American Council On Germany

San Francisco Event: Chancellor Merz’s First 180 Days: Policy, Politics, and Public Perception
2025-11-19 21:00 - 22:30 (America/New_York)
The San Francisco Warburg Chapter will host a discussion with Anja Wehler-Schöck, International Editor at Der Tagesspiegel.
Anja Wehler-Schöck joined the Editorial Board of Der Tagesspiegel as the International Editor in January 2025. She has been Head of International Politics at Der Tagesspiegel since August 2022. Prior to that, she worked as editor-in-chief of the IPG Journal, a debate platform for issues of international and European politics. She previously worked as a social affairs officer at the German Embassy in Washington and headed the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s office for Jordan and Iraq in Amman from 2012 to 2017.

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

Meet a Bundestag Member: German Politics Today
2025-11-20 11:00 - 12:00
The American Council on Germany (ACG), the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG), and the German Studies Association (GSA) are launching a new virtual series, Meet a Bundestag Member: German Politics Today. The series offers students of German language and culture the chance to engage directly with members of the German Bundestag on timely political issues while practicing their German language skills.
The second session will take place on November 20 at 11:00 AM ET and will feature Elisabeth Kaiser, Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Germany and Member of the Bundestag, who will join ACG President Dr. Steven E. Sokol for a 45-minute moderated discussion — held in German — on the history, significance, and ongoing legacy of German reunification, incorporating questions posed by the audience.
The reunification of Germany marked a pivotal moment in European history, ending decades of division and reshaping the political, economic, and social landscape of the country. This session will explore the challenges and opportunities that arose during the reunification process, the enduring impact on Germany’s domestic and foreign policy, and the lessons it offers for democratic societies navigating periods of transformation.
Following each event, the conversations will also be released as podcasts, making them easily accessible for members, students, and educators to use in the classroom. Elisabeth Kaiser has served since May 2025 as Minister of State and Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Germany. A dedicated Social Democrat, she has been a member of the German Bundestag since 2017, representing Thuringia and serving in various leadership positions, including Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building (2023–2025) and Deputy Domestic Policy Spokesperson for the SPD parliamentary group (2021–2023). She is also SPD leader for the Gera district and spokesperson for the group of SPD Bundestag members from Thuringia.
​In addition to her parliamentary work, Ms. Kaiser is the Deputy Chair of the Federal Agency for Technical Relief Supporters’ Association in Saxony/Thuringia, Co-Spokesperson for the Gera Railway Alliance, a member of the SPD Economic Forum’s Political Advisory Committee, and an associate member of the SPD Executive Committee in Thuringia. She holds degrees in Political and Administrative Sciences from the University of Potsdam and in Governance and Public Policy from the University of Erfurt.

Virtual Event - Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2025-11-24 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts discussions with a journalist based in Berlin on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Monday, November 24, at 9:00 am for a Kaffeepause with Malte Lehming, Columnist for Tagesspiegel. Malte Lehming works as a columnist for the Tagesspiegel. From late 2000 to 2005, he was the newspaper’s Washington Bureau Chief. He joined the Tagesspiegel in 1991 as foreign policy editor — focusing on security policy, transatlantic relations, and the Middle East. From 1989 to 1991, he worked as a personal assistant and speechwriter for former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. Mr. Lehming studied philosophy, German literature, and European history in Hamburg.

NYC Event "Chancellor Merz’s First 180 Days: Policy, Politics, and Public Perception"
2025-11-24 12:00 - 13:30
The American Council on Germany will host luncheon and discussion with Anja Wehler-Schöck, International Editor at Der Tagesspiegel on “Chancellor Merz’s First 180 Days: Policy, Politics, and Public Perception”.
Anja Wehler-Schöck joined the Editorial Board of Der Tagesspiegel as the International Editor in January 2025. She has been Head of International Politics at Der Tagesspiegel since August 2022. Prior to that, she worked as editor-in-chief of the IPG Journal, a debate platform for issues of international and European politics. She previously worked as a social affairs officer at the German Embassy in Washington and headed the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s office for Jordan and Iraq in Amman from 2012 to 2017.

Virtual Event - What's Next for Ukraine?
2025-12-05 11:00 - 12:00
Efforts to end the war in Ukraine have gained new momentum in recent days, spurred by several newly developed peace proposals circulating among key international stakeholders. As battlefield dynamics evolve and diplomatic channels cautiously reopen, policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic are reassessing what a viable settlement might look like – and what risks or opportunities these emerging plans present.
Join us for a timely virtual discussion with ACG Board member Lieutenant General Ben Hodges (ret.) to assess the unfolding events, examine the substance and strategic implications of the latest peace initiatives, and explore the prospects for a durable and just peace in Ukraine. This conversation will provide essential context on the shifting geopolitical landscape, the interests driving each actor, and what the coming months may hold for Ukrainian sovereignty, European security, and U.S. policy. Lieutenant General (ret.) Ben Hodges is the former Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe (2014-2017). He is a Distinguished Fellow with GLOBSEC and consults for several companies on Europe, NATO, and the European Union. He is co-author of the book Future War and the Defense of Europe. Lt. Gen. Hodges has a regular presence in U.S. and international media, where he offers insight and analysis on NATO, U.S. and European security, the Russian war against Ukraine, the greater Black Sea and Baltic Sea Regions, the Israel-Hamas war, the U.S. Election and its implications for transatlantic security, human rights, and other related geostrategic topics.
He most recently served as NATO Senior Mentor for Logistics. Prior to that, he was an Advisor to Human Rights First, a nonprofit, nonpartisan international human rights organization based in the United States. Before joining Human Rights First, Lt. Gen. Hodges held the Pershing Chair in Strategic Studies at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). Lt. Gen. Hodges graduated from the United States Military Academy in May 1980 and was commissioned in the Infantry.

NYC Event: Fireside Chat with Dr. Constanze Stelzenmüller
2025-12-08 12:00 - 13:30
The ACG will host a discussion and luncheon with Dr. Constanze Stelzenmüller, Director and Senior Fellow of Foreign Policy at the Center on the United States and Europe and Fritz Stern Chair on Germany and Transatlantic Relations at The Brookings Institution (1993 ACG Young Leader). Dr. Constanze Stelzenmüller (1993 ACG Young Leader) is an expert on German, European, and transatlantic foreign and security policy and strategy. She is the director of the Center on the United States and Europe and the inaugural holder of the Fritz Stern Chair on Germany and trans-Atlantic Relations at Brookings. She held the Kissinger Chair on Foreign Policy and International Relations at the Library of Congress from October 2019 to March 2020, and served as the inaugural Robert Bosch Senior Fellow at Brookings from 2014 to 2019.
Prior to working at Brookings, Dr. Stelzenmüller was a senior transatlantic fellow with the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), where she directed the influential Transatlantic Trends survey program. She also managed the “New Power, New Responsibility” project. Her areas of expertise include: transatlantic relations; German foreign policy; NATO; the European Union’s foreign, security, and defense policy; international law; and human rights.
Dr. Stelzenmüller is the former director of GMF’s Berlin office. From 1994 to 2005, she was defense and international security editor in the political section of the German weekly DIE ZEIT; previously, she had covered human rights issues, war crimes tribunals, and humanitarian crises. She has worked in Germany and the United States, and speaks English, French, German, and Spanish. Dr. Stelzenmüller holds a doctorate in law from the University of Bonn (1992), a master’s degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (1988), and a law degree from the University of Bonn (1985).

NYC Event: “The China Challenge: A German Perspective”
2025-12-11 18:00 - 19:30
The ACG will host a discussion and reception with Metin Hakverdi, Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation in the Federal Foreign Office and Member of the German Bundestag (SPD) on “The China Challenge: A German Perspective”.
Metin Hakverdi serves as the Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation for the German Government. He has been a member of the German Bundestag since 2013, and currently serves on the Bundestag’s Committee on European Union Affairs as well as the Budget Committee. He is the Deputy Chairman of the German-American Parliamentary Friendship Group, Chairman of the USA Discussion Group of the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, and a member of the Board of Atlantik-Brücke. Mr. Hakverdi was a John F. Kennedy Memorial Policy Fellow at Harvard University.
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. He attended high school in Simi Valley, California, in 1985/86 and studied Law at the Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel and Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law.

Virtual Event - Inside the New U.S. National Security Strategy: Priorities, Risks, and Implications for Europe
2025-12-18 11:00 - 11:30
The recent release of the Trump administration’s National Security Strategy marks a significant moment in U.S. foreign and defense policy, outlining how the administration views the global threat environment and America’s role within it. The strategy addresses great-power competition, alliances, economic security, and the use of American power at a time of heightened geopolitical tension – from ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East to strategic rivalry with China.
Join 1014 and the American Council on Germany on December 18 for a virtual discussion with leading foreign policy and national security experts Nico Lange and Robin Quinville, who will unpack the key priorities and assumptions of the new strategy – and the implications for the transatlantic partnership. This timely conversation will provide an initial assessment of how this new strategy redefines U.S. commitments to allies and partners, and what it signals about the Trump administration’s approach to diplomacy, deterrence, and military engagement. Nico Lange is a Senior Fellow at the Munich Security Conference and a non-resident Senior Fellow with the Transatlantic Defense and Security Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) in Washington, D.C. He teaches at the Chair of Military History at the University of Potsdam and at the Hertie School of Governance. From 2019 to 2022, he headed the management team at the German Federal Ministry of Defense. Previously, Mr. Lange worked in German politics and for the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in the United States and Ukraine. He is fluent in Ukrainian and Russian and is currently researching military strategy, cybersecurity, and military technology on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Robin Quinville is the former Director of the Wilson Center’s Global Europe Program. She spent more than 30 years as a U.S. diplomat, having served primarily in Europe – including postings to two multilateral organizations (the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and NATO) and bilateral postings to Cyprus, Bosnia, Greece, the United Kingdom, and Germany. She also spent a year in Baghdad, Iraq. In Washington, she directed the Office of Western European Affairs at the Department of State and served as a Wilson Center State Department Fellow for a year. Her last foreign posting was as the Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, Germany.

Virtual - Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2026-01-05 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts discussions with a journalist based in Berlin on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Monday, January 5, at 9:00 am for the first Kaffeepause of 2026 with Julian Heissler, International Correspondent for WirtschaftsWoche. Julian Heissler is the International Correspondent of WirtschaftsWoche. Before returning to Berlin, he reported from 2018 to 2025 from Washington, DC, as the magazine’s US Correspondent. Prior to this, he spent several years in Berlin writing about German federal politics for various media outlets. He studied Communication Studies, Political Science, and Philosophy at the Free University of Berlin and completed the Master’s program in Journalism at the Hamburg Media School. He also reported from various countries including China, Israel, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and Finland. His book Dream and Nightmare: America and the Many Faces of Freedom was published in October 2023, and his most recent book Amerikas Oligarchen was published in October 2025.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2026-01-12 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts discussions with a journalist based in Berlin on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Monday, January 12, at 9:00 am for a Kaffeepause with Anja Wehler-Schöck, International Editor at Der Tagesspiegel Anja Wehler-Schöck joined the Editorial Board of Der Tagesspiegel as the International Editor in January 2025. She has been Head of International Politics at Der Tagesspiegel since August 2022. Prior to that, she worked as editor-in-chief of the IPG Journal, a debate platform for issues on international and European politics. She previously worked as a social affairs officer at the German Embassy in Washington and headed the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s office for Jordan and Iraq in Amman from 2012 to 2017.

NYC Event - TikTok Voting: An Institutional and Behavioral Look at Germany’s Young Electorate
2026-01-15 12:00 - 13:30
The American Council on Germany, The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and The German Center for Research and Innovation New York (DWIH) will host a discussion and luncheon on “TikTok Voting: An Institutional and Behavioral Look at Germany’s Young Electorate” with Prof. Dr. Thorsten Faas, Hannah Arendt Visiting Chair for German and European Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto.
Professor Dr. Thorsten Faas is one of Germany’s most renowned election researchers. He is currently a visiting professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. He holds the Hannah Arendt Visiting Chair for German and European Studies, which is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). His research focuses on electoral politics and campaign communications, particularly as they relate to young people and German elections. Faas is one of the principal investigators of the German Longitudinal Election Study (GLES) and a member of the Planning Committee for Module 7 of the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES).
After studying political science in Bamberg and at the London School of Economics, he received his doctorate from the University of Duisburg-Essen in 2008. After working in Bamberg, Duisburg-Essen and Mannheim, he joined Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in 2012. Since 2017, he has been teaching and researching as a professor and head of the Centre for Political Sociology of the Federal Republic of Germany at the Free University of Berlin. His academic articles have been published in the American Political Science Review, West European Politics, the European Journal of Political Research, the Journal of European Public Policy, Electoral Studies, the International Journal of Public Opinion Research, and German Politics. In addition, Prof. Dr. Faas also works as a consultant for political institutions and the media.

Virtual Event - Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2026-01-20 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts discussions with a journalist based in Berlin on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Tuesday, January 20, at 9:00 am for a Kaffeepause with Paul-Anton Krüger, Editor for Der Spiegel.
Paul-Anton Krüger has been an Editor at SPIEGEL’s capital city office since January 2025. He was the Parliamentary Correspondent in the Berlin Bureau of the Süddeutsche Zeitung from September 2021 to December 2024. He previously 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 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.

Virtual Event - Venezuela in 2026: What Do Recent Developments Mean for the Region and for Europe?
2026-01-21 11:00 - 12:00
Earlier this month, the United States carried out a military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, sending shockwaves through global politics and raising intense debate over sovereignty and international law.
Europe has responded by reinforcing its longstanding restrictive measures — including travel bans and asset freezes on Venezuelan officials — aimed at pressuring Caracas to respect democracy and human rights, while also increasing support for those affected by the deep socio-economic crisis. In recent years the Venezuela crisis had exacerbated migration flows, making Venezuelans one of the largest groups seeking asylum in the EU, which continues to strain EU migration and integration systems. European governments are also watching for broader geopolitical fallout, as Latin American reactions vary and tensions with Russia and other powers complicate cooperation on energy and security issues. Overall, developments in Venezuela could influence Europe’s foreign policy priorities, balancing pressure for democratic reforms with energy market stability and multilateral engagement.
Join us for a discussion about the situation in Venezuela and the implications of recent developments for Europe with Latin America and foreign policy expert Irmgard Maria Fellner on Wednesday, January 21 at 11 am ET. Irmgard Maria Fellner currently serves as a Visiting Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, SWP), with a special focus on Latin America, critical minerals, and global affairs. Ms. Fellner studied Humanities and Political Science, and worked for the European Affairs Committee of the French National Assembly before joining the German Foreign Service in 1993. Her previous postings include German Ambassador to Chile, Director for Federal Foreign Cultural Policy, Deputy Chief of Mission to Italy and San Marino, Head of the Office of Transatlantic Coordinator Karsten D. Voigt. From 2007 to 2010, she served as an Advisor to French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. She also worked on European Foreign and Security Policy and Afghanistan and served in Brazil. During her posting in Washington, D.C. (1999-2002), she was the German Observer to the Organization of American States (OAS).

NYC Event - The Global Challenge to Democracy and Lessons for Renewal
2026-01-22 18:00 - 20:00
The ACG and 1014 will host a discussion and reception with Dr. John K. Glenn, George Washington University and Ksenia Iliuk, Co-Founder and COO of Let’s Data. Dr. John K. Glenn is a Lecturer at the Elliott School for International Affairs at George Washington University, and has over 20 years of experience on democracy and transatlantic relations in the nonprofit, foundation, and academic sectors. He served until recently as the Senior Director of the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). For his work at NED, he was sanctioned by the Russian Foreign Ministry and banned from travel to the country.
Dr. Glenn previously served as Policy Director at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, Director of Foreign Policy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and Executive Director of the Council for European Studies. He has testified before Congress on America’s image in the world and is the author of Framing Democracy: Civil society and civic movements in Eastern Europe, published by Stanford University Press.
Ksenia Iliuk is the Co-Founder and COO of Let’s Data, a company she co-founded in wartime Ukraine where she leads research and product development on detecting information operations, working closely with governmental and enterprise clients. She has over ten years of experience analyzing information operations in Europe, previously heading research at Detector Media in Ukraine. Ms. Iliuk also worked with multiple European governments on countering online threats. She was recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list for her work.

Virtual Event - Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2026-01-26 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts discussions with a journalist based in Berlin on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Monday, January 26, at 9:00 am for a Kaffeepause with Vladimir Balzer, Award Winning Journalist and Moderator, Deutschlandradio. Vladimir Balzer is an award-winning radio journalist and moderator at Deutschlandradio. He grew up in Leipzig and studied in Dublin, Venice, and Leipzig. He began his career as a presenter, reporter, and editor at Deutschlandradio and MDR. Mr. Balzer hosts, among other programs, the daily program “Fazit – Kultur vom Tage” on Deutschlandfunk Kultur. In 2022, he was selected to be a Kellen Fellow by the American Council on Germany. In 2023, he started as a correspondent at Deutschlandradio’s main studio in Berlin. He is known as a commentator for German Television, such as ZDF. He also regularly reports for his broadcaster from the United States.

Virtual - One Year of Trump; One Year of Merz: How Do Germans and Americans View Foreign Policy?
2026-01-27 12:00 - 13:00
One year into the current U.S. and German administrations, the transatlantic relationship is once again at a critical moment. With President Donald Trump back in the White House and Chancellor Friedrich Merz leading Germany, both countries are navigating a rapidly changing global landscape shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, shifting alliances, and growing public debate about international responsibility. As Washington and Berlin reassess their roles on the world stage, public opinion matters more than ever.
Join us tomorrow, January 27, at 12:00 pm ET, for a virtual event exploring the latest findings from The Berlin Pulse 2025/26, the annual foreign policy survey published by the Körber-Stiftung and the Pew Research Center. We will be joined by Jonathan Lehrer, Program Manager for International Affairs at the Körber-Stiftung, and Jacob Poushter, Associate Director at the Pew Research Center.
Jonathan Lehrer is Program Manager for International Affairs at the Körber-Stiftung, where he works on the Emerging Middle Powers Initiative and serves as Editor of The Berlin Pulse, the foundation’s annual foreign policy publication. Before joining Körber, Mr. Lehrer worked at the Professional Briefing China. He also gained professional experience at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin, the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), and the German Bundestag. He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the Technical University of Dresden, and spent semesters abroad at Qingdao University and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO).
Jacob Poushter is an Associate Director at the Pew Research Center. He is an expert in international survey research and writes about international public opinion on a variety of topics, including the international image of the United States and perceptions of global threats. He is also responsible for designing survey questionnaires, managing survey projects, analyzing data, and developing topics for the annual Global Attitudes Survey. Mr. Poushter received a Master’s degree in International Affairs from American University and a Bachelor’s degree in History from Williams College. He is also an author of studies on global attitudes of cultural change, views of the American-German relationship. He regularly talks about the Center’s findings in print and broadcast media and has participated in numerous presentations and panels in Washington, DC and around the world.

NYC Event: Fireside Chat and Luncheon with ACG's Chairman Ambassador John B. Emerson
2026-01-30 12:00 - 14:00
The American Council on Germany will host a Fireside Chat and Luncheon with Ambassador John B. Emerson, Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Vice Chairman at Capital Group International, and Chairman of the American Council on Germany. Space is limited.
Ambassador John B. Emerson was named Chairman of the American Council on Germany in January 2018. He is Vice Chairman at Capital Group International. Previously, he was the 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, Amb. 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, he served as Los Angeles Chief Deputy City Attorney and was a partner in the law firm of Manatt, Phelps, Rothenberg, and Phillips.
In addition to his role as Chairman of the American Council on Germany, he serves on the boards of the Pacific Council on International Policy and the German Marshall Fund of the United States and is a long serving member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He holds an honorary doctorate from Hamilton College, a juris doctorate degree from the University of Chicago, and a BA in Philosophy from Hamilton College.

Virtual Event - Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2026-02-02 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts discussions with a journalist based in Berlin on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Monday, February 2, at 9:00 am for a Kaffeepause with Nette Nöstlinger, Reporter for Politico. Nette Nöstlinger is a Politics Reporter for Politico Europe in Berlin, where she keeps an eye on all things relevant to an international audience interested in the EU’s biggest economy. Her coverage has ranged from the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to Germany’s fiscal and military U-turn in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She was trained at Reuters with stints in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Brussels. She grew up in Antwerp with a Belgian father and an Austrian mother.

NYC Event: "Digital Sovereignty and the EU’s Digital Omnibus Package: A New Era for Digital Politics?"
2026-02-03 08:00 - 09:30
The American Council on Germany and the American Business Forum on Europe will host a Breakfast Briefing with Oliver Süme
Partner at Fieldfisher and Chair of the Board of the Internet Industry Association (eco) on “Digital Sovereignty and the EU’s Digital Omnibus Package: A New Era for Digital Politics?”
On November 19, the European Commission unveiled its Digital Omnibus Package – a sweeping initiative to reorganize and modernize Europe’s digital regulatory landscape. At the same time and in the light of the recent geopolitical developments, the European Commission is pushing for increased digital sovereignty, aiming to strengthen Europe’s capacity in cloud infrastructure and AI. What does this mean for U.S. companies operating in or with Europe? Is this a move toward digital deregulation and a rejection of the dominance of U.S. tech companies?
Join us to learn about the proposed changes that come with the Digital Omnibus and how digital sovereignty might translate into a new era of European digital politics.
Oliver Süme is a Partner at the European law firm Fieldfisher and Chair of the Board of the Internet Industry Association. He advises his international clients on all legal challenges in Technology Law, in particular IT contract law, data protection and legal issues relating to IT security. Mr. Süme is also Chair of the Board of eco – Association of the Internet Industry and heads the data economy committee of EuroISPA, the European umbrella organization of internet service providers.
Please email events@acgusa.org for RSVP information.

Virtual Event - Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2026-02-09 09:00
The ACG regularly hosts discussions with a journalist based in Berlin on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Monday, February 9, at 9:00 am for a Kaffeepause with ACG Fellowship alumna Miriam Hollstein, Chief Political Reporter for Stern. Miriam Hollstein serves as the Chief Political Reporter for Stern. Before this, she was the Chief Reporter from January 2022 to September 23 at T-Online in Berlin. Prior to this position, she served as the Chief Political Reporter for FUNKE Zentralredaktion from November 2020 to December 2021. She wrote for the Berliner Zeitung while still a student and worked as an editor for Internationale Politik. She worked as a foreign correspondent for Welt am Sonntag, and from 2006-2014 was a WELT-Gruppe’s domestic policy editor and reporter. From 2015 to 2020, she worked for Bild am Sonntag, first as a domestic policy and then from 2018 as chief reporter of politics. Her reporting brought her into regular contact with the office of the German Chancellor.
In 2009, she published the first graphic biography of Angela Merkel, entitled “Miss Tschörmanie,” together with illustrator Heiko Sakurai. She appears regularly on the German news program “Phoenix,” where she speaks on political and societal issues. She regularly travels internationally for reporting assignments. In addition, she was a 2005 Marshall Memorial Fellow, a 2008 ACG McCloy Fellow, and was recognized in 2015 by the DEFA Stiftung (German Film Corporation Foundation) for her contribution to preserving German film heritage.

Virtual Event: Special Edition Kaffeepause with NYT's Steven Erlanger
2026-02-10 11:00 - 12:00
Join us on Tuesday, February 10, at 11:00 am ET for a “Special Edition” of our regular Kaffeepause with Steven Erlanger, Chief Diplomatic Correspondent in Europe for The New York Times, to discuss the new era of great power politics, the dilemma of the middle states, and what to expect at this year’s Munich Security Conference. Steven Erlanger is the Chief Diplomatic Correspondent in Europe for The New York Times, a position he assumed in 2017. He is based in Berlin.
In over 40 years of career as a journalist, he has covered news in over 120 countries, from the war in Kosovo to Brexit. In 2002, Mr. Erlanger shared the Pulitzer Prize for reporting on his work on Al Qaeda and again received the prize in 2017 for a series on Russia.
Between 1975 and 1983, he was a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University. Beginning in 1976, he also worked as an Editor and Correspondent at the Boston Globe. From 1983 through 1987, he was the Globe’s European Correspondent in London. Beginning in 1988, he served as Bureau Chief for the New York Times in London, Paris, Jerusalem, Berlin, Prague, Moscow, and Bangkok.
In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Mr. Erlanger has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Robert Livingston Award for international reporting for a series of articles about Eastern Europe in 1981, the German Marshall Fund’s Peter Weitz Prize for excellence and originality in reporting and analyzing European and transatlantic affairs in 2000, and the Karl Klasen Journalists Prize for coverage of Germany and Europe and promoting trans-Atlantic understanding in 2017.
Mr. Erlanger’s writing has been featured in many publications such as The Economist, The Spectator, The New Statesman, The New Republic, The Financial Times, Foreign Policy, The National Interest, and the Columbia Journalism Review.

Munich Event: "Must Europe Become More Independent from the United States? If so, how?"
2026-02-11 18:00 - 19:30
The American Council on Germany and ZIRNGIBL Rechtsanwälte Partnerschaft mbB will host a discussion and reception with Simon Book, U.S. Correspondent for DER SPIEGEL (2016 ACG Kellen Fellow) and Robin Quinville, Former Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Germany and Former Director of the Wilson Center’s Global Europe Program.
Simon Book studied at the University of Passau and was trained at the German School of Journalism in Munich. From 2011 he served as an editor at the Financial Times Deutschland and from 2013 on as a reporter at Germany’s business daily Handelsblatt. In 2016, he joined the business weekly WirtschaftsWoche. Since 2020, Mr. Book is with Germany’s leading weekly magazine and news outlet DER SPIEGEL. Initially, he wrote for the economics desk in Berlin, and in October 2023 he took over as DER SPIEGEL’s business correspondent in the United States. In 2016, he received a Kellen Fellowship from the American Council on Germany, during which time he researched transatlantic trade policy. He lives with his wife and his three children in Berkeley, California.
Robin Quinville is the former Director of the Wilson Center’s Global Europe Program. She spent more than 30 years as a U.S. diplomat, having served primarily in Europe – including postings to two multilateral organizations (the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and NATO) and bilateral postings to Cyprus, Bosnia, Greece, the United Kingdom, and Germany. She also spent a year in Baghdad, Iraq. In Washington, she directed the Office of Western European Affairs at the Department of State and served as a Wilson Center State Department Fellow for a year. Her last foreign posting was as the Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, Germany.

Munich Event: “Allies at a Crossroads? Rethinking Transatlantic Security in a Disrupted World”
2026-02-13 08:00 - 10:00
The American Council on Germany and KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft will host a breakfast briefing on “Allies at a Crossroads? Rethinking Transatlantic Security in a Disrupted World” with Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, Retired Commanding General of United States Army Europe and Dr. Constanze Stelzenmüller, Director of the Center on the United States and Europe and Fritz Stern Chair on Germany and Transatlantic Relations at The Brookings Institution (1993 ACG Young Leader), moderated by Ambassador John B. Emerson, Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Vice Chairman at Capital Group International, and Chairman of the American Council on Germany.
Lieutenant General Ben Hodges served as Commanding General of United States Army Europe from 2014 to 2017 before his retirement from the Army in early 2018. He is a Distinguished Fellow with GLOBSEC and consults for several companies on Europe, NATO, and the European Union. He is co-author of the book Future War and the Defense of Europe. Lt. Gen. Hodges has a regular presence in U.S. and international media, where he offers insight and analysis on NATO, U.S. and European security, the Russian war against Ukraine, the greater Black Sea and Baltic Sea Regions, the Israel-Hamas war, the U.S. Election and its implications for transatlantic security, human rights, and other related geostrategic topics. He most recently served as NATO Senior Mentor for Logistics. Prior to that, he was an Advisor to Human Rights First, a nonprofit, nonpartisan international human rights organization based in the United States. Before joining Human Rights First, Lt. Gen. Hodges held the Pershing Chair in Strategic Studies at the
Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). Lt. Gen. Hodges graduated from the United States Military Academy in May 1980 and was commissioned in the Infantry. He serves on the Board of the American Council on Germany.
Dr. Constanze Stelzenmüller (1993 ACG Young Leader) is an expert on German, European, and transatlantic foreign and security policy and strategy. She is the Director of the Center on the United States and Europe and the inaugural holder of the Fritz Stern Chair on Germany and Transatlantic Relations at Brookings. She held the Kissinger Chair on Foreign Policy and International Relations at the Library of Congress from October 2019 to March 2020, and served as the inaugural Robert Bosch Senior Fellow at
Brookings from 2014 to 2019. Prior to working at Brookings, Dr. Stelzenmüller was a Senior Transatlantic Fellow with the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), where she directed the influential Transatlantic Trends survey program. She also managed the “New Power, New Responsibility” project. Her areas of expertise include:
transatlantic relations; German foreign policy; NATO; the European Union’s foreign, security, and defense policy; international law; and human rights. Dr. Stelzenmüller is the former Director of GMF’s Berlin office. From 1994 to 2005, she was Defense and International Security Editor in the political section of the German weekly DIE ZEIT; previously, she had covered human rights issues, war crimes tribunals, and humanitarian crises. She has worked in Germany and the United States, and speaks English, French, German, and Spanish. Dr. Stelzenmüller holds a doctorate in law from the University of Bonn (1992), a master’s degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (1988), and a law degree from the University of Bonn (1985).
Ambassador John B. Emerson (moderator) was named Chairman of the American Council on Germany in January 2018. He is Vice Chairman at Capital Group International. Previously, he was the 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 B. 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, he served as Los Angeles Chief Deputy City Attorney and was a partner in the law firm of Manatt, Phelps, Rothenberg, and Phillips.

Virtual Events - Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2026-02-17 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts discussions with a journalist based in Berlin on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Tuesday, February 17, at 9:00 am for a Kaffeepause with Daniel Brössler, Senior Editor at the Süddeutsche Zeitung’s Berlin Bureau.
Daniel Brössler is Senior Editor at the Süddeutsche Zeitung’s Berlin bureau, where he covers the Chancellery and the Foreign Office. Mr. Brössler studied journalism in Munich and Washington and is a graduate of the German School of Journalism. In 1993, he reported for the German Press Agency from Bratislava. In 1996, he took over as head of the dpa office in Warsaw, before moving to the foreign affairs editorial department of the Süddeutsche Zeitung in Munich in 1999. There, he was responsible for reporting from Central and Eastern Europe. This was followed by stints as a correspondent in Moscow, Berlin, and Brussels. In 2023, he was awarded the Theodor Wolff Prize.

Nashville Event—John C. Kornblum Distinguished Lecture with Metin Hakverdi
2026-02-17 17:00
The American Council on Germany, Dialogue Vanderbilt, and the Max Kade Center for European and German Studies cordially invite you to the inaugural John C. Kornblum Distinguished Lecture with Metin Hakverdi, Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation for the German Government.
Metin Hakverdi serves as the Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation for the German Government. He has been a member of the German Bundestag since 2013 and currently serves on the Bundestag’s Committee on European Union Affairs. He is the Deputy Chairman of the German-American Parliamentary Friendship Group, Chairman of the USA Discussion Group of the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, and a member of the Board of Atlantik-Brücke. Mr. Hakverdi was a John F. Kennedy Memorial Policy Fellow at Harvard University and a Distinguished Visitor at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
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. He attended high school in Simi Valley, California, in 1985/86 and studied law at the Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel and Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law.

To attend, please RSVP HERE.

Berlin Event: "After the MSC: Whither the Transatlantic Partnership in Troubled Times?"
2026-02-17 18:00 - 19:30
The American Council on Germany and the Friends of the American Council on Germany (Freunde des American Council on Germany e.V.) will host a discussion and reception on “After the MSC: Whither the Transatlantic Partnership in Troubled Times?” with Cristina Gonzalez, Executive Producer with POLITICO Europe and Anja Wehler-Schöck, nternational Editor at Der Tagesspiegel on February 17, 2026, 6:00 – 7:30 PM. (Doors open at 5:30 PM; the event will be followed by a reception). To secure your seat, RSVP Here by Friday, February 13.
Cristina Gonzalez is POLITICO Europe’s Executive Producer for events and media partnerships. In this role, she oversees POLITICO’s live journalism in Europe, including its presence at the Munich Security Conference 2026. Prior to this, Ms. Gonzalez was POLITICO Europe’s Executive Producer for audio/podcasts and lobbying reporter. She is also a Professor of Journalism Practice at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).
Ms. Gonzalez previously worked for Cox Media Group as a Senior Producer for local and nationally-syndicated radio in the United States. She was a Robert Bosch Fellow (2015-2016) at SPIEGEL Online and ZDF Morgenmagazin in Berlin and an ACG Young Leader in 2014. Her reporting, analysis and producing has appeared on/been published in POLITICO Europe, SPIEGEL Online, Deutsche Welle, ZDF, NPR Berlin, WSB Radio, Rare.us.
Ms. Gonzalez holds a MSc degree in Communication Studies: Journalism and Media in Europe from the VUB and a B.A. in Journalism and Political Science from New York University (NYU). She serves on the Board of the Freunde des American Council on Germany e.V.
Anja Wehler-Schöck is the International Editor of the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel and member of its Editorial Board. In 2022, she founded the paper’s international affairs desk, which she subsequently headed until the end of 2024. Prior to that, she worked as the Editor-in-Chief of the IPG Journal, a debate platform for issues of international and European politics. She previously worked as a social affairs officer at the German Embassy in Washington and headed the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s office for Jordan and Iraq in Amman from 2012 to 2017.
Ms. Wehler-Schöck is a frequent commentator on international affairs, European politics, transatlantic relations, and security policy. From 2005 to 2007, she served as Adjunct Lecturer at the Free University of Berlin, Germany. She holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Sciences Po in Paris, France and the Free University of Berlin.
Many thanks to CMS Hasche Sigle Partnerschaft von Rechtsanwälten und Steuerberatern mbB for hosting this event.

Virtual Event - The Evolving Situation in Iran: A View from Berlin
2026-02-20 11:00 - 12:00
In recent months, Iran has faced its most sustained wave of domestic protest in years, as economic collapse and political frustration have driven thousands into the streets. Iranian security forces have responded with a harsh crackdown, and the human toll continues to mount amid widespread reports of arrests and deadly force used against demonstrators.
At the same time, rhetoric between Tehran and Washington, D.C. has intensified. President Donald Trump has publicly urged Iranians to persist in protest and signaled that “help is on the way” for demonstrators, while warning that Tehran must “show humanity” or risk U.S. action. Washington has also deployed significant naval assets to the region amid concerns over potential escalation.
Join us on February 20 at 11:00 am ET for a virtual discussion on the rapidly evolving situation in Iran, featuring Dr. Cornelius Adebahr, who brings a European perspective. The discussion will assess how Iranian leadership is navigating these internal pressures, what the evolving U.S.–Iran dynamic means for Europe – especially Berlin and Brussels – and the implications for the transatlantic relationship, from sanctions coordination to shared regional strategy. Dr. Cornelius Adebahr has been working as an independent consultant and analyst based in Berlin, where he works on European and global issues and promotes citizen dialogue on foreign policy. He has worked at the DGAP Research Institute since early 2006 and lived first in Tehran between 2011 and 2016, then in Washington, DC, and from 2021 to 2024 in Rome. He is the author of ‘Learning and Change in European Foreign Policy: The Case of the EU Special Representatives’ (Nomos 2009) and ‘Europe and Iran: The Nuclear Deal and Beyond’ (Routledge 2017).
Dr. Adebahr is also Adjunct Faculty at the Hertie School in Berlin and Associate Researcher at the Istituto Affari Internazionali in Rome as well as a member of Team Europe Direct, an expert network of the European Commission. Since 2005, he has taught as a lecturer at international universities, including the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy in Erfurt, the Faculty of World Studies at the University of Tehran ,and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. From 2014 to 2024, he worked for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC and Brussels.
Dr. Adebahr studied Political Science, Philosophy, Public Law, and International Economics in Tübingen, Paris, and at the Free University of Berlin. His academic, post-graduate and research work was supported by scholarships from the German National Academic Foundation, the Volkswagen Foundation, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, and the Fulbright Program.

Virtual Event - Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2026-02-23 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts discussions with a journalist based in Berlin on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Monday, February 23, at 9:00 am for a Kaffeepause with Malte Lehming, Columnist for Tagesspiegel. Malte Lehming works as a columnist for the Tagesspiegel. From late 2000 to 2005, he was the newspaper’s Washington Bureau Chief. He joined the Tagesspiegel in 1991 as foreign policy editor — focusing on security policy, transatlantic relations, and the Middle East. From 1989 to 1991, he worked as a personal assistant and speechwriter for former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. Mr. Lehming studied philosophy, German literature, and European history in Hamburg.

CANCELLED- NYC Events: Discussion in German with Staatsminister Florian Hahn
2026-02-24 12:00 - 13:30
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO THE WEATHER.

The American Council on Germany will host a discussion and luncheon on “War, Resilience, and Europe’s Security Future” with Staatsminister Florian Hahn, Minister of State at the German Federal Foreign Office.

This event will be held in German.
Florian Hahn is a German politician serving as Minister of State at the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt). A long-standing member of the German Bundestag, he represents the Christian Social Union (CSU) and has built his career around European security and defense policy.
Before joining the Foreign Office leadership, Mr. Hahn was the CDU/CSU parliamentary group’s defense policy spokesperson and previously its European policy spokesperson, roles that made him a prominent voice on NATO, transatlantic relations, and Germany’s security posture. In his current post, he supports Germany’s foreign minister on political, foreign, and security policy priorities, with a particular focus on Europe and the transatlantic partnership.
