German-American Conference
2024-04-15 08:00 - 2024-04-16 17:00 (America/New_York)
The American Council on Germany and Atlantik-Brücke will host the annual German-American Conference on April 15 and 16, 2024 in Washington, DC.
More information to follow.

Young Leader Alumni Reception
2024-04-16 18:30 - 20:30
On April 16, the ACG, Atlantik-Bruecke, and Axel Dittmann, Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Washington will host a Young Leaders Alumni Reception. This event is timed to coincide with the annual German-American Conference.

“Double Exposure: Colonialism and its Impact on Political Solidarity Today”
2024-11-22 18:00 - 19:30
The ACG and the Goethe Institut are having a discussion in Washington DC with Dr. Emily Marker and Dr. Monica van der Haagen-Wulff on “Double Exposure: Colonialism and its Impact on Political Solidarity Today”
After the end of World War II, European nations promoted European unification as a “peace project.” What remained largely ignored was the obligation resulting from the colonial past of countries like Germany, France, and Great Britain. What kind of solidarity can be expected from the descendants of the colonizers – and those who were colonized? With its legacy of slavery, similar questions came to the forefront in the context of Black Lives Matter: Is there an obligation for white majority society to show solidarity to the descendants of enslaved people? Dr. Emily Marker and Dr. Monica van der Haagen-Wulff will discuss the significance of historical injustices today – and how this plays out in the complex political environment we live in. Emily Marker is an Associate Professor of History at Rutgers University. Her research and teaching interests are in imperial and postcolonial Europe, francophone Africa, race, religion, youth, and global history. Her recent book, Black France, White Europe: Youth, Race, and Belonging in the Postwar Era (Cornell, 2022), explores how public and private programs to promote solidarity between French and African youth collided with transnational efforts to make young people in Western Europe feel European after World War II. Based on several years of archival research in France, Senegal, Italy and Belgium, Black France, White Europe locates these competing generational projects at the center of the entangled history of decolonization and European integration.
In addition to her research and teaching, Dr. Marker works on initiatives for social justice and equity in the academy. A co-founder of the Race and Pedagogy Working Group at the University of Chicago (2015), she has organized workshops and community classes on power, privilege, and inclusive teaching. In 2023-24, Dr. Marker is serving as president of the Camden Chapter of Rutgers AAUP-AFT. She’s also a member of the Graduate Faculty in History at Rutgers-New Brunswick, the Executive Committee of Rutgers’ Center for African Studies, and the Faculty Advisory Board of Rutgers’ Center for European Studies. Dr. Marker is currently the president of the Western Society for French History.
Monica van der Haagen-Wulff is an Associate Lecturer at the Chair for Education and Cultural Sociology in the Department of Education and Social Sciences at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Cologne. Her teaching and research interests include cultural- and postcolonial studies, migration, intersectionality, post- and decolonial feminist theories, globalization, global cities, affect theory, embodiment, fictocritical writing, and critical heritage/memory studies. Monica has a transcultural dance and performance background, and her main research focus is on how practice and theory can be merged to create new knowledges and in so doing decenter Eurocentric knowledge constructions. She is an active member of the German Network for Anti-Racist School-Pedagogy (Netzwerk Rassismuskritische Schulpädagogik), as well as a founding member of the Forum Decolonizing Academia at the University of Cologne. Her teaching is inspired by bell hooks’ concepts of engaged pedagogy. She has published in international academic journals.

Where do we go from here? The Transatlantic Relationship in 2025
2025-01-27 18:00 - 19:30
Join the American Council on Germany and the Goethe-Institut for the latest installment in our Foreign Correspondent Unplugged series, which delves into current political debates on both sides of the Atlantic. Journalists McKay Coppins, Staff Writer at The Atlantic, and Rieke Havertz, International Correspondent for ZEIT ONLINE, will discuss what European leaders and policymakers are monitoring, will explore the potential shifts in transatlantic relations, and will forescast how President Trump’s foreign policies may impact European economies, security, diplomacy, and broader international alliances. The event will be moderated by the President of the American Council on Germany, Dr. Steven E. Sokol. McKay Coppins is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he covers politics, religion, and national affairs. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Romney: A Reckoning, a biography of Mitt Romney published by Scribner in 2023, and The Wilderness, a 2015 book about the battle for the future of the Republican Party. A former visiting fellow at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics, Mr. Coppins has won the Aldo Beckman Award from the White House Correspondents Association for his coverage of the Trump presidency and the Wilbur Award for religion journalism. He lives near Washington, D.C., with his wife and children.
Rieke Havertz, International Correspondent for ZEIT ONLINE, currently based in Washington D.C. She writes about current developments in and from various countries, with a focus on the USA, as well as about German foreign policy. Ms. Havertz also co-hosts the podcast “OK, America?”. She was previously ZEIT ONLINE’s U.S. correspondent in Washington, D.C., from August to January 2022 and then again from August 2022 to February 2023. She has been at ZEIT ONLINE since May 2016, initially as editorial manager. She previously served as head of department at taz.de. She studied journalism and American studies at the University of Leipzig and Ohio University.
Dr. Steven E. Sokol is the President and CEO of the American Council on Germany. Previously, he served as President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh and prior to that he was the Vice President and Director of Programs at the American Council on Germany. He holds a Doctorate in Law and Policy from Northeastern University as well as an M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins University’s Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a B.A. from Wesleyan University. He has also studied at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität in Heidelberg and as a Fulbright Scholar at the Freie Universität in Berlin. Dr. Sokol is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and sits on several advisory boards. He was awarded a Bundesverdienstkreuz (Order of Merit) for his work to strengthen German-American relations.

Discussion on The Geopolitical Challenges Facing the New German Government
2025-05-19 13:00 - 14:30
Join the ACG in London for a discussion with Professor Peter Neumann on, “The Geopolitical Challenges Facing the New German Government” Dr. Peter Neumann is Professor of Security Studies at the Department of War Studies, and founded the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR), which he directed between 2008 and 2018.
In 2017, he also served as the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Special Representatives on Countering Violent Extremism.
Neumann has authored or co-authored seven books, most recently Bluster: Donald Trump’s War on Terror (Hurst and Oxford University Press, 2020). Previous books include Radicalized: New Jihadists and the Threat to the West (IB Tauris, 2016), Old and New Terrorism (Polity Press, 2009), The Strategy of Terrorism (with MLR Smith) (Routledge, 2008), and Britain’s Long War: British Strategy in the Northern Ireland Conflict, 1969-98 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003). He is currently working on a research monograph on the ideas and ideologues of the contemporary Far Right.
Neumann has authored more than a dozen peer-reviewed articles, dealing with different aspects of terrorism and radicalisation, especially ‘homegrown’ radicalisation in Western countries, and serves on the editorial boards of Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, The Journal of Strategic Studies, and Democracy and Security. Shorter articles and opinion pieces have appeared in the New York Times, Der Spiegel, The London Review of Books, and the New Scientist.
He established the MA in Terrorism, Security, and Society at the War Studies Department, and served as its Co-Director from 2008 to 2016. He has taught courses on terrorism, counterterrorism, intelligence, radicalisation and counter-radicalisation at King’s College London, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, and Sciences Po (Lyon). Neumann holds an MA in Political Science from the Free University of Berlin, and a PhD in War Studies from King’s College London. Before becoming an academic, he worked as a radio journalist in Germany.

DC Event: “The Next Frontier of Security: Managing Migration in a Changing World”
2025-11-20 08:00 - 09:30
The ACG and the Hanns Seidel Foundation will host a breakfast briefing with Stephan Mayer, Member of the German Bundestag (CSU), and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Interior (2018-2021), on “The Next Frontier of Security: Managing Migration in a Changing World”.
Please email events@acgusa.org for more information.
Stephan Mayer has been a Member of the German Bundestag (Federal Parliament) for the Altötting constituency in Bavaria since 2002. He serves as the Deputy Chairman of the Subcommittee on Foreign Cultural and Educational Policy, as well as a Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Committee on Sport and Volunteering, and the Subcommittee on Foreign Cultural and Educational Policy. Mr. Mayer is also a Deputy Member of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Energy and the Committee on Internal Affairs, as well as the Chair of the German-Czech Parliamentary Group, and Deputy Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean.
Mr. Mayer previously served as Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of the Interior, Building, and Community under Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2018 to 2021, and was the Secretary General of the CSU in 2022. Outside of the Bundestag Mr. Mayer has served as the Deputy State Chairman of the Union of Expellees (UdV) since 2006. He was recently elected President of the Federation of Expellees (BdV) after having served as the Vice President since 2016.
Mr. Mayer studied Law at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich and has been a lawyer since 2000.

Greenwich, CT Event: The Transatlantic Relationship in an Era of Economic and Geopolitical Transformation
2026-03-24 17:30 - 19:30
The ACG will host discussion and reception in Greenwich, CT on “The Transatlantic Relationship in an Era of Economic and Geopolitical Transformation” with Paul S. Atkins, Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (1993 ACG Young Leader and Former Vice Chairman), moderated by Dan Gallagher, Chief Legal, Compliance and Corporate Affairs Officer of Robinhood Markets, Inc. (2008 ACG Young Leader).
Former ACG Vice Chair Paul S. Atkins was sworn in as Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) just under a year ago. He wasted no time and hit the ground running, announcing that it is a “new day” at the SEC and advocating for the reinforcement of investor confidence and balanced regulatory change. He has emphasized the importance of strategic collaboration with international partners that share a commitment to innovation and regulatory clarity. As Chairman, he noted that, by working together, the United States and Europe can strengthen their respective domestic economies while reinforcing the transatlantic partnership. He has been clear that cooperation between the SEC and the European securities regulators remains strong, noting in particular the areas of enforcement and supervision of registrants. He has also highlighted the need for continued collaboration on several cross-border regulatory issues.
Chairman Atkins is a longtime advocate for regulation that is smart, effective, and appropriately tailored within the confines of statutory authority. His regulatory priorities include: (1) “Project Crypto”—advancing digital asset regulation through the establishment of clear “rules of the road” for the issuance, custody, and trading of crypto assets via formal rulemaking and guidance; (2) enhancing capital formation by making public offerings more attractive through the simplification and modernization of capital-raising pathways, as well as potential rule amendments to expand investor access to historically private investments and offerings, including possible updates to the accredited investor standard; (3) rationalizing disclosure practices by prioritizing material disclosures; and (4) addressing ESG-related disclosures and modernizing the shareholder proposal process.
Paul S. Atkins was sworn into office as the 34th Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 21, 2025, after being nominated by President Donald J. Trump on January 20, 2025, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 9, 2025.
Prior to returning to the SEC, Chairman Atkins was Chief Executive of Patomak Global Partners, a company he founded in 2009. He helped lead efforts to develop best practices for the digital asset sector. He also served as an independent Director and non-executive Chairman of the board of BATS Global Markets, Inc. from 2012 to 2015.
Chairman Atkins was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a Commissioner of the SEC from 2002 to 2008. During his tenure, he advocated for transparency, consistency, and the use of cost-benefit analysis at the agency. Chairman Atkins also represented the SEC at meetings of the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets and the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Economic Council. From 2009 to 2010, he was appointed a member of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program.
Before serving as an SEC Commissioner, Chairman Atkins was a consultant on securities and investment management industry matters, especially regarding issues of strategy, regulatory compliance, risk management, new product development, and organizational control. From 1990 to 1994, he served on the staff of two chairmen of the SEC – Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt – ultimately as Chief of Staff and Counselor, respectively. He received the SEC’s 1992 Law and Policy Award for work regarding corporate governance matters.
Chairman Atkins began his career as a lawyer in New York, focusing on a wide range of corporate transactions for U.S. and foreign clients, including public and private securities offerings and mergers and acquisitions. He was resident for 2½ years in his firm’s Paris office and admitted as conseil juridique in France.
A member of the New York and Florida bars, Chairman Atkins received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1983 and was Senior Student Writing Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review. He received his A.B., Phi Beta Kappa, from Wofford College in 1980. He was an American Council on Germany Young Leader in 1993 and served on the Board. In 2020, he was elected Vice Chair of the ACG. Originally from Lillington, North Carolina, Chairman Atkins grew up in Tampa, Florida. He and his wife Sarah have three sons.

Dan Gallagher (Moderator) is the Chief Legal, Compliance and Corporate Affairs Officer of Robinhood Markets, Inc. Before joining Robinhood, he was Partner and Deputy Chair of the Securities Department at international law firm WilmerHale where he advised corporate boards and management on the full range of legal and strategic issues, and counseled financial services and accounting firms in investigations, regulatory proceedings and policy matters.
Mr. Gallagher has an extensive background in financial markets and regulatory matters, including serving as a Commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from 2011 to 2015. He held several other positions on the SEC staff prior to being appointed commissioner, including deputy director and co-acting director of the division of trading and markets. Dan also previously served as the Chief Legal Officer at Mylan N.V., a leading global pharmaceutical company, and as the president of a financial services consulting firm.
Mr. Gallagher is a fellow in the Columbia Law School’s Program in the Law and Economics of Capital Markets and serves on several advisory boards, including the New Civil Liberties Alliance and the Institute for Law and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, he serves on the Board of Visitors at Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law. He was formerly a non-executive director of the Irish Stock Exchange and served on the board of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). M. Gallagher holds a J.D. from Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, and a B.A. from Georgetown University. He was an ACG Young Leader in 2008.

DC Event: Foreign Correspondent Unplugged on “Campaign Season on Both Sides of the Atlantic”
2026-04-20 18:00 - 20:00
The American Council on Germany and the Goethe-Institut USA cordially invite you to a Live Podcast Recording and Discussion as part of the series Foreign Correspondent Unplugged, on “Campaign Season on Both Sides of the Atlantic” with Liz Goodwin, National Political Reporter, The Washington Post and Nadine Lindner, Journalist, Deutschlandradio, and moderated by Dr. Steven E. Sokol, President and CEO, The American Council on Germany.
Join the American Council on Germany and the Goethe-Institut USA for an installment of our Foreign Correspondent Unplugged series, which delves into current political debates on both sides of the Atlantic.
The year 2026 is shaping up to be an important electoral moment on both sides of the Atlantic. In the United States, voters will head to the polls for the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress and shape the final years of the current administration in Washington, DC. In Germany, several key state elections will test the strength of the governing coalition and the continued rise of parties such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD), offering an early indication of the political dynamics that could influence the next federal contest. Together, these campaigns will provide a revealing snapshot of how domestic political pressures in both countries may shape the future of the transatlantic relationship.
Drawing on our guests’ extensive on-the-ground reporting – from Germany’s evolving party landscape to the shifting dynamics of U.S. national politics – this discussion will explore how political narratives, voter behavior, and media coverage are influencing democratic debate and the broader transatlantic relationship.
This event is part of a week-long speaking tour by Nadine Lindner to five U.S. cities titled State(s) of Democracy: A German Journalist’s Journey to the U.S. in 2026.
Liz Goodwin is a national political reporter for The Washington Post, writing about the forces and people remaking American politics. She previously covered the Senate. Ms. Goodwin joined The Post from the Boston Globe, where she covered national politics since 2018, most recently serving as Washington bureau chief. Before joining the Globe in 2018, Ms. Goodwin wrote about national politics and national affairs for Yahoo News, covering Congress, the 2012 and 2016 presidential campaigns, immigration, and criminal justice, among other topics. Earlier in her career, she worked at the Daily Beast. As a reporter, Ms. Goodwin is known for capturing the human side of politics — writing revealing profiles of candidates and examining the complex decision-making of voters in absorbing narratives. She has written from the U.S.-Mexico border about the Trump administration’s family separation policy and from Britain on former president Donald Trump’s influence on nationalists in that country and has reported from the campaign trail over three presidential elections.

Nadine Lindner has been a Correspondent in the Berlin studio of “Deutschlandradio” since early 2016. Among other things, Ms. Lindner is responsible for the news coverage of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the German parliament. Ms. Lindner studied Political Science at Leipzig University in Saxony and discovered her enthusiasm for radio at the training station “mephisto 97.6.” After graduating from university, she worked as a freelance journalist for “MDR sputnik” and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as well as Deutschlandradio. She completed her journalistic training at Deutschlandradio in Berlin. In 2013, Ms. Lindner moved back to Saxony as a regional correspondent for Deutschlandradio, where she covered the early evolution of the AfD and the anti-asylum movement Pegida. In 2024, she received the prize from the Bundespressekonferenz, the association of capital studio journalists, for her reporting about the AfD and Eastern Germany.

Dr. Steven E. Sokol (moderator) has been the President and CEO of the American Council on Germany since 2015. Previously, he served as President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh and prior to that he was the Vice President and Director of Programs at the American Council on Germany. Earlier in his career, Dr. Sokol worked at the Aspen Institute Berlin and in the Berlin office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. He holds a Doctorate from Northeastern University as well as an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins University’s Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a B.A. from Wesleyan University. He has also studied at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität in Heidelberg and as a Fulbright Scholar at the Freie Universität in Berlin.

There is no cost to attend this event.
