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.
Each week, the ACG hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse in Berlin. On December 20, the ACG hosted the last kaffeepause of the year with ACG Young Leader alumnus Matthias Deiß, Deputy Director of ARD’s television studio in Berlin.
On December 17 the ACG held an online discussion about the new German government with the Political Editor of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Stefan Kornelius with a focus on possible new directions in policy as well as how the coalition may address important challenges facing the country.
Each week, the ACG hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse in Berlin. On December 13, the ACG hosted a discussion on what to expect from the new government in Berlin with Matthew Karnitschnig, Chief European Correspondent for Politico.
Aimed to coincide with President Biden’s “Democracy Summit,” on December 10, the ACG hosted a discussion about the internal and external challenges to democracy in Europe, the United States, and around the world with Dr. Frances Brown, Co-Director and Senior Fellow in the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Ralf Fücks, Managing Director of the Center for Liberal Modernity in Berlin. This discussion was supported by the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung.
In late November, a new survey on the German-American relationship conducted by the Pew Research Center and the Körber Stiftung was released. After elections in both countries and a transfer of power in the U.S. earlier this year, the bilateral relationship appears to be on the mend. Large majorities in the U.S. and Germany believe that the relationship between their two countries is good. In a marked change from 2020, Germans are now much more likely to name the U.S. as an important partner on a number of key issues – including the environment and trade. However, despite an improvement in opinions about the relationship, few Americans name Germany as their most important foreign policy partner.
On December 9, the ACG hosted a discussion of the survey results with Julia Ganter, the Editor of the Körber-Stiftung’s The Berlin Pulse, and the Associate Director of Global Attitudes Research at the Pew Research Center Jacob Poushter; and moderated by ACG Board member Dr. Charles Kupchan, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and Professor of International Affairs at Georgetown University.