American Council On Germany

Dallas: The Election of Donald Trump: Implications for U.S.-German Relations
2017-03-08 18:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York)
The Dallas Warburg Chapter and the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas will host a panel discussion with Dr. James Hollifield, Director of the Tower Center for Political Studies; Boris Ruge, Minister/Deputy Chief of Mission for the Embassy of Germany; and Gerrit Zwergel, SVP Finance and CFO for KBA North America Inc. The panel will be moderated by ACG Board Member Lee Cullum.
RSVP by March 1, 2017 at https://utdallas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_af689dzywgBvPGR
(Please also note that seating is limited.)

Madison: Europe in the Era of Trump
2017-03-09 16:00 - 17:30
The Madison Warburg Chapter and the Center for German and European Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will host a discussion with Hans Kundnani, Senior Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
There is no charge to attend this event.
Hans Kundnani is a Senior Transatlantic Fellow with the German Marshall Fund of the United States’ Europe program, based in Berlin. He previously worked as the Research Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, where he worked for five years. He is also an Associate Fellow at the Institute for German Studies at Birmingham University. His research focuses on German power within Europe, German foreign policy, European integration and dis-integration, European foreign policy, and relations between Europe and Asia. He is the author of two books, Utopia or Auschwitz. Germany’s 1968 Generation and the Holocaust (2009) and The Paradox of German Power (2014). His articles and papers have been published in journals such as Foreign Affairs, The Washington Quarterly, and Internationale Politik and newspapers such as the Financial Times, Le Monde, and Die Zeit. Mr. Kundnani studied German and Philosophy at Oxford University and Journalism at Columbia University in New York, where he was a Fulbright Scholar.

New York: Efforts at the UN and in Germany to Promote Gender Equity in a Changing Work Environment
2017-03-14 08:00 - 09:30
The ACG and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung will host a breakfast briefing with Ursula Groden-Kranich, Member of the German Bundestag (CDU).
RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Ursula Groden-Kranich has served as a member of the German Bundestag for the CDU since 2013. She is a member of the Bundestag Committee on the Affairs of the European Union and the Committee on Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth. She also serves as a substitute member of the Committee on Cultural and Media Affairs. Mrs. Groden-Kranich originally trained as a bank clerk at Landesbank Rheinland-Pfalz, now known as Rheinland-Pfalz Bank (LBBW Group), and worked as an investment advisor at the bank from 1987 to 2013. Since 1994, she has been a member of the Mainz-Hechtsheim local council in an advisory capacity and a member of the Mainz City Council since 1999. She was a local representative for Mainz-Hechtsheim from 2004 to July 2014. Mrs. Groden-Kranich is Deputy Chairwoman of the Mainz-Bingen County branch of the German Red Cross, Chairwoman of the Mainz-Hechtsheim local branch of the German Red Cross, Chairwoman of the St. Pancratius Community and Church Building Association, and a member of the Mainz Cathedral Building Society and of the Board of Trustees of the Ingelheim Further Education Centre (WBZ) at the Fridtjof Nansen Academy.

Charlotte: Money, Trust, and Central Banking Legitimacy in the Age of Quantitative Easing
2017-03-16 08:00 - 10:00
The Charlotte Warburg Chapter and the Minda de Ginzburg Center for European Studies at Havard University will host a breakfast briefing with Dr. Benjamin Braun, JFK Memorial Fellow at the Center for European Studies at Havard University.
There will be a no charge for ACG members and a $15 charge for nonmembers to attend this event. RSVP here no later than Monday, March 13.
Benjamin Braun is a Political Economist who was previously based at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (MPIfG) in Cologne. He holds degrees in Political Science and Economics from the University of Munich and completed his Ph.D. at the University of Warwick and the Université Libre de Bruxelles. For his work on the European Central Bank he received the Sir Walter Bagehot Prize for Best Dissertation in Government and Public Administration, awarded by the Political Studies Association in the UK. During his time at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University, Dr. Braun will start a new research project on “asset manager capitalism.” Through the lens of comparative political economy he will study how the rise of asset management companies transforms the investment chain, with a focus on the ability of this emerging configuration to provide long-term capital to firms. In addition, he will continue to work on central banking, including as a member of the research team on a Transparency International project on the transparency and accountability of euro-area governance.

Seattle: Data - The #1 Natural Resource of the 21st Century
2017-03-17 09:00 - 10:30
The Seattle Warburg Chapter will host a breakfast briefing with Benjamin Rohé, Co-Founder of Germantech Digital and Founding Managing Director of the German Tech Entrepreneurship Center (GTEC).
There is no charge to attend this event. RSVP’s are required. Please register here by March 16.
Benjamin Rohé is an entrepreneur who has worked in the tech, renewable energy, and digital space since 1997. He started his first company at the age of 17 and has co-founded a public company, among other startups. Since January 2015, he is head of the German Tech Entrepreneurship Center (GTEC) in Berlin. Mr. Rohé has been investing time and money into startups throughout Europe since 2007. In 2011, his business angel investment activities became more structured by forming angelfund.vc and bringing in an advisory board of industry experts. Mr. Rohé also served as a Partner in the Venture Capital Funds of Redalpine Venture Partners AG in Switzerland. Mr. Rohé co-authored with Gütt Olk Feldhaus Rechtsanwälte “Angel Syndicates: Efficient Investment in Startups with Syndication and Sub-Share Agreements” for the book Guide for Business Angels, published by the Business Angel Network Germany and GoingPublic Media AG in December 2012. He was an ACG Young Leader in 2011 and an Entrepreneur Fellow in 2014.

Phoenix: Data - The New Oil: (Em-)Powering the 21st Century and Radical Economic Change
2017-03-17 18:00 - 20:30
The Phoenix Warburg Chapter will host a discussion and dinner with Benjamin Rohé, Co-Founder of Germantech Digital and Founding Managing Director of the German Tech Entrepreneurship Center (GTEC).
There is a $25 charge to attend the event. Please register here by March 17

Benjamin Rohé is an entrepreneur who has worked in the tech, renewable energy, and digital space since 1997. He started his first company at the age of 17 and has co-founded a public company, among other startups. Since January 2015, he is head of the German Tech Entrepreneurship Center (GTEC) in Berlin. Mr. Rohé has been investing time and money into startups throughout Europe since 2007. In 2011, his business angel investment activities became more structured by forming angelfund.vc and bringing in an advisory board of industry experts. Mr. Rohé also served as a Partner in the Venture Capital Funds of Redalpine Venture Partners AG in Switzerland. Mr. Rohé co-authored with Gütt Olk Feldhaus Rechtsanwälte “Angel Syndicates: Efficient Investment in Startups with Syndication and Sub-Share Agreements” for the book Guide for Business Angels, published by the Business Angel Network Germany and GoingPublic Media AG in December 2012. He was an ACG Young Leader in 2011 and an Entrepreneur Fellow in 2014.

Boston: Reform of the UN Security Council - The Boulder of Sisyphus?
2017-03-20 13:30 - 15:00
The Boston Warburg Chapter and Northeastern University’s College of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Center for International Affairs and World Cultures will host a discussion with Dr. Thomas Seidel, First Secretary of Political Affairs at the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations.
There is no charge to attend this event. Reservations are not required. Dessert and light refreshments will be served.

Dr. Thomas Seidel is a German career diplomat who has been working in the political section of the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York since 2014. He covers the issues of UN Security Council reform and the selection process of the UN Secretary General as well as the prevention and countering of violent extremism and terrorism. Before going to New York City, he served as Political Counsellor at the German Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, for two years. On a prior posting in the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin, he covered the rapprochement with Cuba and political, humanitarian, and development support for Haiti after the devastating earthquake in 2010. Prior to his career in diplomacy, Dr. Seidel worked as a management consultant in the European automotive and logistics industry for four years. He is an industrial engineer by training and holds a Doctorate from Technical University of Dortmund, a Master’s Degree (Diplom) from Technical University of Berlin, and a Bachelor (Vordiplom) from Technical University Kaiserslautern. He also studied at University of Calgary and University of Western Sydney. His Doctorate presents a process model for the design of global production and logistics networks. He recently coauthored an article in the Berlin Policy Journal on the reform of the UN Security Council together with Ambassador Dr. Harald Braun, Germany’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.

St. Louis: Soccer Without Borders
2017-03-20 16:00 - 17:30
The St. Louis Warburg Chapter, the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, and the International and Area Studies Program at Washington University will host a discussion with Erik Kirschbaum, Journalist and Author.
There is no charge to attend this event, reservation is not required.
Erik Kirschbaum is a foreign correspondent based in Germany. Mr. Kirschbaum has worked for Reuters, the Los Angeles Times, and other newspapers from Europe since 1989. A native of New York, he grew up in Connecticut and studied History and German at the University of Wisconsin. He has covered the World Cup and Olympics, and is the author of Rocking the Wall: Bruce Springsteen, the Berlin Concert That Changed the World; and Swim and Bike and Run: Triathlon – The Sporting Trinity.

San Francisco: Data - The New Oil: (Em-)Powering the 21st Century and Radical Economic Change
2017-03-20 18:00 - 21:00
The San Francisco Warburg Chapter, the German American Business Association of Northern California, and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP will host a discussion and reception with Benjamin Rohé, Co-Founder of Germantech Digital and Founding Managing Director of the German Tech Entrepreneurship Center (GTEC).
There is no charge to attend this event. RSVP here by Friday, March 17.
Benjamin Rohé is an entrepreneur who has worked in the tech, renewable energy, and digital space since 1997. He started his first company at the age of 17 and has co-founded a public company, among other startups. Since January 2015, he is head of the German Tech Entrepreneurship Center (GTEC) in Berlin. Mr. Rohé has been investing time and money into startups throughout Europe since 2007. In 2011, his business angel investment activities became more structured by forming angelfund.vc and bringing in an advisory board of industry experts. Mr. Rohé also served as a Partner in the Venture Capital Funds of Redalpine Venture Partners AG in Switzerland. Mr. Rohé co-authored with Gütt Olk Feldhaus Rechtsanwälte “Angel Syndicates: Efficient Investment in Startups with Syndication and Sub-Share Agreements” for the book Guide for Business Angels, published by the Business Angel Network Germany and GoingPublic Media AG in December 2012. He was an ACG Young Leader in 2011 and an Entrepreneur Fellow in 2014.

Charlotte: German Foreign Policy at the UN - Championing Mulitlateralism
2017-03-22 12:00 - 14:00
The Charlotte Warburg Chapter, the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, and the World Affairs Council of Charlotte will host a discussion and luncheon with Dr. Thomas Seidel, First Secretary of Political Affairs at the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations.
There is a $25 charge for ACG and WACC members and a $35 charge for nonmembers to attend this event. RSVP here by Monday, March 20
Dr. Thomas Seidel is a German career diplomat who has been working in the political section of the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York since 2014. He covers the issues of UN Security Council reform and the selection process of the UN Secretary General as well as the prevention and countering of violent extremism and terrorism. Before going to New York City, he served as Political Counsellor at the German Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, for two years. On a prior posting in the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin, he covered the rapprochement with Cuba and political, humanitarian, and development support for Haiti after the devastating earthquake in 2010. Prior to his career in diplomacy, Dr. Seidel worked as a management consultant in the European automotive and logistics industry for four years. He is an industrial engineer by training and holds a Doctorate from Technical University of Dortmund, a Master’s Degree (Diplom) from Technical University of Berlin and a Bachelor (Vordiplom) from Technical University Kaiserslautern. He also studied at University of Calgary and University of Western Sydney. His doctorate presents a process model for the design of global production and logistics networks. He recently co-authored an article in the Berlin Policy Journal on the reform of the UN Security Council together with Ambassador Dr. Harald Braun, Germany’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.

Raleigh: Data - The New Oil: (Em-)Powering the 21st Century and Radical Economic Change
2017-03-23 07:30 - 09:30
The Charlotte Warburg Chapter , the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern U.S., Inc., and Wake County Economic Development, will for a breakfast briefing in Raleigh, NC with Benjamin Rohé , Co-Founder of Germantech Digital and Founding Managing Director of the German Tech Entrepreneurship Center (GTEC).
Benjamin Rohé is an entrepreneur who has worked in the tech, renewable energy, and digital space since 1997. He started his first company at the age of 17 and has co-founded a public company, among other startups. Since January 2015, he is head of the German Tech Entrepreneurship Center (GTEC) in Berlin. Mr. Rohé has been investing time and money into startups throughout Europe since 2007. In 2011, his business angel investment activities became more structured by forming angelfund.vc and bringing in an advisory board of industry experts. Mr. Rohé also served as a Partner in the Venture Capital Funds of Redalpine Venture Partners AG in Switzerland. Mr. Rohé co-authored with Gütt Olk Feldhaus Rechtsanwälte “Angel Syndicates: Efficient Investment in Startups with Syndication and Sub-Share Agreements” for the book Guide for Business Angels, published by the Business Angel Network Germany and GoingPublic Media AG in December 2012. He was an ACG Young Leader in 2011 and an Entrepreneur Fellow in 2014.

Dallas: German Foreign Policy at the UN - Championing Multilateralism
2017-03-23 11:45 - 13:30
The Dallas Warburg Chapter will host a discussion and luncheon with Dr. Thomas Seidel, First Secretary of Political Affairs at the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations.
There is no charge to attend this event, but reservation in necessary by 3/20/2017. RSVP (acceptances only) to Nici Bremer at 214-369-2563 or email ACGTexas@international-capital.com.
Dr. Thomas Seidel is a German career diplomat who has been working in the political section of the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York since 2014. He covers the issues of UN Security Council reform and the selection process of the UN Secretary General as well as the prevention and countering of violent extremism and terrorism. Before going to New York City, he served as Political Counsellor at the German Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, for two years. On a prior posting in the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin, he covered the rapprochement with Cuba and political, humanitarian, and development support for Haiti after the devastating earthquake in 2010.
Prior to his career in diplomacy, Dr. Seidel worked as a management Consultant in the European automotive and logistics industry for four years. He is an industrial engineer by training and holds a Doctorate from Technical
University of Dortmund, a Master’s Degree (Diplom) from Technical University of Berlin and a Bachelor (Vordiplom) from Technical University Kaiserslautern. He also studied at University of Calgary and University of Western Sydney. His doctorate thesis presents a process model for the design of global production and logistics networks. He recently co-authored an article in the Berlin Policy Journal on the reform of the UN Security Council together with Ambassador Dr. Harald Braun, Germany’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.

Los Angeles: Soccer Without Borders
2017-03-23 12:00 - 13:30
The Los Angeles Warburg Chapter and LA84 Foundation will host a discussion and luncheon with Erik Kirschbaum, Journalist and Author.
There is no charge for ACG members and a $15 charge for nonmembers to attend this event. RSVP here by March 21.
Erik Kirschbaum is a foreign correspondent based in Germany. Mr. Kirschbaum has worked for Reuters, the Los Angeles Times, and other newspapers from Europe since 1989. A native of New York, he grew up in Connecticut and studied History and German at the University of Wisconsin. He has covered the World Cup and Olympics, and is the author of Rocking the Wall: Bruce Springsteen, the Berlin Concert That Changed the World; and Swim and Bike and Run: Triathlon – The Sporting Trinity.

Boston: 60 Years after the Treaty of Rome: Reimagining the Future of Europe
2017-03-23 17:00 - 19:00
The future of Europe feels uncertain with the approach of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. On March 25, 2017, the European Union will hold a summit in Rome, celebrating the treaty that laid the foundations for the EU as we know it today. Yet even as this celebration draws near, Great Britain is negotiating its departure from the European Union. EU supporters are anxiously awaiting electoral outcomes in the Netherlands in March, France in May, and Germany in September. At a time of rising nationalism and Euroscepticism across Europe and growing populist movements in the United States, the challenge for Europe – to stay united and to remain an anchor of peace, stability and prosperity in the world – is greater than ever.
In light of these events, the German Consulate General in Boston, the Center for the Study of Europe at Boston University, and the American Council on Germany invite you to join us for a panel discussion on the continuing importance of the European Union for prosperity, peace and stability. In particular, the panel will address the future of Europe and how the Bratislava Roadmap, to be adopted during the EU Summit in Rome, will address these challenges. The panelists will also consider the question whether the world is (again) on the brink of a new bilateralism.
The panelists will be Ambassador ret. Dr. Klaus Scharioth (former State Secretary at the German Foreign Office and German Ambassador to Washington, D.C.); Christian Feld (former Head of Office of ARD German Television in Brussels); Prof. Kaija Schilde (Professor of International Relations at the Center for the Study of Europa at Boston University). The discussion will be moderated by Steve Sokol, Executive Director of the American Council on Germany in New York.

Charlotte: Data - The New Oil: (Em-)Powering the 21st Century and Radical Economic Change
2017-03-24 07:30 - 09:30
The Charlotte Warburg Chapter, the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern US, and Wake County Economy Development will host a breakfast briefing with Benjamin Rohé, Co-Founder of Germantech Digital and Founding Managing Director of the German Tech Entrepreneurship Center (GTEC).
There is no charge for ACG, GACC and WCED members and a $15 charge for nonmembers to attend this event. RSVP here by Wednesday, March 22.

Benjamin Rohé is an entrepreneur who has worked in the tech, renewable energy, and digital space since 1997. He started his first company at the age of 17 and has co-founded a public company, among other startups. Since January 2015, he is head of the German Tech Entrepreneurship Center (GTEC) in Berlin. Mr. Rohé has been investing time and money into startups throughout Europe since 2007. In 2011, his business angel investment activities became more structured by forming angelfund.vc and bringing in an advisory board of industry experts. Mr. Rohé also served as a Partner in the Venture Capital Funds of Redalpine Venture Partners AG in Switzerland. Mr. Rohé co-authored with Gütt Olk Feldhaus Rechtsanwälte “Angel Syndicates: Efficient Investment in Startups with Syndication and Sub-Share Agreements” for the book Guide for Business Angels, published by the Business Angel Network Germany and GoingPublic Media AG in December 2012. He was an ACG Young Leader in 2011 and an Entrepreneur Fellow in 2014.

NYC: Annual Meeting of the Members
2017-03-29 17:00 - 19:00

CANCELED NYC: Transatlantic Economic Relations: Current Challenges and Perspectives
2017-04-03 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG will host a discussion and luncheon with Dr. Berend Diekmann, Head of Division for External Economic Policy at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Dr. Berend Diekmann is Head of the Division for External Economic Policy in the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. Prior to this, he was Head of the Division for International Economic and Monetary Policy, IMF, and OECD Affairs. From 2003 to 2004, he was Head of the Division for Business Cycle Analysis. As Chief Economic Adviser to the FDP in the German Bundestag from 1999 to 2003, Dr. Diekmann was in charge of a broad range of economic issues that were decided upon in the German Bundestag, including: competition policy, public procurement, international trade policy, regulation of service professions, labor market reforms, market regulation, and fiscal policy. In addition, he served as an expert to the Parliamentary Study Commission on Globalization. As Deputy Head of Division responsible for fiscal policy and macroeconomic cooperation (from 1997 to 1998) and for strategic questions of economic policy (from 1998 to 1999), he designed guiding principles for economic policy formation in Germany and drafted speeches for the Minister. With regard to international economic and monetary policy, Dr. Diekmann gained profound knowledge in analysis and negotiations serving as an Adviser to the Division for International Monetary Relations and EMU, as well as Deputy Head of the Division for the Economics of Development Cooperation, UNCTAD, and World Bank. Prior to this, he was posted in Geneva as Second Secretary at the German Permanent Mission, advising on UN/ECE and GATT. Dr. Diekmann started his career in 1989 as an Adviser on the economics of environmental protection policy in the Division for Structural Policy within the Ministry of Economics.

Charlotte: Soccer Without Borders
2017-04-03 17:30 - 19:00
The Charlotte Warburg Chapter, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, and South Carolina United FC will host a discussion and reception with Erik Kirschbaum, Journalist and Author.
There is no charge to attend this event. RSVP here by March 31
Erik Kirschbaum is a foreign correspondent based in Germany. Mr. Kirschbaum has worked for Reuters, the Los Angeles Times, and other newspapers from Europe since 1989. A native of New York, he grew up in Connecticut and studied History and German at the University of Wisconsin. He has covered the World Cup and Olympics, and is the author of Rocking the Wall: Bruce Springsteen, the Berlin Concert That Changed the World; and Swim and Bike and Run: Triathlon – The Sporting Trinity.

Boston: Democratic Challenges in Germany - Insights from Recent Elections
2017-04-04 16:00 - 18:00
The Boston Warburg Chapter and the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University will host a panel discussion and reception with Benjamin Braun, Postdoctoral Fellow, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, and John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellow at Harvard University; Eva Marlene Hausteiner, Postdoctoral Lecturer and Researcher in Political Theory, University of Bonn, and John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellow at Harvard University; Hanna Lierse, Postdoctoral Fellow, Jacobs University Bremen, and John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellow at Harvard University; Eva Schliephake, Assistant Professor, Institute for Financial Economics and Statistics, University of Bonn, and John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellow at Harvard University; and Thomas Weber, Professor of History and International Affairs and Director of the Center for Global Security and Governance at University of Aberdeen. The discussion will be moderated by Alexander Görlach, Founder, The European; Visiting Scholar at Harvard University and Senior Advisor at Berggruen Institute.
A light reception will follow the discussion. There will be no charge for this event. RSVPs are not required.
The recent electoral outcomes in Great Britain and the United States as well as prospects in France and the Netherlands seem to be influenced by the same script of right-wing populists, disrupting longstanding political conventions and power configurations. In the run-up to the parliamentary elections in Germany, the panel will discuss what lessons to draw from these events: Are the protest voters who supported Donald Trump similar to the supporters of the Alternative für Deutschland? What can we learn from voter disaffection and the increasing skepticism toward the political elites? What are promising strategies to revitalize democratic values, in Germany and beyond? By taking into account democratic developments in other countries and by bringing together political and economic arguments, the panel aims at putting the German elections in context and offering an outlook on what might happen in and after September 2017.

Indianapolis: The Guns of August: WWI, German-American Lutherans, Religion and Immigration Issues Then and Now"
2017-04-06 11:30 - 13:00
The Indianapolis Warburg Chapter, the Honorary Consul of Germany, and the Foundation for Lutheran Child Family Services, Indiana will host a discussion and luncheon with Dr. Giles Hoyt, Professor Emeritus of German and Philanthropic Studies and Director Emeritus of the IUPUI Max Kade German-American Research and Resource Center.
Please RSVP to Susan Ryan at events@lutheranfamily.org or 317.359.5467 ext. 235.
The diverse group of people with a German background faced a strong anti-German nativist wave stirred up by government propaganda against Germany in WWI. We will look at some of the issues then and draw possible parallels to questions facing American society today. Religion and tradition plays a role.

Chicago: Kicking Out the Rogues: Should Federations Be Able to Expel Member States?
2017-04-06 13:00 - 14:30
The Chicago Warburg Chapter, the Goethe-Institut Chicago, and the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University will host a discussion and luncheon with Dr. Eva Marlene Hausteiner, Visiting Scholar and JFK Memorial Fellow at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University.
There is no charge to attend this event. RSVP here by April 4

Eva Marlene Hausteiner is a Postdoctoral Lecturer and Researcher in Political Theory at the University of Bonn and an affiliated member of the Research Cluster “Transformations of Antiquity” at Humboldt University of Berlin. She was previously a Visiting Researcher at Columbia University and the Center for Human Values at Princeton University. Her work focuses on intellectual history, with a central interest in the history of international political thought.

San Francisco: The Effect of Brexit: Voices from Germany and Britain
2017-04-06 17:30 - 20:30
The San Francisco Warburg Chapter and Duana Morris LLP will host a panel discussion and reception with Dr. Matt Beech, Director, Centre for British Politics, University of Hull (UK); Visiting Scholar, Institute of European Studies at University of California, Berkeley, and Professor Christopher Schalast, Managing Partner, Schalast and Professor for Economic and European Law at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. The panel will be moderated by Jet J. Stigter, Partner at Duane Morris LLP.
Please register here by April 5.
Professor Christoph Schalast is both Managing Partner at Schalast, a law firm he founded in 1995, and Professor for Economic and European Law at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. At the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management he heads the innovative M&A Master’s Degree Program (LL.M). Mr. Schalast has advised ministries and state institutions on legal reform and the harmonization of national laws with those of the European Union and co-authored laws for countries, such as Slovenia, Lithuania, and Bosnia. He has been quoted in a diverse range of print and online media, including the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, and frequently appears as a legal analyst on national television and broadcast.
Dr. Matt Beech is Director of the Centre for British Politics at the University of Hull (UK) and a visiting scholar at the Institute of European Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, where he is researching his latest book, The Triumph of Liberalism? British Politics 1990-2015. His written evidence has been published by the House of Lords Select Committee on Soft Power and the UK’s Influence and by the Committee on Standards in Public Life report into donations and funding of British political parties. He provides analysis for the print media and has appeared in the Financial Times, USA Today, Le Figaro, Les Echos, The Globe and Mail, and Bloomberg News, and he has worked on programs for BBC Radio 4, Radio France International, Talk Media News, BBC Parliament, CNBC Asia, and ITV. He provides public policy consultancy through private-sector partners and has worked with politicians on the left, right, and center from Norway and Germany.
Jet J. Stigter, a Partner at Duane Morris LLP, counsels employers in all aspects of global immigration law, including strategic resource planning for global projects on behalf of multinational corporations and assessing best practices to meet the needs of individual clients. Ms. Stigter’s global experience includes immigration laws in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas.

NYC: “Future Challenges to the German-American Economic Relationship in the Trump Administration”
2017-04-07 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG and the Transatlantic Academy will host a discussion and luncheon with Dr. Wade Jacoby, Professor of Political Science at Brigham Young University; Dr. Harold James, Claude and Lore Kelly Professor in European Studies at Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University; and Gideon Rachman, Chief Foreign Affairs Columnist for the Financial Times.
RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Dr. Wade Jacoby is a Senior Fellow at the Transatlantic Academy and a Professor of Political Science at Brigham Young University. His books include Imitation and Politics: Redesigning Modern Germany and The Enlargement of the EU and NATO: Ordering from the Menu in Central Europe. Dr. Jacoby has published articles in many journals, including World Politics, Comparative Politics, Comparative Political Studies, Politics and Society, The Review of International Political Economy, The Review of International Organizations, and The British Journal of Industrial Relations. Dr. Jacoby previously was an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Grinnell College (1995-2000) and has been a Visiting Professor in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bonn, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Cagliari, and at the EUI in Florence. He received a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1996 and a B.A. in European Studies from Brigham Young University.
Dr. Harold James is a Senior Fellow at the Transatlantic Academy and the Claude and Lore Kelly Professor in European Studies, a Professor of History and International Affairs, and Director of the Program in Contemporary European Politics and Society at Princeton University. He studies economic and financial history and modern German history, and is writing a history of the International Monetary Fund. Dr. James was educated at Cambridge University (Ph.D. in 1982) and was a Fellow of Peterhouse for eight years before going to Princeton University in 1986. His books include A German Identity, 1770-1990 (1989), International Monetary Cooperation Since Bretton Woods (1996), The End of Globalization: Lessons from the Great Depression (2001), Making the European Monetary Union (2012), and The Euro and the Battle of Ideas (2016, with Jean-Pierre Landau, and Markus K. Brunnermeier). He is also Marie Curie Visiting Professor at the European University Institute.
Gideon Rachman is a Bosch Public Policy Fellow at the Transatlantic Academy, and has served as Chief Foreign Affairs Columnist for the Financial Times since July 2006. He joined the FT after a 15-year career at The Economist, which included spells as a foreign correspondent in Brussels, Washington, and Bangkok. He also edited The Economist’s business and Asia sections. His particular interests include American foreign policy, the European Union, and globalization. Mr. Rachman is the author of Easternization: Asia’s Rise and America’s Decline From Obama to Trump and Beyond (2017).

San Francisco: Kicking Out the Rogues: Should Federations Be Able to Expel Member States?
2017-04-10 12:00 - 13:00
The San Francisco Warburg Chapter of the American Council on Germany, the Institute of European Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Minda de Gunzberg Center for European Studies at Harvard University will host a discussion with Dr. Eva Marlene Hausteiner, Visiting Scholar and John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellow at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University.
There is no charge to attend this event. Reservations are not required.
Eva Marlene Hausteiner is a Postdoctoral Lecturer and Researcher in Political Theory at the University of Bonn and an affiliated member of the Research Cluster “Transformations of Antiquity” at Humboldt University of Berlin. She was previously a Visiting Researcher at Columbia University and the Center for Human Values at Princeton University. Her work focuses on intellectual history, with a central interest in the history of international political thought.

NYC: Europe's Superwahljahr: New Challenges for Europe?
2017-04-10 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG will host a discussion and luncheon with Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Vice President of the European Parliament.
Alexander Graf Lambsdorff (1997 Young Leader) has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2004 and currently serves as its Vice President. He also leads the German Free Democrats’ (FDP’s) delegation. He is a member of the International Trade Committee in the European Parliament. Until 2014, Graf Lambsdorff served as a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee for Culture and Education. He has focused on European Union enlargement and the United Nations, while actively engaging in democracy support policies by leading EU election observation missions to several countries in Asia and Africa. Graf Lambsdorff joined the German Foreign Service in 1995. He served on the Russia Desk at the German Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and worked in the Press Office of the German Embassy in Washington, DC, from 2000 to 2003 and on the Policy Planning Staff from 1997 to 2000. He is the co-founder of the Atlantic Initiative Germany and the German-Turkish Foundation, and is a member of Atlantik-Brücke. He studied History, Constitutional Law, and International Relations at Bonn University and Georgetown University.

Nashville: Post-Carbon Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Sustainability in Germany
2017-04-17 12:00 - 14:00
The Nashville Warburg Chapter will host a discussion and luncheon with Max Gruenig, President of the Ecologic Institute US.
There is a $15 charge for ACG members and a $25 charge for nonmembers to attend this event. RSVP here by April 14.
Max Gruenig is the President of Ecologic Institute US and has been with Ecologic Institute since 2007. His work focuses on sustainable development in the energy and transportation sector, as well as urban sustainability and resilient cities. In particular, he is leading the efforts by Ecologic Institute in the Emerging Leaders in Environmental and Energy Policy Network (ELEEP). He is also coordinating Post-Carbon Cities of Tomorrow (POCACITO) in the U.S. and Germany and the European research project Post-Carbon Cities in Europe: A Long-Term Outlook. In 2004, Mr. Gruenig received his degree in Economics from the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. The main focus of his studies was natural resource economics and auction theory. Mr. Gruenig has lived and worked in Germany, the United States, Iceland, and Japan. He is a founding member of the European Institute for Sustainable Transport (EURIST), a member of the Sustainability Advisory Board for NaturEnergiePlus and a member of the Consumer Research Network run by the German Federal Ministry for Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV). Mr. Gruenig coauthored the book Low-Carbon Energy Security from a European Perspective with Patrizia Lombardi in 2016.

Denver: Key Facets of the German Energy Transition: Accessibility, Affordability, and Adaptability
2017-04-19 18:00 - 21:00
The Denver Warburg Chapter will host a discussion and dinner with Max Gruenig, President of the Ecologic Institute US.
here is a $15 charge for ACG members and a $30 charge for nonmembers to attend this event. The “cash bar” is cash only. No credit cards will be accepted. Reservations are required here by April 17.
Please note that cell phone usage, jeans, or commercial sales are not permitted at the Denver Country Club.

Max Gruenig is the President of Ecologic Institute US and has been with Ecologic Institute since 2007. His work focuses on sustainable development in the energy and transportation sector, as well as urban sustainability and resilient cities. In particular, he is leading the efforts by Ecologic Institute in the Emerging Leaders in Environmental and Energy Policy Network (ELEEP). He is also coordinating Post-Carbon Cities of Tomorrow (POCACITO) in the U.S. and Germany and the European research project Post-Carbon Cities in Europe: A Long-Term Outlook. In 2004, Mr. Gruenig received his degree in Economics from the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. The main focus of his studies was natural resource economics and auction theory. Mr. Gruenig has lived and worked in Germany, the United States, Iceland, and Japan. He is a founding member of the European Institute for Sustainable Transport (EURIST), a member of the Sustainability Advisory Board for NaturEnergiePlus and a member of the Consumer Research Network run by the German Federal Ministry for Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV). Mr. Gruenig coauthored the book Low-Carbon Energy Security from a European Perspective with Patrizia Lombardi in 2016.

San Francisco: Post-Carbon Cities of Tomorrow: Urban Sustainability in Germany
2017-04-20 15:00 - 16:00
The San Francisco Warburg Chapter and the Institute of European Studies at the University of California, Berkeley will host a discussion with Max Gruenig, President of the Ecologic Institute U.S.
There is no charge to attend this event. Reservations are not required.
Max Gruenig is the President of Ecologic Institute US and has been with Ecologic Institute since 2007. His work focuses on sustainable development in the energy and transportation sector, as well as urban sustainability and resilient cities. In particular, he is leading the efforts by Ecologic Institute in the Emerging Leaders in Environmental and Energy Policy Network (ELEEP). He is also coordinating Post-Carbon Cities of Tomorrow (POCACITO) in the U.S. and Germany and the European research project Post-Carbon Cities in Europe: A Long-Term Outlook. In 2004, Mr. Gruenig received his degree in Economics from the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. The main focus of his studies was natural resource economics and auction theory. Mr. Gruenig has lived and worked in Germany, the United States, Iceland, and Japan. He is a founding member of the European Institute for Sustainable Transport (EURIST), a member of the Sustainability Advisory Board for NaturEnergiePlus and a member of the Consumer Research Network run by the German Federal Ministry for Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV). Mr. Gruenig coauthored the book Low-Carbon Energy Security from a European Perspective with Patrizia Lombardi in 2016.

Philadelphia: Germany Foreign Policy: Coping with Domestic and International Challenges
2017-05-01 11:45 - 13:30
The Philadelphia Warburg Chapter and the German American Chamber of Commerce, Philadelphia will host a discussion and luncheon with Professor Hannes Adomeit.
There will be a $10 charge for ACG and GACC members and a $15 charge for nonmembers to attend this event. For questions, please contact Lauren Konyves via email at events@mmwr.com or via telephone at (215) 772-7257. RSVP here by April 28.
Professor Hannes Adomeit was most recently a Bosch Public Policy Fellow at the Transatlantic Academy in Washington, DC, writing a paper on German-Russian relations under Merkel and Putin. Until 2014, he was Professor for Russian and European Studies at the Warsaw campus of the College of Europe. Prior to that, he was a Research Associate and head of the research section on Russia, Eastern Europe, and the Caucasus at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin. His academic degrees include, in Germany, an M.A. in Political Science from the Freie Universität in Berlin and, in the United States, an M.A. degree in International Relations, a Certificate in Russian Studies, and a Ph.D. with distinction, all from Columbia University in New York City. In the past, he also held teaching and/or research positions at institutions in several countries, including the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, the Royal Military College of Canada, and the Rand Corporation in Santa Monica, California. From 1989 to 1997, he was Professor of International Politics and Director of the Program on Russia and East-Central Europe at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Boston as well as a Fellow at the Harvard Russian Research Center. He has written many articles in academic journals and books, including Imperial Overstretch: Germany in Soviet Policy from Stalin to Gorbachev: An Analysis Based on New Archival Evidence, Memoirs, and Interviews. He was was born in 1942 in Memel, East Prussia, now Klaipeda, Lithuania.

Los Angeles: The Prospects of German-American Relations Under President Trump
2017-05-04 12:00 - 13:30
The Los Angeles Warburg Chapter will host a discussion and luncheon with Peter Beyer, Member of the German Bundestag (CDU).
There is a $10 charge for ACG members and an $18 charge for nonmembers to attend this event. RSVP here by May 1.
Peter Beyer was born on December 25, 1970 in Ratingen, Germany. After finishing his Abitur in 1991, Mr. Beyer completed his military service in Wuppertal, and then went on to study law at the Universities of Düsseldorf and Bonn. In 1999, he finished his studies and was admitted to the bar. Mr. Beyer began his legal career as an associate attorney for the U.S.-headquartered firm of Mayer, Brown & Platt (today Mayer Brown). He also worked with Brinks, Hofer, Gilson & Lione in Chicago and Murchison & Cumming in Los Angeles. In 2000, he enrolled in a post-graduate legal studies program at the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville where he completed a Master of Law in 2001. Returning to Germany, Mr. Beyer practiced law at the BEYER Intellectual Property firm in Ratingen. There, he became one of the country’s first officially-certified intellectual property specialists. Mr. Beyer was directly elected as Mettmann CDU’s top candidate for the federal elections in 2009 and 2013 to represent the citizens of Heiligenhaus, Ratingen, Velbert and Wülfrath. A committed Atlanticist for many years, Mr. Beyer stands out among members of the parliament and his party as one of the most committed advocates of a strong transatlantic relationship with the United States and Canada. He serves as parliamentary Special Rapporteur on Transatlantic Relations for the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and is an active member of Atlantik-Brücke, Aspen Institute and United Europe, in addition to numerous organizations in his district. Mr. Beyer is Vice-President of the Südosteuropa-Gesellschaft (Southeast Europe Association).
