Public trust is critical in the functioning of democracies. Citizens do not need to agree with every government policy or trust each individual officeholder — but they do need to have confidence that democratic institutions and practices protect their interest, act responsibly, and uphold the rule of law. In recent years, in the United States and Europe public trust in government has declined.
On November 3, Election Day in the United States, the ACG and 1014 hosted a discussion with Thomas Carothers, Senior Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Laura Krause, Director of More in Common, Germany, on trust in democracy.
On October 29, the ACG and Atlantik-Brücke hosted a webinar as part of the [virtual] 2020 German-American Conference to discuss how transatlantic relations, and politics in general, can become more inclusive. The discussion featured Dr. Petra Bendel, Professor of Political Science, Erlangen-Nürnberg University; Congressman Joaquín Castro (D-TX), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus; Janet Murguía, President and CEO, UNIDOS; Cem Özdemir, Member of the Bundestag (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) and Dr. Michael Werz (Moderator), Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress.
As National Cybersecurity Awareness month draws to a close, on October 28 the ACG and the Wirtschaftsrunde hosted a special discussion on “The Future of German-American Cooperation in Cyberspace and on Digitalization” with the new German Deputy Consul General in New York Wolfram von Heynitz, who previously served as the Head of the Cyber Policy Coordination Staff of the German Federal Foreign Office.
As the United States prepares to go to the polls, on October 27, the ACG and World Denver hosted a discussion with Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, in conversation with Ambassador Christopher Hill. Ambassador Wolfgang reflected on the challenges facing the U.S.-German relationship. This event was held under the auspices of Wunderbar Together USA 2020.
Border closures, regional lock-downs, and layoffs of migrant workers due to the pandemic have impacted the movement of people – and fundamentally changed the nature of global migration. What are the repercussions of the inability of migrant workers to travel to agricultural fields or other places of work? Will public opinion toward migrants change for the better given that labor migrants often serve as essential workers? Or will xenophobia and resentment increase in light of the economic crisis? How are governments in Europe and the United States addressing migration during a simultaneous public health and economic crisis?
On October 27, the ACG and 1014 hosted a discussion with Theresa Brown, Director of Immigration and Cross-Border Policy, Bipartisan Policy Center; Dr. J. Olaf Kleist, Senior Researcher, German Centre for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM); and Cristobal Ramón, Senior Policy Analyst, Bipartisan Policy Center, as part of the Resilience and Adaption series.