American Council On Germany

Study Tour on Social Cohesion
2022-09-04 - 2022-09-10
The ACG will hold the first Study Tour on Social Cohesion in Dresden and Nuremberg.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2022-09-06 09:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York)
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Tuesday, September 6, at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Melanie Amann, Co-Editor-in-Chief for Der Spiegel.
Melanie Amann is a German journalist and lawyer. She is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the leading German weekly newspaper, Der Spiegel, and heads the publication’s Berlin office. She was born in Bonn and raised in Siegburg. She studied law at the University of Trier, Aix-Marseille III, and at the Humboldt University of Berlin.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Germany?
2022-09-12 11:00 - 12:00
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Monday, September 12, at 11:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Paul-Anton Krüger, Parliamentary Correspondent in the Berlin Bureau of the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Paul-Anton Krüger has been Parliamentary Correspondent in the Berlin Bureau of the Süddeutsche Zeitung since the 2021 federal election. Previously he reported on political affairs and served as Deputy Head of the Foreign Policy Department with a focus on the Middle East and international security for three years. Prior to that, he spent four years based in Cairo and was as a correspondent covering large parts of the Arab world and Iran.
After graduating from the Alte Landesschule in Korbach, he studied journalism in Berlin and Munich. In August 2005, he joined the Süddeutsche Zeitung as a volunteer, worked as an editor from 2008 and as head of the foreign policy department from 2011. In the fall of 2007, Mr. Krüger was a guest editor at the Chicago Tribune as part of the Arthur F. Burns Fellowship, the German-American journalism scholarship of the International Journalism Programs e.V.

Lessons from the Pandemic: How Cities Can Protect Public Health and Fight Climate Change
2022-09-12 18:00 - 19:30
On September 12, the ACG and the Heinrich-Boell-Stiftung will hold a discussion and reception with Silke Gebel, Member of the German Green Party and
Chair of the Green Party in the Berlin House of Representatives
Silke Gebel is Chairwoman of the state Parliamentary Group of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (Alliance 90/The Greens) in the Berlin House of Representatives, where she was elected in 2013 to represent Berlin-Mitte. As Chairwoman, she is particularly involved in issues relating to the governance of the Social Democratic-Green-Left coalition in Berlin. The Green Party has been involved in the state government in Berlin since 2016. Trained in public administration, Ms. Gebel joined the Greens in 2003 and served as Political Director of the Green Youth in the federal government.
Ms. Gebel’s main concerns are to advance strong environmental protection, with a focus on ensuring access to clean water, improving air quality, and expanding public green spaces in the city. Her commitment to Berlin’s health sector is unique. She initiated a Green Hospital Program, which is the city’s first comprehensive policy to make hospitals more sustainable. Ms. Gebel believes that strengthening environmental protection and minimizing resource use in sectors as important as health care will make Berlin more equitable and livable for all residents, especially children and the elderly, who are most affected by pollution.
Another focus of her work is digitalization, which offers innovative ways to modernize Berlin and meet the great challenge of making the city climate-neutral. On an international level, Ms. Gebel advocates for constructive discussions on the future of European political cooperation for peace, from which the city of Berlin has greatly benefited. As a committed European, she is a member of the Young European Federalists of the European Union. She is also a member of ver.di, one of the most powerful trade unions in Germany, representing nearly 2 million people.

The War in Ukraine and its Impact on Germany – and Europe
2022-09-13 08:00 - 09:30
On Septembre 13, the ACG and the Heinrich-Boell-Stiftung will hold a breakfast briefing with Omid Nouripour, Member of the Bundestag and Co-Chairman of Alliance ‘90/The Greens.
Omid Nouripour has been an active member of the German Green Party (Alliance 90/The Greens) since 1996. He first worked on an initiative for strengthening the rights of immigrants in Germany. From 1999 until 2003 he was the chairman of the Green Party’s Youth Organization in Hessen, his German home state. In December 2002, he was elected to the board of the federal Green Party and he remained on as a board member until December 2006. From 2002 until 2009 he was also the spokesperson of the Federal Working Committee on Migrants and Refugees of the Green Party.
Mr. Nouripour became a member of parliament in September 2006, taking over the seat of Joschka Fischer, the former German foreign minister. Mr. Nouripour first worked on European issues and Home affairs and was a member of the Budget Committee, the Committee of Defense, and the Committee for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs. He was the ranking member of the Green Party parliamentary group in the Foreign Affairs Committee during the 19th legislative period and the Green Party’s spokesman on foreign affairs. He was re-elected to the Bundestag in the September 2021 federal election and won the seat in his constituency.
Since February 2022, Omid Nouripour has been the Co-Chairman of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen.

Winter of Discontent? Europe's Energy Challenge
2022-09-15 10:00 - 11:00
As temperatures fall and heating prices rise, political leaders across Europe are bracing themselves for a fall and winter of discontent. But, heating is just one of many aspects impacting Europe’s energy market. More broadly, EU member states are struggling to rein in soaring gas prices – which are wreaking havoc across the Continent. Last week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for a European intervention to control gas prices in the run-up to a meeting of Europe’s energy ministers in Brussels on Friday, September 9. They discussed a collection of proposals by the European Commission to tackle rising energy prices – including the possibility of setting a new reference gas price that reflects the cost of LNG on the global market to avoid price spikes caused by disruptions in supply from Russia. This coming Wednesday the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will give her annual State of the European Union address and is expected to simultaneously unveil draft legislation on how to deal with high energy prices.
Join us on September 15 for a virtual discussion with POLITICO’s Energy Policy Correspondent America Hernandez about the meeting of Europe’s energy ministers and what the future holds for Europe’s energy market. America Hernandez covers European energy issues in Europe for POLITICO. She is a third-generation newspaperman born and raised among the Mexican merchants of Olvera Street in El Pueblo de Los Angeles, California. She got her start in local news, covering crime, business, and color stories in six cities of Los Angeles County, before becoming the arts and theater reporter of the Orange County Register. Ms. Hernandez then joined the staff of the Daily Journal, California’s legal newspaper of record, covering state and federal civil courts. Her stories ranged from entertainment industry disputes to white collar crime, environmental toxic tort cases to litigation surrounding President Donald J. Trump’s immigration-related executive orders.
Ms. Hernandez studied political science at the University of Southern California, and she is fluent in English, Spanish, and French, with intermediate Italian.

Discussion and Reception in Munich
2022-09-15 18:00 - 19:30
On September 15, the ACG and Freunde des ACG will host a Discussion and Reception in Munich with Stefan Kornelius, Head of the Political Department at the Süddeutsche Zeitung; and Dr. Meike Zwingenberger, Executive Director of the Stiftung Bayerisches Amerikahaus GmbH –Bavarian Center for Transatlantic Relations; and moderated by Dr. Steven E. Sokol, President and CEO of the American Council on Germany. This event is held in partnership with Freunde des American Council on Germany.
Stefan Kornelius leitet seit 2021 das Politik-Ressort der Süddeutschen Zeitung. Von 2000 an war er für die Außenpolitik verantwortlich. Zuvor arbeitete er als stellvertretender Leiter des Berliner Büros und berichtete während der Clinton-Präsidentschaft als Korrespondent aus Washington. Von 1991 bis 1996 war Herr Kornelius als Korrespondent im Bonner Bundesbüro der SZ für die Berichterstattung über Verteidigung und sicherheitspolitische Themen sowie über die CDU zuständig. Er absolvierte die Henri-Nannen-Journalistenschule und studierte an der Universität Bonn und der London School of Economics. Er ist Mitbegründer der Zeitschrift Medium Magazin.
Dr. Meike Zwingenberger ist seit 2013 Geschäftsführerin der Stiftung Bayerisches Amerikahaus gGmbH – Bavarian Center for Transatlantic Relations. Von 2007 bis 2014 leitete sie die Bayerische Amerika-Akademie, und von 1997 bis 2006 war sie Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin bei der Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München. Dr. Zwingenberger erwarb ihren Doktorgrad an der Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, und sie studierte an der University of California – Los Angeles und der University of British Columbia.

Freunde des ACG - Mitgliederversammlung
2022-09-19 09:00 - 10:30
The Freunde des American Council on Germany will host its annual Mitgliederversammlung in Berlin.

Transatlantische Partnerschaft nach dem Beginn der ‚Zeitenwende‘ und vor den Mid-Terms
2022-09-19 19:00 - 21:00
On September 19, the ACG and Freunde des ACG will host a discussion and reception with Michael Georg Link, Mitglied des Deutschen Bundestages (FDP) und Koordinator für die transatlantische Zusammenarbeit im Auswärtigen Amt.
Michael Georg Link ist Mitglied des Deutsch Bundestages (FDP). Er vertritt seinen Heimatwahlkreis Heilbronn seit 2017, und von 2005 bis 2013 hatte er dieselbe Stelle. Er ist Europasprecher der FDP-Bundestagsfraktion und seit März 2022 Koordinator für die transatlantische Zusammenarbeit im Auswärtigen Amt. Er ist Mitglied des Heilbronner Stadtrats und zugleich Vorsitzender des FDP-Verbandes. Von Januar 2012 bis Dezember 2013 war er Staatsminister für Europa im Auswärtigen Amt und Beauftragter der Bundesregierung für die deutsch-französische Zusammenarbeit. Insbesondere war er verantwortlich für die Beziehungen zu den UN, der Europäischen Union, dem Europarat, der OSZE und der NATO sowie für die bilateralen Beziehungen zu den Vereinigten Staaten und Kanada. Nach seinem Militärdienst studierte Herr Link Russisch und Französisch an den Universitäten Augsburg, Lausanne und Heidelberg.

Putin’s War in Ukraine: A Shock for Germany?
2022-09-20 18:00 - 19:30
On September 20, the Philadelphia Warburg Chapter and the German Society of Pennsylvania will host a discussion and reception with Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger, Journalist and former Foreign Editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger is a journalist who previously served as the Foreign Editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. His writing has focused on the United States, European, transatlantic, and international politics. Mr. Frankenberger holds a master’s degree in Political Science, Economics, and American Studies from Frankfurt University. In 1980, he participated in an exchange program with the University of Mississippi. From 1982 to 1985 he was a research associate at the Center for North-American Studies at Frankfurt University. Mr. Frankenberger was a Congressional Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1985 to 1986 and a Marshall Fellow at Harvard University in 1990. He has lectured at several American universities. In 2011, he was a Bosch Fellow at the Transatlantic Academy in Washington, D.C. Since he joined the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany’s leading national daily, in 1986, he served in various capacities, as European, International, and Editorial Page Editor. Mr. Frankenberger was a Member of the Trilateral Commission and of the Scientific Council of the Institute for European Politics in Berlin. He also served on the Advisory Board of the Federal Academy for Security Policy in Berlin and is associated with several organizations that deal with the transatlantic relationship.

Investing in Germany while Restructuring Energy Supplies
2022-09-21 11:30 - 12:30
On September 21, the ACG will host a discussion with Dr. Jörg Kukies, State Secretary for Economic, Finance, and European Affairs in the German Federal Chancellery.
Dr. Jörg Kukies is the State Secretary for Economic, Finance, and European Affairs, and G7/G20 Sherpa in the German Federal Chancellery. Previously, he served as State Secretary for financial market policy and European policy at the Federal Ministry of Finance from April 2018. Before that, he was co-chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs AG and managing director of the Frankfurt branch of Goldman Sachs International from 2014 to 2018. He has previously held positions in the product development team of Goldman Sachs International in London, in the equities division for Germany and Austria in Frankfurt, and as head of equity derivatives for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Goldman Sachs International from 2011 to 2014.
Dr. Kukies studied economics at Pantheon-Sorbonne University in Paris. He has a master’s in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in finance from the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business.

Putin’s War in Ukraine: A Shock for Germany?
2022-09-26 18:00 - 20:00
On September 27, the Pittsburgh Warburg Chapter, GACC, and the Economic Club of Pittsburgh will host a discussion and reception with Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger, Journalist and former Foreign Editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (1985 ACG Legislative Aide Fellow). Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger (1985 ACG Legislative Aide Fellow) is a journalist who previously served as the Foreign Editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. His writing has focused on the United States, European, transatlantic, and international politics. Mr. Frankenberger holds a master’s degree in Political Science, Economics, and American Studies from Frankfurt University. In 1980, he participated in an exchange program with the University of Mississippi. From 1982 to 1985 he was a research associate at the Center for North-American Studies at Frankfurt University. Mr. Frankenberger was a Congressional Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1985 to 1986 and a Marshall Fellow at Harvard University in 1990. He has lectured at several American universities. In 2011, he was a Bosch Fellow at the Transatlantic Academy in Washington, D.C. Since he joined the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany’s leading national daily, in 1986, he served in various capacities, as European, International, and Editorial Page Editor. Mr. Frankenberger was a Member of the Trilateral Commission and of the Scientific Council of the Institute for European Politics in Berlin. He also served on the Advisory Board of the Federal Academy for Security Policy in Berlin and is associated with several organizations that deal with the transatlantic relationship.

Putin’s War in Ukraine: A Shock for Germany?
2022-09-28 17:30 - 19:30
On September 28, the Charlotte Warburg Chapter will host a discussion and reception with Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger, Journalist and former Foreign Editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (1985 ACG Legislative Aide Fellow). Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger (1985 ACG Legislative Aide Fellow) is a journalist who previously served as the Foreign Editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. His writing has focused on the United States and European, transatlantic, and international politics. Mr. Frankenberger holds a master’s degree in political science, economics, and American studies from Frankfurt University. In 1980, he participated in an exchange program with the University of Mississippi. From 1982 to 1985, he was a research associate at the Center for North American Studies at Frankfurt University. Mr. Frankenberger was a Congressional Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1985 to 1986 and a Marshall Fellow at Harvard University in 1990. He has lectured at several American universities. In 2011, he was a Bosch Fellow at the Transatlantic Academy in Washington, DC. Since joining the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany’s leading national daily, in 1986, he served in various capacities, as European, International, and Editorial Page Editor. Mr. Frankenberger was a member of the Trilateral Commission and of the Scientific Council of the Institute for European Politics in Berlin. He also served on the Advisory Board of the Federal Academy for Security Policy in Berlin and is associated with several organizations that deal with the transatlantic relationship.

Together but Apart: German (Dis)Unity 32 Years after Unification
2022-09-30 10:00 - 11:00
Most people on both sides of the former border between the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) consider unification a success. Living standards have risen in the East. The mass exodus from East to West has been halted and even reversed. But, more than three decades after unification, the project has not been completed, and Germany is still a divided country in many ways. This can be seen in the economy and in the political landscape: Economic growth in the East still lags that of the West, and many easterners are expressing their discontent by supporting the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Join us on September 30 for a virtual discussion with two award-winning journalists who grew up in the former GDR about the “parallel societies” that have developed in contemporary Germany. Both from the Free State of Saxony, Vladimir Balzer grew up in Leipzig and is with Deutschlandfunk and Anja Heyde was born in Leisnig and is a well-known television host and journalist. Vladimir Balzer is a journalist and moderator at Deutschlandfunk Kultur. He grew up in Leipzig and studied German, art history, and journalism in Dublin, Venice, and Leipzig. He spent study periods in Italy and the USA. He began his career as a presenter, reporter, and editor at Deutschlandradio and MDR. Mr. Balzer hosts, among others, the daily programs “Fazit – Kultur vom Tage” and “Studio 9” on Deutschlandfunk Kultur.
Anja Heyde is a well-known German television host and journalist. From 2008 to 2017, she was the host of ZDF’s Morgenmagazin. She also hosted “Made in Germany” on Deutsche Welle’s television station and MDR’s “Fakt Ist!” Her reporting can be seen on Auslandsjournal, ZDF’s Blickpunkt, and election coverage.

Putin’s War in Ukraine: A Shock for Germany
2022-09-30 12:00 - 14:00
On September 30, the ACG will host a discussion and luncheon with Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger, Journalist and former Foreign Editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (1985 ACG Legislative Aide Fellow).
Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger (1985 ACG Legislative Aide Fellow) is a journalist who previously served as the Foreign Editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. His writing has focused on the United States, European, transatlantic, and international politics. Mr. Frankenberger holds a master’s degree in Political Science, Economics, and American Studies from Frankfurt University. In 1980, he participated in an exchange program with the University of Mississippi. From 1982 to 1985 he was a research associate at the Center for North-American Studies at Frankfurt University. Mr. Frankenberger was a Congressional Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1985 to 1986 and a Marshall Fellow at Harvard University in 1990. He has lectured at several American universities. In 2011, he was a Bosch Fellow at the Transatlantic Academy in Washington, D.C. Since he joined the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany’s leading national daily, in 1986, he served in various capacities, as European, International, and Editorial Page Editor. Mr. Frankenberger was a Member of the Trilateral Commission and of the Scientific Council of the Institute for European Politics in Berlin. He also served on the Advisory Board of the Federal Academy for Security Policy in Berlin and is associated with several organizations that deal with the transatlantic relationship.

Building Resilient Societies in Germany and the United States
2022-10-03 11:00 - 13:00
As citizens lose confidence in democratic institutions and practices, democracies around the world are facing unprecedented internal and external challenges – such as the rise of populism and political polarization at home and the rise of autocracies abroad. These challenges have the potential to disrupt how we live. In Germany and the United States, decision-makers and opinion leaders consider how to build resilient societies by restoring trust and strengthening institutions and practices at the state and local level. They work to be more inclusive and to ensure that no one is left behind.
Join us on German Unity Day for welcoming remarks by Muhterem Aras, President of the Baden-Württemberg State Parliament, and German Consul General in New York David Gill, followed by thoughts from Winfried Kretschmann, the Minister-President of the State of Baden-Württemberg, about how to build resilient societies in challenging times.
In response to Minister President Kretschmann’s remarks, a panel will discuss what can be done at the state and local level. The panel will include Dr. Danyal Bayaz, Minister of Finance for the State of Baden-Württemberg; Sabrina Saunders Mosby, President and CEO of Vibrant Pittsburgh; and Lisa Schroeder, President and CEO of The Pittsburgh Foundation – and be moderated by Dr. Steven E. Sokol, President and CEO of the American Council on Germany.
The discussion will be followed by an informal lunch. This event is hosted by the State of Baden-Württemberg with support from the American Council on Germany and the German Consulate in New York.

Germany’s Zeitenwende – and What it Means for Europe
2022-10-04 07:30 - 09:00
On October 4, the Chicago Warburg Chapter will host a breakfast briefing with Metin Hakverdi, Member of the Bundestag (SPD) Metin Hakverdi joined the Social Democratic Party in 2002 and has been a member of the German Bundestag since 2013. He serves on the Bundestag’s Committee on European Union Affairs and on the Budget Committee. He is the Chairman of the USA/North America Working Group within the SPD Parliamentary Group and a member of the German-American Parliamentary Friendship Group in the German Bundestag. Before being elected to the Bundestag, Mr. Hakverdi was a member of the Parliament of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg from 2008 to 2013, where he was on the Budget Committee and the Committee of Public Companies and Assets.
Mr. Hakverdi attended high school in Simi Valley, California, in 1985/86 and studied law at the Christian-Albrecht University in Kiel and at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law. He was a distinguished visitor at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies in 2019 and a 2020 John F. Kennedy Memorial Policy Fellow at Harvard’s Center for European Studies (CES). He is a member of the Atlantik-Brücke e.V.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Germany?
2022-10-04 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse.
Join us on Tuesday, October 4, at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Bloomberg Opinion columnist Andreas Kluth. Andreas Kluth is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. Between March of 2017 and February of 2019, he was editor-in-chief of Handelsblatt Global, the English-language edition of Germany’s leading business newspaper. For the two decades before that, he wrote for The Economist — in London, Hong Kong, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, and Berlin.

State Leadership On Affordable Housing And Sustainable Urban Development
2022-10-05 11:00 - 12:00
While global challenges are addressed by national governments, increasingly subnational actors such as states, communities, and cities have to take action when traditional nation-states have been unable to make progress due to political polarization and partisan gridlocks. This trend has also characterized transatlantic relations and the German-American partnership. The German-American State Legislator Dialogue focuses on the role of state representatives from both countries in addressing common transatlantic challenges at the state and local level.
In recent years, many cities in Germany and the United States have experienced dramatic increases in real estate values such that affordable housing is no longer available for both lower-income and many middle-class residents. The rise in prices is caused by a range of issues including housing shortages or high demand in regions with strong job markets. Coupled with rising energy prices, affordable housing and sustainable urban development have become critical issues for communities in both countries. To ensure that urban areas remain vibrant and diverse, policymakers need to explore new policy tools that address zoning, taxes and subsidies, and smart growth, among other issues. How are U.S. states and German Länder helping their urban communities confront these challenges?
Join the American Council on Germany and the Aspen Institute Germany for our next State-to-State: German-American State Legislator Dialogue for a discussion with German and American state legislators including Dr. Anke Frieling (CDU), Hamburg Parliament; Mathias Schulz (SPD), Berlin House of Representatives; and Marvin E. Holmes, Jr. (D), Maryland House of Delegates. Dr. Anke Frieling has been a member of the Hamburg Parliament since 2020 and is deputy chair of the CDU parliamentary group in Hamburg. As the spokesperson for urban development and science, she is committed to ensuring that living, working, research, and education remain attractive for Hamburg’s citizens today and in the future. Dr. Frieling studied business administration at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich and earned her doctorate at Freie Universität Berlin. She has held leadership positions with various companies in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Hamburg.
Marvin E. Holmes, Jr. has been a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for almost 20 years and currently serves as Chair of the Housing and Real Property Subcommittee, Chair of the Affordable Housing Committee within the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus, and is a member of the Land Use & Ethics Subcommittee. Before his election to the General Assembly, Delegate Holmes served on the Board of Directors, Economic Development Corporation. He is a proud graduate of Tuskegee University with a degree in Engineering and Construction Management and an accomplished realtor and President & CEO of ME Holmes, LLC where he enjoys helping people find the perfect home especially when affordability is an issue across the nation.
Mathias Schulz has been a member of the Berlin House of Representatives since 2021 and is the spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group for urban development, for queer policy, for federal affairs and for Brandenburg. Mr. Schulz, who is a trained locomotive driver and attorney, currently also works in the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV).

Sustainable Urban Development Study Tour
2022-10-09 08:00 - 2022-10-15 17:00
The ACG will hold the Sustainable Urban Development Study Tour in Atlanta and Detroit.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Germany?
2022-10-10 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Monday, October 10, at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Gordon Repinski, Deputy Editor-in-Chief at ThePioneer. Gordon Repinski serves as the Deputy Editor-in-Chief at ThePioneer. He is a graduate of the German School of Journalism. He worked for five years as a correspondent for Der Spiegel (including in Washington D.C. and Berlin). Most recently, the award-winning journalist (Otto Brenner Prize 2010, Arthur Burns Prize 2011) headed the main city bureau of the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). At ThePioneer, he covers the SPD, the Greens, and global politics, among other things.

Germany, Russia, and Ukraine: How does this Conflict End?
2022-10-10 11:00 - 12:00
The West has shown unity and commitment to Ukraine that would not have been forecast a year ago. The post-Cold War institutions are proving resilient and Putin’s desire to divide the democratic Allies has paradoxically bolstered the unity and resolve within NATO, the European Union, and the international community writ large. But, as temperatures drop and heating (and electricity) prices rise, will this unity hold? The government in Berlin may come under renewed pressure following the decision by the Kremlin to halt natural gas exports.
On the battlefield, Ukraine’s army is gaining momentum but much of the land it has recaptured in the east and the south of the country has been raised and abandoned. The Russian Defense Ministry says it has 200,000 new recruits, but they have yet to be seen. And, the U.S. commitment to provide more military aid to Ukraine has heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow – with Russia’s Ambassador to the United States calling this an “immediate threat” to Moscow.
The American Council on Germany and the Tennessee World Affairs Council are continuing their series of virtual events titled In Focus: Russia’s War in Ukraine to provide continued updates on and insights into the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine that has rocked the world order. Join us on Monday, October 10 for a discussion with security experts Dr. Liana Fix and Lieutenant General Ben Hodges about the war in Ukraine. Dr. Liana Fix is a CFR Fellow for Europe, based in Washington, DC. Previously, she served in the International Affairs Department of the Körber Foundation in Berlin. She is a political scientist and historian, and her work focuses on Russia and Eastern Europe, European security, arms control, and German foreign policy. She will be focusing on transatlantic policy toward Russia while at GMF. Dr. Fix has published widely in academia, think tanks, and national and international media. She holds a doctorate degree from the Justus Liebig University Giessen and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Lieutenant General Ben Hodges served as Commanding General, United States Army Europe from 2014 to 2017 before his retirement from the Army in early 2018. General Hodges has also served in a variety of Joint and Army Staff positions including Tactics Instructor; Chief of Plans, 2nd Infantry Division in Korea; Aide-de-Camp to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe; Chief of Staff, XVIII Airborne Corps; Director of the Pakistan Afghanistan Coordination Cell on the Joint Staff; Chief of Legislative Liaison for the United States Army; and Commander, NATO Allied Land Command (İzmir, Turkey).
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After his first assignment as an Infantry Lieutenant in Garlstedt, Germany, he commanded Infantry units at the Company, Battalion, and Brigade levels in the 101st Airborne Division, including Command of the First Brigade Combat Team “Bastogne” of the 101st Airborne Division in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (2003-2004). His other operational assignments include Chief of Operations for Multi-National Corps-Iraq in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (2005-2006) and Director of Operations, Regional Command South in Kandahar, Afghanistan (2009-2010).

The ‘Democratic Fallout’ of the War in Ukraine
2022-10-11 11:00 - 12:00
With a forced referendum in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine and the proclaimed annexation of these four territories by Russia, democracy and sovereignty of a former Soviet state are once again undercut by hegemonial aspirations and big power competition. At the same time, Russians are fleeing their homeland in large numbers after the announced that he would draft 300,000 reservists. These developments as well as the challenges posed to democratic institutions and practices in Central and Eastern Europe – and beyond – raise questions concerning the broader implications of the war in Ukraine.
Join ACG and 1014 for another discussion as part of their virtual series Democracies und Pressure: Challenges for the Global Liberal Order. We will be joined by Dr. Alexander Cooley, Claire Tow Professor of Political Science and Vice Provost for Academic Centers and Libraries at Barnard College and Academy Adjunct Faculty at Chatham House, and Prof. Dr. Gwendolyn Sasse, Director of the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS) and Einstein Professor for the Comparative Study of Democracy and Authoritarianism at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Alexander Cooley is the Claire Tow Professor of Political Science at Barnard College. From 2015-2021 he served as the 15th Director of Columbia University’s Harriman Institute for the Study of Russia, Eurasia, and Eastern Europe. Professor Cooley’s research examines how external actors—including emerging powers, international organizations, multinational companies, NGOs, and Western enablers of grand corruption—have influenced the development, governance, and sovereignty of the former Soviet states, with a focus on Central Asia and the Caucasus. Cooley is the author and/or editor of eight academic books including, Dictators without Borders: Power and Money in Central Asia (Yale University Press 2017), co-authored with John Heathershaw, and more recently, Exit from Hegemony: the Unravelling of the American Global Order (Oxford University Press, 2020), co-authored with Daniel Nexon.
In addition to his academic research, Professor Cooley serves on several international advisory boards engaged with the region and has testified for the United States Congress and Helsinki Commission. Cooley’s opinion pieces have appeared in New York Times, Foreign Policy, and Foreign Affairs and his research has been supported by fellowships and grants from the Open Society Foundations, Carnegie Corporation, and the German Marshall Fund of the United States, among others. Cooley earned both his MA and Ph.D. from Columbia University.
Gwendolyn Sasse has been the Director of ZOiS since October 2016. Since April 2021, she has been Einstein Professor for the Comparative Study of Democracy and Authoritarianism at the Department of Social Sciences of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Prior to that, she was Professor of Comparative Politics at the Department of Politics and International Relations and at the Oxford School for Global and Area Studies at the University of Oxford. She maintains her connection with Oxford as a Senior Research Fellow at Nuffield College. She is also a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the think tank Carnegie Europe. Her academic career began with the study of history, Slavonic studies, and political science at the University of Hamburg and led her to an MSc and Ph.D. in political science at the London School of Economics. After that, she took up a post as Assistant Professor at the Central European University, and then as Lecturer/Senior Lecturer at the London School of Economics before moving to Oxford in 2007 where she became a full professor in 2013.

Niedersaschen at the Polls: What do the Results Mean?
2022-10-12 11:00 - 12:00
Over the weekend, voters in Niedersachsen took to the polls. Initial results give the Social Democrats under the leadership of Minister President Stephan Weil a win, even though they dropped nearly four percentage points since 2017. The Greens and the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) saw an upswing in support since the last state election. The Christian Democrats lost traction and the Free Democrats may not even clear the five percent hurdle. Given the results, the Social Democrats may break with the Christian Democrats and form a government with the Greens.
Considered a litmus test for the national mood, this state election sends mixed messages for Ampelkoalition at the federal level. Join the ACG for a discussion with journalist Claudia Wohlsperger about the election results – and what they mean for the State of Lower Saxony and at the federal level. Claudia Wohlsperger is a journalist and reporter with Norddeutscher Rundfunk, where she focuses on regional politics and economic issues. She has been with NDR for over eight years. She has also worked as a journalist and editor at ARD.
She holds a BA from Maastricht University and a MA in Journalism, Media, and Globalization from the University of Hamburg. She also studied at Aarhus University and in Budapest.

Germany’s Zeitenwende and the War in Ukraine: How does the Bundeswehr React?
2022-10-14 08:00 - 10:00
On October 14, the ACG and the German Consulate in New York will host a breakfast briefing with General Markus Laubenthal , Deputy Inspector General of the Bundeswehr.
Lieutenant General Markus Laubenthal has been the Deputy Inspector General of the Bundeswehr since April 2020. Prior to this, he was the Director General for Forces Policy at the Federal Ministry of Defense. And, before that Lieutenant General Laubenthal was commander of the 1st Armored Division in Oldenburg between 2017 and 2018 and chief of staff of U.S. Army Europe in Wiesbaden from 2014 to 2017. In other assignments, he served as commander of Armored Brigade 12 in Amberg (2012 to 2014) and Tank Battalion 203 in Hemer (2003 to 2005), a trainee at the Joint Services Command and Staff College in the United Kingdom (2001 to 2002) and a youth officer in Schwerin (1991 to 1993), among others. From 1997 to 1999, he was a participant in the 40th Army General Staff Course at the German Armed Forces Command and Staff College in Hamburg.
From summer 2013 to winter 2014, Laubenthal served as Chief of Staff ISAF-International Security Assistance Force Regional Command North in Mazar-e Sharif/Afghanistan and from fall 2002 to spring 2003 as Military Assistant to the Deputy Commander Operations and Assistant Chief of Staff Operations at Headquarters Kosovo Force in Pristina.

Germany’s Zeitenwende: Setting New Priorities in Foreign, Security, and Energy Policy
2022-10-14 12:00 - 14:00
On October 14, the Charlotte Warburg Chapter and the World Affairs Council of Charlotte will host a discussion and luncheon with Ambassador (ret.) Stefan Schlüter, Program Director at the Diplomatic Academy of the German Foreign Office in Berlin. Stefan Schlüter served in the German Foreign Office until the summer of 2017 and is now a Program Director at the Diplomatic Academy in Berlin. After studying political science at the University of Hamburg, Mr. Schlüter joined the German Foreign Office in 1979. His first foreign assignments brought him to Buenos Aires and Algiers. From 1986 to 1990, he served as the spokesman of the German Embassy in Tel Aviv before returning to the Foreign Office in Bonn as desk officer for the Maghreb countries. From 1992 to 1995, he served as Deputy Consul General in Los Angeles before returning to Bonn as Deputy Director for the southern part of Latin America. From 2000 to 2004, he was posted to the United States a second time, and served as Deputy Consul General in New York City before moving to Buenos Aires as Deputy Chief of Mission. In 2007, he returned to the Foreign Office in Berlin to assume the position of Director for Conflict Prevention, Peace-Building, Democracy Promotion, and State-Building, furthering German projects in this field worldwide. In 2010, he was appointed Ambassador to the Eastern Caribbean Region, residing in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, before moving on to his last assignment as Consul General in San Francisco in 2014.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Germany?
2022-10-17 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse.
Join us on Monday, October 17, at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Malte Lehming, Opinion Writer for Tagesspiegel. Malte Lehming works as a writer for the Tagesspiegel, where he heads the opinion page. From late 2000 to 2005, he was the newspaper’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the Tagesspiegel in 1991 as foreign policy editor — focusing on security policy, transatlantic relations, and the Middle East. From 1989 to 1991, he worked as a personal assistant and speechwriter for former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. Mr. Lehming studied philosophy, German literature, and European history in Hamburg.

The Three I’s: Invasion, Inflation, and Interest Rates
2022-10-18 12:00 - 14:00
On October 18, the ACG will host a discussion and luncheon with Andreas Dombret, Former Executive Board Member of the Deutsche Bundesbank.

Dr. Andreas Dombret is a German-American banker who served as a member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank from 2010 until 2018. In that capacity, he held responsibility for Banking and Financial Supervision, Risk Controlling, and the Bundesbank’s Representative Offices abroad. He was also a member of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, the Supervisory Board of the Single Supervisory Mechanism of the European Central Bank as well as the German Financial Stability Committee. Earlier in his career, Dr. Dombret was the Vice-chairman of Bank of America Global Investment Banking in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa as well as head of the German, Austrian, and Swiss branches. After retiring from the Board of the Bundesbank, Dr. Dombret continued to serve on the Board of the Basel-based Bank for International Settlements until the end of 2018 and subsequently assumed a portfolio of advisory mandates. Among them are consultancy firm Oliver Wyman, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), and the London-headquartered equity research firm Autonomous. He is also an Adjunct Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Dr. Dombret completed his MBA at Westfälische Wilhelms University Münster and earned his doctorate at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg. He holds dual German and American citizenship.

Transatlantic Trends 2022: Public Opinion in Times of Geopolitical Turmoil
2022-10-19 11:00 - 12:00
The geopolitical turmoil of 2022 presents a multitude of challenges for the transatlantic community. How is public opinion responding to these challenges?
Transatlantic Trends 2022 presents the results of surveys conducted in 14 countries throughout the transatlantic community: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Divided into four sections, Transatlantic Trends provides a detailed picture of public opinion on core and contemporary issues: global order, transatlantic relations, international security and defense, and relations with China. The findings are meant to be a helpful tool for policymakers, business leaders, experts, academia, and the media.
Transatlantic Trends is a project co-led by the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) and the Bertelsmann Foundation (North America), Inc., with the generous support of the BBVA Foundation, the Jean Monnet Centre Montréal, the Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD), the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation Türkiye, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in France.
Join the American Council on Germany for a presentation of the key findings of this year’s survey on October 19th. We’ll be joined by Bruce Stokes, Visiting Senior Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Bruce Stokes is a visiting senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and senior editor of the 2022 Transatlantic Trends public opinion survey. He also co-authored the recent GMF study Designing Ukraine’s Recovery in the Spirit of the Marshall Plan.
From 2019-2021 he was the executive director of GMF’s Transatlantic Task Force: Together or Alone? Choices and Strategies for Transatlantic Relations for 2021 and Beyond. Previously, he was the director of Global Economic Attitudes at the Pew Research Center in Washington, DC, where he created and helped author Pew’s annual global attitudes survey. He is a former international economics correspondent for the National Journal, a Washington-based public policy magazine. He is also a former senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, where he is a member, and is an associate fellow at Chatham House.
He is co-author of the book America Against the World: How We Are Different and Why We Are Disliked (Times Books, 2006), and author of numerous German Marshall Fund, Council on Foreign Relations, and Pew Research studies.
Mr. Stokes is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and the School for Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Red Wave or Blue Triumph? German Views of the United States before the Midterms
2022-10-20 11:00 - 12:00
With less than a month until the mid-terms, there are no clear indications which way the election will go. The Democrats are fighting to hold their narrow majority in Washington and the Republicans are hoping to win majorities in the House and Senate. Where does the U.S. democracy stand in times of a lingering pandemic, inflation, energy crisis, culture wars, and concerns over voting rights? How will a new generation of politicians and voters shape the midterms?
Join the ACG for a discussion with German journalists Annett Meiritz and Juliane Schäuble about the U.S. midterms – and how the election is being perceived in Europe. Both guests have been reporting from the U.S. for almost five years – not just from inside the Washington bubble but from all over the country. In September they published a book together: „Guns n’ Rosé: The Rise of Conservative Women in the U.S.” In it, they explore the female conservative movement in the United States, a highly relevant voting group that increasingly shapes politics and society. Annett Meiritz is the U.S. Correspondent for Germany‘s leading business, trade, and finance daily Handelsblatt. She covers the U.S. Administration and Congress, usually from an economic angle. Previously she worked as Parliamentary Correspondent for Germany‘s leading news portal Spiegel Online, based in Berlin. She holds a B.A. degree in Modern History and Media Science and was educated to be a Journalist at Berlin Journalism School.
Juliane Schäuble is the U.S. Correspondent of Der Tagesspiegel, Berlin’s biggest newspaper. Before she moved to Washington, DC, in June 2018 she was the head of the political department of the paper where she was responsible for the front page and the political section. She has more than twelve years of experience in the business and the political department of Der Tagesspiegel.
Ms. Schäuble earned her Master’s in Political Science at the University in Potsdam, Germany. Her studies included one semester at American University in Washington, DC, where she took classes in American foreign policy and worked part-time for the “American Council of Young Political Leaders” (“Washington Semester Program”).
