American Council On Germany

International Crisis Management and the Future of the Transatlantic Partnership
2024-05-20 12:30 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
oin The American Council on Germany and the Hanns Seidel Stiftung for a Discussion and Luncheon on “Unraveling Alliances? Assessing the U.S. Role in NATO”, with Alexander Radwan, Member of the German Bundestag (CDU/CSU).
The Luncheon will be held on Monday, May 20, 2024 at 12:30 pm (PDT) at Credo (360 Pine St, San Francisco, CA 94104). The cost of attendance is $35 for active ACG Members; $50 for Non-Members,
Alexander Radwan has been a member of the Bundestag since 2013, after serving in the Bavarian State Parliament from 2008 to 2013 and the European Parliament from 1999 to 2008. He sits on the Bundestag’s Committee on Foreign Affairs as well as the Subcommittee on the United Nations, International Organizations, and Civilian Crisis Prevention.
Mr. Radwan specializes in the intersection of international relations and finance policy. He studied aeronautical engineering at the Munich University of Applied Sciences, graduating with a degree in engineering. After that, he studied law at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, passing the bar in 1995. He is a Member of the Board of Trustees for the University of Applied Sciences Rosenheim, and a Member of the Administrative Council of Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin).

Dealing with Disinformation: Elections Under the Influence?
2024-05-22 11:00 - 12:00
This year elections are being held all around the world. In addition to concerns about free and fair elections, disinformation spread by state and non-state actors via social media or messengers has become a threat to electoral integrity. For example, compared to the last election cycle in Germany, people are much more concerned about the deliberate dissemination of false information online. Many fear that mis- and disinformation is being used to destabilize democracies as a long-term goal. This is not unique. Disinformation poses a major challenge that politicians, civil society, and the media have to contend with. Is the extent of concern exaggerated? Are our institutions and tech companies prepared to fend off targeted attacks?
Join the American Council on Germany and the German Consulate General New York on Wednesday, May 22, at 11 am ET for the next installment of the virtual series “Dealing with Disinformation.” In the run-up to European elections next month and U.S. elections in November, experts Cathleen Berger and Dr. Claire Wardle will join us to talk about foreign and home-grown information manipulation and elections, the role and responsibility of tech companies, as well as the dangers posed by disinformation campaigns Cathleen Berger is a highly experienced strategist who has built up and managed multiple globally distributed, environmental, and social impact programs. Her professional experience spans across sectors: academia, government, non-profit, advocacy, corporate, and early-stage startups. She currently works with the Bertelsmann Stiftung as Co-Team Lead for Upgrade Democracy and Research Director on future technologies and sustainability. In addition, she occasionally advises and works with social purpose companies and organizations on their climate and social impact strategies. Previously, she directed the B Corporation certification process of a pre-seed climate tech startup. Prior to taking on her current role, she launched and headed up Mozilla’s environmental sustainability program.
Dr. Claire Wardle is Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Information Futures Lab and Professor of Practice at Brown University’s School of Public Health. She is considered a leader in the field of misinformation, verification, and user generated content, and co-authored the foundational report Information Disorder: An Interdisciplinary Framework for Research and Policy for the Council of Europe. In 2015, Dr. Wardle co-founded the non-profit First Draft, a pioneer in innovation, research, and practice in the field of misinformation. Over the past decade, she has developed an organization-wide training program for the BBC on eyewitness media, verification, and misinformation; led social media policy at UNHCR; been a Fellow at the Shorenstein Center for Media, Politics, and Public Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School; and been the Research Director at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Pennsylvania.

Bridging Borders: Navigating Open Scientific Collaboration with China
2024-05-23 08:00 - 09:30
The American Council on Germany, the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) New York, and the University of Cologne New York Office cordially invite you to a breakfast briefing on “Bridging Borders: Navigating Open Scientific Collaboration with China” with Prof. Dr. Joybrato Mukherjee, President of the DAAD and Rector of the University of Cologne, and Christopher Walker, Vice President for Studies and Analysis at the National Endowment for Democracy, moderated by Dr. Lily McElwee, Deputy Director and Fellow in the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Prof. Dr. Joybrato Mukherjee began his term as President of the DAAD on January 1, 2020. According to the association charter, the President represents the DAAD in all organization-related matters. He serves as the chairperson of the Executive Committee, prepares its deliberations and resolutions, and ensures their implementation. He also chairs the meeting of the Board of Trustees and the General Assembly. His responsibilities include appointing the Secretary-General following confirmation by the Executive Committee and supervising the organization’s management.
On October 1, 2023, Prof. Dr. Mukherjee took office as Rector of the University of Cologne. In cooperation with the other members of the Rectorate, he represents the university externally and is responsible for its management and strategic development. He chairs the Rectorate and the Senate and is the chief supervisor of the university’s scientific staff. He also defines the guidelines for the execution of the Rectorate’s tasks.
Prof. Dr. Mukherjee completed his studies in English, Biology, and Education at RWTH Aachen University in 1997. In 2000, he received his doctorate at the University of Bonn; he also completed his habilitation in 2003 and was awarded the venia legendi for English Philology.
Christopher Walker is Vice President for Studies and Analysis at the National Endowment for Democracy, an independent, nonprofit, grant-making foundation supporting freedom worldwide. Mr. Walker oversees the multidimensional department that is responsible for NED’s analytical and thought leadership efforts. Before joining the NED, he was Vice President for Strategy and Analysis at Freedom House. He has testified before legislative committees in the U.S. and abroad, appears frequently in the media, and frequently conducts briefings on critical issues relating to democratic development. He has been at the forefront of thought leadership on modern authoritarian influence on open political systems, including through the exertion of sharp power, a concept he and his colleagues developed.
Mr. Walker has also served as an Adjunct Professor of International Affairs at New York University. He holds a B.A. from Binghamton University and an M.A. from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
Dr. Lily McElwee is the Deputy Director and Fellow in the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where she researches Chinese foreign policy, U.S.-China relations, and EU-China relations. She is currently writing a book on the history of U.S. investment gatekeeping amid the rise of China as a strategy and policy fellow with the Smith Richardson Foundation. Dr. McElwee recently completed a fellowship with the American Council on Germany, where she researched European political debate on China, and she is a 2022–23 CSIS-USC U.S.-Korea nextgen scholar. She holds a D.Phil. in China studies, and an MS.c. from the University of Oxford, and a B.A. with honors in political science from Stanford University.

Citizen Engagement and Building Trust in Government
2024-05-23 11:00 - 12:00
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 not been able to make progress due to political polarization and partisan gridlock. In the next German-American State Legislator, legislators will discuss the common challenge of waning public trust and citizen engagement.
Trust in government is an essential element of a functioning democracy. In both the United States and Germany, governments face declining trust in political institutions that have been influenced by perceived corruption, lack of transparency, ineffective governance, partisan polarization, media, dis- and misinformation, and overall feelings of voter disenfranchisement. Systemic inequalities can further contribute to widespread mistrust among marginalized communities or regions and economic instability can exacerbate doubts in the government’s ability to adequately address citizen’s needs. Moreover, responses to recent crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can either bolster or diminish trust, depending on the perceived effectiveness and transparency of governmental actions. A climate of distrust in institutions can also lead to radicalization and the proliferation of conspiracy beliefs. With important elections on the horizon on both sides of the Atlantic, these issues are of particular interest during this “Super Election Year.” How can legislators at the state level contribute to building trust in government?
Join the American Council on Germany and the Aspen Institute Germany on May 23 for our next State-to-State: German-American State Legislator Dialogue for a discussion with German and American state legislators, including State Senator Roger Niello (R), California State Senate; Marion Schiefer (CDU), State Parliament of Schleswig-Holstein; and State Senator Cindy Winckler (D), Iowa State Senate. Senator Roger Niello (R) was elected to represent portions of South Placer, suburban Sacramento, and Sutter and Yuba counties in the California State Senate in 2022. He first began his career as a Certified Public Accountant and then joined his family business, the Niello Auto Group, running retail automobile dealerships. Senator Niello has previously served as a Sacramento County Supervisor and a member of the California State Assembly. Following his time in the Assembly, he accepted the appointment as President and CEO of the Sacramento Metro Chamber.
In the State Senate, Senator Niello is the Vice Chair of the Budget and Fiscal Review, Banking and Financial Institutions, Insurance, and Transportation Committees. He is a member of the Business, Professions, and Economic Development, Judiciary, Legislative Ethics, Joint Fairs Allocation and Classification, Joint Legislative Budget, and Joint Rules Committees.
Throughout his career, Senator Niello has been a dedicated community and civic volunteer, serving in various capacities. He and his wife, Mary, live in Fair Oaks.
Representative Marion Schiefer (CDU) was born in 1975 in Wiesbaden, is married, and has three children. She studied law in Mainz and Castellón, Spain. After completing her first and second state law examinations, she initially worked as a research assistant in finance and tax law at the University of Mainz before being appointed as a judge in Hesse. In 2007/2008, she was a Member of the Hessian State Parliament. She worked for several years in the Hessian ministerial administration and changed careers to the executive branch as a Ministerial Councilor. During her parental leave, she moved to Schleswig-Holstein. From 2014 to 2023, she worked as a judge at the local court in Hamburg, including as a family and juvenile court judge and as head of enforcement at the Hamburg Youth Detention Center.
Representative Schiefer has been a Member of the Schleswig-Holstein State Parliament since 2023, Chairwoman of the CDU parliamentary group’s specialist working group on internal affairs and law, as well as Spokeswoman for justice, victim protection, the protection of the constitution, and extremism. Furthermore, she is a member of the Committee on Internal Affairs and Legal Affairs, the Committee on Cooperation between Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg, the Committee on the Election of Judges, the Parliamentary Control Committee, and chairwoman of the G10 Commission. Representative Schiefer has been a CDU member since 1997.
Senator Cindy Winckler (D) was born in Des Moines, Iowa. She moved to Davenport when she was young and has continued to be a part of the Davenport community throughout her adult years. Senator Winckler was elected to her first term in the Iowa Senate in 2022 after serving 11 terms in the Iowa House. She is a Ranking Member of both the Ethics and Education Appropriations Subcommittees and serves on the Appropriations, Local Government, State Government, Transportation, and Ways and Means Committees. She represents Senate District 49, which includes Davenport as well as Buffalo and Buffalo Township. Senator Winckler is currently serving as a commissioner on the Education Commission of the States. She is a member of the Davenport Schools Network for Community and School Partnerships.
Cindy has been a family and consumer science teacher in small and large school districts in Iowa – Davis County, Pleasant Valley, Calamus, and Davenport. She retired as a Quality Learning Consultant with the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency in Bettendorf and continues her work on education equity issues. In her capacity as a Quality Learning Consultant, she worked with teachers, administrators, and school districts to plan and implement student achievement initiatives. Cindy was named to Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers in February 2000.
She graduated from West High School in Davenport. She earned a BSE in Home Economics from Northeast Missouri State University and her master’s degree in Educational Technology from the University of Northern Iowa. Cindy and her husband, Joe, were married in 1973 and have two adult children.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2024-05-28 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, May 28 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Dr. Daniel Friedrich Sturm, Head of the Berlin Office for Der Tagesspiegel.. Dr. Daniel Friedrich Sturm has been the head of the Tagesspiegel’s Berlin office since April 2023 and reports primarily on the German Chancellor and the SPD. Previously, he was an Editor for Die Welt and Welt am Sonntag and was their U.S. Correspondent from 2018 to 2023. Mr. Sturm began his journalistic career at the age of 15 as a local reporter for the Münstersche Zeitung. He studied political science at the University of Bonn. He was awarded the Willy Brandt Prize for his dissertation on the SPD and the unification of Germany in 1989/90. He has been observing and describing the Social Democrats for many years and has written several books about them.

Sustainable Financing of Healthcare Systems in Aging Societies
2024-05-28 11:00 - 12:00
The American Council on Germany and the Global Coalition on Aging have launched a series of virtual events called “The Road to Silver Economy Forum,” which will take place in the run-up to the Forum on October 15 and 16 in Berlin. The series will focus on a range of issues building on the theme of this year’s Forum, which is titled “Leading the Future in an Aging World.”
Our rapidly aging societies force us to consider whether current healthcare funding models are sustainable and can continue providing innovations that have helped us realize our increased longevity. This webinar will explore how countries deal with the challenge of funding their healthcare systems as their population ages and healthcare grows exponentially. We will investigate the differences and similarities between healthcare systems in the United States and Europe and discuss how to finance and improve them to safeguard the medical discovery and innovation essential to healthy aging.
Join the American Council on Germany and the Global Coalition on Aging on May 28 at 11:00 am ET for the second webinar in our series, which will focus on “Sustainable Financing of Healthcare Systems in Aging Societies.” We are privileged to have Grace-Marie Turner, President of the Galen Institute, and Kristian Niemietz, Editorial Director and Head of Political Economy at the Institute of Economic Affairs, who will discuss what is needed to finance healthcare systems in an aging society sustainably. This event will be moderated by GCOA‘s Head of Advocacy Initiatives, Michiel Peters. Michiel Peters (moderator) leads the advocacy initiatives at the Global Coalition on Aging and is a Senior Director at High Latner Group, a strategic consulting firm that helps position organizations, their leaders, and their ideas in the public arena.
He is an expert communications professional and strategist with over a decade of experience in the public and private sectors. He worked on local, state, and national campaigns before serving as a senior press officer in the Dutch Parliament. After eight years of working in the public sector, he transferred to the private sector to build up the corporate and public affairs functions for a large family-owned multinational in the agricultural industry.
At GCOA, he leads advocacy initiatives on various topics, from bone health to biopharmaceutical innovation. Additionally, he helps GCOA members with strategic positioning on issues related to our changing demography and its impact on our communities, from healthy aging to financial longevity and our changing workforce.
Dr. Kristian Niemietz is the IEA’s Editorial Director and Head of Political Economy at the Institute of Economic Affairs. He studied Economics at the Humboldt University Berlin and the University of Salamanca, graduating in 2007 as Diplom-Volkswirt (≈MSc in Economics). During his studies, he interned at the Central Bank of Bolivia (2004), the National Statistics Office of Paraguay (2005), and at the IEA (2006). In 2013, he completed a Ph.D. in Political Economy at King’s College London.
Dr. Niemietz previously worked as a Research Fellow at the Berlin-based Institute for Free Enterprise (IUF) and at King’s College London, where he taught Economics throughout his postgraduate studies. He is the author of the books A New Understanding of Poverty (2011), Redefining the Poverty Debate (2012), Universal Healthcare Without The NHS (2016), and Socialism: The Failed Idea That Never Dies (2019).
Grace-Marie Turner founded the Galen Institute, a public policy research organization, in 1995 to promote an informed debate over free-market ideas for health reform. She has been instrumental in developing and promoting public policy ideas to transfer power over healthcare decisions to doctors and patients.
She writes extensively about incentives to promote a more competitive, patient-centered marketplace in the health sector, testifies regularly before Congress, and advises senior government officials, governors, and state legislators on health policy.
She is the founder and facilitator of the Health Policy Consensus Group, which serves as a forum for analysts from market-oriented think tanks around the country to analyze and develop reform recommendations. She was also a leader in developing the Health Care Choices proposal. She is the editor of “Empowering Health Care Consumers through Tax Reform,” peer-reviewed and published by the University of Michigan Press, and has authored and contributed to numerous other books and white papers.

A Decisive Decade: Addressing the Transformative Challenges facing Europe
2024-05-29 12:00 - 14:00
On May 29, the ACG will host a discussion and luncheon with Stefan Wintels, CEO of the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau.
Stefan Wintels as been CEO of KfW since November 2021. He joined KfW as Co-CEO in October 2021. Prior to joining KfW, Mr. Wintels worked at Citigroup for 20 Years (2001 – 2021) in various leadership roles. Most recently, he was the Global Co-Head Financial Institutions Group and a member of the Global Executive Committee of the Banking Capital Markets & Advisory Division. He was also Vice Chairman of Citigroup in Germany, Chief Country Officer for Germany as well as CEO of Citigroup Global Markets Europe AG until March 2020. Stefan Wintels began his professional career in 1994 at Deutsche Bank AG (1994-2001) and left as Managing Director at Deutsche Bank’s Corporate Development/ Group Strategy Department.
Mr. Wintels received a master’s degree in business administration from the Technische Universität Berlin and participated in a 2nd year MBA program at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Stefan Wintels is also Chairman of the Supervisory Board of KfW Capital GmbH & Co. KG and a member of the Supervisory Boards of Deutsche Telekom AG and DHL Group.

From Anti-War to Climate Justice: What’s Driving the Left in Germany and the United States?
2024-05-29 18:00 - 20:00
The ACG and the Goethe Institut in New York will host a discussion and reception with Dr. Sheri Berman, Political Scientist and Author of Democracy and Dictatorship in Europe: From the Ancient Regime to Present Day; and Lukas Hermsmeier, Journalist and Author of Uprising – Amerikas neue Linke. This event is part of our series Foreign Correspondent Unplugged and will be available as a podcast later this week.

CANCELLED - Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2024-06-03 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, June 3 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Claudia Kade, Head of Politics, WELT/WELT AM SONNTAG. Claudia Kade has been the Head of the Politics Department at WELT / WELT AM SONNTAG since 2017. Before this role, she was an Editor in the Politics Department. From 2008 to 2010, she was Editor of the Financial Times Deutschland. She also was an Editor at Reuters and a Freelancer at ZDF. Ms. Kade studied Journalism and Economics in Dortmund and completed a traineeship at ZDF.

What Does the European Election Mean for the Transatlantic Alliance?
2024-06-04 12:30 - 14:30
The ACG and the Friends of the American Council on Germany will host a discussion and reception with Dr. Laura von Daniels, Head of “The Americas” research division at Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, and Sudha David-Wilp, Regional Director of the German Marshall Fund’s Berlin office and a senior fellow.
Nearly 500 million European citizens are heading to the polls in June to select the next wave of politicians to represent them on the European stage. Their votes dictate the makeup of the European Parliament, as well as the top jobs in Brussels’ key institutions. But with some polling indicating a rightward shift in European representation, the ramifications could be felt far beyond the bloc. Relationships with key allies like the United States could be in question and yet are ever-more crucial — with war continuing on Europe’s doorstep and economic uncertainties looming. In this discussion, we unpack what’s at stake for relations between the U.S. and Europe depending on the outcome of the election. Are there certain issues and values where we can expect continuity to remain? And where are the key points where the relationship could fray with a different set of EU leaders engaging with Washington? And what trends could this vote foreshadow for America’s own elections this November?
This invitation is extended to members of the American Council on Germany and Friends of the American Council on Germany e.V., and alumni of the Young Leaders Conference and other ACG programs. We would be delighted if you bring along another person who is interested in promoting transatlantic relations.

Bridging Divides: The Role of Subnational Ties in Strengthening Transatlantic Relations
2024-06-05 13:00 - 14:00
The transatlantic relationship is a cornerstone of the international order and ties at the subnational level are essential for effectively addressing the common challenges facing communities on both sides of the Atlantic, now and in the future. Complex global and local issues like climate change, promoting sustainable development, and supporting workforce preparedness can be tackled by working together. As we edge into an increasingly polarized global system, strengthening subnational ties across the Atlantic is key to maintaining the transatlantic partnership.
The American Council on Germany (ACG) and the Association of German-American Centers (Verbund Deutsch-Amerikanischer Zentren, VDAZ) are excited to launch a series of digital events aimed at exploring the challenges confronting local communities and the importance of subnational diplomacy. In the coming months, we will delve into specific aspects of transnational diplomacy and how people-to-people connections help strengthening transatlantic relations for the future.
Join us on Wednesday, June 5 at 1:00 pm ET for the opening discussion with Ambassador Nina Hachigian (ret), Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State, and Michael Georg Link, Coordinator for Transatlantic Cooperation at the German Federal Foreign Ministry and Member of the German Bundestag (FDP). They will make the case for subnational diplomacy. Ambassador Nina Hachigian (ret) is the first U.S. Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State. Previously she served as the first Deputy Mayor for International Affairs for the City of Los Angeles. From 2014 to 2017, Ambassador Hachigian served as the second U.S. Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). She was awarded the State Department’s Superior Honor Award for her service. Earlier, Ambassador Hachigian was a Senior Fellow and a Senior Vice President at the Center for American Progress focused on Asia policy and U.S.-China relations. Prior to that, she was the director of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy for four years. Ambassador Hachigian served on the staff of the National Security Council in the Clinton White House from 1998-1999. She is the editor of Debating China: The U.S. – China Relationship in Ten Conversations (Oxford University Press, 2014) and co-author of The Next American Century: How the U.S. Can Thrive as Other Powers Rise (Simon & Schuster, 2008). She writes frequently about city and state diplomacy.
Michael Georg Link is a member of the German Bundestag, where, in his fourth term, he represents the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and his home electoral district, Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg. He has served as the Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation at the Federal Foreign Office since March 2022. He is also Deputy Chairman of the FDP parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, responsible for international policy. In addition, Mr. Link is a member of the party council of the European Liberals (ALDE) and a member of the FDP national executive board in his capacity as party treasurer. Previously, Mr. Link was Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), based in Warsaw, from 2014 to 2017, and served as Minister of State for Europe at the Federal Foreign Office and Federal Government Commissioner for Franco-German Cooperation from 2012 to 2013. In 2020, he was the Head OSCE observer of the US general elections.

Study Tour on Social Cohesion in Erfurt and Frankfurt
2024-06-09 08:00 - 2024-06-15 17:00

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2024-06-10 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, June 10 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with award-winning journalist and ACG fellow Vladimir Balzer Vladimir Balzer is an award-winning journalist and moderator at Deutschlandfunk Kultur. He grew up in Leipzig and studied German, art history, and journalism in Dublin, Venice, and Leipzig. He studied abroad in Italy and the United States. He began his career as a presenter, reporter, and editor at Deutschlandradio and MDR. Mr. Balzer hosts, among other programs, the daily programs “Fazit – Kultur vom Tage” and “Studio 9” on Deutschlandfunk Kultur. In 2022, he was selected to be a Kellen Fellow by the American Council on Germany.

Legal Battles, Coup Fantasies, and Foreign Agents: What’s Happening on Germany’s Far Right?
2024-06-11 11:00 - 12:00
Last month, one of the largest legal proceedings in German history began with the start of the first trials against a group of far-right conspiracists who planned the violent overthrow of the Bundestag. According to federal prosecutors, the group – known as the Reichsbürger, or citizens of the Reich, a disparate group that denies the legitimacy of the modern German state – planned to enter the Reichstag with armed support to arrest members of parliament with the intention of “overthrowing the system.” Due to the complexity of the case and a variety of logistical and security reasons, there will be three separate trails in Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Munich.
New York Times reporter Christopher F. Schuetze has been following this emerging story – and right-wing populist movements. Join us just days before the European Union’s Parliamentary election on June 9 for a virtual discussion about developments on Germany’s far right. The event will take place on Tuesday, June 11 at 11:00 am ET / 5:00 pm CET. Christopher F. Schuetze is a reporter for The New York Times based in Berlin, covering politics, society, and culture in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. His recent stories have focused on the rise of populism and the far-right – as well as Germany’s multiple simultaneous transformations. In addition to its vaunted green-energy transformation, the country is becoming more ethnically and culturally diverse.
Raised in Germany and Canada and trained in the United States and France, Mr. Schuetze has reported from a dozen countries, mostly in Europe. He got his start at The Times as an intern for the paper’s international edition in Paris (which was then called The International Herald Tribune), where he covered sustainability and higher education. Before moving to Berlin in 2018, he reported from the Netherlands.

Beyond the Ballot: Parsing the Results of the EU’s Parliamentary Election and Anticipating What Lies Ahead
2024-06-13 08:00 - 09:30
The American Council on Germany will host a breakfast briefing with Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook, Executive Vice President and Senior Advisor at the Bertelsmann Foundation.

Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook is Executive Vice President and Senior Advisor at the Bertelsmann Foundation in Berlin. She served previously as CEO of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). Ms. Clüver Ashbrook was executive director of the Future of Diplomacy Project at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts for ten years. The project, which she co-founded, addresses 21st-century foreign policy challenges through research by international leaders in academia and diplomacy as well as teaching conflict research and prevention. Beginning in 2018, Ms. Clüver Ashbrook also directed a research program on Europe and transatlantic relations. Previously, she served on the management board of the European Policy Centre (EPC) in Brussels and worked as both a consultant and senior journalist at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in France and China, among other countries. She began her career as a television journalist at CNN International in Atlanta and London.
Ms. Clüver Ashbrook contributes to international publications, such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, as well as leading German media on transatlantic relations – especially trade and security policy – and German foreign and digital policy. Additionally, she advises foreign ministries in Europe and South America on their digital strategy. She received her undergraduate honors degree in international relations and French civilization from Brown University, a master’s degree in European studies from the London School of Economics, and a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, where she was a Hauser Fellow in Non-Profit Management.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2024-06-17 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, June 17 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Daniela Vates, Chief Correspondent in the Berlin Bureau of the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland.
Daniela Vates is Chief Correspondent in the Berlin Bureau of the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (a Hannover-based corporate newsroom that provides journalistic content to more than 60 daily newspapers across the country – including Frankfurter Rundschau, Leipziger Volkszeitung, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, and Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung – and reaches nearly seven million readers daily). Before joining RND, she was a political correspondent for the Berliner Zeitung and Reuters. Ms. Vates has reported from Berlin since 1999 – and from the then German capital Bonn for a couple of years before that. She covers German domestic politics and foreign policy. She studied Journalism and Political Science in Munich and the United States and is a graduate of the Deutsche Journalistenschule (DJS) in Munich.

Combatting Antisemitism and Information Manipulation in the 21st Century
2024-06-17 11:00 - 12:00
Disinformation has fueled antisemitism for centuries, but the war in Gaza has exacerbated the spread of false information and conspiracy theories – particularly through social media platforms and online forums. This has contributed to the reinforcement of negative stereotypes and prejudices against Jewish people. The manipulation of information targeting Jewish individuals and organizations often intersects with other forms of hate speech and discrimination, amplifying its impact and fostering an environment conducive to antisemitic attitudes and actions. What can be done to address the challenge of disinformation?
Join the American Council on Germany and the German Consulate General New York on Monday, June 17, at 11 am ET for the next installment of the virtual series “Dealing with Disinformation.” Josephine Ballon, the CEO of HateAid (a non-profit organization advocating for human rights in the digital space), and Aaron Keyak, Deputy Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism at the U.S. Department of State, will discuss the intersection of disinformation and antisemitism – and measures that can be taken to address them. Josephine Ballon has been the CEO of HateAid since September 2023. She joined the organization in November 2019 as the head of Legal. She is an advocate for improving the legal framework and access to justice for those affected by online violence, who are left largely unprotected against violations of their rights. Ms. Ballon has given expert testimony before the German Federal Parliament and European Parliament regarding law enforcement of online hate crimes, gender-based online violence, and platform regulation.
After studying law and completing her legal clerkship, Ms. Ballon was admitted as a lawyer in 2018, working in the field of consumer rights and legal tech.
Aaron Keyak currently serves as the Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism at the U.S. Department of State. In helping lead this office, he works to advance U.S. foreign policy to counter antisemitism throughout the world. Deputy Special Envoy Keyak is an experienced leader and interfaith coalition builder who has previously held senior roles advising members of Congress, the Obama Administration, and the Biden-Harris Administration transition team.
As an accomplished foreign policy hand and publicist, he has counseled various members of Congress and served as the top Middle East adviser and Communications Director for Representatives Jerry Nadler and Steve Rothman. Deputy Special Envoy Keyak serves as a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and was selected as a Truman National Security Project scholar. He earned his Bachelor’s degree with honors from Washington University in St. Louis.

Superwahljahr 2024: Analyzing the Results of the EU’s Parliamentary Elections
2024-06-18 11:00 - 12:00
Last week, hundreds of millions of voters took to the polls across Europe to vote in the European Union‘s parliamentary elections. This is the second-largest democratic election after India‘s election, which recently took place. Voters in the EU’s 27 member states cast their ballots for 720 members of the European Parliament. On the agenda were issues such as the state of the economy, migration, environmental priorities, and defense spending in light of the war in Ukraine. The make up of the parliament will be important in setting the political tone for the EU for the next five years.
Dozens of national and European parties are represented in the Parliament, but most belong to one of seven political groups. Exit polls indicate that the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) came out ahead while other centrist and center-left parties lost ground to parties on the far left and far right. In Germany, initial reporting gave the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) 30 percent of the vote, with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in second place with 16 percent of the vote. The governing coalition of Social Democrats, Greens, and Free Democrats barely broke 30 percent altogether.
Join the American Council on Germany for a discussion about the EU election as part of our virtual series Superwahljahr 2024. We’ll be joined by political scientist Dr. Nicolai von Ondarza, who serves as the Head of the EU/Europe Research Division, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (German Institute for International and Security Affairs, SWP). Dr. Nicolai von Ondarza is a political scientist and serves as the Head of the Research Unit EU/Europe at the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP). His focus is on EU institutions and political system, European political parties and democratic legitimation of the EU, as well as post-Brexit relations between the EU and the United Kingdom. Since 2013, he has organized the British-German Outlook Group, a yearly exchange between the SWP, Chatham House, the German Federal Foreign Office, and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office. Before joining SWP, Dr. von Ondarza worked at the Bundeswehr Institute for Social Sciences and the European University Viadrina of Frankfurt Oder. He is also a lecturer in a postgraduate European Studies program which is jointly organized by the three Berlin Universities.

The Future of Transatlantic Relations in Light of the 2024 EU and U.S. Elections
2024-06-20 08:00 - 10:00
On June 20, the ACG will host a breakfast briefing with Dr. Franziska Brantner, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, and Member of the German Bundestag (Greens).
Franziska Brantner has been serving as the Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action since December 2021. Dr. Brantner was an elected member of the Bundestag representing the Green Party (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) from 2013 to 2021 where she represented the 274th district Heidelberg. During this time, she was in various parliamentary groups including the Children and Family Policy group, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on the Affairs of the European Union. In this position, she served as the spokesperson for European Policy for her party. From 2009 to 2013 Dr. Brantner was a member of the European Parliament, where she served on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and as spokeswoman for The Greens/European Free Alliance party. Her political career began in 1996 when she joined the regional board of “The Green Youth of Baden-Würtemberg.”
Dr. Brantner received her PhD from the University of Mannheim in 2010 with her doctoral thesis on the United Nations’ capacity for reform. She studied at Sciences Po and Columbia University for her undergraduate and graduate degrees. Dr. Brantner is a member of the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s General Assembly and the Chair of the Supervisory Board of Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI).

Exit Interview: Reflecting on Seven Years in New York
2024-06-25 12:30 - 14:00
By popular demand, the ACG is delighted to make today’s discussion with Consul General David Gill a hybrid event. Mr. Gill will join us in person in our New York office to reflect on his seven years in NYC and his preparation for his next posting in Ireland.
David Gill grew up in a Protestant minister’s family in Herrnhut, Saxony, in former East Germany. He was denied a higher education by the Communist regime for political reasons. Instead, he trained and worked as a plumber before joining a preparatory protestant school and later the theological seminary of the Protestant Church in Berlin-Brandenburg. In 1990, he initially was the chairman of the Normannenstrasse Citizens’ Committee, which oversaw the dissolution of the Ministry of State Security at the Stasi headquarters and served as the secretary of the Special Committee for the dissolution of the Stasi of the East German Parliament. After reunification, Mr. Gill became spokesman and head of the research division of the Federal Commissioner for the Stasi-Files before studying Law in Berlin and Philadelphia.
After holding positions in the Federal Ministry of the Interior and at the Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information in Berlin, he served as the Deputy Representative of the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany to the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union. During Federal President Joachim Gauck’s term from 2012–2017, he was state secretary and chief of staff of the President. Since August 2017, Mr. Gill has been the German Consul General in New York.

The Digital Euro: Why Do We Need It?
2024-06-27 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG and the German American Chamber of Commerce will host a discussion and luncheon with Burkhard Balz, Member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank.
Burkhard Balz has been a member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank since September 2018. Prior to this, he was a member of the European Parliament (CDU) and served as the EPP Group’s Coordinator on the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs starting in 2014. Before his time in the European Parliament, Mr. Balz was the Head of the Department for Institutional Clients at Commerzbank AG from 2004 to 2009. He has also held the positions of Corporate Customer Advisor at Commerzbank AG (2002-2004) and Desk Officer at the Commerzbank AG Liaison Office to the European Union in Brussels (2001-2002).

Mr. Balz studied Law and Political Science at the University of Göttingen.

Superwahljahr 2024: Gridlock After Elections in France? A View from Berlin
2024-07-11 11:00 - 12:00
After a poor showing in the European parliamentary election last month, French President Emmanuel Macron called for snap elections. Although a left-wing coalition was able to stave off the far-right National Rally, no party was able to gain an absolute majority in Sunday’s second round of elections and Macron appears to be weakened. France now faces a hung parliament.
Join the ACG for a virtual discussion with Jacob Ross, Research Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations, on the path forward after the second round of elections in France and the future of Franco-German relations. Jacob Ross is a Research Fellow at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik e.V. (German Council on Foreign Relations, DGAP), where he focuses on France and Franco-German relations. He initially joined the DGAP in June 2021. Previously, he worked as a research assistant at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Brussels. He had already gained experience within the Franco-German context while working at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and during his work as a parliamentary assistant to Sabine Thillaye, Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the French National Assembly.
Mr. Ross also received the majority of his academic training in France: first, within a Franco-German double-degree program at the Institute of Political Science (IEP) in Lille and, later, at the IEP in Paris and at the Ecole nationale d’administration (Ena) in Strasbourg. He also studied at the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Bologna while earning a master’s degree in international relations and economics.

Elections in Germany and Europe: Outlook for Transatlantic Relations in a Super Election Year
2024-07-11 18:00 - 20:00
The ACG and the Konrad-Adenauer Stiftung in New York will host a discussion and reception with Prof. Dr. Norbert Lammert, Chairman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and Former President of the German Bundestag.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2024-07-15 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, July 15 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Marc Felix Serrao, Editor-in-Chief for the Neue Züricher Zeitung in Germany. Marc Felix Serrao has served as the Head of the Berlin office since July 2017 and Editor-in-Chief of the Neue Züricher Zeitung in Germany since 2021. After military service, he studied political science in Berlin. In 2004 and 2005, he was a Visiting Scholar at Columbia University in New York. He graduated in 2006 and became a freelance journalist for various media outlets. He worked for the Süddeutsche Zeitung from 2007 to 2016 – first as a trainee, then as Deputy Head of the Society and Style Department. In 2015 and 2016 he was a part-time student at the Wissenschaftliche Hochschule für Unternehmensführung (WHU) and the Kellogg School of Management. In 2016 and 2017, he was the Business Editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

Superwahljahr 2024: A Landslide for Labour in the United Kingdom – But Many Open Questions Remain
2024-07-16 11:00 - 12:00
The Labour Party’s landslide victory in the UK’s general election on July 4 brought an end to 14 tumultuous years under the leadership of the Conservative Party – and five different Prime Ministers. Sir Kier Starmer and his Labour Party won 412 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons and enjoy a stable majority, which should allow the new government to implement its agenda, while the Tories lost 250 seats.
Voters hope that the new Prime Minister and his party will rejuvenate the country during the five-year term it has won – and some pundits are already talking about a second term. But, a recent report released by the Institute for Public Policy Research thinktank found that just 52 percent of UK adults took to the polls on 4 July. This is the lowest turnout by share of the population since universal suffrage was introduced in 1928.
Join the ACG for a virtual discussion with award-winning German journalist Annette Dittert as part of our Superwahljahr 2024 series. She has been based in London since 2008 and serves as the London Bureau Chief and Senior Correspondent of the German public broadcaster ARD. She will help us understand the election results and the path forward for the United Kingdom Annette Dittert is the London Bureau Chief and Senior Correspondent of the German public broadcaster ARD. From July 2001 to July 2005, she was the ARD’s Correspondent in Warsaw. From 2005 to 2006, she traveled through China, India, and Africa for a four-part documentary Abenteuer Glück, which received an Adolf-Grimme Prize and a nomination for an International Emmy Award by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 2006. From 2006 to 2008, Ms. Dittert was the Bureau Chief and Senior Correspondent for ARD German TV in New York. She has been based in London since 2008 and serves as Senior Correspondent and Bureau Chief for ARD German TV. In 2019, she was named “political journalist of the year” for her report on Brexit.
She studied Political Science, Philosophy, and German at the University of Freiburg and the Free University of Berlin.

Summer Book Recommendations - The Fragility of Democracy: Reflecting on Hitler’s Rise to Power
2024-07-18 11:00 - 12:00
We are delighted to continue our series of virtual events with authors who have recently published books. On Thursday, July 18, we will be joined by historian and ACG Young Leader alumnus Timothy W. Ryback. His new book “Takeover: Hitler’s Final Rise to Power” explores the six months leading up to Adolf Hitler’s seizure of power in January 1933 and the valiant efforts that nearly succeeded in stopping his appointment as chancellor of Germany. We look forward to talking with him about this story and disturbing parallels to the U.S. political scene today. Timothy W. Ryback (1990 ACG Young Leader) has written for The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Financial Times, among others. His books have appeared in more than forty editions around the world. As a former lecturer at Harvard University, he explores the intersection of history, politics, and culture, focusing on the legacies of National Socialism and authoritarianism more widely.
His most recent book is “Takeover: Hitler’s Final Rise to Power.” He is also the author of The Last Survivor (2000), a New York Times and Washington Post notable book; Hitler’s Private Library (2006), which served as the basis for a feature-length documentary, “The Books He Didn’t Burn;” and Hitler’s First Victims (2010), which is currently being adapted for cinematic release. Tim Ryback has appeared on CNN, BBC, PBS, History Channel, France 24, ZDF, Netflix, A&E, among many others. He divides his time between Europe and the United States.

44th American-German Young Leaders Conference
2024-07-20 08:00 - 2024-07-25 17:00
The 44th American-German Young Leaders Conference will take place from Saturday, July 20, through Thursday night, July 25, in Berlin, Germany.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2024-07-29 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, July 29 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Paul-Anton Krüger, Parliamentary Correspondent in the Berlin Bureau of the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Paul-Anton Krüger has been the 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, focusing on the Middle East and international security for three years. Before that, he spent four years in Cairo and was 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.

The War Report: Israel / Palestine in German and American Media Coverage
2024-07-31 12:30 - 13:00
Since the October 7th Hamas terrorist attack on southern Israel, the Israel-Hamas War and humanitarian crisis in Gaza have dominated headlines around the world. But how has news coverage itself shaped global attitudes towards the conflict, and how can journalism provide the basis for holding shared conversations about a polarizing issue?
As part of the Foreign Correspondent Series, held in partnership with Goethe-Institut, the ACG will host a this online discussion July 31st at 12:00 pm ET with journalists Hanno Hauenstein, Ben Mauk, and Alena Jabarine. They will examine similarities and differences in American and German reporting on Israel/Palestine, including the dominance of corporate media, ideological bias within the newsroom, and the roles of social media and misinformation. Hanno Hauenstein is a Berlin-based journalist and author. He worked as a senior editor in Berliner Zeitung’s culture department, specializing in contemporary art and politics, and has written for the Guardian, the Intercept, Haaretz, the Nation, and other publications. He is also founder and editor of the Hebrew-German arts journal aviv Magazine.
Alena Jabarine is a German Palestinian freelance journalist based in Hamburg. She has worked as a political journalist for ten years, mostly for the German Public Broadcast ARD. From 2020 to 2023, she lived in the occupied West Bank, where she worked for a German political foundation and reported on her private Instagram account about political realities and everyday life on the ground. Particularly since October 7th, Jabarine has been one of the few Palestinian voices in German public discourse.
Ben Mauk is a writer, filmmaker, and journalist. His work appears in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Harper’s, Granta, and the London Review of Books, among other publications. He is a current National Fellow at New America and a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar, and is a winner of the Emmy Award and Peabody Award, among other honors. He teaches at Case Western Reserve University, where he is the Shirley Wormser Professor of Journalism and Media Writing. He lives in Berlin, Germany and Cleveland, Ohio.

Looking at the U.S. Election: The Race is On!
2024-08-01 11:00 - 12:00
In a very short period, the dynamics of the U.S. election have changed dramatically: Beginning with President Joe Biden’s poor debate performance, followed by an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, and then the announcement that President Biden was dropping out of the race and endorsing his Vice President Kamala Harris, the past few weeks have been consequential for U.S. politics.
Join the American Council on Germany and Atlantik-Brücke for a virtual discussion with Ambassador John B. Emerson, former U.S. Ambassador to Germany and Chairman of the American Council on Germany, and Juliane Schäuble, U.S. Correspondent of Der Tagesspiegel, for a discussion about the recent developments in U.S. politics and what to expect in the weeks ahead. 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 was U.S. Ambassador to Germany from 2013 to 2017. In 2015, Ambassador Emerson received the State Department’s Sue M. Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service, an award given annually to one non-career Ambassador. In 2017, the Secretary of the Navy and the Director of the CIA awarded him their highest civilian honors for his service.
Prior to accepting the ambassadorial posting, John Emerson was President of Private Client Services for the Capital Group Companies. Before joining Capital, he was Deputy Assistant to President Clinton where he coordinated his economic conferences, served as the president’s liaison to the nation’s governors, and led the administration’s efforts to obtain congressional approval of the GATT Uruguay Round Agreement and the extension of China s MFN trading status. Additionally, he was appointed by President Obama to serve on his Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. Before working in the Clinton White House, Ambassador Emerson served as Los Angeles Chief Deputy City Attorney, and was a partner in the law firm of Manatt, Phelps, Rothenberg, and Phillips.
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”).
