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.
On August 21, the American Council on Germany and the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung New York Office held a virtual discussion with the Minister-President of the Free State of Thuringia, Bodo Ramelow, on the trends in eastern Germany before voters take to the polls in three states.
On August 1, the American Council on Germany and Atlantik-Brücke hosted a virtual discussion with Ambassador John B. Emerson, former U.S. Ambassador to Germany and Chairman of the American Council on Germany, and Juliane Schäuble, U.S. Correspondent of Der Tagesspiegel. They discussed the recent developments in U.S. politics and what to expect in the weeks ahead.
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. On July 29, the ACG held a Kaffeepause with Paul-Anton Krüger, Parliamentary Correspondent in the Berlin Bureau of the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
On July 23, the American Council on Germany and the Global Coalition on Aging hosted the third installment in a series of webinars in the run-up to the Silver Economy Forum in Berlin .Dr. Michael Hodin, CEO of the Global Coalition on Aging, and Professor Dr. Matthias Weiss, Professor of Economics and Applied Econometrics at the Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule (OTH) in Regensburg, explored strategies for employers to empower individuals for extended careers and prevent age-related decline. The discussion was moderated by Anne Tergesen, Staff Reporter at the Wall Street Journal.
On Thursday, July 18, the ACG held a “Summer Book Recommendation” with historian and ACG Young Leader alumnus Timothy W. Ryback. His new book, “Takeover: Hitler’s Final Rise to Power,” explores the six months leading up to Adolf Hitler’s seizure of power in January 1933 and the valiant efforts that nearly succeeded in stopping his appointment as chancellor of Germany. He discussed this story and its disturbing parallels to the U.S. political scene today.