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 pandemic is challenging democratic institutions and practices all around the world. Governments have an obligation to respect the basic rights of citizens in uncertain times – but are they? On April 28, the ACG and 1014 hosted a discussion with Stefan Kornelius, Foreign Editor of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, and ACG Young Leader alumna Dr. Kori Schake, Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, on how democracies respond to this unprecedented crisis.
On Friday, April 24, hosted a discussion with representatives from Cleveland, Heidelberg, Knoxville, and Leipzig on the impact of COVID-19 on cities in Germany and the United States. Speakers include Tobias David, Chief of Staff for the Lord Mayor, City of Leipzig; Blaine Griffin, City Council Member, City of Cleveland; Irmintraud Jost, Head of Higher Education and Research Department, City of Heidelberg; and Stephanie Welch, Deputy to the Mayor and Chief of Economic and Community Development, City of Knoxville.
On April 22, the American Council on Germany and Atlantik-Brücke hosted a discussion with Professor Dr. Andreas Dombret, Global Senior Advisor at Oliver Wyman and former Board Member of Deutsche Bundesbank; Sigmar Gabriel, former Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister; and ACG Board member Dr. John Lipsky, Distinguished Scholar at Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies and former First Managing Director of the IMF.
On April 16, the ACG hosted a Hot Topics Call with Bundestag Member Peter Beyer (CDU), who also serves as Coordinator for Transatlantic Cooperation in the German Federal Foreign Office, discussed the transatlantic partnership during – and after – the coronavirus.
On April 14, the ACG hosted a discussion with Dr. Evelyn Farkas, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia, and Sarah Pagung, Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations’ Robert Bosch Center for Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia, who discussed Russia’s involvement of the spread of disinformation during the coronavirus crisis.