2013 Annual Report

2013 ANNUAL REPORT Table of Contents ABOUT THE AMERICAN COUNCIL ON GERMANY The Council and Its Mission ..............................................................................................Page 1 A Message from the Chairman and the President ............................................................Page 2 POLICY PROGRAMS 2013 Calendar of Events ...................................................................................................Page 4 Policy Conferences ........................................................................................................Page 7 Eric M. Warburg Chapters .................................................................................................Page 8 Study Tours .....................................................................................................................Page 12 PROGRAMS FOR THE SUCCESSOR GENERATION American-German Young Leaders Conference ...............................................................Page 14 Tripartite Young Leaders Conference ..............................................................................Page 17 Fellowships .....................................................................................................................Page 18 Publications .....................................................................................................................Page 21 PARTNERS IN PROMOTING TRANSATLANTIC COOPERATION John J. McCloy Awards Dinner ........................................................................................Page 22 Corporate Membership Program ....................................................................................Page 23 Co-Sponsors and Collaborating Organizations ................................................................Page 24 Foundation and Individual Support ................................................................................Page 25 Roster of Individual Members .........................................................................................Page 26 In Memoriam ...................................................................................................................Page 28 Oﬃcers, Directors, and Staﬀ ...........................................................................................Page 29 The Council and Its Mission The ACG was incorporated in 1952 in New • convening regular policy discussions in The American Council on York to encourage reconciliation and New York City and Washington, D.C., Germany (ACG) is an understanding following the two disastrous and at its Eric M. Warburg Chapters wars in the first half of the 20th century. throughout the United States to inform independent, nonpartisan Among its early leaders were John J. and individuals about German and European Ellen McCloy, General Lucius D. Clay, affairs as well as global challenges that nonprofit organization Christopher Emmet, Joseph Kaskell, George Europe and the United States are facing; which promotes dialogue N. Shuster, and Eric M. Warburg. Because of their vision of transatlantic cooperation, the • identifying leaders from the successor among leaders from Council has served as a key bridge between generation on both sides of the Atlantic to Germany and the United States for more engage in American-German Young business, government, and than 60 years. In the 21st century, Leaders Conferences and in multilateral the media in the United transatlantic cooperation on a range of Young Leaders Conferences ; global economic, political, and social issues States and Europe. The ACG is more important than ever. As the • organizing high-level policy conferences European Union continues to evolve, the and Study Tours in Europe and the strengthens transatlantic ACG provides Americans with a better United States on important political and understanding and understanding of Europe as a whole. economic issues; coordinates policy Through its range of programs and outreach • awarding fellowships to American and activities, the American Council on German mid-career professionals from initiatives on key issues in Germany anticipates emerging challenges the fields of agriculture, environmental the post-September 11th for the transatlantic relationship and policy, journalism, and urban affairs, encourages innovative approaches to along with academia and world. problem solving. The ACG supports the entrepreneurship, to enable them to open exchange of views and builds personal conduct research and collaborate with networks among leaders on both sides of the their professional counterparts; and Atlantic by: • distributing occasional papers on a range of issues affecting the transatlantic relationship to more than 1,000 individuals and other timely news content to corporate members. 1 A Message from the Chairman and the President countries shares such an important array of global issues demanding policy cooperation. The September 2013 elections in Germany that resulted in a new ruling coalition between Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats and their longstanding rivals, the Social Democrats, reaffirmed that fact. In their coalition contract, the CDU and the SPD stressed the centrality of relations with the United States as the cornerstone of Germany’s security and economic strength. Through four decades of Young Leader programs, our high-level conferences with the Atlantik-Brücke, our activities at 19 Warburg Chapters in cities across the United States, our almost 40 annual research and travel fellowships, and our frequent breakfast and lunch policy discussions, we at the American Council on ACG President William M. Drozdiak and ACG Chairman Ambassador Robert M. Kimmitt (left to right) Germany have sought to fortify this unique and special partnership in ways that reflect the changing dynamics of German- The past 12 months have been a tumultuous American relations in the post-Cold War era. time for the German-American partnership. The NSA spying scandal has damaged trust We believe that both countries can better and highlighted a yawning gap in security appreciate the value of this partnership by perceptions between two close allies. learning from each other’s best practices. Germans emphasize the need to protect Last year, we inaugurated a fellowship privacy in the Internet age, while program that brings young German Americans, still traumatized by the 2001 entrepreneurs to the United States to attacks on New York and Washington, recall exchange ideas with their counterparts in that a number of perpetrators were based in Silicon Valley and other regions where high- Hamburg and insist on going to great tech enterprise has flourished. In recent lengths to avert future terrorist attacks. years, Berlin has emerged as a new hub for start-ups that have sought to emulate the Other problems have tested transatlantic successful achievements of American cohesion. Trade negotiations designed to technology pioneers. We also supported a integrate the American and European conference on digital entrepreneurship in economies in the 21st century have run into New York with Berlin Partners to promote serious political opposition. Germany has innovation in the two cities. In another rebuffed frequent Administration pleas to initiative, we collaborated with the German stimulate its economy to help boost jobs and Embassy in Washington in organizing a growth in order to revive Europe’s stagnant four-city “road show” to show how economy. And the quest to find effective Americans can learn from Germany through common strategies to deal with Russia, the vocational training skills. The Berufsschule Ukraine crisis, and burgeoning problems in system is a unique form of business and the Middle East, such as Syria’s civil war, the classroom cooperation that trains young Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Iran’s workers for rewarding careers that can last a possible acquisition of nuclear weapons, has lifetime. It is considered a critical factor at times frustrated policymakers on both behind Germany’s economic prowess, and sides of the Atlantic. we believe it may serve as a useful model to help improve the training of America’s Despite these challenges, the United States workers, drawing also on the community and Germany recognize their continuing college system. partnership is vital to the health of the Atlantic alliance. Their mutual agenda Throughout 2013 we were privileged to host shows that perhaps no other pair of a number of prominent politicians, 2 diplomats, educators, journalists, and Germany, about why finding a compromise Appel and ACG Board Member Alex M. business executives who share our sense to resolve the crisis and restore trust has so Azar II, President of Lilly USA, delivered about the importance of transatlantic far eluded policymakers in Washington and opening remarks to put the TTIP dialogue. Germany’s first female Defense Berlin. negotiations into context, and U.S. Deputy Minister, Ursula von der Leyen, spoke with Assistant Secretary of State Kathleen us last year in her previous role as Labor and The September national elections in Doherty, Ambassador J.D. Bindenagel, Social Affairs Minister about how Europe is Germany and the two months of arduous Germany’s Deputy Chief of Mission Jens slowly emerging from five years of economic negotiations that stitched together a second Hanefeld, and Bruce Stokes of the Pew crisis despite the immense challenge of grand coalition between the CDU/CSU and Research Center unanimously agreed that a finding jobs for unemployed youths. We the

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