, the German political system has also been undergoing its own transformation. As Chancellor Merkel’s tenure winds down, the traditional Volksparteien – the CDU/CSU and the SPD – have lost traction and parties like the AfD and the Greens have gained support. In Europe, the Brexit and rising populism give cause for concern. How Germany handles these transitions will have a significant impact on the stability of its democratic system, its leadership role on a range of global issues, its positions vis-à-vis the European Union, and the country’s relationship with the United States. This event will examine the current issues confronting the German political system by drawing on the expertise of four experts, all of whom are Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship alumni living in Berlin.
Sumi Somaskanda, Reporter and Anchor, Deutsche Welle.
