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.
The debate over differences in U.S. and European speech rights is a perennial issue. But, the emergence of private social media platforms – and their dominance – has given the issue a new dimension and a new sense of urgency.
On March 8, the American Council on Germany, the Max Planck Law Network, and the Robert Bosch Foundation Alumni Association hosted a discussion with Prof. Dr. Ralf Poscher, Director at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, in Freiburg, Germany, and Nadine Strossen, John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law at New York Law School. The discussion was moderated by Russell Miller, Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Max Planck Law Network and J.B. Stombock Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University.
On March 8 – International Women’s Day – the ACG hosted a discussion about how gender equity is a priority for foreign policy and national security with Member of the European Parliament Dr. Hannah Neumann (Greens), who spearheaded the Feminist Foreign Policy; Dr. Armgard von Reden, Chairwoman of Women in International Security Germany; and Julia Santucci, Senior Lecturer in Intelligence Studies and Director of the Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership and the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and former Senior Advisor in the Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues during the Obama Administration.
The U.S. Secretary of State and the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement indicating that they are willing to hold direct talks with Tehran over how to bring the United States and Iran into compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (or JCPOA, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal) – and then strengthen the agreement and address broader security concerns.
For the United States, this is a major step toward restoring the Iran nuclear deal – which was abandoned by the Trump administration – but the clock is ticking. Tehran may only be months away from amassing enough fissile material to build an atomic bomb. On February 26, the ACG hosted a virtual discussion with Iran expert Dr. Cornelius Adebahr and nuclear proliferation expert Kelsey Davenport about the U.S., Europe, and Iran at this critical juncture.
Starting with a street vendor in Tunisia, the “Arab Spring” protests took over much of the Middle East and Northern Africa ten years ago as people fought against oppressive governments. Although many observers and analysts believed that this would be a turning point for the region, high hopes turned to despair. A decade after citizens throughout the region rose up against its dictators, authoritarianism still has a tight grip and people are exhausted and drained. Poverty has deepened, and the pandemic and falling oil prices have exacerbated the situation.
On February 23, the ACG hosted a discussion about the legacy of the “Arab Spring” and its impact across the region today with former U.S. diplomat Ambassador James F. Jeffrey and award-winning journalist Souad Mekhennet. She was on the ground during the uprisings and has spent the past decade researching the long-term strategies of terrorist organizations after the “Arab Spring.”
The coronavirus pandemic is accelerating the development of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) as it has prompted millions of people to turn to cashless payments. But, efforts to create CBDCs is nothing new. Central banks have been exploring how CBDCs could become a reality since Facebook’s efforts to launch its own cryptocurrency Libra raised the prospect of a private company competing with traditional currencies.
On February 10, the American Council on Germany hosted a discussion with Burkhard Balz, Member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank, on CBDC trends in Europe.