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.
As the United States prepares to go to the polls, on October 27, the ACG and World Denver hosted a discussion with Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, in conversation with Ambassador Christopher Hill. Ambassador Wolfgang reflected on the challenges facing the U.S.-German relationship. This event was held under the auspices of Wunderbar Together USA 2020.
Border closures, regional lock-downs, and layoffs of migrant workers due to the pandemic have impacted the movement of people – and fundamentally changed the nature of global migration. What are the repercussions of the inability of migrant workers to travel to agricultural fields or other places of work? Will public opinion toward migrants change for the better given that labor migrants often serve as essential workers? Or will xenophobia and resentment increase in light of the economic crisis? How are governments in Europe and the United States addressing migration during a simultaneous public health and economic crisis?
On October 27, the ACG and 1014 hosted a discussion with Theresa Brown, Director of Immigration and Cross-Border Policy, Bipartisan Policy Center; Dr. J. Olaf Kleist, Senior Researcher, German Centre for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM); and Cristobal Ramón, Senior Policy Analyst, Bipartisan Policy Center, as part of the Resilience and Adaption series.
In 2020 St. Louis and Stuttgart are celebrating the 60th anniversary of their sister city relationship which was established to encourage people-to-people and government-to-government interaction. Since 1960, numerous exchanges have taken place between the two cities that have included: business and government leaders, medical professionals, high school and university students and faculty, choral groups, chamber musicians, ballet troupes, orchestras, and athletes.
During this discussion Lyda Krewson, Mayor of St. Louis, and Fritz Kuhn, Lord Mayor of Stuttgart talked about about this successful sister city relationship, the local impact of COVID-19, and how they are addressing climate change, among other topics.
This event is part of a series of [Virtual] Transatlantic Town Halls: German-American Mayors Forum, which is being organized by the American Council on Germany under the auspices of WunderbarTogether USA 2020, a comprehensive and collaborative initiative funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by the Goethe-Institut.
On October 21, the Freunde des ACG and the ACG hosted a discussion on cybersecurity and the upcoming US election with Dr. Sandro Gaycken, Founder and Director of Digital Society Institute at the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin, and Wolfram von Heynitz, Deputy Consul General of Germany in New York and former Head of Cyber Foreign Policy and Cyber Security at the Federal Foreign Office. The discussion was moderated by Young Leader alumna Kathryn Harrison, Founder and CEO of the DeepTrust Alliance.
The sister city relationship between Charlotte and Krefeld was established in 1986. Krefeld’s industrial economy and the common influence of the textile industries was one of the original reasons for the partnership. In the intervening years since then, both cities have undergone significant structural change. On October 20, the ACG talked with Julie Eiselt, Mayor Pro Tem in Charlotte, and Frank Meyer, Lord Mayor of Krefeld, about the current issues confronting their respective cities – and how they are preparing for the future.
This event is part of a series of [Virtual] Transatlantic Town Halls: German-American Mayors Forum, which is being organized by the American Council on Germany under the auspices of WunderbarTogether USA 2020, a comprehensive and collaborative initiative funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by the Goethe-Institut.