Gender Equity As A National Security Priority In Germany And The United States
2021-03-08 09:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York)
It has been said that when women do better, countries do better. However, globally gender equity is lagging. In late 2020, the European Union adapted a Feminist Foreign Policy, in which the principle of equality between women and men became core value of the EU. It also requires increased female presentation in leadership roles and increased development assistance to programs promoting gender equity. Likewise, the Biden-Harris Administration has put gender equity in the forefront of decision-making by creating the Gender Policy Council. These new policies and priorities will reshape how foreign policy and national security are conducted.
Join us on March 8 – International Women’s Day – at 9:00 am ET for a discussion about how gender equity is a priority for foreign policy and national security with Member of the European Parliament Hannah Neumann (Greens), who spearheaded the Feminist Foreign Policy; Dr. Armgard von Reden, Chairwoman of Women in International Security Germany; and Julia Santucci, former Senior Advisor in the Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues during the Obama Administration. Hannah Neumann is a Member of the European Parliament where she serves as the Peace and Human Rights Coordinator for the Greens / EFA Group, Vice-Chair of the Human Rights Committee (DROI), Member of the committees on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and Security and Defense Policy (SEDE), as well as Chair of the Delegation for Relations to the Arabian Peninsula (DARP).
Ms. Neumann studied media sciences and peace and conflict studies, which is also the subject she chose for her PhD. Her academic career brought her to Ilmenau, Berlin, Manila and Monrovia. Before joining the European Parliament, she was a self-employed expert and consultant for peace projects, i.a. in projects for the United Nations, the Society for International Cooperation, the European Commission, the DGAP, GPPi and aid organizations. She advised ministries and non-governmental organizations on campaigns on anti-discrimination, promotion of democracy, climate protection on the local level and human rights. From 2013 until 2016, she worked as policy advisor in the German Bundestag.
Dr. Armgard von Reden is the Chairwoman of WIIS.de (Women in International Security Germany) and a strategy consultant based in Berlin, advising companies on diversity and data protection issues. She also teaches international, data protection, and security management at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Leibniz University in Hanover.
She joined IBM in 1987 and from 2002 to 2011 she held the position of Director of Government Programs for Germany, Russia and the CIS countries. From 2001 until 2010 she was the Chief Privacy Officer for IBM in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Before that, she held various international management positions at IBM in Paris, Brussels, and elsewhere. In the 1990s, she took a leave of absence to serve as the head of the communications department of the President of the Bundestag, Rita Süßmuth, for three years. Before joining IBM, she worked as a legislative assistant at the U.S. Congress (House and Senate), and was a freelance journalist in the U.S. for German newspapers and The Economist
Julia Santucci is Senior Lecturer in Intelligence Studies and Director of the Hesselbein Forum Leadership Program in International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. Ms. Santucci has over a decade of experience in national security and foreign policy positions. She served as a senior advisor in the Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues from 2015 to 2017, where she worked to advance gender equality as a core U.S. foreign policy priority. This included work to integrate women’s issues into U.S. efforts to counter terrorism and violent extremism globally. From 2012 to 2014, she served as director for Egypt at the National Security Council, providing advice to the President of the United States and the national security advisor on coordinating U.S. policy toward Egypt across the interagency. She worked for 10 years as a leadership analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency, where she provided written assessments and oral briefings to the president, Cabinet members, and other senior officials to help inform their decision making around developments in the Middle East.

Political Free Speech or Hate Speech? The Role and Responsibility of the State and Social Media Companies
2021-03-08 11:00 - 12:00
The debate over differences in U.S. and European speech rights is a perennial issue. But, the emergence of private social media platforms – and their dominance – has given the issue a new dimension and a new sense of urgency. What is the role and responsibility of the state and private companies in terms of monitoring and preventing hate speech? Where is the dividing line between free speech and censorship?
Join the American Council on Germany, the Max Planck Law Network, and the Robert Bosch Foundation Alumni Association for a discussion with Prof. Dr. Ralf Poscher, Director at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, in Freiburg, Germany, and Nadine Strossen, John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law at New York Law School. The discussion will be moderated by Russell Miller, Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Max Planck Law Network and J.B. Stombock Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University. Prof. Dr. Ralf Poscher has been the Director of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security, and Law, in Freiburg, Germany since 2019. He has been a Professor of Legal Philosophy at the University of Freiburg since 2009, serving as the Director of the Center for Security and Society from 2013 to 2018 and as Dean of the Law Faculty from 2018 to 2019. His fields of expertise include: German constitutional rights, the right to education and inclusion, freedom of religion, the right to human dignity, German constitutional history, legal cultures, legal theory, and legal philosophy. In 2007-2008 he was a member of the School of Social Sciences at the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton.
Prof. Dr. Poscher is (co-)author of Der Verfassungskompromiß zum Religionsunterricht [The German constitutional compromise on religious instruction in schools] (2000), Grundrechte als Abwehrrechte [Fundamental rights as negative rights] (2003), Menschenwürde im Staatsnotstand [Human dignity in a state of emergency] (2006), Das Recht auf Bildung [The right to education] (2009), and Grundrechte. Staatsrecht II [Fundamental rights. Constitutional law II] (2014). Prof. Dr. Poscher studied law at the University of Bonn, the Université de Bourgone (Dijon), the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Humboldt University Berlin.
Nadine Strossen, the John Marshall Harlan II Professor Emerita at New York Law School and the past President of the American Civil Liberties Union (1991-2008), is a leading expert and frequent speaker/ commentator on constitutional law and civil liberties, who has testified before Congress on multiple occasions. She serves on the advisory boards of the ACLU, Electronic Privacy Information Center, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), Heterodox Academy, and National Coalition Against Censorship. The National Law Journal has named Professor Strossen one of America’s “100 Most Influential Lawyers,” and several other national publications have named her one of the country’s most influential women.
Professor Strossen’s 2018 book HATE: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship has earned praise from ideologically diverse experts, including Harvard Professor Cornel West and Princeton Professor Robert George. Washington University selected HATE as its 2019 “Common Read.” Her earlier book, Defending Pornography: Free Speech, Sex, and the Fight for Women’s Rights, was named a New York Times “notable book” of 1995. Strossen graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard College and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. Before becoming a law professor, she practiced law in Minneapolis (her hometown) and New York City. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

The Digital Economy And “Flexwork”: Stop Gaps Or Models For The Future?
2021-03-09 11:00 - 12:00
2020 was an inflection point for the gig economy and the digital fabric of commerce and business. Companies had to adapt to new ways of working in order to stay afloat during the pandemic. Using artificial intelligence, diversifying employment models from full-time jobs to gigworkers and crowdsourcing, and moving to flexwork and hybrid workplaces are all part of the toolbox. But what will happen after the pandemic? Will we see a shift back to traditional work models and the physical economy? Or will we continue on the path toward increased digital demand and supply structures and flexwork models?
Join the American Council on Germany and 1014 for a discussion on the future of work with Thorben Albrecht, Policy Director of IG Metall and former Permanent State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, and Jeff Schwartz, Principal and U.S. Leader for the Future of Work at Deloitte Consulting LLP, and author of Work Disrupted: Opportunity, Resilience, and Growth in the Accelerated Future of Work (2021). Thorben Albrecht currently serves as Policy Director of IG Metall, the German metalworkers’ trade union. He is responsible for developing policies and strategies for the union and also represents IG Metall’s more than two million members vis-á-vis political institutions in Berlin and Brussels. He is an internationally recognized expert on the future of work. His fields of expertise include automation and artificial intelligence, new forms of work, and managing transitions, including skills development, flexibility arrangements, and social dialogue.
From 2017 to 2019, Mr. Albrecht was a member of the Global Commission on the Future of Work established by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and chaired by South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven. He also served as Permanent State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (2014-2018). One of his most important legislative projects was the introduction of a statutory minimum wage in Germany. He also launched the “Work 4.0” dialogue – a public dialogue of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs on the future of work. As State Secretary he was a member of the German Government’s IT Council and of the “digital agenda” steering group.
From 2008 to 2013 Mr. Albrecht was Head of Office for Andrea Nahles and of the policy department of the Executive Board of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD). Prior to that he worked for the National Executive Board of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) as Head of Division responsible for the coordination of European affairs. In 2008, he was a Marshall Memorial Fellow through the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Jeff Schwartz, a principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP, is the U.S. leader for the Future of Work and the U.S. leader of Deloitte Catalyst, Tel Aviv, linking the Israeli startup ecosystem with global clients. Mr. Schwartz advises senior business leaders at global companies on workforce transformation, organization, HR, talent, and leadership. He has been the global editor of Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends report since its launch in 2011. He is also the author of Work Disrupted: Opportunity, Resilience, and Growth in the Accelerated Future of Work (2021).
Mr. Schwartz has lived and worked in India, Russia, Kenya, Nepal, Belgium, and the United States. He holds graduate degrees in management from Yale University and public policy from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University. He was one of the first associate directors of the U.S. Peace Corps in the Russian Federation from 1992-1993 and a Fellow at the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Foundation from 1980-1981.

Digital Democracy: The Impact of Digitalization on Politics and Governance
2021-03-10 11:00 - 12:00
National governments are increasingly dominated by political polarization, crisis management, and partisan gridlock, often rendering them unable to join forces to address common global challenges. In view of inaction at the federal level, subnational actors such as states, communities, and cities have often stepped up to fill this void left by traditional nation-states. This trend has also characterized transatlantic relations and the German-American partnership.
To explore collaboration at the state-level, the Aspen Institute Germany and the American Council on Germany have launched the virtual event series State-to-State: German-American State Legislator Dialogue. Together, it is our goal to provide a platform for subnational exchange and in-depth discussions amongst German and American state legislators on common transatlantic challenges with Assemblymember Marc Berman (D), California State Assembly; Daniel Karrais, MdL (FDP), State Parliament of Baden-Württemberg; and Katharina Schulze, MdL (Alliance 90/The Greens), State Parliament of Bavaria.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced politics to go virtual, accelerating the development of new digital formats in political communication, campaigning, party organization, legislative processes, and political participation. But even before COVID-19, digitalization efforts played a major role in the debate on how to strengthen democracy and the political discourse. The three state legislators will address both opportunities and challenges that come with an increasingly digitized democracy and share their own experiences and visions for a digital future.
Marc Berman was first elected to the California State Assembly in November 2016 to represent the 24th District, which includes southern San Mateo County and northern Santa Clara County in the heart of Silicon Valley. Marc serves as chair of the Committee on Elections and Redistricting, where he has become a leading voice on protecting voters from deceptive elections practices, making election information more accessible to voters, and improving election cybersecurity and campaign finance disclosure. In addition, for the past two legislative sessions, he has chaired two select committees, the Select Committee on the Master Plan for Higher Education in California and the Select Committee on the Census.
Daniel Karrais has been a member of the State Parliament of Baden-Württemberg since November 2018. He represents the FDP/DVP parliamentary group in the Committee for Domestic Affairs, Digitalization and Migration, the Committee for Environment, Climate and Energy, and the Committee for European and International Affairs. Prior, he worked as an advisor to another member of the State Parliament of Baden-Württemberg and as a manager at NetCom BW amongst other positions. Since May 2019, Mr. Karrais has been a municipal council in Rottweil. From 2013 to 2019, he was deputy district chairman of the Free Democrats Rottweil and has been their district chairman since April 2019.
Katharina Schulze is among the youngest parliamentarians in Bavaria and the face of the Bavarian Greens. She wants to transform Bavaria into the first federal state with a gender balance in political offices and develop it into a state of ecological sustainability, digital opportunities and cosmopolitanism. She is Member of the State Parliament since October 2013 and Chairwoman of the Green Party Parliamentary Group since 2017. At the 2018 elections, while she was front-runner for the Greens, they received 17,6% of the votes. She is the Green Spokeswoman for Domestic Affairs and a Member of the Committee for Community Affairs, Domestic Security and Sport. Since November 2019 she is a member of the party executive committee on the federal level of Alliance 90/The Greens.

Transatlantic Renewal? A New Era for German-American Relations
2021-03-11 21:00 - 22:00
A virtual discussion with Ricklef Beutin, Deputy Chief of Mission at the German Embassy, and moderated by Dr. Steven E. Sokol, President of the American Council on Germany. Ricklef Beutin assumed the position of Deputy Chief of Mission at the German Embassy in Washington, DC, in July 2019.
Prior to this, he was a Visiting Fellow in the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. Before coming to the United States in 2018, Mr. Beutin served as Chief of Staff to German Federal Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel. Between 2011 and 2017, he was Chief of Staff to several State Secretaries of the German Federal Foreign Office.
From 2015 to 2016, Mr. Beutin headed the division for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and served as deputy head of the Task Force for the German OSCE Chairmanship in 2016. Previous positions in the German Foreign Office include Head of the Division for Parliamentary and Cabinet Affairs and Deputy Spokesman of the German Permanent Representation to the EU. Between 2005 and 2007, Mr. Beutin was seconded to the EU Commission’s policy planning division Bureau of European Policy Advisors (BEPA) as foreign policy analyst.
Mr. Beutin holds an M.A. in international affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a degree in law from the University of Bonn, Germany.
Steven E. Sokol (moderator) has been the President of the American Council on Germany since May 2015. He served as President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh from July 2010 until April 2015. Prior to that, he was the Vice President and Director of Programs at the American Council on Germany for nearly eight years.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Sokol served as the Deputy Director of the Aspen Institute Berlin, was the Head of the Project Management Department at the Bonn International Center for Conversion GmbH (BICC), and was a Program Officer in the Berlin office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. 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.

State Elections Kick off Germany’s Superwahljahr
2021-03-15 12:00 - 13:00
On Sunday, 14 March 2021, Germany will hold state elections in the western Länder of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. Although the states are relatively small – with roughly 7.7 million and 3.1 eligible voters, respectively – these elections mark the beginning of Germany’s Superwahljahr, which will culminate with federal elections in late September and the formation of a new government with a new Chancellor for the first time in 16 years.
Important in their own right because state governments are responsible for issues such as education policy, justice, and policing, state elections often serve as a test of the public mood toward the federal government and the political parties.
Join us on the day after the state elections for an assessment of the results and Germany’s party landscape in an election year from Politics Editor for ZEIT ONLINE Katharina Schuler and Florian Naumann of Merkur.de. Florian Naumann is Team Leader and Editor in the Politics Department of Merkur.de – the online branch of Münchner Merkur, one of Munich’s traditional newspapers. Before joining Merkur.de in 2016, he worked as a freelance journalist for German newswires such as epd and dapd in Munich, Berlin, and Erfurt. Having studied Politics in Munich and Lund (Sweden) and finished his M.A. with a thesis on Political Theory and Philosophy, his journalistic focus is on German domestic politics including democratic practice and standards, social issues, and developments within the CDU/CSU, SPD and Greens. Besides his work in journalism, Florian Naumann engages in the promotion of culture and music as a member of the board of the non-profit association innen.aussen.raum in Munich.

Katharina Schuler is an Editor in the Politics, Economics, and Society Department for ZEIT ONLINE. An early adaptor to online news production, she has been with ZEIT ONLINE since 2005. Prior to that, she worked for a regional newspaper in Thuringia and as a freelance journalist for the Netzeitung (the first newspaper in Germany to be published only on the internet) and for other German newspapers such as Der Tagesspiegel and taz.
Ms. Schuler has focused on German domestic politics – including in-depth work on the CDU/CSU, the Greens, and the Left Party – as well as topical issues such as the refugee crisis and its consequences for German politics. Born and raised in southern Germany, she studied History, Philosophy, and Literature in Freiburg, Bielefeld, and Berlin – and later Journalism in Mainz.

Economic Recovery, Trade Unions, and the Future of Work
2021-03-16 12:00 - 13:00
The pandemic has forced companies around the globe to adapt their business models. Due to public health concerns and lockdowns, many companies had to lay off or furlough workers. In Germany, Kurzarbeit policies softened the economic blow. With the rollout of vaccines and the passage of economic recovery bills, what does the future hold for organized labor, trade unions, and the workers they represent? Has the pandemic accelerated digitalization trends in manufacturing?
Join the American Council on Germany and 1014 for a discussion about how trade unions are coping with the impact of Covid-19 with Reiner Hoffmann, the Chairman of the German Trade Union Confederation (Deutsche Gewerkschaftsbund or DGB), and John E. Shinn, International Secretary and Treasurer of the United Steelworkers. 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 in 2018. 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.
John E. Shinn is the International Secretary-Treasurer of the United Steelworkers, and has served as the union’s chief financial officer since July 15, 2019. Prior to this appointment, he was Director of District 4, which includes Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Puerto Rico. As Director, Mr. Shinn aggressively promoted the USW, its members and job creation in the District. Shortly after taking office, he coordinated the USW’s response to Hurricane Sandy, which tore through the Mid-Atlantic region in October 2012.
Mr. Shinn has been a union activist throughout his career, which began in 1974 at CE Glass Co., now AFG Industries, in Cinnaminson, N.J. Shortly after joining CE Glass, he voted for representation by the United Glass and Ceramic Workers Union, which later merged with the Aluminum, Brick & Glass Workers International Union (ABG) and then the USW in 1997. Over the years, Mr. Shinn has served on many labor councils and community and safety organizations. He currently serves on the New York AFL-CIO Executive Council.

Socio-Economic Impact of the Pandemic
2021-03-23 14:00 - 15:00
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect lives around the world, it is becoming clear that the pandemic and its economic fallout are having a regressive effect on gender equality. Sociologist Jutta Allmendinger recently claimed the pandemic will set Germany back 30 years in terms of the equality achieved between men and women. Mothers in particular are disadvantaged by existing containment strategies. But, was the situation really much better to start with or is the pandemic only exacerbating inequities that long predated the virus, as economist Richard V. Reeves recently suggested?
This panel discussion will feature Jutta Allmendinger (President of WZB Berlin Social Science Center) and Richard V. Reeves (Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution). The discussion will be moderated by Birte Meier (Journalist, ZDF) whose residency at the Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles to work on “Equal Pay in California and what Germany can learn from it” was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
An online panel discussion hosted by Thomas Mann House, WZB Berlin Social Science Center and the American Council on Germany.
Watch the discussion here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU_QujdOlpY

Sustainable Finance in Germany and the United States: ESG Partners or Rivals?
2021-03-26 11:00 - 12:00
Late last month the Sustainable Finance Committee, which advises the German federal government on the development and implementation of its Sustainable Finance Strategy, released a report outlining more than 30 policy recommendations to be taken to establish a sustainable financial system. Digitalization, globalization, climate concerns, and more recently the coronavirus pandemic are driving change around the world. In order to address these trends, companies must innovate and adapt to survive. The finance sector can play a role in facilitating this transformative process by doing more to address sustainability and the social impact of investing.
Join us for a discussion about Germany’s model for sustainable finance with one of the members of the Sustainable Finance Committee, Dr. Gerald Podobnik, the CFO of the Corporate Bank division of Deutsche Bank. Dr. Gerald Podobnik has been the CFO of the Corporate Bank division of Deutsche Bank since 2019. In this role, he is responsible for all financial matters of the division including financial reporting, performance management as well as resource allocation. In addition, Gerald has various sustainable finance responsibilities within Deutsche Bank, such as co-chairing the group-wide sustainability council and heading the ESG business of the Corporate Bank division. He has been with Deutsche Bank for more than 15 years.
Since its creation in 2019, Gerald has been a member of the Sustainable Finance Committee. He holds a doctorate degree in law and a master’s degree in business administration from Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Austria.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2021-03-29 09:00 - 09:30
The ACG hosts a hybrid event on both Zoom and Clubhouse with journalist Andreas Kluth, Bloomberg Opinion columnist and former Editor-in-Chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for The Economist.

Feminist Foreign Policy - Employing a People-Centered Approach to Transatlantic Security and Peace
2021-03-31 12:00 - 13:00
With a new U.S. administration and a more assertive and capable European Union, there is now a once-in-a-generation opportunity to design a new transatlantic agenda for global cooperation based on our common values, interests, and global influence. Against the backdrop of a new geopolitical and economic reality, a strong transatlantic relationship to sustain peace and security is undeniably relevant. A Feminist Foreign Policy questions the traditional understanding of state security and calls for a people-centered approach to security and peace. How can this approach be integrated into transatlantic relations? What are the resources and policies needed to strengthen European and transatlantic defense, as well as transatlantic security cooperation from a feminist perspective?
Join 1014 and CFFP, in support from the ACG, to discuss these questions with Pam Campos Palma, political strategist, former military intelligence analyst, and Director of Peace and Security at the Working Families Party; and Verity Coyle, Senior Advisor and Nonresident Fellow with Stimson’s Conventional Defense program.
Moderated by Kristina Lunz, Executive Director of the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy.

Economic Inequality After The Pandemic
2021-04-06 12:00 - 13:00
A discussion of inequalities revealed and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the public policy tools available to ameliorate them, and the likely paths economies will take in recovery. Wolfgang Schmidt was appointed State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Finance in March 2018. Prior to that, he served as State Secretary of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg for seven years, and he was a member of the European Committee of Regions (2015 to 2018). During his career, Mr. Schmidt also served as Director of the Office of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Germany. From 2007 to 2009, he was Chief of Staff of the German Federal Minister for Labor and Social Affairs and Head of the Policy and Planning Unit. He has been a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) since 1989 and also served as Chief of Staff to the SPD’s Secretary-General. He studied Law in Hamburg and Bilbao/Spain.
Angella MacEwen is the Senior Economist at the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), and a Policy Fellow with the Broadbent Institute. Her primary research focus is understanding the Canadian labor market, broader economic trends, and the impacts of social policy on workers. Ms. MacEwen regularly represents the CUPE at parliamentary committees and in the national media. She has been a Research Associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives since 2006 and contributes to the annual Alternative Federal Budget. She is on the steering committee of the Progressive Economics Forum, as well as the Trade Justice Network. Ms. MacEwen holds an MA in Economics (Dalhousie University) and a BA in International Development Studies (Saint Mary’s University).
Branko Milanovic is a Senior Scholar at the Stone Center on Socio-economic Inequality. He served as lead economist in the World Bank’s Research Department for almost 20 years, leaving to write his book on global income inequality, Worlds Apart (2005). Prof. Milanovic was a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington (2003-2005) and has held teaching appointments at the University of Maryland (2007-2013) and at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University (1997-2007). He was a visiting scholar at All Souls College in Oxford, and Universidad Carlos III in Madrid (2010-11).
Professor Milanovic’s main area of work is income inequality, in individual countries and globally, including in preindustrial societies. He has published articles in Economic Journal, Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Economic Literature, Journal of Development Economics, and Journal of Political Philosophy, among others. His book The Haves and the Have-nots (2011) was selected by The Globalist as the 2011 Book of the Year. Global Inequality (2016) was awarded the Bruno Kreisky Prize for the best political book of 2016 and the Hans Matthöfer Prize in 2018, and was translated into 16 languages. It addresses the economic and political effects of globalization and introduces the concept of successive “Kuznets waves” of inequality. In March 2018, Prof. Milanovic was awarded (jointly with Mariana Mazzucato) the 2018 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Knowledge. His new book Capitalism, Alone was published in September 2019. Professor Milanovic obtained his Ph.D. in economics (1987) from the University of Belgrade with a dissertation on income inequality in Yugoslavia.

Rights, Responsibilities, and Revolutions - Understanding Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in a Transatlantic Context
2021-04-07 12:00 - 13:00
In recent years attacks on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) – such as the Global Gag Rule and Poland’s abortion ban – have been growing on both sides of the Atlantic with the number of actors fighting to undo the international achievements for women’s and sexual minority rights gaining further ground. Around the globe, states and NGOs are working to undermine the international women’s rights agenda. They lobby to alter the language in UN resolutions, advance alternative understanding of international treaties, delegitimize feminists and their work by advocating cultural realism and ‘traditional values’, and pull financial resources from education and health services that account for reproductive rights.
How can existing national and international human rights legislation be protected? How can the strengthening of transatlantic relations and collaborations between Europe and the US support SRHR on both sides of the Atlantic? How can a Feminist Foreign Policy contribute to the protection and expansion of SRHR?
Join 1014 and the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy for a discussion supported by the American Council on Germany which will address these questions. The event will feature Heather Boonstra, Vice President of Public Policy at the Guttmacher Institute, and Katrine Thomasen, Senior Legal Advisor for Europe at The Center for Reproductive Rights. It will be moderated by Nina Bernarding, Executive Director of the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy. Heather Boonstra is Vice President for Public Policy at the Guttmacher Institute. She serves on the Institute’s Executive Leadership Team, where she plays a key role in developing Institute-wide strategic and programmatic priorities. For five years, she held the position of Director of Public Policy, where she oversaw the Institute’s advocacy efforts, equipping advocates, opinion leaders, and decision-makers with timely evidence and incisive policy analysis. Ms. Boonstra joined the Institute in 1999 as a Senior Public Policy Associate. She has authored numerous policy analyses on issues such as insurance coverage for abortion under Medicaid, the sexual health needs of adolescents in low- and middle-income countries, and the harms of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Oregon and holds an MA in religion from Yale University, where she studied social and medical ethics and movement building.
Katrine Thomasen is the Senior Legal Adviser for Europe at the Center for Reproductive Rights. She joined the Center in 2013 and will be working on litigation to promote respect for reproductive rights in Europe. Prior to joining the Center, she worked with the Open Society Justice Initiative advocating with various UN human rights bodies in Geneva, she also worked with Human Rights Watch as an advocate at the UN. She has also worked at the International Service for Human Rights, an international human rights organization that provides training and strategic advice to human rights defenders on the UN human rights system and engages in advocacy to strengthen this system and respect for the rights of human rights defenders.
Ms. Thomasen holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. She speaks Danish and French.
Nina Bernarding (moderator) is the Executive Director of the Berlin-based Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy. She is an expert on peace mediation and natural resource governance. Previously, she worked with UN DPKO, GIZ Ethiopia, the UNDP Sudan, Conciliation Resources, and the Berghof Foundation. Ms. Bernarding studied political science and conflict studies in Heidelberg, London, and Santiago de Chile.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2021-04-12 09:00 - 09:30
“Kaffeepause: What’s Abuzz in Berlin” on Clubhouse and Zoom with journalist Gordon Repinski, Deputy Editor-in-Chief at The Pioneer.

Setting Foreign Policy Priorities At The Subnational Level
2021-04-13 13:00 - 14:00
Nation-states shape foreign policy, but to limit the focus to national governments is a mistake because it overlooks the important role of subnational governments in setting foreign policy priorities. The COVID-19 crisis has underscored the leadership role that cities, regions, and states play in addressing transnational threats. Increasingly subnational governments are playing a role on the international stage. Their foreign policy priorities are often based on their domestic competencies, in areas such as regional economic development and trade, health, education, climate, transportation, migration, and public safety.
The Biden administration has announced the creation of an office of subnational diplomacy within the State Department, which will enable the U.S. government to leverage the global leadership and experience of subnational leaders while advancing its domestic agenda. This plans to build the capacity and expertise of cities, regions, and states to engage with counterparts around the world in ways that benefit their residents.
But, cooperation and collaboration between regions is nothing new. For example, for more than 20 years the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) has worked with the greater Stuttgart region to exchange best practices. Join the American Council on Germany, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, the NVRC, and the Verband Region Stuttgart for a discussion with Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) and Cem Özdemir, Bundestag Member (The Greens) about the subnational dimension of foreign policy. The conversation will be moderated by Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook, Executive Director of the Future of Diplomacy Project and Executive Director of The Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship at the Harvard Kennedy School and Co-Director of the ACG’s Eric M. Warburg Chapter in Boston. Congressman Don Beyer is serving his fourth term as the U.S. Representative from Virginia’s 8th District, representing Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, and parts of Fairfax County. He serves as the Chairman of Congress’ Joint Economic Committee and also serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means, and on the House Committee on Science Space and Technology, where he chairs the Space Subcommittee. He is a Co-Chair of the New Democrat Coalition’s Climate Change Task Force. He was the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1998 and was Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein under President Obama. He is a graduate of Williams College and Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC. He was named a Presidential Scholar by President Lyndon Johnson.
Cem Özdemir (2001 ACG-AB Young Leader) is a member of the German Bundestag. When first elected to the Bundestag in 1994, he became the first son of Turkish emigrants ever to hold office in Germany’s lower house of Parliament. Between 2008 and 2018, he served as co-chair of the Green Party, together with Claudia Roth and later Simone Peter. He has been a Member of the German Bundestag since 2013 and he was a Member of the German Bundestag between 1994 and 2002 and of the European Parliament between 2004 and 2009. Since 2018, he has been serving as Chairman of the Committee on Transport.
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook is a German and American national and the founding Executive Director of the Future of Diplomacy Project at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), which examines the challenges to negotiation and statecraft in the 21st century. In January 2018, she was named Executive Director of the Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship. From 2011-2017, she served as the Executive Director of the India and South Asia Program at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at HKS, a program which ended formal activities in 2018. Her areas of expertise include EU-US relations – including trade and security policy – and digital public policy in urban and national contexts

Addressing the Climate Crisis with an Intersectional Feminist Approach
2021-04-14 12:00 - 13:00
Social movements like the 350 and Fridays for Future have become strong voices holding administrations accountable for enforcing international agreements such as the Paris Climate Agreement. These agreements are under threat, gendered and racialized inequalities of the climate crisis are too often neglected, both within and between nations, and the COVID-19 pandemic seems to overshadow the climate commitments on both sides of the Atlantic.
How does the climate crisis impact the current societal structures, both within and among nations? How can we use the climate crisis as an opportunity to reshape power structures? How is the fight for climate justice interconnected with the fight for feminism and how can a Feminist Foreign Policy address the current climate emergency?
Join 1014 and the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy, with support from the ACG for a discussion about these questions with Natalia Cardona Sanchez, Associate Director for Justice & Equity at 350.org, and Leonie Bremer, climate activist at Fridays for Future Germany; and moderated by Kristina Lunz, CFFP Co-Founder and Germany Co-Executive Director.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2021-04-19 09:00 - 10:00
Each week, the ACG hosts a Kaffeepause, or coffee break, with a journalist to discuss the latest developments in Berlin. On April 19, the ACG will be joined by Sonja Gillert, Editor for Die Welt.

Climate Change and Energy Policy at the State Level
2021-04-21 12:00 - 13:00
While global challenges are addressed by national governments, increasingly subnational actors such as states, communities, and cities have needed to step up to take action when traditional nation-states have been unable to make progress due to political polarization and partisan gridlock. This trend has also characterized transatlantic relations and the German-American partnership.
This trend holds true for states in both countries addressing the challenges posed by climate change and thinking about energy policy. How do federal policies, or lack thereof, influence policies at the state level? What incentives can states provide, but what also are the constraints to making policy and taking action? How are states integrating climate and energy policies into construction and urban development, economic development, and job creation opportunities? What efforts are states making to move towards a clean energy economy?
To discuss these issues and to explore collaboration at the state level, the Aspen Institute Germany and the American Council on Germany invite you to the next discussion in our virtual event series State-to-State: German-American State Legislator Dialogue with German and American state legislators including Joschka Knuth, MdL (Alliance 90/The Greens), State Parliament of Schleswig-Holstein, Representative Ryan Mackenzie (R), Pennsylvania House of Representatives; and Representative Mari Manoogian (D), Michigan House of Representatives. Joschka Knuth is a member of the State Parliament of Schleswig-Holstein and is the Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group spokesperson on economic affairs and labor market, start-ups, digitization, consumer protection, animal welfare, sports, and sustainability issues. Before becoming a member of parliament in 2019, He worked as a Senior Consultant for EY Germany (Ernst & Young GmbH) in their operational transaction services team. In 2018 Mr. Knuth held the office of press spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy, Agriculture, the Environment, Nature, and Digitalization in Schleswig-Holstein, and from 2017 to 2019, he was Deputy Head of the Executive Department for political coordination and Liaison in the State Chancellery of Schleswig-Holstein. He began his career as a personal advisor to the Minister at the Ministry for Energy, Agriculture, the Environment and Rural Areas of Schleswig- Holstein.
Ryan Mackenzie (2019 ACG Young Leader) is in his sixth term representing the 134th Legislative District and for the 2021-22 Legislative Session serves as a deputy majority whip in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He sits on the Environmental Resources & Energy Committee and has also been appointed to represent the House on the Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority and the Recycling Fund Advisory Committee. Prior to being elected to office, he served as the director of policy at the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. He began his career by working on a number of political campaigns and earned his real estate sales license before entering public service and accepting a position at the U.S. Department of Labor. While there, he worked extensively on domestic and international assignments and gained a strong understanding of labor market dynamics. An active member of the local community, he is involved in a number of charities and non-profit organizations and was an ACG Young Leader.
Mari Manoogian is the youngest woman serving in the 101st Legislature, and the first Armenian-American woman to serve in the Michigan House of Representatives. In her second term for the 40th District, she currently serves as the Deputy Democratic Caucus Whip and as the Minority Vice-Chair for the House Committee on Energy. Prior to joining the Legislature, she served in various capacities of public service at the federal level, including interning for then-Congressman John D. Dingell, working with the Council on Foreign Relations, and assisting Ambassador Samantha Power at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Manoogian also worked in the Office of English Language Programs and eDiplomacy at the U.S. Department of State where she served with foreign and civil service officers. Rep. Manoogian is a member of the Aspen Security Forum’s inaugural Rising Leaders Program, serves on the board of the Armenian Genocide Education Council, and serves on the Tech for Campaigns Political Advisory Board as well as on the advisory council for the U.S.-Europe Alliance.

Labor and Contract Law in Times of Covid: A Cross-Border View
2021-04-22 11:30 - 12:30
In addition to public health challenges, the Covid-19 pandemic has created a host of new hurdles for employers and businesses. As we start to emerge from a period of intense measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus new challenges lie ahead. According to a recent report in The New York Times, many companies are wary of setting deadlines for reopening offices. Instead, they are considering rotational, part-time office attendance or even full-time virtual work models depending on job requirements. Can employees be forced to physically return to the office? If so, how do employers provide for a safe work environment – and how do they shield themselves from potential liability? Conversely, what are the employee‘s responsibilities and rights? Can an employee return to the office if they refuse to get vaccinated? Does workman’s compensation provide benefits to employees getting sick or injured working from home?
Join the American Council on Germany and the Wirtschaftsrunde for a virtual Zoom meeting with Carl Christian Thier, a founding shareholder of Urban Thier & Federer, P.A. He will talk about these questions and the possible impact of the inability to perform a contractual obligation during Covid by highlighting the differences between German and U.S. law.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2021-04-26 09:00 - 10:00
Each week, the ACG hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse in Berlin. These conversations are held simultaneously on Clubhouse and Zoom, providing the opportunity for a more informal and interactive exchange.
The Monday, April 26 at 9:00 am ET, the speaker will be Matthias Deiss (2008 ACG Young Leader), Editorial Director of ARD-Politikmagazin Kontraste. Matthias Deiß (2008 ACG Young Leader) is the Editorial Director for ARD’s political program “Konstrate.” Beginning May 1, he will be the Deputy Director of the ARD’s studio in Berlin. He began his professional career as a school boy by working as a reporter for a local newspaper. He later worked for ARD Tagesthemen, then as a correspondent for Deutsche Welle’s television studio in Berlin, as a reporter for Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, as head of the service at ARD-aktuell, and from 2012 to 2017 as a television correspondent for ARD studio in Berlin. His main areas of interest include home affairs and extremism as well as political parties.

Reaffirming and Reimagining the Transatlantic Alliance: Facing Shared Challenges Together
2021-04-27 13:00 - 14:00
Earlier this year, President Biden declared at the Munich Security Conference that “America is back!” Since coming into office, the Biden administration has returned to the Paris Climate Agreement, entered talks regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and demonstrated its interest in renewing the United States’ relationships with allies.
This is a historic/pivotal time for strengthening the transatlantic alliance and addressing NATO’s common problems, but we also face challenges and potential pitfalls. Join the American Council on Germany and Atlantik-Brücke for a presentation by Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State Philip T. Reeker, followed by a discussion moderated by Dr. Anna Sauerbrey, who heads the opinion pages of Der Tagesspiegel and Tagesspiegel Causa. Ambassador Philip T. Reeker has led the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs since March 2019. Prior to taking up duties in Washington, from 2017, he was Civilian Deputy and Policy Advisor to the Commander of U.S. European Command, in Stuttgart, Germany. He served as the United States Consul General in Milan, covering northern Italy, (2014-2017), and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs focused on the Balkans, Central Europe, and Holocaust Issues (2011-2013).
He was U.S. Ambassador to North Macedonia from 2008 to 2011, and Deputy State Department Spokesman/Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, under Secretaries of State Albright and Powell (2000-2004). Previous assignments also include: Minister Counselor for Public Affairs under Ambassador Ryan Crocker at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq (2007-2008); Deputy Chief of Mission in Budapest (2004-2007); and Director of Press Relations at the State Department (1999-2000). Ambassador Reeker joined the Foreign Service in 1992, and served earlier tours in Budapest, Hungary, and Skopje, North Macedonia.
Philip Reeker received the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award in 2019, and the American Citizens Abroad Thomas Jefferson Award in 2017 for services to the community of Americans living abroad. Also in 2017, he was named a Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for his distinguished service in Italy. He was the 2013 Recipient of the Robert C. Frasure Memorial Award for “his commitment to peace and the alleviation of human suffering caused by war or civil injustice” in the Balkans; the National Albanian American Council presented Ambassador Reeker with its “Hands of Hope Award” the same year. He received the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Public Diplomacy in 2003, and several State Department Superior Honor Awards.
Ambassador Reeker is a graduate of Yale University (1986) and received an MBA from the Thunderbird School of International Management in Arizona (1991). Born in Pennsylvania, Ambassador Reeker grew up in several U.S. cities and spent his high school years in Brisbane, Australia. His foreign languages include: Italian, Hungarian, Macedonian, and German.
Dr. Anna Sauerbrey heads the opinion pages of Der Tagesspiegel and Tagesspiegel Causa, her newspaper’s online magazine for debate. She writes essays and comments for her own newspaper and a monthly column on German politics and culture for the New York Times. The development of Tagesspiegel Causa was supported by Google’s Digital News initiative.
She studied History, Political Science, and Journalism in Mainz and Bordeaux. From 2005 to 2009, she was a research assistant in the History Department at the University of Mainz. She worked as an intern at the F.A.Z. and ZDF, among others, and as a freelancer for the Mainzer Rhein-Zeitung for several years. In 2009, Ms. Sauerbrey completed a traineeship at Der Tagesspiegel and became a staff member of its opinion/editorial department. In 2013, she was an Arthur F. Burns Fellow at the Philadelphia Inquirer. In 2018, she was awarded an Anna-Marie and Stephen M. Kellen Fellowship for Berlin-based journalists by the ACG to conduct research on the role religion plays in American politics.

A Call to Action: Setting a New Course for Transatlantic Economic Relations
2021-04-28 10:00 - 11:00
With the election of Joe Biden, there is a window of opportunity to renew constructive dialogue on improving European-U.S. trade that can strengthen relations and set a path to closer cooperation in the future. Even before assuming his new role as Secretary of State, Antony Blinken said that one of the first steps to be taken by the Biden administration would be to “end the artificial trade war” between Europe and the United States. In early March, we started seeing signs of this intent in action. But, more needs to be done – and Germany can play a critical role in further strengthening the transatlantic economy.
Last month AmCham Germany published a position paper on what a new agenda for the transatlantic trade and investment partnership can look like. And, earlier this month it also released its annual Transatlantic Business Barometer. Join the ACG for a conversation with Daniel Andrich, the General Manager of AmCham Germany, regarding these two publications and an assessment of how Europe and the U.S. can work together to craft a new agenda for the transatlantic trade and investment. Daniel Andrich is the General Manager of AmCham Germany. Previously, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Representative of German Industry and Trade (RGIT) in Washington, DC. In that position, he has promoted transatlantic economic relations and represented the interests of German businesses in Washington, DC. From 2008 to 2016, Mr. Andrich worked for the Federation of German Industries (BDI) as Senior Policy Advisor for Global Governance and Trade Promotion in Berlin. Additionally, from 2013 onwards, he worked as Personal Advisor to the former BDI President, Ulrich Grillo. In 2012, Mr. Andrich had already worked as Senior Policy Advisor and Visiting Fellow at the Representative of German Industry and Trade (RGIT) in Washington, DC. He obtained his M.A. in Political Science at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster.

A Cloud of Uncertainty: Europe’s Covid Recovery Package and the German Constitutional Court
2021-04-30 11:00 - 12:00
In what was described by some observers as Europe’s “Hamiltonian moment,” last July the European Union’s 27 member states agreed to raise 750 billion euros through the European Commission to address the economic crisis which was sparked by the coronavirus. The debt-financed stimulus package has to be ratified by each national parliament – and 478 out of 645 German lawmakers supported the bill. But, in late March the EU’s Recover Fund hit a roadblock after the German constitutional court raised questions about how new debt is being taken on. The court determined that the Federal President may not sign off on legislation ratifying the European recovery package. It could take up to three months for the court to decide on this matter.
Join the American Council on Germany for an online discussion about the implications of this decision by Germany’s constitutional court and what’s at stake. We’ll be joined by economic policy experts Prof. Dr. Michael Hüther, the Director and Member of the Executive Committee of the German Economic Institute, and Prof. Dr. Monika Schnitzer, Professor of Economics and Chair of Comparative Economics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich. Prof. Dr. Michael Hüther has served as Director and Member of the Executive Committee of the German Economic Institute since 2004. He has previously worked in a number of important positions in research, academia, and banking, including at Stanford University, the German Council of Economic Advisers, and DekaBank. Since 2001 he has held the Honorary Professorship for Economics at the European Business School. He is also a member of the EU Commission‘s Refit Platform, which advises the Commission on the efficient, effective, and practical implementation of EU legislation. He has a Ph.D. in Economics and History from the Justus Liebig University in Giessen. He was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by the President of the Republic.
Prof. Dr. Monika Schnitzer is Professor in Economics and holds the Chair for Comparative Economics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich. Her main research interests are innovation, competition policy, and multinational firms.
She is member of the German Council of Economic Experts (Sachverständigenrat zur Begutachtung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwicklung – „Wirtschaftsweise“). She was a member and deputy chairwoman of the Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation from 2011 to 2019. In 2015 and 2016 she served as president of the Verein für Socialpolitik (German Economic Association). Since 2020, she is a member of the Economic Advisory Group on Competition Policy of the Directorate-General for Competition of the European Commission. Since 2001, she has also been a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
In 2005, she received the Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Order of Merit) and in 2012, she received the Bavarian Order of Merit. From 2006 and 2009, she was the Dean of the Economics Faculty. Since 2007, she is the chairwoman of the University Research Board at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich.
Prof. Dr. Schnitzer studied Economics in Cologne and Bonn as well as at the London School of Economics. She received her Ph.D. at the University of Bonn in 1991. She was a visiting professor at MIT, Stanford University, Yale, the University of California at Berkeley, and Harvard University.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2021-05-03 09:00 - 10:00
Each week, the ACG hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse in Berlin. These conversations are held simultaneously on Clubhouse and Zoom, providing the opportunity for a more informal and interactive exchange.
Monday, May 3 at 9:00 am ET, the speaker will be Melissa Eddy, Berlin Correspondent for the New York Times Melissa Eddy is a correspondent based in Berlin who covers German politics, social issues and culture for The New York Times. Her most recent work has delved into the challenges of integrating 1 million refugees, the spate of Islamist terror attacks and the legacy of a trove of Nazi-looted art.
She has covered Germany’s green energy transformation and Chancellor Angela Merkel since she entered office in 2005. A Minnesota native fluent in German and French, she came to Germany as a Fulbright scholar in 1996. Before joining The International Herald Tribune, now the international edition of The New York Times, in 2015, she was a correspondent for The Associated Press in Frankfurt, Vienna and the Balkans.

German Foreign Policy Priorities in an Election Year – and Beyond
2021-05-03 12:00 - 13:00
As the world continues to grapple with the coronavirus crisis, other global challenges abound. Germany and the United States have to tackle simultaneous public health, economic, and social justice crises at home but in all corners of the globe foreign policy challenges are simmering. 2021 has already seen a host of issues – from a confrontational U.S.-China relationship to an increasingly aggressive Russia (in Ukraine and Syria not to mention interfering in western elections); from nuclear tensions with Iran and North Korea to instability in the Middle East and in Latin America; from migration and humanitarian crises to issues like counter-terrorism, cyber-security, and climate.
As Germany heads toward federal elections in September 2021, what role will foreign policy play?
Join the American Council on Germany, Deutsches Haus at NYU, and NYU’s Center for European and Mediterranean Studies for a discussion with Bundestag members Metin Hakverdi (SPD), Gyde Jensen (FDP), and Omid Nouripour (The Greens) regarding Germany’s foreign policy priorities in an election year. Metin Hakverdi joined the SPD 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 Finance 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. He 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 became licensed to practice law in 2000.
Gyde Jensen (ACG Young Leader alumna) became a member of the Bundestag in 2018, making her the youngest female member of parliament in the 19th German Bundestag at that time. On 31 January 2018, she assumed the chairmanship of the Bundestag Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, making her the youngest committee chairwoman in the history of the Bundestag.
In addition to her role in parliament, Ms. Jensen has been serving as a member of the German delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe since 2018. As a member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), she is part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group. She currently serves on the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, and the Sub-Committee on Human Rights.
Omid Nouripour is the Foreign Policy Spokesperson of the Green Parliamentary Group. He was elected to the Bundestag in 2006 and currently serves on the Committees on Foreign Policy and Human Rights.
Mr. Nouripour has been an active member of the German Green Party (Alliance 90/The Greens) since 1996. From 1999 until 2003, he was the chairman of the Green Party’s Youth Organization in Hessen. When elected, he took over the political mandate of Joschka Fischer, the former German Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister. Mr. Nouripour first worked on European issues and Internal Affairs and was later a member of both the Budget Committee as well as the Committee of Defense.
He studied German Philology, Political Science, and Law at the Johannes Gutenberg-University in Mainz.

Resilience and Adaption: Digitalization – Where Do We Stand?
2021-05-04 11:00 - 12:00
More than one year into the pandemic, we follow up with thought leaders in the fields of digitalization and AI – Dr. Gesche Joost, Professor for Design Research at the Berlin University of the Arts, and Dr. Mona Sloane of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University – on where things stand when it comes to digitalization and the digital divide. Has the pandemic helped close the gap, or has it exacerbated inequalities? We’ll explore this question domestically and internationally.
Join the American Council and Germany and 1014 on Clubhouse or Zoom as we continue the conversation with Dr. Gesche Joost and Dr. Mona Sloane Gesche Joost is Professor for Design Research at the Berlin University of the Arts and since 2005 heading the Design Research Lab. With international partners, she conducts research and development projects in the areas of human-computer interaction, wearable computing, as well as user-centered design and participation. Until 2010, she was a junior professor for Interaction Design & Media at the Technical University of Berlin in cooperation with Telekom Innovation Laboratories. As a visiting professor, she taught Gender and Design at the HAWK Hildesheim and was a distinguished research fellow at UTS Sydney in 2014. In 2009, she received the young talent award for science from the mayor of Berlin.
She acts in various committees, amongst them on the board of DGTF e.V. (German Society for Design Theory and Research) and on the board of the German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes). She is co-founder of the nonprofit company Calliope engaging in digital education for school children in Germany. From 2014 to 2018, she was appointed as a Digital Champion for the EU commission. Since 2015, she is a member of the Supervisory Board of SAP SE. Since 2018, she is a member of the Supervisory board of ING DiBa AG and Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA.
Mona Sloane is a sociologist working on inequality in the context of AI design and policy. She frequently publishes and speaks about AI, ethics, equitability, and policy in a global context. She is a Fellow with NYU’s Institute for Public Knowledge (IPK), where she convenes the Co-Opting AI series and co-curates The Shift series. She also is a Senior Research Scientist at the NYU Center for Responsible AI, an Adjunct Professor at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering, and is part of the inaugural cohort of the Future Imagination Collaboratory (FIC) Fellows at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She is the technology editor of Public Books and is a fellow at The GovLab. Her most recent project is Terra Incognita: Mapping NYC’s New Digital Public Spaces in the COVID-19 Outbreak which she leads as principal investigator. She currently also serves as principal investigator of the Procurement Roundtables project, a collaboration with Dr. Rumman Chowdhury (Director of Machine Learning Ethics, Transparency & Accountability at Twitter, Founder of Parity), and John C. Havens (IEEE Standards Association) that is focused on innovating AI procurement to center equity and justice. She also works with Emmy Award-winning journalist and NYU journalism professor Hilke Schellmann on hiring algorithms, auditing, and new tools for investigative journalism and research on AI. With Dr. Matt Statler (NYU Stern), she is also leading the Public Interest Technology Convention and Career Fair project that looks to bring together students and organizations building up the public interest technology space. She is also affiliated with the Tübingen AI Center in Germany where she leads a 3-year federally funded research project on the operationalization of ethics in German AI startups. She has written for The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, OneZero Medium, and other outlets. She holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and Political Science and has completed fellowships at the University of California, Berkeley, and at the University of Cape Town

From Estrangement to Adversity: Recognizing the Threat Posed by Russia
2021-05-06 11:00 - 12:00
There is no country quite like Russia. Many western observers hoped – or even assumed – that after the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia would fall into line. Instead, Russia has charted its own course. Despite its relatively small economy, Russia has been able to exert its global influence through a host of unconventional tactics. Under Vladimir Putin, Russia has demonstrated a surprising willingness to use any tool available to maintain this influence, including cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, foreign election interference, and support for authoritarian regimes. How are Europe and the United States responding to the threat posed by Russia?
Join the ACG and the Freunde des American Council on Germany e.V. for a discussion with Russia experts Katja Gloger and Dr. Fiona Hill about Russia, Europe, and the United States. They will discuss issues such as Ukraine, cybersecurity, the domestic political outlook in Russia, and more. Journalist and author Katja Gloger studied Eastern European History and Political Science in Hamburg and Moscow and has an MBA from Purdue University, Indiana. She started her career as a news reporter for German Television ARD. As Moscow Bureau Chief for Stern magazine, she witnessed the fall of the Soviet Union and the emergence of a new Russia. She also worked as Foreign Editor for Stern magazine – with a focus on Russia, international affairs, and security policy. She also served as Stern’s Senior Political Correspondent in Washington, DC, from 2004 until the end of 2008. Since 2009, she has served on the magazine’s editorial board.
Ms. Gloger won the prestigious German Henri Nannen Award for Best Documentary Reporting in 2010. She is a Board member of the German section of Reporters Without Borders, a human rights organization defending the freedom of the press, and a member of the Atlantik-Brücke. She has published several books on Russia, including Putin’s World: The New Russia, Ukraine, and the West.
Dr. Fiona Hill is the Robert Bosch Senior Fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution. She served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council from 2017 to 2019. From 2006 to 2009, she served as national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia at The National Intelligence Council. She is co-author of Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin (Brookings Institution Press, 2015).
Prior to joining Brookings, Dr. Hill was Director of Strategic Planning at The Eurasia Foundation in Washington, D.C. From 1991 to 1999, she held a number of positions directing technical assistance and research projects at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, including associate director of the Strengthening Democratic Institutions Project, director of the Project on Ethnic Conflict in the Former Soviet Union, and coordinator of the Trilateral Study on Japanese-Russian-U.S. Relations.
Dr. Hill has researched and published extensively on issues related to Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, regional conflicts, energy, and strategic issues. She holds a master’s in Soviet Studies and a doctorate in History from Harvard University where she was a Frank Knox Fellow. She also holds a master’s in Russian and Modern History from St. Andrews University in Scotland and has pursued studies at Moscow’s Maurice Thorez Institute of Foreign Languages. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Hotels, Restaurants, Cafes, and Bars: Innovative Approaches to Navigating Difficult Times in the Hospitality Industry
2021-05-11 11:00 - 12:00
With lockdown measures, social distancing requirements, and other restrictions, the hospitality, and gastronomy sectors have been hit hard by the pandemic. How have hotels, restaurants, cafes, and bars navigated the myriad of regulations? How have they adapted to the changing circumstances as the pandemic goes through different phases? How are they positioning themselves for the coming months?
Join the American Council on Germany and 1014 for a discussion with Nadine and Tom Michelberger who run the Hotel Michelberger in Berlin as a continually evolving family business; Rose Previte who owns and manages “Compass Rose” and “Maydan” in Washington D.C.; as well as Charlotta Janssen who opened the restaurant “Chez Oskar” in Brooklyn, New York, in 2000 to showcase her artwork. Nadine and Tom Michaelberger are the founders of the Michelberger Hotel in Berlin and projects that evolved from it, like Michelberger Music and Michelberger’s Fountain of Youth or Michelberger Booze. Entrepreneurs at heart, with a high sense of self-responsibility to define and find new ways of creating, running, and growing companies, that are diverse in ideas, aware of the social impact, and always financially independent.
Like so many in the D.C. restaurant industry, Rose Previte, owner of Compass Rose and Maydan restaurants on D.C.’s 14th Street corridor, moved to D.C. to study and work in public policy. She found herself behind the bar in what morphed from side gig to a calling: running restaurants that pull from her other passion, travel. Ms. Previte opened Compass Rose, which highlighted a variety of international cuisines and featured its now-famous khachapuri, or Georgian cheese bread, in 2014. She followed that with Maydan, a much more ambitious live-fire restaurant a few blocks up 14th Street, in late 2017. It quickly blew up, becoming a national destination.
Charlotta Janssen was born in Maine to German parents living in America under the Marshall Plan. In 1973, her family moved to Iran, which they fled during the revolution in 1979. Back in Germany, she studied painting at the University of Arts in Berlin from 1986-1989. She dropped out and traveled the world as a street musician and performance artist. In 1991, she picked up her brushes again and started organizing art shows wherever she traveled. She moved to New York in 1995, and opened “Chez Oskar” in Brooklyn in 2000, as a venue to exhibit her art.

Global Financial Stability: What’s at Stake?
2021-05-12 10:00 - 11:00
The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a severe global economic crisis. While the current situation in Europe and the United States is different, in an effort to jump-start their economies both the EU and the U.S. are in the process of adopting ambitious stimulus packages. The NextGeneration EU recovery plan is in the process of being ratified by the national parliament of each EU member state. In the U.S., the Biden-Harris administration has proposed major spending programs in. the form of the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan.
Join the ACG and the Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung for a discussion about the state of the economy in Europe and the U.S. as we begin to emerge from the pandemic. Can Europe and the U.S. afford this level of spending? Is it sustainable in the short- to mid-term? Should we be concerned about inflation? ACG Chairman Ambassador John B. Emerson and Chairman of the Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung Markus Ferber will discuss these questions and more with economist Megan E. Greene. Ambassador John B. Emerson was named Chairman of the American Council on Germany on January 17, 2018. He is Vice Chairman at Capital Group International. Previously, he served as United States Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany from August 2013 until January 20, 2017. He served at a particularly challenging time, and in 2015 Ambassador Emerson was awarded the State Department’s prestigious Sue M. Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service, which is given annually to one non-career Ambassador. He also served on President Obama’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.
Markus Ferber is a German politician who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 1994. He is a member of the Christian Social Union (CSU), part of the European People’s Party (EPP). He has been the EPP Coordinator of the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs since 2018 and also serves as Coordinator of the EU Regulation Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID). In addition to his parliamentary work, since 2020 Mr. Ferber has served as Chairman of the Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung, the leading think-tank in Bavaria and affiliated with the CSU.
Megan E. Greene currently serves as a Senior Fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School, where she is working on a book examining the gaps between theory and reality in economics today and how they prevent us from addressing the biggest economic, financial, political, and social issue of our time: inequality. She is also the first Dame DeAnne Julius Senior Fellow in International Economics at Chatham House. She has a biweekly column in the Financial Times on global macroeconomics and appears regularly on TV and radio outlets such as Bloomberg, CNBC, NPR, and BBC.

German-U.S. Relations in 2021: Challenges and Opportunities
2021-05-13 11:00 - 12:00
German foreign policy faces profound challenges in 2021: Strengthening relations with the United States, navigating a complex relationship with China, working to ensure full post-COVID economic recovery in Europe and contributing to strengthening the European Union in the first full year following the UK exit from the Union – all while the 16-year political leadership of Angela Merkel as Chancellor comes to its end in September with a national election already dominating headlines. In conversation with Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship Faculty Chair, Nicholas Burns, and Executive Director, Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook, Germany’s Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Emily Haber, will discuss the future of the transatlantic and the German-American relationship with respect to key geopolitical and geo-economic questions facing her country in a critical election year.
This event is part of the series “Meeting America,” the first of several virtual talks with the German Ambassador and American stakeholders across the United States. Emily Margarethe Haber has been German Ambassador to the United States since June 2018. Prior to her transfer to Washington, DC, she served in various leadership functions at the Foreign Office in Berlin. In 2009, she was appointed Political Director and, in 2011, State Secretary, the first woman to hold either post. Thereafter, she was deployed to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, serving as State Secretary in charge of homeland security and migration policy from 2014 until 2018.
Ambassador Haber has many years of experience with Russia and the former Soviet Union. She held various posts at the German Embassy in Moscow, including Head of the Political Department. At the Foreign Office in Berlin, she served as Head of the OSCE Division and as Deputy Director-General for the Western Balkans, among other positions.
She holds a PhD in history and is married to former diplomat Hansjörg Haber. The couple has two sons.
