American Council On Germany

Russia’s War in Ukraine: Is this the New Normal?
2022-07-07 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
The West has shown unity and commitment to Ukraine that would not have been forecast a year ago. The post-Cold War institutions are proving resilient and Putin’s desire to divide the democratic Allies has paradoxically bolstered the unity and resolve within NATO, the European Union, and the international community writ large. Increasingly severe rounds of sanctions have surpassed anything seen by any other country as the global economy severs ties to the country. The Russian economy is in a nose-dive and its military seems to be running out of munitions.
What’s at stake in Ukraine? How will things continue to unfold? How does this end? These are a few of the many questions being asked since this phase of the war started in February. Building on an ad hoc series of virtual events since mid-February, the Tennessee World Affairs Council and the American Council on Germany are launching In Focus: Russia’s War in Ukraine to provide continued updates on and insights into the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine that has rocked the world order. Featuring conversations with U.S. and European experts, this series explores the unfolding conflict on the ground, the geostrategic implications, and the perspectives from the United States, Europe, Russia, and Ukraine.
Join us on July 7 at 1:00 pm ET/12:00 pm CT for a virtual conversation on the war in Ukraine with Ambassador John Kornblum, former U.S. Ambassador to Germany and Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs. Ambassador John C. Kornblum has a long record of service in the United States and Europe both as a diplomat and as a businessman. He is recognized as an eminent expert on U.S.-European political and economic relations, in particular in Central and Eastern Europe. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany from 1997 to 2001. Before that, he occupied a number of high-level diplomatic posts, including U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European affairs, Special Envoy for the Dayton Peace Process, U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Process), Deputy U.S. Ambassador to NATO, and U.S. minister and deputy commandant of forces in divided Berlin. From 2001 to 2009, he was chairman of Lazard Freres Germany. He currently serves as Senior Counsellor to the international law firm Noerr LLP and as a senior adviser to the worldwide consultancy Accenture. Mr. Kornblum has also served on a number of supervisory and advisory boards including those of Thyssen-Krupp, Technologies AG, Bayer AG, Russell Reynolds, and Motorola Europe. He is a member of the boards of the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany, the American Academy in Berlin, the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, and of numerous nonprofit organizations on both sides of the Atlantic. He received a B.A. from Michigan State University in 1964, and he has been the recipient of many awards, including a Knights Cross of the Order of Merit from Germany and an Order of Merit from Austria.

Young Leaders Conference
2022-07-09 08:00 - 2022-07-14 17:00

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Germany?
2022-07-11 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. Join us on Monday, July 11 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Josh Gallu, Editor, Global Business Europe, at Bloomberg in Munich Josh Gallu has served as Editor, Global Business Europe, at Bloomberg in Munich since January 2022 and has worked for Bloomberg for over 15 years. He has held previous positions at Bloomberg including White House Editor, Money and Influence Editor, and Financial Crimes Editor. Prior to joining Bloomberg, he worked as a producer with Eurovision Americas and as a junior associate with the World Bank Group. From 2006 to 2007, he was a Robert Bosch Foundation Fellow working as a journalist with Der Spiegel. He holds an M.A. in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University’s Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a B.A. from Haverford College.

German Leadership and the Zeitenwende: Evolving Foreign Policy Priorities in Germany and Beyond
2022-07-12 12:00 - 14:00
On July 12, the ACG will host a discussion and luncheon with Metin Hakverdi, Member of the Bundestag (SPD).

Implications for Ukraine: The War and Post-War Recovery
2022-07-21 13:00 - 14:00
This coming weekend, the war in Ukraine will hit the fifth-month mark. With no end in sight, questions begin to arise about the future of Ukraine. More than just security concerns, the future of civil society is in danger.
On July 21 at 1:00 pm ET, the American Council on Germany and the Tennessee World Affairs Council will host a virtual discussion on the post-war recovery with Anna Novosad, former Ukrainian Minister of Education and Member of the Ukrainian Parliament.
This is discussion is part of the series In Focus: Russia’s War in Ukraine, which provides continued updates on and insights into the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine that has rocked the world order. Anna Novosad is a Ukrainian educational activist. She served many years in various positions at the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, including being Minister of Education from 2019 to 2020. She contributed to and led the comprehensive school reform in Ukraine, as well as was a leader of the higher education funding reform. Currently, she leads various projects that aim at education access renewal in Ukraine amidst the war.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Germany?
2022-07-25 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. Join us on Monday, July 25 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with journalist Johannes Leithäuser, Berlin Correspondent for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Johannes Leithäuser is Berlin Correspondent for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, where he covers politics. After graduating from high school, he wanted to become a captain in the navy, but he left after his mandatory service. A newspaper internship turned him on to journalism. He studied History, Economics, and Political Science in Heidelberg and Hamburg. Mr. Leithäuser joined the political section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in 1988 and moved to Berlin in the summer of 1990. He reported on the end of the GDR, the transition in the eastern states of Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and the move of the federal government to Berlin. Later he covered German domestic and foreign policy – except when he was a correspondent in London from 2007 to 2012.

Iran–Russian Relations and the War in Ukraine
2022-07-26 11:00 - 12:00
Russia, Iran, and Turkey have a complex relationship that has been shaped by shared interests and by conflict. Earlier this week, the leaders of the three regional powers met in Tehran in an effort to bolster relations between their countries. The summit took place a few weeks after a series of western summits (including NATO and the G7), shortly after Russian gas giant Gazprom announced a new cooperation agreement with Iran, and just days after U.S. President Joe Biden traveled to the region.
Join the ACG on July 26 at 11:00 am ET, for an assessment of the meeting in Tehran and the impact of the war in Ukraine on Russia’s relations with Iran and Turkey. We’ll be joined by 2022 ACG McCloy Fellow Dr. Ali Fathollah-Nejad, who is an expert on the region. Dr. Ali Fathollah-Nejad is a German–Iranian political scientist focusing on Iran, the Middle East, and the post-unipolar world order. He is a Fellow at the American University of Beirut’s Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (AUB-IFI), where he publishes a brief entitled “Iran in Focus” (previously published as “Iran 1400 Brief“). He is the author of the much-acclaimed book Iran in an Emerging New World Order: From Ahmadinejad to Rouhani (2021).
Dr. Fathollah-Nejad also served as an Iran expert at the Brookings Institution in Doha (2017–20) and the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) (2015–18). He holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the Department of Development Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London (SOAS) and was the winner of the 2016/17 post-doctoral fellowship of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Iran Project. As an ACG McCloy Fellow in Global Trends, he will conduct research on a transatlantic foreign policy towards authoritarian states.

Germany’s Foreign and Security Policy Pivot: A View from the Opposition
2022-07-28 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG will host a discussion and luncheon with Member of the Bundestag Peter Beyer (CDU).
This discussion is limited to members of the ACG.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Germany?
2022-08-08 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, August 8 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Henrike Roßbach, Parliamentary Correspondent for the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Henrike Roßbach has been a correspondent in the parliamentary bureau of the Süddeutsche Zeitung since the beginning of 2018. She reports on the FDP and the federal government’s financial and tax policies, and (together with her colleagues) observes and describes the political landscape. Prior to this, she was an economics correspondent in the parliamentary editorial department of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung for eight years, as well as, the economics editor of the FAZ in Frankfurt. She studied economics at the University of Cologne, and she is also a graduate of the Cologne School of Journalism. During her studies, she spent a year in the United States as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO.

Russia’s War in Ukraine and Cold Wars
2022-08-18 13:00 - 14:00
The Cold War was a period of intense competition and the geo-strategic struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union and their allies in the Western and Eastern blocs following World War II. At times it threatened to turn hot — potential battles between combatants armed with thousands of nuclear weapons — but always featured political, economic, ideological, and military confrontation. The post-Cold War era saw the Russian Federation and the United States work together on bilateral and global issues, a spirit of cooperation. That has evolved into the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine, the extensive support of Kyiv by the United States and its allies, the expansion of NATO in reaction to Russian aggression, and a disruption in global stability and international norms.
Is the war in Ukraine a new “Cold War” or is it something else? Join Vanderbilt Distinguished Historian Professor Thomas Schwartz (1989 ACG Young Leader) for a discussion about the Cold War, the conflict in Ukraine, and the ongoing tensions between Washington and Moscow and their allies.
This is discussion is part of the series In Focus: Russia’s War in Ukraine, organized by the ACG and the Tennessee World Affairs Council, which provides continued updates on and insights into the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine that has rocked the world order. Professor Thomas Alan Schwartz is a historian of the foreign relations of the United States, with related interests in American politics, the history of international relations, Modern European history, and biography. His most recent book is Henry Kissinger and American Power: A Political Biography (Hill and Wang, 2020). The book has received considerable notice and acclaim. Harvard University’s Charles Maier has written: “Thomas Schwartz’s superbly researched political biography reveals the brilliance, self-serving ego, and vulnerability of America’s most remarkable diplomat in the twentieth century, even as it provides a history of U.S. engagement in global politics as it moved beyond bipolarity.” Earlier in his career, Schwartz was the author of America’s Germany: John J. McCloy and the Federal Republic of Germany (Harvard, 1991), which was translated into German, Die Atlantik Brücke (Ullstein, 1992). This book received the Stuart Bernath Book Prize of the Society of American Foreign Relations, and the Harry S. Truman Book Award, given by the Truman Presidential Library. He is also the author of Lyndon Johnson and Europe: In the Shadow of Vietnam (Harvard, 2003), which examined the Johnson Administration’s policy toward Europe and assessed the impact of the war in Vietnam on its other foreign policy objectives. He is the co-editor with Matthias Schulz of The Strained Alliance: U.S.-European Relations from Nixon to Carter (Cambridge University Press, 2009).
Professor Schwartz has held fellowships from the Social Science Research Council, the German Historical Society, the Norwegian Nobel Institute, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and the Center for the Study of European Integration. He has served as President of the Society of Historians of American Foreign Relations. He served on the United States Department of State’s Historical Advisory Committee as the representative of the Organization of American Historians from 2005-2008. Professor Schwartz received The Madison Sarratt Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching on April 3, 2013, at the Spring Faculty Assembly, Vanderbilt University. In 2008 Professor Schwartz received the Annual Alumni Education Award from the Vanderbilt Alumni Association. Schwartz is the recipient of the 2008 Book Award by Chi Chapter of the Kappa Alpha Order. This award is given to a faculty member who has been particularly influential in the lives and education of members of KAO. Professor Schwartz presented, “The Arab Spring: Revolution in the Middle East,” on April 19, 2011, as part of the Samuel L. Shannon Distinguished Lecture Series at Tennessee State University. Professor Schwartz has also presented lectures for the OAH Distinguished Lecturers Program.

In Focus: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine
2022-08-18 13:00 - 14:00
August 25 at 1:00 pm ET – “In Focus: Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine” a virtual discussion with Ambassador John Kornblum, former U.S. Ambassador to Germany and Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, and Professor Marieta Velikova, Director of the Belmont University Center for International Business.
This discussion is part of the series In Focus: Russia’s War in Ukraine, organized by the ACG and the Tennessee World Affairs Council, which provides continued updates on and insights into the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine that has rocked the world order.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2022-08-22 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, August 22 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Vladimir Balzer, Journalist and Moderator at Deutschlandfunk Kultur. Vladimir Balzer is a journalist and moderator at Deutschlandfunk Kultur. He grew up in Leipzig and studied German, art history, and journalism in Dublin, Venice, and Leipzig. He spent study periods in Italy and the USA. He began his career as a presenter, reporter, and editor at Deutschlandradio and MDR. Mr. Balzer hosts, among others, the daily programs “Fazit – Kultur vom Tage” and “Studio 9” on Deutschlandfunk Kultur.

Global Supply Chains in a Post-Pandemic World - Cancelled
2022-08-23 11:30 - 13:00
The Covid-10 pandemic and now the war in Ukraine have upset global supply chains, Companies around the world have had to make significant adjustments in the configuration and operations of their supply chains to be more agile, flexible, and resilient. Join us to hear from company representatives and the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest regarding how German companies are addressing the vulnerabilities facing global supply chains.
Speakers:

Daniel Schmidt, Vice President – Data, Operational Excellence and Customer Experience, Würth Industry North America
Stephan Hulfeld , Route Development Manager, clusters DE/CH & AT/SEE at DB Schenker, Inc.
Mark Tomkins, President & CEO, German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest, Inc.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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