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 May 13, the ACG hosted a hybrid event with senior German diplomat Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, who served as the Chairman of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) from 2008 until 2022 and is now President of the Foundation Council of the Munich Security Conference Foundation.
On May 12, the ACG hosted a virtual discussion on the variety of roles women take during conflicts with journalist Cosima Gill and war reporter Julia Leeb, who are co-hosts of a German-language podcast called “Women in War.”
On May 6, the ACG hosted a virtual discussion with Berlin-based cybersecurity experts Tyson Barker, Head of the Technology and Global Affairs Program, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), and Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar, Director of the Digital Society Institute at the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT).
On May 5, the American Council on Germany and the German Embassy in Washington, DC, hosted a virtual discussion with Dr. Jörg Kukies, State Secretary for Economic, Finance, and European Affairs – and one of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s closest advisors. He provided an overview of the G7 Presidency prior to the G7 Leaders’ Summit in late June.
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 May 2, the ACG hosted a Kaffeepause on the latest developments in Berlin including Germany’s renewed commitment to sending weapons to Ukraine with Matthew Karnitschnig, Chief European Correspondent for Politico.