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 current pandemic has slowed the global economy. It has exposed the interdependence inherent in global supply chains. Will things snap back when the concerns over the virus subside? On May 12, the ACG and 1014 hosted a discussion with with Thorsten Benner, Co-Founder and Director of the Global Public Policy Institute, and Shannon O’Neil, Vice President, Deputy Director of Studies, and Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
On May 8, the ACG hosted a conversation about the future of mobility and transportation in cities – during and after the pandemic. Drawing on alumni from ACG programs, speakers include Laurin Sepoetro, Public Policy Planner for Uber Germany; Jana Kugoth, Mobility and Transportation Reporter for Der Tagesspiegel; Brandie Lockhart, Director of Urban Design for Houston Metro; and Jesse Mintz-Roth, the Vision Zero Program Manager for the Department Transportation in San Jose, CA.
On May 7, the ACG hosted a discussion with German Ambassador to the United States Emily M. Haber and Ambassador John B. Emerson, ACG Chairman and former American Ambassador to Germany. This discussion was held in partnership with the World Affairs Councils of American as part of CxC: Amplified.
Are autocracies better positioned to fight pandemics than democracies? On May 6, the ACG and 1014 hosted a conversation with American political scientist and author Francis Fukuyama and Daniela Schwarzer, Director of the German Council on Foreign Relations, discussed how the current crisis is handled by different regimes.
The pandemic is the main topic in the news on both sides of the Atlantic – and indeed around the world. Citizens everywhere rely on the media to get critical information, as well as to ensure that leaders are being held accountable in how they address the challenges posed by the coronavirus outbreak. How does coverage compare and differ in Germany and the United States? On May 4, the ACG and the Robert Bosch Fellowship Alumni Association hosted a discussion with Sumi Somaskanda from DW News and Daniel Lippman from Politico on the role of the media in a pandemic.