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.
Identity politics has long been thought to help members of disenfranchised communities create a voice for themselves. However, in recent years, identity politics has led to increased polarization between the left and the right, creating a rise of populism in the United States and Europe. Now in 2020, the call for social justice and racial equality have brought identity into the forefront of political debates on both sides of the Atlantic.
As part of the virtual 2020 German-American Conference, on September 10, the American Council on Germany and Atlantik-Brücke hosted a virtual discussion with political scientist and Young Leader alumnus Dr. Francis Fukuyama (1985 Young Leader), Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), Mosbacher Director of FSI’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), and Director of Stanford’s Master’s in International Policy Program; and moderated by German journalist Christiane Hoffmann (1997 Young Leader).
As the conflict in Syria was intensifying, millions of Syrians sought to escape the danger any way possible – mostly on foot. For many, Germany was the ideal destination. After visiting a refugee camp in Dresden, on August 31, 2015, Chancellor Angela Merkel said “Wir schaffen das” – or “We can manage this” – referring to Europe’s ability to cope with mass migration from Syria. By the end of the year, Germany became the destination for over one million refugees. Five years later to the day, on August 31, the ACG hosted a virtual discussion on the lasting impact of the estimated 1.1 million migrants who settled in Germany in 2015 and the millions more who settled elsewhere in Europe with Jagoda Marinic, writer and columnist for the Süddeutsche Zeitung and Director of the International Welcome Center in Heidelberg, and Victoria Rietig, Head of the Migration Program at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP); and moderated by Adam Hunter, Executive Director of the Refugee Council USA.
Following the RNC, on August 28, the ACG hosted a webinar with members of the Bundestag to gauge their thoughts on the four nights political speeches and videos. Speakers included Franziska Brantner (The Greens), Thomas Erndl (CSU), Alexander Kulitz (FPD), and Nils Schmid (SPD).
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, for the first time, the Democratic and Republican National Conventions are being held as virtual events on national television. With dozens of speakers each day, this new format is like a highly choreographed Zoom event with viewers tuning in from across the country and around the world. On August 21, the ACG hosted a webinar with Bundestag members who are following the conventions from Berlin. Speakers included Thomas Erndl (CSU), Metin Hakverdi (SPD), and Alexander Kulitz (FDP).
COVID-19 has disproportionally affected low income and minority communities, increased the digital divide, shown weakness in healthcare systems, and changed the nature of everyday life including work and education. Although Germany was able to suppress the infection rate, the pandemic has taken a toll on its social system. On August 18, the ACG hosted a webinar with Bundestag Member Ekin Deligoez (Green Party), who serves on the Bundestag’s Budget Committee and as Spokeswoman for the Bavarian Greens in the Bundestag, on the impact of the pandemic on German society.
This webinar is part of a series titled [Virtual] Transatlantic Town Halls: German Bundestag Member Dialogues being held as part of Wunderbar Together USA 2020, a comprehensive and collaborative initiative funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by the Goethe-Institut.