Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2023-09-25 09:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York)
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Monday, September 25 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause Paul-Anton Krüger, Parliamentary Correspondent in the Berlin Bureau of the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Paul-Anton Krüger has been the Parliamentary Correspondent in the Berlin Bureau of the Süddeutsche Zeitung since the 2021 federal election. Previously he reported on political affairs and served as Deputy Head of the Foreign Policy Department, focusing on the Middle East and international security for three years. Before that, he spent four years in Cairo and was a correspondent covering large parts of the Arab world and Iran.
After graduating from the Alte Landesschule in Korbach, he studied journalism in Berlin and Munich. In August 2005, he joined the Süddeutsche Zeitung as a volunteer, worked as an editor from 2008, and as head of the foreign policy department from 2011. In the fall of 2007, Mr. Krüger was a guest editor at the Chicago Tribune as part of the Arthur F. Burns Fellowship, the German-American journalism scholarship of the International Journalism Programs e.V.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2023-10-02 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Monday, October 2 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Brent Goff, Chief Anchor at DW News and Host of “The Day with Brent Goff.” Brent Goff is the Chief Anchor at DW News and Host of “The Day with Brent Goff.” He joined DW in 2000 and has become one of the most recognized on-air personalities. Prior to joining DW, Brent worked as a producer for CNN. He was both a Fulbright Scholar and a Robert Bosch Foundation Fellow in Germany. Brent grew up in rural North Carolina, and his first job in TV journalism was at a small TV station in Missouri. He holds an MA in German and European Studies from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Dealing with Disinformation: Current Forms of Disinformation, Actors, and Spheres of Influence
2023-10-04 11:00 - 12:00
Over the last decade, widespread disinformation – distributed through the internet, over social media, and especially through messengers – has influenced our political systems and societies in an unprecedented way. When it comes to disinformation, what is the current state of affairs? What have we learned about the resiliency of our institutions? Are we ready for the impact AI will have on already fragile systems? The American Council on Germany and the German Consulate General of New York are launching a new online series to discuss these questions titled “Dealing with Disinformation.”
On October 4, at 11:00 am ET, the American Council on Germany and the German Consulate General of New York will kick off the series with a virtual discussion on how actors use disinformation campaigns to influence public opinion, divide societies, and disrupt democratic processes. We will be joined by Lutz Güllner, Head of Strategic Communications and Information Analysis at the European External Action Service, and Nina Jankowicz, Vice President at the Centre for Information Resilience and former Head of the Disinformation Governance Board of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Lutz Güllner is the Head of the Division for Strategic Communications and Information Analysis in the European External Action Service. He leads a team of about 40 persons dealing with issues related to disinformation and foreign manipulative interference. In his work, he focuses on addressing disinformation threats for the EU and for the EU’s neighborhood region. Prior to his current position, he served as Head of the EEAS’s foreign and security policy communication team (2017-2019) and as Head of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Trade’s communication team (2013-17). He was also Deputy Head of the Trade Strategy Unit and responsible for the coordination of EU-US trade and economic relations. In 2009 and 2010, Mr. Güllner was spokesperson for the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton. He was also the Commission’s spokesperson for trade policy. In previous positions, he was in charge of economic relations between the EU and Russia. Prior to joining the European Commission, he worked as a public affairs consultant in Brussels.
Nina Jankowicz is an internationally recognized expert on disinformation and democratization and the author of two books: How to Lose the Information War (Bloomsbury 2020) and How to Be A Woman Online (Bloomsbury 2022), an examination of online abuse and disinformation and tips for fighting back. She currently serves as the Vice President at the UK-based Centre for Information Resilience, a non-profit focused on countering disinformation. Ms. Jankowicz has advised governments, international organizations, and tech companies, and testified before the U.S. Congress, UK Parliament, and European Parliament.
In 2022, Ms. Jankowicz was appointed to lead the Disinformation Governance Board, an intra-agency best practices and coordination entity at the Department of Homeland Security; she resigned from the position after a sustained disinformation campaign caused the Biden Administration to abandon the project. From 2017-2022, she held fellowships at the Wilson Center, where she was affiliated with the Kennan Institute and the Science and Technology Innovation Program and led accessible, actionable research about the effects of disinformation on women, minorities, democratic activists, and freedom of expression around the world. In 2016-17, she advised the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on disinformation and strategic communications under the auspices of a Fulbright-Clinton Public Policy Fellowship. Early in her career, she managed democracy assistance programs to Russia and Belarus at the National Democratic Institute.

The Implications of the EU’s AI Act: A View from Germany
2023-10-04 18:00 - 19:30
The ACG will host a discussion and reception with Paula Cipierre, Head of Privacy and Public Policy for Palantir Technologies and 2023 ACG McCloy Fellow on Global Trends.

Paula Cipierre is the Head of Privacy and Public Policy at Palantir Technologies. She advises the company and its customers on strategic and ethical questions about developing and deploying Palantir software. She has researched and worked at the intersection of data protection, data ethics, and the digital world for over a decade. A vocal proponent of interdisciplinary thinking and lifelong learning, she holds several humanities and social sciences degrees from universities in Europe and the United States, including an LLM in Information Technology Law from the University of Edinburgh. She recently co-wrote a book about what we can learn from art to shape the future with software.

Science Diplomacy, Academic Freedom, and the New Role of Universities
2023-10-05 08:00 - 09:30
On October 5, the ACG, the American Friends of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and the German Center for Research and Innovation will host a breakfast briefing with Prof. Dr. Julia von Blumenthal, President of the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin.

Prof. Dr. Julia von Blumenthal has been the President of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin since October 1, 2022. From 1989 to 1996, she studied Political Sciences, Law, and Slavonic Studies (Russian Studies) in Heidelberg and Hamburg. She received her Doctorate in 2001 and her Habilitation in Political Sciences in 2007 from the University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg (today the Helmut Schmidt University).
After a visiting fellowship in Canberra and a deputy professorship at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg, she held a fixed-term professorship for German and comparative politics at the Justus Liebig University Giessen. Prof. Dr. von Blumenthal has been a Professor of German Politics at the Department of Social Sciences of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin since 2009. She has served as Dean of Studies and afterwards as Dean of the Faculty of Arts III. In 2014, she became the Founding Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. From October 2018 to October 2022, she was President of the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder). As a political scientist, she has researched German politics, especially on federalism and parliaments and on the role of higher education institutions in integrating refugees.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2023-10-09 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse.
Join us on Monday, October 9 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause on the day after state elections in Bavaria and Hesse with Michael Watzke, Bavarian Correspondent for Deutschlandradio. He’ll talk about the impact of the elections at the state and national level. Michael Watzke has been the Bavarian Correspondent for Deutschlandradio since 2010. He first embarked on a career in journalism by working on the school paper (Die Waage) in Remscheid and later worked as a free-lancer for the Rheinischen Post and at WDR’s regional studio in Wuppertal. He studied Journalism at the German Journalist School in Munich and Political Science and Communications at the LMU Munich and at American University in Washington DC. After completing his studies, Mr. Watzke worked as a journalist, editor, and moderator and, from 2002 until 2010, as Lead Reporter for Antenne Bayern. He was awarded an Arthur F. Burns Fellowship in 2014 and worked at WNYC.

Dealing with Disinformation: How Is Disinformation Shifting Democratic Processes and International Relations?
2023-10-12 11:00 - 12:00
Disinformation is a cause for tremendous concern to countries around the world – including democracies. Information manipulation has become more common – and far more sophisticated – in recent years. There are domestic and foreign actors who engage in disinformation campaigns to disrupt democratic processes or otherwise make money by intentionally spreading false or misleading information. How resilient are nation-states and the international order? What can be done to address disinformation at the national and multilateral levels?
Join the American Council on Germany and the German Consulate General New York for the second installment of the series on “Dealing with Disinformation.” German diplomat and former journalist Ralf Beste and Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications at the United Nations, will discuss the impact of disinformation on international relations during a webinar on Thursday, October 12, at 11:00 am ET. Ralf Beste is a German diplomat and former journalist. He currently serves as the Director-General for Culture and Society at the German Federal Foreign Office. From September 2019 until March 2022, he was Germany’s Ambassador to Austria. Prior to that, he was Deputy Director of the Policy Planning Staff in the Foreign Office, where he was responsible for the 2014 “Review of German Foreign Policy.” He became the Director of the Policy Planning staff in 2017.
From 1996 until 2000, he was the Parliamentary Correspondent for the Berliner Zeitung – first in Bonn and then in Berlin. In 2001, he moved to the Berlin Bureau of Der Spiegel, where he reported on foreign and security policy and the Greens.
Mr. Beste studied History in Bochum, Bielefeld, and Baltimore and holds Master’s degrees from Bielefeld University and The Johns Hopkins University.
Melissa Fleming is Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications at the United Nations, having taken up her post in September 2019.
Ms. Fleming leads the UN’s Department of Global Communications, which is responsible for informing global audiences about the state of the world and engaging them to build support for the Organization’s work and goals.
In this role, Ms. Fleming oversees the UN’s strategic communications operations, including its multilingual news and digital media services, public outreach programmes, and global campaigns.
Under her leadership, the UN Department of Global Communications engages in far-reaching efforts to address misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech. She is leading on the development of a Code of Conduct for Information Integrity on Digital Platforms.
Previously, Ms. Fleming served 10 years at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) as Head of Global Communications. Prior to that, she was the Spokesperson and Head of Media and Outreach at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). She also headed the Press and Public Information team at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Ms. Fleming is a TED speaker, the author of the book  A Hope More Powerful than the Sea, and the host of the award-winning UN podcast Awake at Night.
Ms. Fleming holds a Master of Science in Journalism from the College of Communication, Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts in German Studies from Oberlin College.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2023-10-16 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse.
Join us on Monday, October 16 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with journalist Alfred Schmit. Alfred Schmit works as a journalist in Berlin. Since December 2018, he has been a radio correspondent in ARD’s capital studio in Berlin. Previously, he worked as London correspondent for ARD radio, for SWR Radio in the Economics department in Stuttgart and as newswriter for the German national TV news, tagesschau, in Hamburg. Mr. Schmit’s topics primarily include economics, finance, and consumer issues. Previously, the radio journalist worked at DEUTSCHE WELLE as presenter for the English-language section and a correspondent’s deputy in Bonn. A political scientist by training, he graduated from the Universität Heidelberg and completed journalism training at the Institute for the Promotion of Young Journalists in Munich (ifp). Mr. Schmit also spent a year studying in the United States at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania.

Kaffeepause: Special Edition - The Polish Election
2023-10-23 09:00 - 10:00
Join us on Monday, October 23, for a special edition of the regular Kaffeepause. We’ll discuss the results of Poland’s election and the future of German-Polish relations with former German Ambassador to Poland Rolf Nikel. Ambassador Rolf Nikel has served as the Vice President of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) since September 2020, when he was elected to this office by DGAP’s general assembly.
Before joining DGAP, Amb. Nikel spent more than 40 years working for the German Foreign Office. From July 2014 until the end of June 2020, he was Germany’s ambassador to Poland. From 2011 to 2014, he was the Federal Government Commissioner for Disarmament and Arms Control. Prior to that, he served in the Federal Chancellery – as deputy head of its foreign and security policy division (2006 to 2011) and head of its United Nations and Global Issues Group (2005 to 2006). During his diplomatic career, he also worked at German embassies in Moscow, Nairobi, Paris, and Washington, DC, where he headed the political department.
Rolf Nikel studied political science, economics, and international law in Frankfurt; Durham, North Carolina; and Paris. He was also a fellow at Harvard University.

Germany’s Zeitenwende and Nuclear Deterrence
2023-10-24 10:00 - 11:00
With Russia’s war in Ukraine, we have seen a fundamental shift in Germany’s foreign, security, and energy policy. Putin’s nuclear threats and saber-rattling has also led to a reexamination of Germany’s approach to nuclear defense. Prior to the current conflict, there was little discussion about nuclear defense.
In a new book titled “Deutschlands nukleare Interessen” (Germany’s Nuclear Interests), security expert Dr. Karl-Heinz Kamp reexamines Germany’s nuclear defense policy and highlights the need for German parliamentarians and policymakers to have a nuanced understanding about nuclear matters and the role of deterrence. Join us on October 24 at 11 am ET for a virtual discussion with Dr. Kamp. Dr. Karl-Heinz Kamp is a Lecturer at the University “Roma Tre” in Rome and an Associate Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in Berlin. Previously, he served as Special Envoy of the Political Director in the German Ministry of Defense. From 2013 to 2015, he was the Academic Director at the Federal Academy for Security Policy (BAKS) in Berlin and then served as the Academy’s President until 2019.
He started his career in 1986 at the German Council of Foreign Affairs (DGAP) in Bonn. In 1988, he was a Research Fellow at the Center for Science and International Affairs (CSIA) at Harvard‘s John F. Kennedy School of Government. In September 1988, he joined the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Bonn, where he became Head of the Foreign- and Security Policy Research Section in 1992 and later the Director of its International Planning Staff. From 2003 to 2007, he was the Security Policy Coordinator of the Foundation in Berlin. From 1997 to 1998, Dr. Kamp was on a temporary assignment with the Planning Staff of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From November 2007 to October 2013, he served as the Research Director of the NATO Defense College (NDC) in Rome to build up NATO’s Research Division.
Dr. Kamp is a member of numerous international institutions and academic bodies. In 2009, Secretary Madeleine Albright selected him as one of the Advisors for the NATO Expert Group on the New Strategic Concept. Since 2016, he is also the co-editor of the strategic journal “Sirius,” and he has published more than 400 articles on security policy issues in books and journals.

How has the War in Ukraine Changed Germany’s Energy and Climate Policy?
2023-10-26 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG and the Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Washington DC will host a discussion and luncheon with Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Executive Director/CEO of Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V. (Environmental Action Germany).
Sascha Müller-Kraenner has served as Executive Director/CEO of Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V., DUH (Environmental Action Germany) since January 2015. Environmental Action Germany is an independent non-profit organization that was founded in 1975 and is focused on environmental and consumer protection. It is a leading environment and consumer advocacy organization that works mostly at the German state and national and on the European level.
Mr. Müller-Kraenner is also a founding partner and board member of Ecologic Institute, a non-profit applied environmental policy research institute with offices in Berlin, Brussels, and Washington, DC. Before assuming his current role, he held various positions with The Nature Conservancy between 2007 and 2014, and earlier in his career, he worked for the Heinrich-Böll Foundation.
Mr. Müller-Kraenner studied Philosophy in Munich and graduated with honors in Biology and Public Law from the University of Bayreuth.

The Israel-Hamas Conflict and its Broader Implications: A View from Germany
2023-11-01 12:00 - 13:00
On October 7, in a series of coordinated attacks, the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented assault on Israel, with hundreds of gunmen infiltrating communities near the Gaza Strip. More than 1,400 Israelis were killed and more than 200 people – including civilians – were taken to Gaza as hostages. In response, Israel has carried out air and artillery strikes, begun a counter-offensive, and cut off electricity and most water supplies. The fighting is causing death and destruction in the region – and causing reverberations around the world. On Monday, the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting regarding the situation. This comes after a meeting on Friday when 120 countries voted in favor of a UN resolution calling for a “sustained humanitarian truce” in Gaza. The United States voted against the resolution. Germany – and 14 other EU member states – abstained, showing that the EU countries cannot find a common position.
More than three weeks into the conflict, join the American Council on Germany on November 1 for a virtual discussion about the broader implications of the conflict with Middle East expert Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz, Director of the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies and Professor for Contemporary History and Politics of the Middle East at the University of Hamburg. Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz has been the Director of the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies and Professor of Contemporary History and Politics of the Middle East at the University of Hamburg since October 2019. Prior to that, he was a Senior Research Fellow at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB). Earlier in his career, he served as Director of Economic Studies at the Gulf Research Center (GRC) in Dubai. He began his career in finance, working for banks in Frankfurt, Mainz, and Dubai. He has also held positions with the Barcelona Institute of International Studies, the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po, and at Princeton University.
Prof. Dr. Woertz studied Economics, Political Science, and Islamic Studies at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, the Free University of Berlin, the Institut Français d’Études Arabes de Damas, and the University of Damascus.

German-American Economic Relations: A German Perspective
2023-11-01 18:00 - 19:30
The ACG and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung will host a discussion and reception with Julia Klöckner, Member of the German Bundestag, Spokeswoman on Economic Policy for the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group, and Former Federal Minister.
Julia Klöckner has been a member of the German Parliament (Bundestag) since 2021, representing the constituency of Kreuznach. She serves as the Spokeswoman on Economic Policy for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group and as a Deputy Member of the Committee on Culture and the Media. She previously served as the Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture under the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2018 to 2021.
After training as a journalist, Ms. Klöckner’s was among other things an Editor at the Meininger Verlag publishing house, and later Editor-in-Chief of Sommelier magazine, which she co-founded. During this time, she also remained active in local politics. She made her first foray into national politics in 2002, when she first entered the Bundestag. In 2011, she went to serve in the state parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate and as Chairwoman of its CDU parliamentary group from 2011 to 2018. Throughout her career, Ms. Klöckner has held several senior leadership roles within the CDU, including as federal treasurer since 2022 and deputy federal chairwomen from 2012 to 2022.

Navigating Crises, Conflict, and Competition: A European Perspective on the Future of Transatlantic Relations, Multilateralism, and the World Order
2023-11-02 08:00 - 21:30
The ACG and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung will host a Breakfast Briefing with Klaus Welle, Chairman of the Academic Council at the Martens Centre for European Studies (Brussels) and Former Secretary-General of the European Parliament.
Klaus Welle served as the Secretary-General of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2022. He is currently the Chairman of the Academic Council at the Martens Centre for European Studies (Brussels) and the inaugural ‘Leader in Residence’ at the Moynihan Center at the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at The City College of New York.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Welle served in various roles at the European Parliament including Head of the Cabinet of the President (2007-2009), Director-General for Internal Policies (2004-2007), and Secretary-General for the European People’s Party (EPP) in Parliament (1999-2003). He also served as the Secretary-General for the EPP and the European Union of Christian Democrats (EUCD) and the Head of the European and Foreign Policy Department at the CDU Central Office.
Mr. Welle holds a degree in Economics from the University of Witten/Herdecke and is the recipient of grants from the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (German Academic Scholarship) and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2023-11-06 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Monday, November 6 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Bojan Pancevski, Germany Correspondent, The Wall Street Journal. Bojan Pancevski is The Wall Street Journal’s Germany correspondent, covering all aspects of Europe’s largest economy and its influence on the rest of the continent and beyond. He also covers Europe at large across major themes.
Before joining the WSJ, he covered Europe for the Times and the Sunday Times of London from Brussels and Vienna, focusing on a broad range of subjects including the war in eastern Ukraine, the 2015 migration crisis, the rise of the Islamic State in Europe, Russian meddling in Europe and Britain’s departure from the European Union.

Supporting Israel, Understanding Palestinians: How the War in Gaza has Sparked Dark Reminders of the Past in Germany
2023-11-09 11:00 - 12:00
Since the end of World War II, one term has shaped German politics more than any other: “Never again.” Yet, once again, Jews fear for their lives.
The October 7 terror attacks on Israel by Hamas have evoked agonizing memories. World leaders like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden have drawn parallels between the assault and the Holocaust. Biden even described the attacks on a dance party and farming communities, which left more than 1,400 people dead, as “the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.”
Since the attacks, Jews in Germany have faced violence on German streets and authorities say antisemitic crimes have increased. Homes and businesses have been marked with the Star of David, a dark reminder of the 1930s. The conflict in Gaza has polarized communities. There have been pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrations that have gotten violent.
On November 9, we will talk with award-winning journalist and ACG fellow Vladimir Balzer about the mood in Germany following the violence in Gaza. Vladimir Balzer is an award-winning journalist and moderator at Deutschlandfunk Kultur. He grew up in Leipzig and studied German, art history, and journalism in Dublin, Venice, and Leipzig. He studied abroad in Italy and the United States. He began his career as a presenter, reporter, and editor at Deutschlandradio and MDR. Mr. Balzer hosts, among other programs, the daily programs “Fazit – Kultur vom Tage” and “Studio 9” on Deutschlandfunk Kultur. In 2022, he was selected to be a Kellen Fellow by the American Council on Germany.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2023-11-13 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Monday, November 13 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Berlin Correspondent for Die Zeit, Petra Pinzler (2010 Kellen Fellow).
Petra Pinzler is a journalist with the German weekly DIE ZEIT based in the Berlin office. She writes on the EU and foreign policy as well as economic affairs and development. She has been with DIE ZEIT since 1994, first as an economics editor based in Hamburg, then from 1998 to 2002 as a US correspondent based in Washington, DC. In 2001, she was a Bucerius Fellow at the de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University. From 2002 to 2007, she was the paper’s European Correspondent based in Brussels.
She studied economics and politics at the University of Cologne and journalism at the Cologne Journalism School. Ms. Pinzler has won a number of awards for her work including the Robert Bosch Foundation Journalism Prize in 1999, the Karl Klasen Prize in 2003, and the Journalism Prize for Development Policy in 2006. In 2010, she was awarded a Kellen Fellowship from the American Council on Germany.

Can AI Be Creative?
2023-11-14 18:00 - 19:30
On November 14, the ACG, DWIH, and HPI will host a discussion and reception with Professor Gerard de Melo, Full Professor at the Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Engineering and Chair for Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems at the University of Potsdam.
While creativity is often considered a uniquely human trait, there have recently been notable advances in Generative AI systems that readily produce increasingly convincing pictures, literature, as well as music. This raises important debates about the role of humans and machines in the creative process. This presentation will delve into fundamental concepts of creativity and how they relate to AI, highlighting how machines are trained to generate new content based on massive amounts of human data. In addition, this talk will address the ongoing debate surrounding authorship, and intellectual property.
Gerard de Melo is a full professor at the Hasso Plattner Institute and the University of Potsdam in Germany, where he leads the AI and Intelligent Systems research group. Previously, he was an assistant professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey as well as at Tsinghua University in Beijing and a post-doctoral research scholar at ICSI/UC Berkeley.
Professor de Melo has published over 200 academic papers on various aspects of AI, covering technical issues as well as societal and philosophical issues such as bias, transparency, and knowledge.

Democracy vs. Autocracy: Threats to Western Democracies through Autocratic Regimes
2023-11-16 18:00 - 19:30
The ACG will host a discussion and reception with Thomas Haldenwang, President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV)).
Thomas Haldenwang currently serves as the President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV)), a key domestic intelligence agency in Germany with the mission of fighting extremist adversaries of the federal constitution.
Mr. Haldenwang started working at the BfV in 2009, became Vice President in 2013, and then President in 2018. Prior to working for the BfV, he worked as a legal officer for the Federal Ministry of Interior and the Federal Office of Administration. He studied Law at the University of Marburg. He is a prominent German civil servant and intelligence officer who has dedicated his career to national security and counterintelligence.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2023-11-20 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Monday, November 20 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Anja Wehler-Schöck, Head of International Politics for Der Tagesspiegel.
Anja Wehler-Schöck 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.

Germany’s Foreign Policy Outlook in Times of Crisis and Conflict
2023-11-21 08:30 - 10:00
On November 21, the Denver Warburg Chapter of the ACG and the Denver Council on Foreign Relations will host a roundtable discussion with Ralf Beste, Director-General for Culture and Society at the German Federal Foreign Office, on“Germany’s Foreign Policy Outlook in Times of Crisis and Conflict.”
Ralf Beste is a German diplomat and former journalist. He currently serves as the Director-General for Culture and Society at the German Federal Foreign Office. From September 2019 until March 2022, he was Germany’s Ambassador to Austria. Prior to that, he was Deputy Director of the Policy Planning Staff in the Foreign Office, where he was responsible for the 2014 “Review of German Foreign Policy.” He became the Director of the Policy Planning staff in 2017.
From 1996 until 2000, he was the Parliamentary Correspondent for the Berliner Zeitung – first in Bonn and then in Berlin. In 2001, he moved to the Berlin Bureau of Der Spiegel, where he reported on foreign and security policy and the Greens.
Mr. Beste studied History in Bochum, Bielefeld, and Baltimore, and holds Master’s degrees from Bielefeld University and The Johns Hopkins University.

Land of the Free? Wie der Kampf um die Freiheit Amerikas Zukunft bestimmt
2023-11-27 08:30 - 10:00
Der American Council on Germany und Freunde des ACG werden ein Frühstück und eine Diskussion mit Julian Heißler, Washington Korrespondent der WirtschaftsWoche und Autor von Traum und Albtraum: Amerika und die vielen Gesichter der Freiheit. Julian Heiβler, Jahrgang 1983, berichtet seit Januar 2018 für die WirtschaftsWoche aus Washington DC. Zuvor schrieb er mehrere Jahre in Berlin für verschiedene Medien über die deutsche Bundespolitik. Er studierte Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft, Politikwissenschaft und Philosophie an der Freien Universität zu Berlin und absolvierte das Masterprogramm Journalismus der Hamburg Media School.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2023-11-27 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Monday, November 27 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Matthew Karnitschnig, Chief Europe Correspondent for Politico. Matthew Karnitschnig is POLITICO’s chief Europe correspondent, based in Berlin. He joined the publication in 2015 from the Wall Street Journal, where he spent 15 years in a variety of positions as a reporter and editor in the U.S. and Europe.
In a career spanning two decades, Mr. Karnitschnig has been on the front lines of some of the defining political and economic stories of our time. In 2008, he covered the fall of Lehman Brothers and the financial crisis that ensued. He was part of a team of Journal reporters that won a Gerald Loeb award and was named a Pulitzer finalist for National Reporting in 2009.
He subsequently spearheaded the WSJ’s coverage of the eurozone debt crisis as the paper’s Germany bureau chief and European economics editor. He led the team that was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting in 2011 and won an Overseas Press Club award in 2012.
Mr. Karnitschnig previously worked as a journalist for BusinessWeek, Reuters, and Bloomberg.
The son of an Austrian father and an American mother, he grew up in Arizona, where he got his start reporting as a stringer for the Phoenix Gazette during high school.

Global Labor Movements and the Role of Trade Unions in the Green Transition
2023-11-28 11:00 - 12:00
The world of work is undergoing an unprecedented period of change and transformation driven by technological advancements as well as external factors. Globalization, demographic trends, technology, and the environment are all having an impact on today’s labor markets and are likely to shape those of the future. Although membership has been on the decline, trade unions are on the front line in efforts to find innovative responses to the myriad challenges of structural change.
Many have spoken out in support of the transition to a green economy, but very few have focused on the development of a “just transition” strategy proposed by global labor unions – which fight for fundamental rights and more just social interactions. How do trade unions respond to global trends and geopolitical developments? Is there a new global labor movement? What is the scope of “just transition” today, and how have labor unions developed and refined it to make the move toward a green economy both environmentally and socially sustainable? Is the road to net zero paved with jobs?
On Tuesday, November 28, the American Council on Germany and 1014 will host a second virtual discussion on the future of work with Thorben Albrecht, Policy Director of IG Metall and former State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, and Dr. Annelise Orleck, Professor of History at Dartmouth College. Thorben Albrecht currently serves as Policy Director of IG Metall, the German metalworkers’ trade union. He is an internationally recognized expert on the future of work. His fields of expertise include automation and artificial intelligence, new forms of work, and managing transitions, including skills development, flexibility arrangements, and social dialogue.
From 2017 to 2019, Mr. Albrecht was a member of the Global Commission on the Future of Work established by the International Labor Organization (ILO). He also served as Permanent State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (2014-2018). From 2008 to 2013, he was Head of Office for Andrea Nahles and of the policy department of the Executive Board of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD). Prior to that he worked for the National Executive Board of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) as Head of Division responsible for the coordination of European affairs.
Dr. Annelise Orleck is a professor at Dartmouth College where she focuses on history, politics, activism, American radicalism, race studies and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. She is the author of several books, including Rethinking American Women’s Activism; Storming Caesars Palace: How Black Mothers Fought Their Own War on Poverty; and Common Sense and a Little Fire: Women and Working Class Politics in the U.S.

Building Digital Infrastructure for Government Services and Administration
2023-11-30 11:00 - 12:30
While global challenges are addressed by national governments, increasingly subnational actors such as states, communities, and cities have needed to step up to take action when traditional nation-states have been unable to progress due to political polarization and partisan gridlocks. This trend has also characterized transatlantic relations and the German-American partnership. The German-American State Legislator Dialogue draws on this notion, focusing on the role of state representatives from the United States and Germany in addressing common transatlantic challenges.
In recent years, the digitalization of government services and administration has become increasingly crucial for the state-level to ensure efficient and effective service delivery. This is particularly relevant in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has further accelerated the need for remote and digital access to government services, from filing tax returns to renewing a driver’s license or applying for social welfare benefits. In this discussion as part of the series State-to-State: German-American State Legislator Dialogue, we will explore the benefits of digitalization and what steps state legislators in Germany and the United States have taken to promote the digitalization of government services and administration. Alternatively, in order for these efforts to be well-received, what measures are being taken to ensure that citizens are willing and able to embrace a shift to e-government? What steps are being taken towards digital literacy and equitable, broad access? State legislators on both sides of the Atlantic will also explore the challenges and concerns that accompany the digitalization of government services, including how to protect citizens’ privacy and data and address cybersecurity concerns. This event aims to share insights on digital transformation strategies and focus on how best practices from the state level in one country may be implemented or mirrored in another.
Join the American Council on Germany and the Aspen Institute Germany for our next State-to-State: German-American State Legislator Dialogue for a discussion with German and American state legislators including Eva Botzenhart (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), Bürgerschaft Hamburg; Ellen Demuth (CDU), State Parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate; Representative Parenti (D), Colorado General Assembly; Senator Bo Watson (R), Tennessee General Assembly. Eva Botzenhart (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) is a member of the Green parliamentary group in the Bürgerschaft Hamburg, Germany, the parliament of Hamburg State. She is the spokesperson for transport, digitalization, and data protection. For over 20 years, she was professionally responsible for IT and the network of the Green parliamentary group. Ms. Botzenhart sees the German Online Access Act (OZG) as the first step towards advancing the digitalization of the administration, but: “The upcoming new edition of the OZG is urgently needed. After all, the OZG 1.0 only stipulated that citizens can apply for administrative services digitally. However, the processes behind this must also be digitalized!” In addition to the great importance of data protection, she is enthusiastic about the EfA principle (One for All), in which federal states build digital applications for use by all other states.
Ellen Demuth (CDU) has been a Member of the State Parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate since 2011, currently serving as the Deputy Chairwoman of the local CDU State Parliamentary Group, where she is responsible for health and social policy. Directly elected three times to the State Parliament, she is a Member of the Committee for Media, Internet, and Digitalization and of the Committee of Female Empowerment and Gender Equality. Since 2022, she has acted as one of three deputies on the CDU State Executive Board. Ms. Demuth holds a Double Degree in Business and Business Administration from the International University of Applied Sciences, having previously obtained a Bachelor of Business at the University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia.
Representative Jennifer Parenti (D) is the State Representative for Colorado House District 19, representing the communities of Dacono, Erie, Frederick, Firestone, East Longmont, and surrounding areas. She was elected to the Colorado State House in 2022 and serves on the Joint Technology Committee and Transportation, Housing, & Local Government and Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources committees. Representative Parenti retired from the US Air Force in August 2014 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel after a successful career as an information systems program manager, instructor, and international affairs advisor. After retirement, she joined the International Staff of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as a strategic planner and Joint Fires facilitator in the Defense Investment Division, advising Allies on opportunities to fulfill NATO investment obligations through cooperative development. After returning to her native Colorado in 2019, she became active in community and political organizing, supporting veterans, voting rights, and open and accountable government, promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, and championing other progressive causes. She lives in Erie (Weld County), CO with the younger of her two children and is a proud alumnus of the 2011 American Council on Germany Young Leader program.
Senator Bo Watson (R) is a Tennessee State Senator and has represented part of Hamilton County in the Tennessee General Assembly since 2004. Since 2017, Senator Watson has served as the Chairman of the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee. It is a top priority of Senator Watson’s that the state of Tennessee is a good steward of taxpayer dollars. Under his leadership, Tennessee has ranked #1 in the nation for fiscal stability, maintained a AAA bond rating, and developed a $1.8 billion rainy day fund – all with no state income tax. From 2011 – 2016, Senator Watson served as Speaker Pro Tempore of the Tennessee Senate and from 2009 – 2010 was Chairman of the Senate Government Operations Committee. In addition to his public service, Senator Watson is a licensed physical therapist and market director for therapy services at HCA Parkridge Medical Center in Chattanooga. He graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.

Kaffeepause: What's Abuzz in Berlin?
2023-12-04 09:00 - 10:00
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. Join us on Monday, December 4 at 9:00 am ET for a Kaffeepause with Melanie Amann, Co-Editor-in-Chief for Der Spiegel Melanie Amann is a German journalist and lawyer. She is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the leading German weekly newspaper, Der Spiegel, and heads the publication’s Berlin office. She was born in Bonn and raised in Siegburg. She studied law at the University of Trier, Aix-Marseille III, and at the Humboldt University of Berlin.

Stronger Together? German-American Cooperation in Times of Conflict in Ukraine and Israel
2023-12-06 08:00 - 10:00
The Philadelphia Eric M. Warburg Chapter of the American Council on Germany and the German Society of Pennsylvania are pleased to invite you to a breakfast briefing with Michael Georg Link, Coordinator for Transatlantic Cooperation in the Federal Foreign Office and Member of the Bundestag (FDP) Michael Georg Link is a member of the German Bundestag, where he represents the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and his home electoral district, Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg. He is the Spokesperson on Europe of the FDP Parliamentary Group, and since March 2022, he has been the Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation at the Federal Foreign Office. In addition, Mr. Link is a member of the party council of the European Liberals (ALDE) and a member of the FDP national executive board in his capacity as party Treasurer. He is a member of Heilbronn City Council and also Chairperson of the FDP association in that city. From January 2012 to December 2013, he was Minister of State for Europe at the Federal Foreign Office and Federal Government Commissioner for Franco-German Cooperation. In particular, he was responsible for relations with the United Nations, the European Union, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, and NATO, as well as bilateral relations with the United States and Canada. After his military service, Mr. Link studied Russian and French at the universities of Augsburg, Lausanne, and Heidelberg.

Different Times, Different Rules? Germany’s Constitutional Court and the Budget Crisis
2023-12-06 10:00 - 11:00
In mid-November, Germany’s Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe ruled against the Ampelkoalition’s efforts to get around the country’s “debt brake” to use “special funds” to finance its ambitious legislative agenda. At issue was a budgeting maneuver to move 60 billion euros of unused pandemic aid to a fund for Germany’s green transition. But the ruling raises questions about the government’s ability to access a total of €869 billion, which is not included in the federal budget but in 29 different “special funds.” It also forced the government to freeze new spending and put approval of the 2024 budget on hold.
In 2009, Germany introduced the Schuldenbremse – limiting the government’s structural budget deficit to 0.35% of gross domestic product – following the global financial crisis. However, the government had to suspend the debt brake in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which it is allowed to do in “exceptional emergencies.” On Tuesday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged lawmakers to override Germany’s borrowing limits for a fourth consecutive year.
Join the ACG for a discussion about the foreign policy, national security, energy policy, and domestic implications of Germany’s budget crisis with Bundestag member Metin Hakverdi (SPD) on Wednesday, December 6. Metin Hakverdi joined the Social Democratic Party in 2002 and has been a member of the German Bundestag since 2013. He serves on the Bundestag’s Committee on European Union Affairs and on the Budget Committee. He is the Chairman of the USA/North America Working Group within the SPD Parliamentary Group and a member of the German-American Parliamentary Friendship Group in the German Bundestag. Before being elected to the Bundestag, Mr. Hakverdi was a member of the Parliament of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg from 2008 to 2013, where he was on the Budget Committee and the Committee of Public Companies and Assets.
Mr. Hakverdi attended high school in Simi Valley, California, in 1985/86 and studied law at the Christian-Albrecht University in Kiel and at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law. He was a distinguished visitor at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies in 2019 and a 2020 John F. Kennedy Memorial Policy Fellow at Harvard’s Center for European Studies (CES).

Christmas Market Meetup
2023-12-06 18:30 - 20:30
The Freunde des American Council on Germany and the ACG will host a meet-up in Berlin.

The Shifting Geo-Economic Landscape: A German Perspective
2023-12-11 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG will host a discussion and luncheon with Dr. Christian Forwick, Deputy Director-General for External Economic Relations, Trade Policy, and America in the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
For more information, please email events@acgusa.org.
Christian Forwick has served as the Deputy Director-General for External Economic Relations, Trade Policy, and America in the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action since July 2018. Prior to this, he was head of the Ministry’s budget division. After starting his career in the public administration in 1994, he worked for many years in the area of foreign economic relations, starting with bilateral relations with South Africa, followed by export financing and export promotion, and finally specializing in trade policy. He spent several years at the German Mission to the WTO in Geneva and in the department of Foreign Economic Relations in the Federal Chancellery.
Mr. Forwick grew up in Spain and began his academic career in Ecuador (Quito). He studied law in Germany (Saarbruecken, Muenster, and Hamburg) and Switzerland (Geneva). He holds a PhD from the University of Muenster and spent a year as a visiting scholar at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX.
