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 April 18, the American Council on Germany and the German Consulate General New York hosted a discussion as part of the virtual series “Dealing with Disinformation.” Experts Dr. Walter J. Scheirer (author of A History of Fake Things on the Internet) and Dr. Heidi Tworek (author of News from Germany: The Competition to Control World Communications, 1900-1945) joined us to discuss the history of disinformation, the role of technology in its spread, and the future of fake news.
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. On April 15, the ACG held a Kaffeepause with Political Correspondent for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung Jochen Buchsteiner.
On April 11, the American Council on Germany hosted a virtual discussion on elections in authoritarian regimes with Cathryn Grothe from Freedom House and Dr. Stefan Meister from the German Council on Foreign Relations. This discussion was part of the ACG’s series on the Superwahljahr, or super election year.
On April 9, the ACG hosted a virtual discussion with Turkey expert Dr. Sinem Adar from the Center for Applied Turkey Studies at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP)) and FAZ correspondent Friederike Böge.
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. On April 2, the ACG hosted a Kaffeepause with Paul-Anton Krüger, Parliamentary Correspondent in the Berlin Bureau of the Süddeutsche Zeitung.