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 August 21, the ACG hosted a Kaffeepause with Simon Book, Editor for Der Spiegel and 2016 ACG Kellen Fellow.
On August 8, the American Council on Germany hosted a virtual discussion with Dr. Janka Oertel, the Director of the Asia Program and a Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, about the debate within the German government to develop a China Strategy and the contours of Berlin’s new approach to China.
On July 17, the ACG hosted a virtual discussion on the recent NATO Summit and relations with Russia with SWP experts Dr. Margarete Klein, Head of Eastern Europe/Eurasia Research Division, and Dr. Claudia Major, Head of the International Security Research Division.
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. On July 17, the ACG hosted a Kaffeepause with Dr. Anna Sauerbrey, Foreign Editor for the weekly DIE ZEIT and 2018 ACG Kellen Fellow.
On July 12, the ACG held a virtual discussion with Christian Jetzlsperger, Head of Division for the United States, Canada, and the G7 Foreign Ministers’ track at the German Federal Foreign Office and Deputy Head of the Task Force responsible for crafting the National Security Strategy, to learn about the contours of Germany’s new National Security Strategy which was released in June.