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.
Federal, state, and local governments are having to manage the potential trade-off between individual freedoms and the greater good as they manage an unprecedented public health and public safety crisis. On May 18, the ACG and the RBFAA hosted a discussion with Caroline Fredrickson, Senior Fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, and Arnd Henze, editor and reporter with WDR, on how to balance these interests in a conversation moderated by Cordell Carter, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute’s Socrates Program.
As lockdown restrictions begin the lift, cities are faced with a new set of challenges. On May 15, the ACG hosted a discussion with William Peduto, Mayor of Pittsburgh, and Ullrich Sierau, Lord Mayor of Dortmund, on how their cities have coped with the pandemic – and how they are preparing for the future.
The international community has been faced with an unprecedented health and economic crisis in recent months. While global leadership seems to be divided by political differences and is struggling to find common ground, restrictions due to COVID-19 are still in place. In light of these challenges, our guests will explore possible coping strategies for the Western alliance. On May 14, the ACG and Atlantik-Bruecke hosted a discussion with Omid Nouripour, Foreign Policy Spokesperson of the Green Parliamentary Group, German Bundestag; Member of the Board, Atlantik-Brücke, and Ambassador Victoria Nuland, former Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. State Department; Senior Counselor, Albright Stonebridge Group. This event was part of the 2020 Virtual German-American Conference.
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.