The spread of COVID-19 and the ensuing global lock-down as governments try to slow the spread of the corona virus has tested individuals and institutions around the world. Since March of 2020, the ACG has stepped up its digital programming by hosting webinars and video discussions which bring together policy makers and thought leaders from both sides of the Atlantic to discuss some of the key issues shaping transatlantic relations in an unprecedented time. In addition to organizing events on its own, the ACG has also partnered with other organizations such as 1014 and Atlantik-Brücke to launch new series designed to reach beyond the ACG community.
On Thursday, July 18, the ACG held a “Summer Book Recommendation” with historian and ACG Young Leader alumnus Timothy W. Ryback. His new book, “Takeover: Hitler’s Final Rise to Power,” explores the six months leading up to Adolf Hitler’s seizure of power in January 1933 and the valiant efforts that nearly succeeded in stopping his appointment as chancellor of Germany. He discussed this story and its disturbing parallels to the U.S. political scene today.
On July 16, the ACG held a virtual discussion with award-winning German journalist Annette Dittert as part of our Superwahljahr 2024 series. She has been based in London since 2008 and serves as the London Bureau Chief and Senior Correspondent of the German public broadcaster ARD. She discussed the election results and the path forward for the United Kingdom.
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. On July 15, the ACG held a Kaffeepause with Marc Felix Serrao, Editor-in-Chief for the Neue Züricher Zeitung in Germany.
After a poor showing in the European parliamentary election last month, French President Emmanuel Macron called for snap elections. Although a left-wing coalition was able to stave off the far-right National Rally, no party was able to gain an absolute majority in Sunday’s second round of elections and Macron appears to be weakened. France now faces a hung parliament.
On July 11, the ACG hosted a virtual discussion with Jacob Ross, a Research Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations, on the path forward after the second round of elections in France and the future of Franco-German relations.
On June 25, the ACG held a hybrid event with German Consul General David Gill as he prepares to leave New York for his new posting in Ireland.