The Aspen Institute Germany AnnuAl report 2015 2016€¦ · board of trustees, the management...

The Aspen InstituteAnnuAl report 2015

2016

Germany

Prof. Dr. Carlo Strenger, Tel Aviv University

Elmar Brok, Member of the European Parliament

Dr. Sylke Tempel, Editor in Chief “Internationale Politik”, German Council on Foreign Relations*

Dr. Karen Donfried, President, German Marshall Fund of the United States

Harald Kujat, General (ret.), former Chairman of the NATO Military Committee

Second Berlin Transatlantic Conference: Western Values under Siege. How Open Societies Compete in a Multipolar WorldOctober 13-14, 2015

*The Aspen Institute Germany mourns the loss of Dr. Sylke Tempel, who passedaway on 5 October 2017.

Dear Friends of Aspen Germany,

The past two years were marked by dramatic politicalchanges, both globally and within Europe; the politicalfall out from the Russian annexation of Crimea, theBrexit vote in Great Britain, and the election of DonaldTrump as President of the United States have changedthe world fundamentally.

The Aspen Institute Germany was founded in 1974 as abulwark against dictatorship and as a symbol of freedomin the then divided city of Berlin. Today our mission ismore important than ever: a platform for debating criticaland conflicting issues and defending the values of ourliberal democracies and open societies.

Given the rise of authoritarian regimes around the worldand the ugly face of populism within our own societies,we are today facing problems and questions we all haveto answer. Our mission to promote the principles of lib-eral democracy and value-based leadership is facingchallenges like never before. Can we stem the tide? Andwhat role has Aspen Germany played during the last twoyears in promoting our values?

Let me assure you that we did our best to live up to thischallenge; we were among the first transatlantic institu-tions and think tanks to place the question of the state ofWestern values high on our agenda.

During our annual Berlin Transatlantic Conferences inthe fall of 2015 and 2016, we placed Western values frontand center in our transatlantic dialog. In both years, ourconferences brought together high-level decision makersand opinion leaders from the U.S., Germany, Europe, andour Aspen partner institutes to advance our value-basedmission and the Euro-Atlantic agenda.

In addition, the network of all seven European Aspen In-stitutes launched a joint Aspen Initiative For Europe in2015. This new European forum has already met severaltimes in Brussels, Rome, Bucharest, and Berlin. Furthermeetings are scheduled for the upcoming year to fosterclose cooperation amongst our European Aspen familyin times when the European Union is going through a de-cisive period of transformation.

Building bridges and promoting detente policies werehallmarks of Aspen Germany in the 1970s and 1980s. InMay 2016, we reinvigorated this Aspen tradition by invit-ing Russian, American, and German legislators to dis-cuss tough issues like the conflict in Ukraine, armscontrol, and the protracted wars in the Middle East aswell as to explore areas of still existing common inter-ests. This much needed discussion helped to build newchannels of communication and mutual understanding.

Another marquee joint endeavor stands out of the manyevents Aspen Germany hosted over the past two years:the U.S. Election Night 2016. Jointly organized with nu-merous Berlin transatlantic partners, more than 1,500guests followed the ups and downs of the election thrillerunfolding before their eyes on the premises of the Baden-Württemberg State Representation to the Federation.ARD, RBB and Deutsche Welle reported live throughoutthe night and more than 370,000 people followed ourevent on Twitter.

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All of our successful conferences, seminars, brown bagluncheons, and background briefings have not gone un-noticed. They are one of the reasons why the budget com-mittee of the German Bundestag decided to support theAspen Institute Germany for its achievements and its fu-ture work with an annual institutional grant of 300,000Euro starting in January 2017. This support is helping usto grow even further and take on new programs and ini-tiatives including the Aspen Digital Agenda, our mostimportant new program.

Having kicked-off the planning in 2015, the Aspen Insti-tute Germany is today – together with its partners, theWashington based Atlantic Council and the Germanbased Internet Economy foundation – one of the majorEuropean forces to help foster a closer transatlantic co-operation by bridging the gap between the two digitalmarkets of Europe and the United States.

Besides our new endeavors, the Aspen Institute Germanycontinued its renowned Southeast European Programpromoting the Euro-Atlantic integration of the WesternBalkans. In 2015 Aspen had the pleasure to chair the For-eign Ministers’ conference of all Western Balkan coun-tries in Berlin under the auspices of former GermanForeign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his Italiancounterpart Paolo Gentiloni.

Our signature Aspen Leadership Seminar has also takennew directions by adding a number of creative alumniworkshops and enhancing the diversity of our partici-pants. Its content and attractiveness make this uniqueseminar an indispensable part of our mission and work.

There have been more important changes, which I wantto share with you:

• In February 2015 we welcomed Dr. Anna Kuchenbecker as the new Deputy Director.• In April 2016 Aspen moved its offices to the fourthfloor in the same building to create more space for ourgrowing staff.• In June 2016 the Aspen Board of Trustees electedEckart von Klaeden to become the new chairman. Hefollowed Corinne Flick whom we thank for her dedication and leadership.

Finally, let me express my deepest gratitude both on be-half of the Institute but also on a personal level to ourboard of trustees, the management board, and everybodyof the Aspen Team for their unwavering support and stel-lar performance in making all this progress possible. Iam also sincerely thankful to all our partners, donors,sponsors, and all individuals who so graciously sup-ported our work over the last years. Their support in pro-moting our mission has significantly contributed tomaking Aspen Germany a respected player in the arenaof transatlantic relations, a strong promoter of our liberalvalues, and a committed defender of the achievements ofour open societies.

In order to consolidate our position and to continueworking successfully toward our common goals and mis-sion, we will need your future commitment and support.I am sure we can count on you!

Sincerely,

Rüdiger LentzExecutive DirectorAspen Institute Deutschland e.V.

MIssIon AnD proGrAMs.......................................................................................................................................12

trustees......................................................................................................................................................................20

ABout tHe trustees.............................................................................................................................................24

MAnAGeMent BoArD .............................................................................................................................................34

“VereIn Der FreunDe”..........................................................................................................................................37

MAnAGeMent BoArD oF tHe “VereIn Der FreunDe”..........................................................................40

MeMBers oF tHe “VereIn Der FreunDe”...................................................................................................43

FrIenDs oF Aspen GerMAnY..............................................................................................................................45

BeneFACtors.............................................................................................................................................................48

leADersHIp proGrAM.....................................................................................................................................50The Aspen Leadership Seminar..........................................................................................................................................51

polICY proGrAM......................................................................................................................................................54Background Briefing: “Guidelines on Crisis Prevention, Stabilization, and Peacebuilding”............................................54Aspen Working Group Southeast Europe...........................................................................................................................54Panel Discussion on EU Enlargement and the Role of the Western Balkans.....................................................................56German-American Dialog..................................................................................................................................................56Third Berlin Transatlantic Conference...............................................................................................................................57Conference on Countering Radicalization, Nationalism, and Division in the Western Balkans........................................57Background Briefing: “Current Developments in Macedonia”.........................................................................................58Background Briefing: “The Outcomes of the Paris Summit and the Berlin Process”.......................................................58Expert Discussion: “ISAF – Lessons Learned from the Mission in Afghanistan”...........................................................59“Democratization of Political Processes and Overcoming Political-Ideological Polarization”.........................................59Background Briefing: “Bosnia and Herzegovina”.............................................................................................................60Round Table Discussion about International Exchange Programs of the German Bundestag...........................................60Statement by the Aspen Institute regarding Trilateral Meeting outside Berlin...................................................................61Berlin Transatlantic Workshop: “Ideas Wanted! Rebuilding Trust in Democracy…and the European Idea”....................61Bundestag and Congress Staffers Exchange Program 2016...............................................................................................62Discussion with U.S. Congress Senior Staffers and Staffers of the German Bundestag...................................................62Discussion: “The Roles of the Western Balkans and Turkey in a Troubled Europe”.........................................................63

Content

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Aspen Working Group Southeast Europe...........................................................................................................................63Seventh Southeast Europe Foreign Ministers’ Conference................................................................................................66The Aspen German-American-Dialog: “Revitalizing Our Partnership to Answer Common Challenges”........................66Second Berlin Transatlantic Conference......................................................................................................................67Bundestag and Congress Staffers Exchange Program 2015...............................................................................................67Conference on Regional Cooperation in the Western Balkans...........................................................................................68Berlin Transatlantic Workshop: “Western Values and the Challenges of a Multipolar World............................................68Conference on Democratic Governance and Public Administration Reform in the Western Balkans...............................69“Kosovo’s Population Drain”..............................................................................................................................................69

puBlIC proGrAM......................................................................................................................................................72Discussion with H.E. Dr. Mladen Ivanić............................................................................................................................72“U.S. Election Night 2016”................................................................................................................................................74“Great Again“ or “Stronger Together“? A Briefing on the U.S. Presidential Elections......................................................75Discussion: “Britain, Germany, and the European Future after Brexit”............................................................................78Roundtable Discussion: “Into the Clouds. European SMEs and the Digital Age”.............................................................78Aspen Housewarming-Party...............................................................................................................................................79Aspen Background Briefing and Discussion for Information Officers.............................................................................79Annual Gathering and Summer Party 2016........................................................................................................................80Background Briefing and Discussion on Palestine and Israel with Representatives From OneVoice..............................80YouGov-Debate: “Brexit or Bremain – What Will Happen and What Does It Mean for Europe?”...................................81Lunch Discussion with Anthony L. Gardner.....................................................................................................................81Discussion with Ulrich Deppendorf...................................................................................................................................82Exclusive Dinner and Debate: “Europe and the Refugee Crisis: A Split between Humanity and Realpolitik”................82Reception and Exclusive Guided Tour through the Exhibition “Art From the Holocaust”...............................................83Brown Bag Lunch: “A World Out of Joint – Germany’s Changing Role in Today’s World”..............................................83Background Breakfast Briefing: “The Day after Super Tuesday”.....................................................................................84Book Presentation and Discussion with Peter Schneider: “An der Schönheit kann’s nicht liegen...”................................84Aspen After-Work Briefing: “Beyond Iowa and New Hampshire”....................................................................................85“Eight Years after Independence – Kosovo between Isolation and EU Integration?”........................................................85Brown Bag Lunch: “Digital Front – How Terrorists Use Social Media”............................................................................86Breakfast Background Briefing: “Israel – Germany – USA: Common Threats and Common Answers”.........................86Discussion: “Fit for Action – The Future of the German Bundeswehr”.............................................................................87Discussion “Fortress Europe under Siege – A Challenge for Solidarity”..........................................................................87Interview with H.E. Wladimir M. Grinin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation...........................................................90Roundtable Discussion with Governor Jack Allen Markell...............................................................................................90Taskforce: “Advance the Transatlantic Digital Agenda”....................................................................................................91Brown Bag Lunch: “The U.S., Europe, and the Middle East – What Are the Stakes and What Are Our Options?”..........91Exclusive Dinner with Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State.................................................................92

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Annual Gathering and Summer Party 2015........................................................................................................................92Discussion: “Collapse Middle East – German Influence and German Responsibility in a Difficult Region”..................93Discussion: “TTIP – A Matter of Negotiation”..................................................................................................................93Background Discussion: “After the Election: What’s Next For Israel and Palestine?”......................................................94Brown Bag Lunch: “Putin’s Leadership and Its Implications for the West”.......................................................................94Brown Bag Lunch: “Russia’s Foreign Policy and Its View of the New European (Dis)order”.........................................95“TTIP: Regulatory Coherence and Cooperation”..............................................................................................................95“Germany’s Troubling Construction Sites: Limits of Feasibility or Political Mistakes?”..................................................96“Strong Europe: America’s Contribution in Times of Russia’s New Geopolitics”.............................................................96“Willi Baumeister and European Modernity 1920s-1950s”...............................................................................................97“Anti-Immigration, Anti-Islam, Anti-Americanism – Is the Western Ideal of an Open Society Facing Its End?”............97

KeY stAFF......................................................................................................................................................................98

proGrAM 2017.........................................................................................................................................................102

FIVe reAsons to support Aspen................................................................................................................106

Sasha Bezuhanova,Founder, MoveBG, Sofia

Dr. Anna Kuchenbecker,Deputy Director, Aspen Institute Germany

Aspen Annual GalaOctober 14, 2015

Paolo Gentiloni, Prime Minister of the Italian Republic,in his former position as Italian Foreign Minister

Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany,in his former position as German Foreign Minister

Ivica Dačić, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Serbia

Seventh Southeast Europe Foreign Ministers’ ConferenceNovember 24, 2015

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tHe Aspen IDeA

tHe Aspen InstItute GerMAnY pro-Motes VAlues-BAseD leADersHIp, Con-struCtIVe DIAloG AMonG ConFlICtInGpArtIes, AnD euro-AtlAntIC CooperA-tIon to support AnD enHAnCe AstronG open soCIetY.

To fulfill its mission, Aspen Germany convenes decision-makers and experts from the fields of politics, business,academia, media, culture, and civil society in threeprograms:

policy programs offer a non-partisan, confidentialplatform for dialog and analysis to address regional andglobal challenges and to develop mutually acceptablesolutions.

leadership programs reflect on values and ideasusing the Socratic method to deepen knowledge, broadenperspectives, and enhance participants’ ability to solvethe problems they face.

public programs provide a forum for open and con-structive dialog between decision-makers and a broaderaudience on a wide range of current issues.

The Aspen Institute Germany was founded in Berlin in1974 and has since then actively promoted the idea of atransatlantic community and of a free and open society.It serves as a non-partisan, non-profit convening plat-form and is part of the global Aspen network, with part-ners in the U.S., France, Italy, the Czech Republic,Romania, Spain, Japan, India, the Ukraine and Mexico.Together, the Institutes are committed to addressing thechallenges of the 21st century.

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the Aspen Idea goes back to 1945 when Chicago busi-

nessman and philanthropist Walter Paepcke (1896-1960),

son of German immigrants from Mecklenburg, arrived in

Aspen, a then sleepy town in the mountains of Colorado.

Under the impression of the human and moral catastrophe

of World War II, Paepcke dreamed of “a place where the

human spirit can flourish.”

Paepcke was a trustee of the University of Chicago and

close friends with its president Robert Hutchins as well as

with philosopher Mortimer Adler. Together, they shared

one vision: To create a platform for dialog for leaders,

thinkers, and artists from around the globe to step away

from their daily routines and reflect on what makes good

leaders and a good society.

Their dream came true in 1949, when Paepcke made Aspen

the site for the celebration of the 200th birthday of German

poet and philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe to

commemorate the historic and abiding philosophical ties

that America and the rest of the world had with Germany,

despite the aberration of Hitler and World War II. The

20-day gathering attracted such prominent intellectuals and

artists as Albert Schweitzer, Jose Ortega y Gasset,

Thornton Wilder, and Arthur Rubinstein, along with

members of the international press and more than 2,000

attendees. That year, Paepcke created what is now the

Aspen Institute.

Today, the vision and reach of the Institute extend far

beyond its original roots. In policy programs, seminars,

public events, and global leadership initiatives, the form

and force of the Institute have grown to confront contem-

porary challenges and matters of collective concern.

The Institute is based in Washington, D.C. and has

campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on

Maryland’s eastern shore. It also maintains offices in New

York City and has an international network of partners in

Germany, France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Romania,

Ukraine, Spain, Japan, India, and Mexico.

As the first Institute abroad, Aspen Germany was founded

in 1974 in the midst of the Cold War. Its founding members

included former Chancellor Willy Brandt, former High

Commissioner for Germany John J. McCloy, Chancellor

Helmut Schmidt, the Governing Mayor of Berlin Klaus

Schütz, historian Lord Alan Bullock, the future President

of West Germany Richard von Weizäcker, sociologist Ralf

Dahrendorf, and publicist Marion Countess Dönhoff

among others. Together they envisioned creating a symbol

of transatlantic community.

Under the leadership of Shepard Stone, its first director,

Aspen Germany established a unique track record of buil-

ding German-U.S. cooperation and dialog with the former

Soviet Union. Stone’s successors extended this tradition

and also focused on issues facing the Balkans and the

Middle East.

To this day, Aspen Germany enables constructive dialog

amongst conflicting parties and promotes Euro-Atlantic

cooperation to support and enhance a strong open society.

the following programs form the three pillarsof Aspen’s work.

Aspen leadership program

the Aspen seminar

The Aspen Seminar is an exceptional leadership pro-gram, which promotes values-based leadership and en-ables substantial dialog about fundamental questions ofhuman nature and society. The Seminar was launched inthe United States more than sixty years ago and sincethen has attracted an impressive array of leaders fromacross society. In 2011, the Aspen Institute Germany in-troduced this unparalleled program in Germany.

In a confidential setting, tucked away from the demandsof daily routine, a small group of highly accomplishedleaders is given the space to reflect on fundamental as-pects of the human existence, including the role of theindividual, the order of society, and the limits of power.Based on classical and modern texts of renownedphilosophers and thinkers, and guided by two highlyskilled moderators, participants reflect on timeless ideasand values, and their continued relevance in today’sworld.

Unlike university lectures or literature analyses, in whichexperts offer instructions on how to read or understandclassical writings, the Seminar encourages participantsto interpret the materials in their own way. Its purpose isnot to find similar responses or build consensus, but toencourage participants to think more deeply about theirown beliefs and values, enhance their understanding ofcompeting viewpoints, and highlight the complexity ofour societies.

Participants emerge from the Seminar personally re-newed, professionally refocused, often with new, mean-ingful friendships. They are better prepared to lead asthey confront difficult choices in their organizations andin society.

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Aspen policy programs

Aspen Policy Programs actively address current policychallenges. In closed-door conferences and seminars fo-cusing on complex political and social trends and devel-opments, decision-makers and experts analyze commonchallenges and develop viable solutions. Introductorypresentations by international experts lay the ground-work for focused debates with the aim of forging inter-national consensus among politicians, diplomats, andexperts from academia, civil society organizations, busi-ness, and the media. During the discussions, participantsdevelop constructive suggestions and policy recommen-dations, which are subsequently published and presentedin a public event.

Berlin transatlantic Forum

In 2014, on the occasion of its 40th anniversary, AspenGermany launched its Berlin Transatlantic Forum to ad-dress the most pressing challenges jointly facing Europeand the United States. Each fall, the Institute hosts a con-ference bringing together renowned experts and deci-sion-makers from both sides of the Atlantic to exchangeideas and seek answers to important questions in thefields of security, energy, and trade, and also to discussissues pertaining to our shared foundation of Westernvalues. The annual conference is preceded by a workshopin late spring, during which a small group of expertsfrom Germany, Europe, and the U.S. gathers for an in-depth discussion of key topics of transatlantic concern.

The Berlin Transatlantic Forum marks a continuation ofthe Institute’s close ties to the city of Berlin. In 1974, inthe midst of the Cold War, the Institute was founded as asymbol of transatlantic solidarity. Since then, Aspen Ger-many has attracted high-level guests to Berlin tostrengthen Euro-Atlantic cooperation.

The project is made possible by a generous grant of thefoundation “Lotto-Stiftung Berlin”.

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staffers exchange program

The gradual erosion of the Euro-Atlantic relationship hasbeen most visible in the German-American friendship.The often-hailed relationship has eroded ever since thebeginning of the 2003 Iraq war. Diverging views on mil-itary force, intelligence gathering within alliance, waysout of the economic and financial crises, the role of theEuropean Union, and the rights and responsibilities ofthe state to balance personal freedoms and security allpoint to a growing lack of understanding for each other’sviews, systems, and political cultures. At the same time,generations are changing. Future leaders on both sidesof the Atlantic have little personal experience of whatmade this relationship so important.

The Aspen Institute Germany, with the support of theTransatlantic Program of the Federal Republic of Ger-many with funds from the European Recovery Programof the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy,has designed an exchange program for Congress andBundestag staffers to foster dialog on the transatlanticrelations.

Participating staffers take part in intensive debates on themost pressing concerns facing the transatlantic commu-nity. In addition, they meet with decision-makers, ex-perts, and practitioners. Site visits in Berlin and D.C. andcultural events promoting mutual understanding are alsoan integral part of the program.

southeast europe program

The Aspen Institute Germany has focused on develop-ments in Southeast Europe since the early 1990s. In co-operation with the Carnegie Endowment forInternational Peace, Aspen’s former Executive DirectorDavid Anderson initiated the International Commissionon the Balkans in 1995 under the leadership of formerBelgian Prime Minister Leo Tindemans, which publishedthe report “Unfinished Peace” in 1996, an analysis of thecauses of the Balkan conflicts and an independent assess-ment of the European, American, and UN responses.This high-level international commission was followedby a young leaders study group on the future of theBalkans in addition to several other events with a focuson the region.

Since 2008, one of the Policy Program’s main focuseshas again been on the Western Balkans, which includesthe countries of former Yugoslavia and Albania. Inclosed-door meetings, the Aspen Institute Germany fa-cilitates an open and honest high-level exchange betweenformer conflict parties in order to support regional co-operation and dialog, as well as to further the region’sagenda on Euro-Atlantic integration and the transforma-tion processes this entails. The goal of this exchange isto openly address both remaining problems and disagree-ments between decision-makers of the region as well assuccesses and advances. In pursuit of this goal, the AspenInstitute Germany’s Southeast Europe Program has twodifferent formats: the Aspen Southeast Europe ForeignMinisters’ Conferences and so-called Sub-cabinet Meet-ings.

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Aspen southeast europe Foreign Ministers’Conferences

The first Aspen Southeast Europe Foreign Ministers’Conference took place in December 2008. Behind closeddoors, top politicians and senior officials from Germanyand the U.S. met with foreign ministers from SoutheastEurope including, for the first time, the Serbian ForeignMinister and the Acting Foreign Minister from Kosovo.In subsequent years, Foreign Ministers from the regionhave gathered annually in Berlin for a regional meetingtogether with their U.S., European, and German col-leagues.

Since 2010, Aspen’s Southeast Europe Foreign Minis-ters’ Conferences have been organized in cooperationwith the German Foreign Office and an EU memberstate’s Embassy in Berlin with the German Foreign Min-ister. Since 2010, partners have included the AustrianEmbassy in Berlin and Foreign Ministers Dr. GuidoWesterwelle and Dr. Michael Spindelegger; the Hungar-ian Embassy in Berlin and then Foreign Ministers Dr.Guido Westerwelle and Dr. János Martonyi; the BritishEmbassy and then Foreign Ministers Dr. Frank-WalterSteinmeier and Philip Hammond; the Italian Embassyand then Foreign Ministers Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeierand Paolo Gentiloni; as well as the Czech Embassy andForeign Ministers Sigmar Gabriel and Lubomír Za-orálek. In 2014, Foreign Ministers Dr. Frank-WalterSteinmeier and Philip Hammond used the Aspen ForeignMinisters’ Conference as a platform to present a jointGerman-British initiative to revitalize the reform processin Bosnia and Herzegovina. In his opening speech of2017, Foreign Minister Gabriel emphasized Germany’scommitment to the region and revealed Germany’s plansof setting up additional funds to further support the West-ern Balkans.

sub-Cabinet Meetings

Since 2009, Aspen Germany Southeast Europe Pro-gram’s sub-cabinet meetings have brought together high-level decision makers, politicians, diplomats, and expertsfrom the Western Balkans, the U.S., Germany, the EU,NATO, and other international organizations to discussvarious issues related to current and future challenges inSoutheast Europe. At exclusive closed-door conferences,a limited number of participants can exchange views in-formally and off-the-record, and discuss their differencesand commonalities. Supported by expert policy papers,discussions aim at bridging differences that still exist,identifying common challenges and ideas, and develop-ing mutually acceptable solutions and recommendations.Topics discussed include the Euro-Atlantic integrationof the Western Balkans, non-traditional security threats,the fight against organized crime and corruption, the roleof external actors in the region, economic development,energy security, regional cooperation, rule of law, and de-mocratization.

For further information, please see the final publicationsat www.aspeninstitute.de

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Aspen public program

The Aspen Institute Germany’s Public Program serves asa forum for discourse and exchange addressing a broaderaudience of interested individuals who wish to discussfresh ideas and look at issues from new perspectives.Topics include current political, economic, and socialmatters as well as questions of values-based leadership.

The Public Program consists of several different formats.A series of evening events features renowned speakerswho share their ideas either in an interview setting or ina brief presentation followed by a discussion. While theinterview portion of the event is sometimes broadcast byone of our media partners, the following discussion isoff-the-record to enable a frank and open exchange. TheAspen Brown Bag Lunch series takes place several timesa year and gathers experts, members of the “Verein derFreunde des Aspen Instituts e.V.” (Association of Friendsof the Aspen Institute), and representatives from politics,business, and civil society for a working lunch to discusscurrent topics under Chatham House Rule. Finally, thePublic Program includes stand-alone events such as ex-clusive breakfast and dinner events, the annual AspenSummer Party, the Election Night in 2016, and the AspenAnnual Gala. Some of the events are hosted in coopera-tion with partner organizations. The Public Program isopen to invited guests and upon request. Members of the“Verein der Freunde des Aspen Instituts” enjoy preferredaccess to major Public Program events.

To learn more or to attend a Public Program event, pleasecontact [email protected]

A selection of speakers from 2015-2016

• Dr. Fiona Hill, former Director of the CUSE, Brook-ings Institute, Special Assistant to the President andSenior Director for European and Russian Affairs,U.S. National Security Council

• Ignacio Garcia Bercero, Director at the EuropeanUnion Commission’s Directorate General Trade

• Omid Nouripour, Member of the German Bundestag

• Dr. Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary ofState

• Ambassador Wladimir M. Grinin, Embassy of theRussian Federation in Germany

• Dr. Katrin Suder, State Secretary, Federal Ministry ofDefence

• H.E. Bekim Çollaku, in his former position as Minis-ter for European Integration of the Republic ofKosovo

• Former United States Senator Christopher J. Dodd,Chairman and CEO, Motion Picture Association

• Ambassador Anthony L. Gardner, former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, visiting Fellowat the Robert Schuman Centre, European University Institute

• Lord Stephen Green of Hustpierpoint, Member of theUK House of Lords

• H.E. Dr. Mladen Ivanic, former Chairman of thePresidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina

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• Richard Kühnel, Representative of the EuropeanCommission in Germany

• Ulrich Deppendorf, former Head and Editor in Chiefof the ARD Hauptstadtstudio, Berlin

• Dr. Hartmut Mehdorn, former CEO of DeutscheBahn AG, Air Berlin, and Flughafen Berlin Branden-burg GmbH

Aspen publications

Esch, Valeska (ed.): Democratization in the WesternBalkans, Aspen Institute Germany, Berlin, 2016.

Esch, Valeska / Kempf, Carina (eds.): EU Enlargementand Regional Cooperation - Identifying the Next Steps,Aspen Institute Germany, Berlin, 2015.

Available at www.aspeninstitute.de

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Chairman (2016 - present)Eckart von KlaedenVice President, Head of External AffairsDaimler AG

Prof. Dr. Volker BerghahnSeth Low Professor of HistoryColumbia University

Carl DouglasVice Chairman of the Board Securitas AG

Catherine von Fürstenberg-DussmannChairwoman of the Board of TrusteesPeter Dussmann-Stiftung

Elliot GersonExecutive Vice PresidentThe Aspen Institute

Dr. Roland Hoffmann-Theinert Partner, Lawyer & NotaryGörg Rechtsanwälte

August von JoestCEOOffice von Joest

David KnowerChief Operating OfficerCerberus Deutschland Beteiligungsberatung GmbH

Sue KoffelManaging PartnerCMF Capital

Chairwoman (2012 - 2016)Dr. Corinne Michaela FlickFounder and chairConvoco Foundation

Andreas R. KrebsManaging DirectorCologneInvest GmbH

Roderick von LipseyManaging DirectorUBS Financial Services Inc.

Ambassador Thomas MatussekSenior AdvisorFlint Global

Helmut F. MeierSenior Vice President (retired)Booz Allen Hamilton

Fred W. ReinkePartnerMayer Brown LLP

Cecilie RohwedderContributorWall Street Journal

Dr. Kurt SchwarzFounder and Chief Executive Officer Leifina GmbH

Frank SportolariPresidentUPS - United Parcel Service Germany

trustees

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Till StaffeldtManaging DirectorGlobal Chief Operating OfficerRegulation, Compliance & Anti-Financial CrimeDeutsche Bank AG

Dr. h.c. Karsten D. VoigtFormer Coordinator of German-North AmericanCooperationGerman Federal Foreign Office

Christine WolffManagement Consultant

ex-officio Members

Cyril F. Benoit Former President (until 2015)The Aspen Institute France

Juan Ramon de la FuenteChairmanThe Aspen Institute Mexico

Mircea GeoanăPresidentThe Aspen Institute Romania

Teisuke KitayamaPresidentThe Aspen Institute Japan

Olivier MellerioPresident (since 2016)The Aspen Institute France

Javier SolanaChairmanThe Aspen Institute Spain

Robert K. SteelChairmanThe Aspen Institute

Gautam Thapar ChairmanAnanta Aspen Centre India

Prof. Giulio Tremonti ChairmanThe Aspen Institute Italy

Michael ŽantovskýVice PresidentThe Aspen Institute Prague (now Central Europe)

Honorary trustees

Georges BerthoinEuropean Honorary ChairmanTrilateral Commission

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Kurt H. BiedenkopfFormer Minister President of Saxony

Dr. Hildegard Boucsein Former State SecretaryState of Berlin

Alexander Kwapong †ChairmanCouncil of State, Ghana

Charles King Mallory IVFormer Executive DirectorThe Aspen Institute Germany

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Prof. David Marquand Principal (ret.) Mansfield College, Oxford

Walter MomperFormer Governing Mayor of Berlin

Edzard ReuterBoard Member & Former ChairmanShepard Stone Foundation

Chancellor (ret.) Helmut Schmidt †Former German Federal Chancellor

Prof. Dr. h.c. Lothar Späth †Former Minister President of Baden-Württemberg

Prof. Fritz Stern †Professor Emeritus, Department of HistoryColumbia University

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Werner WeidenfeldLudwig-Maximilian-University

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Garry Kasparov,Former World Chess Championand Political Activist

Aspen Annual GalaOctober 14, 2015

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prof. Dr. Volker Berghahn| Prof. Dr. Volker Berghahn is theSeth Low Emeritus Professor ofHistory at Columbia University.He received an M.A. from theUniversity of North Carolina,Chapel Hill, and his PhD fromthe University of London. Hecompleted his habilitation at the

University of Mannheim, but subsequently returned tothe U.K. where he taught at the Universities of East An-glia and Warwick before moving to Brown University in1988 and to Columbia in 1998. He has published widelyon the field of modern German History, European-Amer-ican economic and cultural relations, and historiography.His books include: Germany and the Approach of Warin 1914 (1973); Modern Germany. Society, Economy andPolitics in the Twentieth Century (Cambridge 1982); Mil-itarism. The History of an International Debate, 1861-1979 (New York 1982); The Americanization of WestGerman Industry, 1945-1973 (New York 1986); Otto A.Friedrich. Ein politischer Unternehmer (Frankfurt 1993);Imperial Germany, 1871-1914 (New York 1994); Amer-ica and the Intellectual Cold Wars in Europe (Princeton2001); Sarajewo 1914. Der Untergang des alten Europa(München 2001); Der Erste Weltkrieg (München 2003);Europe in the Era of Two World Wars (Princeton 2005);Industriegesellschaft und Kulturtransfer (Göttingen2010); American Big Business in Britain and Germany.A Comparative Study of Two ‘Special Relationships inthe 20th Century (Princeton 2014). He has just com-pleted a manuscript entitled “Between Hitler and Ade-nauer. Hamburgian Journalists and the MoralReconstruction of West Germany, 1945-1967,” to be pub-lished by Princeton University Press in 2018.

Carl Douglas | Carl Douglasis Vice Chairman of Assa AbloyAB and Securitas AB and BoardMember of Latour AB. He isalso the Chairman of MMTGroup AB. Apart from his busi-ness-ventures he is a farmer andan avid diver, photographer andexplorer of the underwater

realm. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Doc-torate of Letters (h.c).

Dr. Corinne Flick | Dr.Corinne Michaela Flick studiedboth law and literature, takingAmerican studies as her sub-sidiary. She gained her Dr. phil.in 1989. She has worked as in-house lawyer for BertelsmannBuch AG and Amazon.com. In1998, she became General Part-

ner in Vivil GmbH und Co. KG, Offenburg. She isFounder and Chair of the Convoco Foundation. Dr. Flickis Co-Founder of the Friends of the Bavarian State Li-brary, Munich, a member of the Executive Committee ofthe International Council of the Tate Gallery, London,and was Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Aspen In-stitute Germany from 2012 to 2016.

Catherine von Fürsten-berg-Dussmann | Catherinevon Fürstenberg-Dussmann wasborn on January 26th 1951 in St.Louis, Missouri (United States).She holds a degree in Psychol-ogy and English Literature fromthe University of Denver, Colo-rado. Moreover, she is a trained

actress who attended the Drama Studio of the Royal

ABout tHe trustees

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Academy of London. Catherine von Fürstenberg-Duss-mann worked as an actress in the Screen Actors Guild inthe United States and also became self-employed bystarting a business for interior design. In 1980, she mar-ried Peter Dussmann, chairman of the Dussmann Group,and moved to Germany with him. Catherine von Fürsten-berg-Dussmann was appointed Member of the Supervi-sory Board of Dussmann Group when her husbandsuffered a severe stroke after 30 years of marriage. InApril 2009, she assumed the position as Chairperson ofthe Supervisory Board. Since 2011, Catherine vonFürstenberg-Dussmann has been Head of the Peter Duss-mann Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

elliot Gerson | Elliot Gersonis an Executive Vice President atthe Aspen Institute (U.S.), re-sponsible for its Policy Pro-grams, its Public Programs andits relations with internationalpartners. The Institute's morethan 30 Policy Programs focuson both domestic and interna-

tional issues. They provide neutral venues, do nonparti-san analysis, foster candid dialog among leaders,advocate new policy and promote best practices. The In-stitute's Public Programs – including the Aspen IdeasFestival and many smaller programs across the country– open the Institute's doors to a broader audience and fur-ther both its educational goals and its hopes that thoughtwill lead to action. The Institute has international part-ners in Central Europe, France, Germany, India, Italy,Japan, Mexico, Romania, Ukraine, and Spain. Gersonalso administers the U.S. Rhodes Scholarships. He wasa Rhodes Scholar, a U.S. Supreme Court clerk, practicedlaw in government and privately, held executive positionsin state and federal government and on a presidentialcampaign, and was president of startups in health careand education, and of two leading national insurance and

health-care companies. He has served on many non-profit boards, especially in the arts.

Dr. roland Hoffmann-theinert | Dr. Roland Hoff-mann-Theinert is the foundingpartner of GÖRG’s Berlin Officeand served as a long-standingmember of the firm’s manage-ment board and as Head of thefirm’s Corporate Service Line.GÖRG is with more than 270

lawyers one of the leading independent law firms in Ger-many. Since 2013, he has shared his time between Berlinand Frankfurt where he is heading the Frankfurt officeof the firm. Roland studied in Passau and Freiburg i. Br.where he obtained his doctorate degree in law. His doc-toral dissertation was awarded the Georg F. RoesslerPrize of the Federal Supreme Court Bar in Karlsruhe.Early on, the restructuring and sale of companies in fi-nancial difficulties was a central focus. He was a leadadvisor in the 2009/2010 sales process of KarstadtWarenhaus GmbH and the European “Quelle” businessand served as Chair of the Supervisory Board of Karstadtduring that business’ insolvency proceeding. He is oneof the well-known corporate practitioners with speciali-sations in the areas of complex corporate transactionsand restructuring projects. Dr. Hoffmann-Theinert wasadmitted to start practicing as a notary in Berlin in 2000.He has taught as an Associate Lecturer at Berlin’s FreeUniversity since 2000 and is the author of numerous ac-ademic publications.

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August von Joest | Augustvon Joest looks back on over 45years of experience in differentindustries, national and interna-tional. Mr. von Joest’s careercovers general trading and con-tracting, experience in the avia-tion and defense industry, theprivatization of national indus-

try, corporate finance, M&A and Private Equity. He nowholds a number of non-executive positions and runs hisfamily office taking care of a number of investments. Au-gust von Joest is married, has three children and enjoysclassic motorsport and golf.

eckart von Klaeden | Eckartvon Klaeden was born inHanover, Germany, on Novem-ber 18, 1965, and is a lawyer bytraining. He started his profes-sional career as a spokesman ofthe CDU in Lower Saxony be-fore he became a member of theGerman Federal Parliament in

1994. He held a number of positions there: from 2000 to2005 as parliamentary secretary, from 2005 to 2009 asforeign policy spokesman of the CDU/CSU faction inthe German Federal Parliament, and from 2006 to 2010as treasurer of the CDU. From 2004 until 2013, he was amember of the federal board of the CDU; since 2006, hewas also a member of the executive committee. In 2009,he assumed office as Minister of State of the FederalChancellor. On November 1, 2013, Mr. von Klaedenjoined Daimler AG as Vice President, External Affairswhere he is responsible for external relations and Daim-ler’s political dialogue worldwide. In this position he re-ports directly to the Chairman of the Board ofManagement of Daimler AG, Dr. Dieter Zetsche. He hasbeen Chairman of Aspen Germany since June 2016.

David Knower | DavidKnower has been the Chief Ope-rating Officer and Geschäfts-führer of Cerberus DeutschlandBeteiligungsberatung GmbHsince 2003. Before starting hisown international consultingcompany (1997-2002), Mr.Knower worked for Procter &

Gamble for eleven years, where he started his profes-sional career in Germany in 1986. After nine years in Fi-nance and Controlling positions, Mr. Knower spent twoyears managing the Procter & Gamble Germany FineFragrance business in Asia Pacific. Mr. Knower receivedtwo undergraduate degrees from the University of Mas-sachusetts, (Economics, German) in 1983, as well asbeing named a Commonwealth Scholar. Mr. Knowerspent the academic year 1981/82 studying in Freiburg,Germany. He received his MBA from the AmericanGraduate School of International Management (Thun-derbird), in 1985. Mr. Knower is board member of theAmerican Chamber of Commerce in Germany, Presidentof the American German Business Club in Frankfurt,Chairman of the Republicans Abroad Europe, Vice Pres-ident of the Steuben-Schurz Gesellschaft, member of theboard of trustees of “The English Theatre,” in Frankfurtand serves on various supervisory and advisory boardsin Germany. Mr. Knower, born in May of 1961, is anAmerican Citizen and a resident of Germany. He hasthree children.

sue Koffel | Sue Koffel isManaging Partner of CMF Cap-ital, a San Francisco based pri-vate investment business. Shefounded The Math inquiriesProject ® (MiP) and was Chair-man from 2002-2013. MiP is anon-profit public benefit corpo-

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ration focused on the study of social marketing issuesconcerning algebra education in the State of California.Ms. Koffel has degrees in mathematics & cybernetic sys-tems. She is a member of the Advisory Board of theStanford Institute for Economic Policy Research(SIEPR) and the Advisory Board of the Stanford Centerfor International Development (SCID), both at StanfordUniversity in Palo Alto, California. Sue Koffel has had along association with the transatlantic relationshipthrough business, government and policy institutions inEurope and the United States. She is a member of theAmerican Enterprise Institute’s National Council and aTrustee of Aspen Germany. Sue Koffel raises Hanoverianhorses and has them in dressage training in Napa, Cali-fornia. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, Mar-tin, where they sail on San Francisco Bay.

Andreas r. Krebs | AndreasR. Krebs was named ManagingPartner at Cologne Invest GmbHGermany (Venture Capital) in2010. He is a member of severalBoards of Directors, AdvisoryBoards, and Boards of Trustees.In October 2010, he was ap-pointed Chairman of the Super-

visory Board of Merz and in 2012 as Chairman of theShareholder Council. Prior to this, he was ExecutiveBoard Member and President, EMEA and Canada atWyeth (U.S). Mr. Krebs holds a Business Degree, beganhis career with Woelm Pharma and has worked for BayerAG, Germany since 1984, holding several senior posi-tions such as General Manager Canada, Vice PresidentAsia Pacific and General Manager Bayer Argentina. Hehas worked in seven countries, has vast experience in thefield of life science, and experience in internationalhealthcare markets of Europe, North America, Asia Pa-cific, Middle East, and Latin America. Mr. Krebs is alsoengaged in several philanthropic organizations and chairs

the private NGO ‘Project Girassol’, operating in aFavela-Community in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He is marriedwith two grown-up children and lives near Cologne.

roderick von lipsey | Rode-rick von Lipsey is a Managing Di-rector at UBS Financial Services,Inc, where he is the senior mem-ber of the Private Wealth Manage-ment practice in Washington, DC.At UBS he has held key leader-ship positions, most recently asthe Midwest Complex Director

for the firm's Private Wealth Management business,headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to UBS, Rodvon Lipsey was a Vice President at Goldman, Sachs &Co. His career in finance began after serving 20 years onactive duty in the U.S. Marine Corps. A “Top Gun” grad,former Marine fighter pilot, and combat veteran. Duringhis military career Rod von Lipsey also served as Direc-tor, National Security Council; Council on Foreign Re-lations International Affairs Fellow; White House Fellowand Special Assistant for Foreign and Security Policy tothe Chief of Staff to the President; and Senior Aide to theChairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mr. von Lipseyholds numerous securities industry registrations and hasserved as trustee and advisor for several domestic andinternational not-for-profit organizations. In 2011, Rodvon Lipsey was selected by the National Association ofBoard Certified Advisory Practices (NABCAP) as oneof the Washington, D.C., region's “Top Advisors” for ex-cellence in serving the needs of the investing public. Inthat same year and subsequently, he has been recognizedby Barron's as one of America's Top 1000 Financial Ad-visors and ranked among the top 10 advisors in Wash-ington, D.C. Mr. von Lipsey and his wife Alexia residein the Massachusetts Avenue Heights area of Washing-ton, D.C. and are the proud parents of three boys, all ofwhom attend Washington International School (WIS).

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thomas Matussek | Born in1947, Ambassador Matussekstudied law and history in Bonnand Paris, after completing histwo-year military service. In1975, he joined the German For-eign Service. After initial assign-ments in Bonn and London, heworked at Germany’s Federal

Chancellery under Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, with re-sponsibility for European Affairs. Following further as-signments in New Delhi (Press Office) and Lisbon(Economic Affairs), he returned to Bonn. He was BureauChief for Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher from1991 to 1992 and subsequently Chief of Staff for ForeignMinister Dr. Klaus Kinkel. From 1994 to 1999, he wasthe Minister and Deputy Ambassador in Washington,D.C. From 1999 to 2002, he was Director General of Po-litical Affairs at the Federal Foreign Office, with respon-sibilities for the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and LatinAmerica. In 2001, he organized the Petersberg Confer-ence (Bonn Agreement), which led to the founding of thenew State of Afghanistan. From 2002 to 2006, he wasGermany’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom and rep-resented Germany as its Permanent Representative to theUnited Nations in New York City from 2006 to 2009.From 2009 to 2011, he was Germany’s Ambassador toIndia in New Delhi, before he joined Deutsche Bank inNovember 2011. From 2013 until 2016, AmbassadorMatussek was Managing Director of the Alfred Her-rhausen Society. After leaving the Alfred Herrhausen So-ciety, he joined Flint Global where he is currently aSenior Advisor.

Helmut F. Meier | HelmutMeier worked as a consultant fornearly three decades. In 1982, hestarted as an Associate at BoozAllen Hamilton in Düsseldorfand was made Partner in 1991.His consulting focus has alwaysbeen on high-tech industries,computing and communications.

Prior to consulting, he worked for Siemens in Munichand in Boca Raton/Florida for two years. Throughout thecourse of his career, he held posts with regards to clientwork (Germany, Europe, U.S., Asia) as well as in grow-ing management functions. He served as a Member ofthe Global Board of Directors from 1995 to 1998 andfrom 2006 to 2009. He was also a member of the Spanishand Italian Board; Chair of the Global CommunicationsCommittee and of the CEO Succession Committee. In2009, he decided to retire in order to have more time forhis personal life. Mr. Meier holds a Master’s degree inMathematics and Computer Science (University ofBonn/Germany) and an MBA in Business Administra-tion (INSEAD, Fontainebleau). He married his wife Bir-git in 1978 and has three grown-up daughters and fourgrandchildren. He now lives in Krefeld (Germany) andVienna (Austria). His interests include music and art, so-cial and educational engagements (foundation) and fur-ther development in leadership issues. He has been aTrustee of the Aspen Institute Germany for more than adecade, a “Platinum Sponsor” of INSEAD, and a patronand donor to the Konzerthaus in Vienna. He was Presi-dent of the American Chamber of Commerce in Austriafor two years until his retirement.

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Fred W. reinke | Fred W.Reinke, a partner in MayerBrown’s Washington, D.C., of-fice, is the U.S. head of insurancelitigation for the firm’s global In-surance Industry Group. Legal500 recommends him for com-plex litigation and class actionsand specifically identified Mayer

Brown’s U.S. insurance litigation practice as one of theleading insurance litigation groups in the country. Mr.Reinke handles complex international commercial andclass action litigation, particularly on behalf of major Eu-ropean insurance/ reinsurance companies and financialinstitutions. He counsels clients on insurance and rein-surance coverage disputes, governmental and internalcorporate investigations, class action defense, bankingand other financial transaction-related litigation, civil an-titrust litigation, personal jurisdiction defense and appel-late matters. He has also conducted numerous internalcorporate investigations and guided directors of publicand private companies on corporate governance mattersand investigations involving various governmental enti-ties, including the SEC, the Department of Justice, theDepartment of Labor, and the Department of Commerce.Mr. Reinke has extensive experience in advising and rep-resenting French and German companies and banks ona wide array of legal issues in the United States. He wasa Robert Bosch Fellow in Germany and is a member ofthe American Council on Germany, a Young Leader atthe American Council on Germany/Atlantik Brücke, andis on the Board of Trustees of the American Institute forContemporary Germany Studies (AICGS). He receivedhis B.A. from St. Olaf College (MN) and his J.D. fromColumbia University (NY). Mr. Reinke also studied as aFulbright Scholar at the University of Hamburg and isfluent in German.

Cecilie rohwedder | CecilieRohwedder is a contributor tothe Wall Street Journal, based inWashington, D.C. She writes forvarious parts of the publication,including Life & Arts, Careers,Weekend and Mansion. A nativeof Germany, she spent nearly twodecades as a Journal reporter in

Europe, where she was based in Brussels, Bonn, Berlin,and London and covered areas ranging from Europeanpolitics to media, retail and fashion industries. Mrs. Ro-hwedder is a graduate of Georgetown University andholds a Master’s Degree from Columbia. She has been aFulbright Foundation Scholar and Knight Wallace Jour-nalism Fellow at the University of Michigan. She is onthe Board of Visitors at Georgetown University’s Schoolof Foreign Service, an active member of Atlantik-Brücke,a non-profit group furthering transatlantic relations, andsupports American Secondary Schools for InternationalStudents and Teachers (ASSIST), a youth exchange or-ganization. Mrs. Rohwedder also serves in various ca-pacities at the National Cathedral School in Washington.In her free time, she likes to read, play tennis or travelthe world with her husband and three daughters.

Dr. Kurt schwarz | Dr. KurtSchwarz was born on June 19,1951, near Düsseldorf and nowlives in Munich and Berlin. Afterfinishing high school in Düssel-dorf, he studied medicine andlaw at the University of Heidel-berg and obtained his MD de-gree in 1979. After his doctoral

thesis in Experimental Pharmacology, he joined the De-partment of Internal Medicine of the University Hospitalin Heidelberg. In 1982, he was awarded a visiting fellow-ship by the German Research Foundation at Harvard

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Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital inBoston. In 1986, he joined Merck & Co. (New Jersey)and returned to Germany to work for the German sub-sidiary in Product Management and Medical Affairs. In1990, Dr. Schwarz founded his investment company Lei-fina GmbH in Munich and joined the Supervisory Boardof Schwarz Pharma AG, representing the Schwarz familyas a major shareholder. Dr. Schwarz holds several boardseats and is actively involved in several cultural, philan-thropic and political institutions.

Frank sportolari | FrankSportolari (58), a native ofChicago, holds a Bachelor’s de-gree in economics from the Uni-versity of Illinois. Before joiningUPS in 1986, he worked 6 yearsas a logistics manager for theU.S. Department of Defense inGermany. Mr. Sportolari joined

UPS in Munich, Germany, in 1986 and held various po-sitions of increasing responsibility within the Financeand Accounting function, including working as a Con-troller in Munich, Cologne and Neuss for UPS in Ger-many before moving to Madrid in 1996 where he was theController for UPS Spain & Portugal. This was followedby Controller assignments at UPS Italy and in the UPSEuropean Coordination Center in Brussels, where FrankSportolari coordinated the activities of the UPS Con-trollers across the Europe Region. He has had extensiveexperience in Italy where he held the position of con-troller from 1998 to 1999 and of managing director from2002 to 2004. From 2004 to 2007, he took on the role ofVice President of European Strategy, based in Brussels,Belgium, where he was responsible for developing strate-gies for the EMEA markets. In 2007, Frank Sportolarireturned to Italy as managing director, a position whichhe held until September 2011. During this time he servedas a board member of the American Chamber of Com-

merce in Italy. In September of 2011, Frank Sportolariwas appointed to his current position as President of UPSGermany. He is a vice president of the American Cham-ber of Commerce in Germany, vice chairman of the CDUBusiness Council International Commission and on theboards of several industry and charitable organizations.Mr. Sportolari lives in Düsseldorf with his wife and 4 ofhis 6 children. He holds American and Italian citizen-ship.

till staffeldt | Till Staffeldt isGlobal COO Regulation, Com-pliance und Anti-FinancialCrime (CRegO) and Vice Chairof the Regulation, Complianceund Anti-Financial Crime Exec-utive Committee at DeutscheBank. Mr. Staffeldt started hiscareer at Deutsche Bank in 1997

after having completed his studies in Law at the Univer-sities of Berlin, Heidelberg, Konstanz and London. Fol-lowing several roles in Frankfurt, Mr. Staffeldt wasappointed as Regional Head of Corporate Developmentin 2006. Two years later, he became Global Head of Busi-ness Management & Development Private and BusinessClients (PBC). In 2009 he took over the responsibility asHead of PBC in Berlin. Till was appointed as Head ofPrivate Banking Germany in 2011. In 2013, he becamePBC’s Global Head of HR and PBC’s Global Head ofCAO. Three years later, he was appointed as Head of HRfor Regulation, Compliance und Anti-Financial Crimeand Legal.

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Dr. h. c. Karsten Voigt | Dr.h. c. Karsten D. Voigt was theCoordinator of German-NorthAmerican Cooperation at theGerman Federal Foreign Officefrom 1999 to 2009. He majoredin history and in German andScandinavian studies at the uni-versities of Hamburg, Copen-

hagen, and Frankfurt. Dr. Voigt became actively engagedin politics at an early age. He accompanied witnessesduring the Auschwitz trial proceedings and took part inAnti-Vietnam war demonstrations. From 1969 until1973, he served as Chairman of the German Young So-cialists Organization. From 1984 until 1995 he was amember of the Executive Committee of the German So-cial Democratic Party and from 1985 to 1994, memberof the Executive Committee of the Party of European So-cialists. From 1976 to 1998, he served as a Member ofthe German Parliament (Bundestag) for the Social De-mocrats (SPD). From 1977 to 1998 he also served as aMember of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, of whichhe was President between 1994 and 1996. Dr. Voigt’s ex-pertise is in the fields of foreign policy and security.From 1983 to 1998, he was foreign policy spokesman ofthe SPD parliamentary group. Dr. Voigt also serves onthe Steering Committee of the German Council on For-eign Relations (DGAP).

Christine Wolff | Manage-ment Consultant Christine Wolff,M.Sc. Geology, MBA und Busi-ness Mediator, has worked in international engineering con-sulting firms as a manager formore than 20 years. In her lastposition, she was Managing Di-rector for Europe & Middle East

at URS Corporation (now AECOM), a NYSE listed U.S.-

based engineering firm. As a Senior Vice President, shewas responsible for operations in 15 countries with 2000employees. Her main operational activities focused onplanning and consulting services for large infrastructure,energy, and environmental projects. Christine Wolffstarted her career in Australia as a project geologist inexploration for chromite, gold, and diamonds. Afterseven years in Australia and the South Pacific region, shereturned to Germany. She is member of several supervi-sory boards including Hochtief AG and of the reformcommission of the German Federal Ministry for Trans-port and Digital Infrastructure.

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Roderick von Lipsey,Managing Director, UBS Financial Services Inc.

Cecilie Rohwedder,Contributor, Wall Street Journal

Dr. Kurt Schwarz,CEO and Founder, Leifina GmbH

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The Management Board (Vorstand) of the AspenInstitute Germany consists of a chair, the ExecutiveDirector of the Aspen Institute Germany, and up to fiveadditional members who serve for a maximum of twothree-year terms pro bono publico. The ManagementBoard represents the institute legally and advises theExecutive Director on legal matters, fundraising, the pro-gram, finance and accounting, and strategic communi-cation.

Chairman Rüdiger Lentz Executive DirectorThe Aspen Institute Germany

Dr. Christoph AbelnFounder and PartnerAbeln Rechtsanwälte | Fachanwälte für Arbeitsrecht

Prof. Dr. Gunther HellmannProfessor of Political ScienceGoethe University Frankfurt am Main

Peter LennartzPartnerErnst & Young GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft

Ulrich PlettFounderUPW7 GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft

August von JoestCEO Office - von Joest

Dr. Christoph Abeln | Dr.Christoph Abeln is founder andattorney for employment andlabor law at the Berlin law of-fices of Abeln Attorneys forLabor Law. After studying inFreiburg and Munich, Dr. Abelnreceived his PhD from the Albert-Ludwigs-University in

Freiburg. His dissertation compared “The Legal Statusof Management Board Members and Works CouncilMembers.” After taking articles in Berlin, he passed thebar in 1994. In addition to his work as an attorney, Dr.Abeln has spoken at the German Society for PersonnelManagement, the labor policy publishers “Labor andLaw” as well as at the Forum Institute for ManagementGmbH.

prof. Dr. Gunther Hell-mann | Prof. Dr. Gunther Hell-mann is a Professor of PoliticalScience at Goethe University,Frankfurt a.M. He specializes ininternational relations, Germanforeign policy, European &Transatlantic security relations,and theory of international rela-

tions. Before assuming his position at Goethe Universityin 1999, Prof. Hellmann taught at Freie UniversitätBerlin and Darmstadt University of Technology. Since2007, he has been a Principal Investigator in the contextof Goethe University’s Cluster of Excellence “Formationof Normative Orders”. In 2008-2009, he held the “StevenMuller Chair in German Studies” at the SAIS BolognaCenter of Johns Hopkins University, in 2012 he was the“Harris Distinguished Visiting Professor” at DartmouthCollege, Hanover, in 2012/13 he was Senior Fellow atthe Transatlantic Academy, GMF, Washington, D.C.Since 2014, he has served as Executive Secretary, resp.President of the World International Studies Commitee.

MAnAGeMent BoArD

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peter lennartz | PeterLennartz is a Partner with Ernst& Young. He started his career in1985 with EY in Hamburg andtransferred to EY Boston from1999 to 2002 to serve Germanclients in the U.S. in his role asthe German Audit Desk Partner.Peter Lennartz joined EY Berlin

in 2002 and is currently heading EY’s assurance practicein Berlin and EY’s Start-up Initiative in Berlin as well asin Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. He serves nationaland international clients in the Start-up, Technology aswell as Healthcare sector and is an author, speaker andmoderator in the field of Start-ups.

rüdiger lentz | RüdigerLentz is the Executive Directorof the Aspen Institute Germany.From 2009 until 2013, he servedas the Executive Director of theGerman-American HeritageFoundation and Museum inWashington, D.C. Prior to that,he worked as a TV correspon-

dent and magazine journalist for Der Spiegel, ARD Tel-evision, Rias Berlin, and Deutsche Welle for over threedecades. During his time as Bureau Chief for DeutscheWelle in Washington, D.C., he was a Visiting Lecturer atHarvard University, the School of Foreign Service inWashington and a regular guest on CNN and C-Span. Mr.Lentz has been a long-time member of the Atlantik-Brücke and a founding member of the German AmericanBusiness Council (GABC) in Washington, D.C.

ulrich plett | Ulrich Plett runshis own business as auditor andconsultant at UPW7 GmbHWirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft.Until the summer of 2015, hewas Office Managing Partner ofErnst & Young Berlin. He stud-ied business administration inMünster and Munich and started

his career in 1980 in the Chicago office of Arthur An-dersen (AA). After further years in the AA offices Ham-burg and Barcelona, he transferred back to Germany in1993 to build up the EY office in Berlin. His clients atEY included publicly listed media and entertainment, in-ternet and technology clients. Since 2015, he serves as aBoard Member in a Real Estate Company and in severalNGOs.

August von Joest | Augustvon Joest looks back on over 45years of experience in differentindustries, national and interna-tional. Mr. von Joest's careercovers general trading and con-tracting, experience in the avia-tion- and defense industry,privatization of national indus-

try, corporate finance, M&A and Private Equity. He nowholds a number of non-executive positions and runs hisfamily office taking care of a number of investments. Au-gust von Joest is married, has three children and enjoysclassic motorsport and golf.

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Rüdiger Lentz,Executive Director, Aspen Institute Germany

Lars Preusser, Managing Director,Laurentium GmbH

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Friends of the Aspen Institute

The “Verein der Freunde des Aspen Instituts e.V.”(Association of Friends of the Aspen Institute) is a Ger-man non-profit organization founded in 1989. Itsfounders and members come from across society includ-ing polictics, business, academia, diplomacy, as well asarts and culture. Their support is crucial for the Institutein its efforts to fulfill its mission and conduct its pro-grams independently. Membership is open to anybodywho shares Aspen’s vision and supports Aspen Germanythrough annual membership dues. Membership fees aretax-deductible as permitted under German and EU law.

Membership comes with a range of exclusive benefits.Members enjoy preferred access to Public Programevents and special occasions such as the Institute’s annualsummer party, the annual Aspen Berlin TransatlanticConference, and the public parts of Aspen’s SoutheastEurope Foreign Ministers’ conferences.

All members receive the Institute’s newsletter “AspenInside” three times a year, in which new members areintroduced, upcoming events are announced, and pastones are reviewed. Aspen publications, such as the an-nual report and official conference papers, can be or-dered from the Institute for free.

Corporate Members

Corporate members receive invitations to and early no-tification of Aspen events with key decision makers andpolicy experts, including exclusive and high-level dis-cussions, private luncheons, dinners, and evening events.They may bring a corporate guest with them to suchevents and receive priority treatment on the waitlist foroversubscribed events. Corporate membership contribu-tions are tax-deductible in both the Federal Republic ofGermany and in the United States.

Individual Members

Individual members receive personal and non-transfer-able invitations to and early notification of exclusiveAspen events with key decision-makers and policy ex-perts. They also receive priority treatment on the waitlistfor oversubscribed events. Membership contributions are tax-deductible in both the Federal Republic of Germanyand in the United States.

Junior Members

In order to support a new generation in their dedicationto transatlantic relations, the Institute offers a JuniorMembership to persons up to age 35. Junior membersenjoy the full range of benefits of individual membersincluding preferred invitations to Public Program andspecial events, and the internal newsletter.

To learn more about or to join the “Verein der Freunde”please contact: [email protected].

“VereIn Der FreunDe”

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Britt Eckelmann,Chief Executive Officer, cpm Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH,Vice Chairwoman, “Verein der Freunde”

Jan Losemann,Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Losemann Legal Tax GmbH,Member of the Board, “Verein der Freunde”

Arno Heuerman,Founding Partner and Chief Operating Officer, Catenion GmbH,Member of the Board, “Verein der Freunde”

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Members of the Management Board of the Friends of theAspen Institute are responsible for winning and retainingmembers in the “Verein der Freunde des Aspen Institutse.V.”. They serve on a pro bono publico basis. Since2011, the Management Boards of both organizations, theAspen Institute Germany and the “Verein der Freunde”, have met in joint session.

ChairmanDr. Roland Hoffmann-Theinert Partner, Lawyer & NotaryGörg Rechtsanwälte

Britt EckelmannChief Executive Officercpm Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH

Arno HeuermannFounding Partner and Chief Operating OfficerCatenion GmbH

Helmut KranzmaierManaging PartnerHeluma Ventures

Jan LosemannFounder and CEOLosemann Legal Tax GmbH

Ulrich PlettFounderUPW7 GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft

Ulrich MisgeldMember of the BoardApril Stiftung

Britt eckelmann | Britt S.Eckelmann is the managingshareholder of cpm architects inBerlin. After her studies at theTechnical University Berlin,University of Brighton, and Uni-versity of Manitoba, she focusedher architectural practice onworkplace and office design.

Since completing her Executive MBA at ESCP in Parisin 2008, she has been active in investment managementin the real estate sector. She trains young and foreign ar-chitects on the building code, HOAI and on multinationaland virtual teams at the Berlin architectural guild. Ms.Eckelmann serves on the advisory board of the chair forentrepreneurship and innovation at the Technical Univer-sity Berlin. She became a member of the ManagementBoard of the Friends of the Aspen Institute in 2010.

Arno Heuermann | ArnoHeuermann is a Founder and theManaging Director of Catenion,a life science management con-sultancy firm focused on phar-maceutical and medical devicecompanies worldwide. Whilestudying for his degrees, Mr.Heuermann founded a technical

engineering office in 1994. He continued to follow theentrepreneurial path in 1998 by founding Biopsytec, aDNA diagnostics company focused on agriculture, head-ing the company for more than five years. In 1999, heco-founded Epigenomics AG, a DAX listed biotech com-pany, for which he later continued to act as an advisorand member of the firm’s supervisory board. At the sametime, Mr. Heuermann was involved in several other proj-ects like the Phorms schools, pharma startups and oth-ers.

MAnAGeMent BoArD“VereIn Der FreunDe”

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Dr. roland Hoffmann-theinert | Dr. Roland Hoff-mann-Theinert is the foundingpartner of GÖRG’s Berlin Officeand served as a long-standingmember of the firm’s manage-ment board and as head of thefirm’s Corporate Service Line.With more than 270 lawyers,

GÖRG is one of the leading independent law firms inGermany. Since 2013, he has been splitting his time be-tween Berlin and Frankfurt, where he is heading theFrankfurt office of the firm. Dr. Hoffmann-Theinertstudied in Passau and Freiburg i. Br., where he obtainedhis doctorate degree in law. His doctoral dissertation wasawarded the Georg F. Roessler Prize of the FederalSupreme Court Bar in Karlsruhe. Early on, the restruc-turing and sale of companies in financial difficulties wasa central focus. He was a lead advisor in the 2009/2010sales process of Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH and the Eu-ropean “Quelle” business and served as Chair of the Su-pervisory Board of Karstadt during that business’insolvency proceeding. He is one of the well-known cor-porate practitioners with specializations in the areas ofcomplex corporate transactions and restructuring proj-ects. Dr. Roland Hoffmann-Theinert also started practic-ing as a notary in Berlin in 2000. He has taught as anAssociate Lecturer at Berlin’s Free University since 2000and is the author of numerous academic publications.

Helmut Kranzmaier | Hel-mut Kranzmaier is an Investor,Entrepreneur, Advisor and theManaging Partner of HELUMAVentures. Prior, he was an EquityPartner at a strategic communi-cations firm and before, he heldvarious management positions atDeutsche Bank in Germany and

Great Britain. Helmut Kranzmaier studied business ad-ministration and holds an Executive MBA from CityUniversity London/Ashridge Business School. He is aCertified Investor Relations Officer through the GermanInvestor Relations Society.

Jan losemann | Jan Lose-mann is founder and CEO ofLosemann Legal Tax, a firm pro-viding business process out-sourcing and controlling for law,tax/finance and HR. He istrusted advisor and outsourcedin-house counsel for a number ofmedium sized international en-

terprises. Mr. Losemann has a generalist, integral ap-proach; his firm embraces and advises regarding the useof legal technology, digital accounting and other innova-tive solutions. As a self-employed lawyer since 2001, hehas served a wide range of industries including hospital-ity, medical, technology, food, construction and real es-tate. He is furthermore member of severalGerman-Spanish organizations and has a specific focuson Spanish-speaking countries.

ulrich Misgeld | Ulrich Mis-geld is a qualified banker andbusiness economist. In 1967, hestarted his apprentice training atDeutsche Bank, studied parallelto his work and worked, until heleft the company in 1992, forDeutsche Bank in corporatebanking, most recently as man-

ager for Berlin and Brandenburg branch. In 1992, he be-came a member of the board of directors of the BerlinerVolksbank. At the beginning of 2000, Ulrich Misgeld leftthe banking world and was appointed as a member of theboard for Finances, IT and HR at Selux AG, a leading

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company of the lighting industry with plants in Germany,France and the U.S. After 15 years in this position andvarious voluntary activities in industrial associations andthe German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK),he went into planned retirement at the age of 65 in Sep-tember 2015. Today, he currently has Executive Boardresponsibilities in charities, e.g. he is member of theboard of the APRIL Stiftung since 2010, and takes on su-pervisory board work. Since October 2015, he has beencouncil member at the Below Tippmann & CompagniePersonalberatung GmbH. Mr. Misgeld is an enthusiasticmarathon runner and has successfully participated inover 49 runs.

ulrich plett | Ulrich Plett runshis own business as auditor andconsultant at UPW7 GmbHWirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft.Until the summer of 2015, hewas Office Managing Partner ofErnst & Young Berlin. He stud-ied business administration inMünster and Munich and started

his career in 1980 in the Chicago office of Arthur An-dersen (AA). After further years in the AA offices Ham-burg and Barcelona, he transferred back to Germany in1993 to build up the EY office in Berlin. His clients atEY included publicly listed media and entertainment, in-ternet and technology clients. Since 2015, he serves as aBoard Member in a Real Estate Company and in severalNGOs.

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Corporate Members

Adam Opel AGAxel Springer SEBaker & McKenzieCapricornus Capital Management GmbHCerberus Deutschland Beteiligungsberatung GmbHDaimler AGDARAG AGDeutsche Bank AGErnst & Young GmbH WirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaftGÖRG Partnerschaft von Rechtsanwälten mbBKnick Elektronische Messgeräte GmbH und Co. KG.Miller & Meier Consulting GmbHRobert Bosch GmbHYum! Restaurants International Ltd. & Co. KG

Individual Members

Dr. Christoph AbelnDr. Hans AlbrechtDr. Patrick AmsVolker AngerDr. Jörg BaldaufKarl H. BehlePeter BeyerMartine Bizouard-Hayat Dr. Johannes BohnenAndreas BrählerOliver BuckRobert BurdyDr. Carl A. Claussen James ConradEva K. Deininger Jürgen DickemannSteven Disman Margrit Disman Stephan DürenHeinz Dürr

Matthias Druba, LL.M.Britt Eckelmann Frank Eggloff Kristina Flügel Heike FölsterMarie-Alix Freifrau Ebner von Eschenbach Thomas Freiherr von StenglinBirgit FreudenbergNorman Nathan GelbartJan-Hendrik Goldbeck Steffen GöweUwe GüntherThomas HaberkammChristian Hacke Jan HawerkampDr. Jana HeckerProf. Dr. Gunther HellmannArno Heuermann Dr. Alexander Hogertz, LL.M.Dr. Kay P. HradilakDr. Christof JäckleFlorian JehleAugust von Joest Alexander KamenzTobias KempermannPeter Kerscher Hanns-Karsten Kirchmann Nikolai KleckowMarcus KnickSue Koffel Helmut Kranzmaier Dr. Nils KrauseAndreas R. Krebs Peter Lennartz Leopold Lewitscharoff Jan Losemann Andreas Luckow Andreas Mager Claus-Peter Martens

MeMBers oF tHe“VereIn Der FreunDe”

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Cornelia Masuhr Harald Mau Ulrich Misgeld Astrid MoixHugh Mortimer Jörg Müller Werner Pahlitzsch Sandra Pfahler Ulrich PlettProf. Dr. Jens PollLars PreusserSascha RatayskiDr. Christoph RückelDr. Björn Rupp Andreas SanderJürgen Schach von Wittenau Renate Schach von Wittenau Prof. Dr. Sigram SchindlerDr. Hans-Jörg SchmedesDr. Gitta Schneider-SickertPeter SchnitzlerDr. Christoph Schulte-KaubrüggerElke SchwankeMarc Schwarzer Ludwig Schwegmann Leonardo ScimmiPetra Seebauer Dr. Jochen SiemensChristian SommerDr. Thomas SöbbingJürgen B. Steinke Tim TalaatDr. Georg ThalerSimon VautAndrea Vitolo August von JoestGeorge Weinberg Cornelius Wendel Sven Wingerter

Christine Wolff Dr. Alexander Zumdieck

Junior Members

Peter EitelJuliane KabusJenna KoffelSean KoffelFranciska LangeChristoph NoackJohannes J. RübergJacob SchrotSergey SumlennySophie von Wedel

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The Friends of Aspen Germany are located in Washing-ton, D.C., and were founded in 2014 by enthusiasticAmerican supporters of Aspen Germany together withthe pro bono support of Mayer Brown LLP. The friendshelp the Institute with their advice and support on the In-stitute’s U.S. programs and fundraising activities.

Chairman

Fred ReinkePartnerMayer Brown LLP

Board Members

Werner HeinSenior CounselMayer Brown LLP

Erik HotmireTreasurerBrunswick Group

Kim LarsenPrincipalBressler Amery Ross

Cecilie RohwedderContributorWall Street Journal

FrIenDs oF Aspen GerMAnY

Rüdiger Lentz,Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Germany

Ulrich Deppendorf, former Head and Editor in Chief of the ARD Hauptstadtstudio, Berlin

“Report From Berlin – Politics and Journalism – First Hand!”April 14, 2016

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supporting Members of the Board oftrustees

Carl DouglasDr. Corinne FlickCatherine von Fürstenberg-DussmannAugust von JoestDavid KnowerSue KoffelAndreas R. KrebsRoderick von LipseyHelmut F. MeierCecilie RohwedderDr. Kurt SchwarzFrank SportolariTill StaffeldtChristine Wolff

private Donors

Dr. Christoph AbelnBritt S. EckelmannFlorian JehleGunther KrichbaumAmbassador Thomas MatussekUlrich PlettDr. Ernst ReichelCatherine von Fürstenberg-DussmannDr. h. c. Karsten D. Voigt

public Institutions

Deutsches Maritimes Institut HamburgDeutschlandradio (now Deutschlandfunk) Kultur Deutsche WelleEmbassy of the Italian Republic in BerlinEmbassy of the Kingdom of Spain in BerlinEmbassy of the United States of America in BerlinFederal Foreign OfficeFederal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy

Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of AlbaniaMinistry of Foreign Affairs and European Integrationof MontenegroMinistry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of KosovoMinistry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of SerbiaVisit Berlin

Companies

ACJ Berlin RamerAPCOCassidian – EADS Deutschland GmbHCBS News Campaign 2016China Club BerlinCoca ColaDaimler AGDeutsche Bank AGDunkin’ DonutsDussmann das KulturKaufhausErnst & Young GmbHFeinkost Käfer GmbH FeinkostladenGoogle News LabGut Klostermühle Natur Resort & Medical SpaHotel Adlon Kempinski BerlinInfineonKFCLampe & Schwartze KGLufthansa GroupMovis AGParamountPhilips/AOCPorscheRobert Bosch GmbHRolls-Royce LimitedRooks & RocksSavoy BerlinSonosSteelcase/CoalesseStudio Babelsberg

BeneFACtors

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Tempus CorporateThe Mandala BerlinThe Westin Grand BerlinVabali Spa BerlinWeinPlatz BerlinYouGov Deutschland GmbH

Foundations

Atlantic CouncilAtlantische Initiative e.V.BDSV - Bundesverband der Deutschen Sicherheits-und Verteidigungsindustrie e.V.Carnegie Corporation of New YorkKonrad-Adenauer FoundationStiftung Deutsche Klassenlotterie BerlinRobert Bosch FoundationShepard Stone FoundationStiftung Wissenschaft & DemokratieThe Aspen Institute (U.S.)The Aspen Institute Italia

Aspen leadership seminar

The Aspen Leadership Seminar “Philosophy & Practice”is one of Aspen Germany’s cornerstones. Every year,Aspen Germany hosts three Seminars, in February, June,and November. Led by expert moderators from the U.S.and Europe, the Seminar convenes a small circle of upto 17 high-ranking decision-makers to reflect and discussthe most fundamental questions of the human condition.

The purpose of the Seminar is to encourage participantsto think more deeply about their own beliefs and values,enhance their understanding of competing viewpoints,and highlight the complexity of our societies. It is not askill building or case study exercise but focuses on theessence of leadership. Participants are encouragedthrough the Socratic method to interpret the materials intheir own way. The diversity of views is a key factor forthe success. Participants emerge from the Seminar witha deeper understanding of their own values and how theytranslate into their leadership style and decision-making.They often find the Seminar to be a life changing expe-rience.

The Seminar is especially recognized for its diversity ofparticipants representing different areas of society notonly from Germany but from across Europe and abroad.It has attracted an impressive array of brilliant leadersfrom across society, including high-ranking representa-tives from Deutsche Bank, Pfizer, Daimler, Siemens,Airbus SA, Bertelsmann, Axel Springer, BP, the GermanForeign Office, political parties, as well as think tanksand many others.

The Seminar is deeply rooted in the Aspen idea of creat-ing a safe space for leaders, thinkers, and artists fromaround the globe to step away from daily routine to re-flect on what makes good leaders and a good society. Thefirst Seminar was conducted in 1951, inspired by theGreat Books Seminar held by philosopher Mortimer

Adler at the University of Chicago. According to Adler,philosophy is everybody’s business and essential to whatmakes us human. The idea was that the Seminar wouldimprove society by fostering humanistic thought amongimportant decision-makers.

Values-based leadership

Values-based leadership emerges from an inside-outprocess. When we are not clear about our values, it ishard to imagine how we can stand up for our beliefs.How can we speak out, if we do not know what is impor-tant to us? How can we act according to our convictions,if we only have a vague idea what they are? Leading alife that is congruent with one’s beliefs and values givesleaders the authenticity and credibility that their con-stituents desire. Once leaders have identified their values,they have a greater sense of stability and confidence.They are perceived as consistent, trustworthy, and morelikely to be willingly followed.

Aspen leadership Alumni program

Leadership alumni are our allies in enhancing the AspenLeadership Program. Today, the Aspen Leaderhsipalumni community consists of more than 230 alumnifrom very different professional and individual back-grounds. To keep this network closely connected andmake it a source of continued inspiration, our alumniprogram is designed with strong involvement of formerSeminar participants. Leadership alumni suggest topicsfor joint discussions, host alumni events, and share theirstories and insights regarding different leadership topics.

In March 2016, the Institute kicked off the Leadershipalumni program by hosting its first Aspen Leadershipalumni roundtable together with Andreas Krebs, Leader-ship-Alumnus (Nov. 2013) and Vice-Chair of the Aspen

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Board of Trustees. The session was dedicated to the topic“Challenge, Charisma, Championship! Between Hegel,Kant, Marx and Machiavelli: What makes leadership sofascinating and how do we define success?” Andreaschallenged the audience by asking how one can ignite anemployee’s motivation and enthusiasm for which recog-nition and appreciation are key elements. Involving theindividual worker in the company is central for creatinga sense of community and establishing a connection be-tween individual and company.

In July 2016, the second Aspen Leadership alumniroundtable took place featuring Dr. Barbara Strohschein,philosopher, author, coach and founder of the Philosoph-ical Practice of Values, and Dr. Johannes Bohnen, AspenLeadership-Alumnus (June 2015), managing partner,BOHNEN Public Affairs and co-founder of the AtlanticInitiative. At first sight, it may sound like a paradox, butour values can trigger devaluation. Roundtable partici-pants discussed how politics are influenced by personaldevaluations, what impact personal devaluations have onsocieties, and if personal appreciation can serve as thefoundation condition for long-lasting peace.

The third Aspen Leadership alumni roundtable in Sep-tember 2016 focused on the changing understanding ofgood leadership. Dr. Friedrich Kuhn, mathematician,philosopher, musician, former Engagement Manager atMcKinsey and leader of the global leadership advisoryactivities around “Transformational Leadership” at EgonZehnder International emphasized the necessity to ex-pand our understanding of leadership. The times of the“heroic leader” are over and the usual top-down patterndoes not work anymore, while the need to create align-ment and followership when taking on new endeavors.

The Aspen Leadership alumni program provides a newplatform for alumni to connect, continue the conversa-tion about the quality of leadership that is needed in pol-

itics, business and civil society, get inspired and ex-change ideas, as well as participate in events and pro-grams of Aspen Germany.

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“It is imperative to reflect on the fundamental questions of leadership and on what one stands for.

Everyday questions thereby become easier to answer.”

Kristina Marie Flügel, Head of Customer Relations and Resourcing,

Deutsche Bank AG

“A great experience: Texts you always wanted to readbut never managed, people you would never have metwho tell you new aspects about things and ideas youthought you know well, an atmosphere of intellectual

stimulation, curiosity and trust. Fun!”

Reinhard Hermes, Owner,

HERMES & GIEBELER Legal Solutions

“The Aspen Leadership Seminar changed the way Ithink about myself as a leader by helping me identifymy core values and beliefs while putting them in

intellectual and philosophical context. I met incrediblepeople from all walks of life, people I otherwise wouldnot come into contact with and certainly not at a level

so deep and collaborative.“

Barbara Lanciers, Director,

Trust for Mutual Understanding

“A great Seminar, that opens the boxes you otherwisewould have kept closed. This Seminar shows you what

kind of a leader you are.“

Magnus von Kunhardt, CEO & Founder, Treckmundo

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„Rethink what you believe in, sharpen your own lead-ership principles. The Aspen Seminar helps to come toclear-cut decisions even in challenging situations.“

Felix Colsman, Managing Director,

Zech Management GmbH

“The Aspen Leadership Seminar is the most inspiringSeminar I have ever experienced. It enriched and improved the way I think and act in both my privateand professional life. The other participants were out-standing leaders. It was an honor to spend these three

days with such an accomplished group.”

Heiko Mauterer, Senior Partner, 4C GROUP AG

“If you want to reflect on the foundations of leadershipand how it fits into nowadays situation, this is a great

Seminar.“

Dr. Birte Gall, Founder,

New Work Partners Berlin

“This exceptional Seminar tackles leadership from avery unusual angle. It requires you to bring in yourown personality and provides space to reflect more

deeply on yourself and what really drives and motivatesyou. I felt indeed enlightened and richer, in knowledge,

wisdom, perspectives – and new friendships.”

Julia Stamm, Founder and Director, SCIENCE LEADS

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Background Briefing: Guidelines on Crisisprevention, stabilization, and peacebuildingDecember 6, 2016

On December 6, 2016, the Aspen Institute Germany helda background briefing for Bundestag staffers withChristian Jetzlsperger, Head of Division S01 – SteeringGroup, Policy Issues, Fragile States of Department S –Directorate-General for Crisis Prevention, Stabilisation,Post-Conflict Peacebuilding, and Humanitarian Assis-tance in the German Federal Foreign Office. Mr.Jetzlsperger spoke about the creation of Department S aswell as the new concept for Germany’s crisis engagement“Guidelines on Crisis Prevention, Stabilization, andPeacebuilding” in a confidential conversation followedby a discussion with the staffers.

Aspen Working Group southeast europeDecember 1, 2016

The Aspen Working Group Southeast Europe took placeon December 1, 2016, in Berlin. High-ranking decision-makers from all six countries in the Western Balkans,representatives of the German government, and threerepresentatives of civil society from the region were inattendance. In a small and confidential setting, the dis-cussion centered on the repercussions of the Brexit vote,of Donald Trump’s election, and of the upcoming elec-tions in three EU countries for the Western Balkans. Thequestions of how the region should react to these devel-opments and how regional cooperation can be strength-ened stood in the foreground of the discussion.Specifically, participants discussed how reformprocesses and regional cooperation could better benefitthe population, in which ways the EU can become in-volved to strengthen its role in the region, and how theBerlin process can be refined to include additional as-pects and to ensure continued success.

polICY proGrAM

Josip Brkić,Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Public Presentation of Results of Aspen Germany’s Working Group Southeast EuropeDecember 1, 2016

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panel Discussion: “A europe Whole andFree? the Future of eu enlargement and therole of the Western Balkans in times ofCrises” December 01, 2016

Aspen Germany hosted the public presentation of the re-sults from its Southeast Europe Program 2016 at theChina Club in Berlin on the evening of December 01,2016. The Ministers and Deputy Ministers of the WesternBalkan countries presented the outcomes and policy rec-ommendations of the three Aspen Germany conferencesin 2016. The key topics were the changing internationalenvironment and its impact on the Western Balkans; therole of the EU and the expectations from the perspectiveof the Western Balkan countries; the Western Balkan re-gion as a partner of the EU; and regional cooperation andthe development of the Berlin Process. Following thepresentations, Ambassador Dr. Christian Hellbach, Spe-cial Envoy for South-Eastern Europe, Turkey, and theEFTA States in the German Federal Foreign Office, HoytBrian Yee, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State forEuropean and Eurasian Affairs, and Dr. Andreas Ernst,Correspondent of Neue Zürcher Zeitung in Belgrade,discussed the topic “A Europe Whole and Free? The Fu-ture of EU Enlargement and the Role of the WesternBalkans in Times of Crises”, moderated by Dr. AnnaKuchenbecker, Deputy Director of the Aspen InstituteGermany.

German-American Dialognovember 13-19, 2016

For the second time, the Aspen Institute Germany hostedthe Aspen German-American Dialog from November13-19, 2016, under the auspices of the Coordinator forTransatlantic Cooperation, Jürgen Hardt, MP. Theprogram aimed to revitalize the German-Americanpartnership, to strengthen mutual understanding, and toprovide a platform to find common answers to pressingproblems of the 21st century at a civil society level. Theprogram welcomed 30 guests from Hamburg, Stuttgart,Trier, Chicago, Fairfax, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, andSacramento. In Berlin, the participants discussed currentand future challenges to the transatlantic community,such as climate change and electric mobility, migrationand integration, vocational training, start-ups and entre-preneurship as well as civic education and the role of themedia. Afterwards, each U.S.-delegation visited one ofthe three participating German constituencies: Hamburg,Stuttgart, and Trier. On the invitation by participatingMembers of the German Bundestag Dr. Katarina Barley(SPD), Dr. Joachim Pfeiffer (CDU), and Manuel Sarrazin(Alliance 90/THE GREENS), participants deepened theexchange and were introduced to companies and projectsat the municipal level. The dialog is funded by theTransatlantic Program of the Federal Republic of Ger-many with funds from the European Recovery Programof the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energyand supported by the American Council on Germany.

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third Berlin transatlantic Conference: “theliberal order under siege?”november 8, 2016

On November 8, 2016, when the United States elected anew president, the Aspen Institute Germany hosted itsannual Berlin Transatlantic Conference on “The LiberalOrder under Siege?”. Focusing on the question where theWest is heading in times of rising populism, re-national-ization, globalization-fatigue, and a growing divide be-tween cosmopolitan elites and those left behind, theconference brought together distinguished experts fromGermany, Europe, and the United States. The panels dis-cussed with an audience of more than 150 guests analy-ses and possible solutions with regards to the big pictureissues, of which Donald Trump’s presidency is just asymptom. His rise fits in with the wave of populistswhose support has swelled in many Western democra-cies. On both sides of the Atlantic one can observemounting frustration with the lingering effects of theglobal financial crisis and the Euro Crisis, terrorist at-tacks spreading fear, concerns surrounding record levelsof migration, and a growing concern over political elites’abilities to address these and other crises. These devel-opments have a profound impact within Western democ-racies, as Brexit has shown, on their foreign policy andon the EU, the transatlantic alliance, and their ability touphold the liberal order.

“Countering radicalization, nationalism, andDivision: How to Better promote Inclusive,Multi-ethnic societies?”september 5-8, 2016

On September 5-8, 2016, the Aspen Institute Germany,with the support of the German Federal Foreign Office,hosted a conference in Alt-Madlitz, Brandenburg. Thetopic of the conference was “Countering Radicalization,Nationalism, and Division: How to Better Promote In-clusive, Multi-Ethnic, Liberal Societies?”. The rise ofnationalism and social divisions in Europe, and espe-cially in the Western Balkans, has put democracy to atest. Against this background, the conference focused onthe role of politics, civil society, and the media to counternationalism and ethno-nationalism and advocate for rec-onciliation and peaceful coexistence in the region. Dis-cussions included topics such as regional cooperation ondifferent levels, responding to radicalization, and the im-portance of reconciliation between countries and regionsin the Western Balkans. Participants discussed withMembers of the German Bundestag as well as with StateMinister for Europe, Michael Roth, about cooperationbetween the EU and the countries of the Western Balkansand Germany’s special role in the context of political rap-prochement. Overall, the discussions pointed out that thecombination of rising nationalism, EU enlargement fa-tigue, and lack of economic perspective puts the devel-opment of the region at risk.

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Background Briefing: “Current Developmentsin Macedonia”July 21, 2016

On July 21, 2016, employees of political organizationsand staffers of the German Bundestag were invited to theAspen Institute Germany to discuss the current develop-ments in Macedonia with Dane Taleski, Visiting Fellowat the Centre for Southeast European Studies (CSEES)at the University in Graz and former board member ofthe Social Democratic Union of Macedonia, and Hans-Ulrich Südbeck, Head of Division 209 Western Balkansin the German Foreign Office.

Background Briefing: “the outcomes of theparis summit and the Berlin process”July 12, 2016

On July 12, 2016, Bundestag staffers and employees ofpolitical organizations were invited to the Aspen InstituteGermany for an informal evaluation of the Paris Summitand the Berlin Process. Matthias Lüttenberg, DeputyHead of Division 212 (Bilateral Relations with the Statesof Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe as well asCentral Asia and the Southern Caucasus) at the FederalChancellery, and Tobias Flessenkemper, co-organizer ofthe Reflection Forum on the Conference of Paris on theWestern Balkans on May 31, and of the Western BalkansCivil Society Forum at the European Institute – Centreinternational de formation européenne (CIFE) in Parison July 4, gave an overview of the recent developmentsand the outcomes of the Paris Summit the week before.

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expert Discussion: “IsAF – lessons learnedfrom the Mission in Afghanistan”June 21, 2016

On June 21, 2016, the Aspen Institute Germany co-hosted an expert discussion with Members of the Ger-man Bundestag, researchers, and representatives fromvarious ministries and NGOs on the topic of “ISAF: Les-sons Learned from the Mission in Afghanistan“. The ex-perts discussed questions regarding a coherent conceptfor the mission, the implications of the departmentalprinciple (‘Ressortprinzip’) on deployments abroad, aswell as the relationship between the military and (non-)governmental organizations. The participants presentedtheir personal experiences and contributed to a lively de-bate. The event was jointly hosted by the Aspen InstituteGermany, the Bundestag’s Commissioner for the ArmedForces, the German Armed Forces Association, and theAssociation of Reservists.

“Democratization of political processes and overcoming political-Ideological polarization”June 14-17, 2016

On June 14-17, 2016, the Aspen Institute Germany withthe support of the Federal Foreign Office co-hosted aconference with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of theRepublic of Albania in Durrës. The topic of the confer-ence was “Democratization of Political Processes andOvercoming Political-Ideological Polarization“. The de-mocratization of political processes in the WesternBalkans has substantially improved over the past years.However, difficulties remain. Against this background,participants focused on questions of the role of parlia-ments, radicalization and political polarization, ideolog-ical and programmatic differences between politicalparties, the role of the media, and women’s political par-ticipation. The discussions particularly focused on issuesof how to rebuild trust between antagonistic parties, howto engage women in politics and how to promote freedomof media and expression. Participants discussed how fur-ther political crises can be avoided and how democrati-zation can be strengthened by political elites and civilsociety throughout the region. In addition, some confer-ence participants discussed on a public panel “The Roleof the European Union in the Democratic Processes inthe Western Balkan Region” organized by the Ministryof Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania.

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Background Briefing: “Bosnia and Herzegov-ina”May 27, 2016

On May 27, 2016, Bundestag staffers were invited to theAspen Institute Germany for a confidential backgroundbriefing on recent developments in Bosnia and Herze-govina with Strecko Latal, Regional Editor for BalkanInvestigative Reporting Network (BIRN) and Directorfor Bosnia and Herzegovina of Social Overview Service(SOS).

round table Discussion with CongressmanJim Himes and Member of the German Bun-destag Jörn Wunderlich about Internationalexchange programs of the German Bun-destagMay 4, 2016

On May 4, 2016, the Aspen Institute Germany, togetherwith U.S. Congressman Jim Himes, 4th District of Con-necticut, on the invitation of Jörn Wunderlich, memberof the German Bundestag and the Left Party’s spokesper-son for family policies, participated in a roundtable dis-cussion about the international exchange programs of theGerman Bundestag. At the roundtable, several Americanrecipients of the International Parliamentary Scholarship(IPS) and the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange(PPP) shared their experiences in Germany. In regard tothe averted budget cuts for exchange programs, all par-ticipants remained convinced of the huge importance ofpreserving and expanding exchange programs at variouslevels.

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trilateral Conference between Germany,russia, and the united statesMay 1-4, 2016

The Aspen Institute Germany and the Aspen InstituteUSA invited legislators and expert scholars from the Fed-eral Republic of Germany, the Russian Federation, andthe United States to convene for a frank, confidential di-alog about contested issues on May 1-4, 2016, in Ger-many. The confidential meeting was intended to providea neutral platform for an open exchange between thethree countries’ legislators and senior experts to talk witheach other and not about each other. The gathering wasthe first of its kind between United States Congressmenand Members of the Russian Duma since the beginningof sanctions in 2014. This event was a rare and importantopportunity for direct dialog despite continuing seriousdisagreements. There were eleven members of the U.S.Congress, nine members of the Russian Duma and Fed-eration Council, and eight members of the German Bun-destag and the European Parliament in attendance. Arange of political views was represented in each delega-tion. American, Russian, and German scholars were in-vited to provide context to the conversations. The goal ofthis conference was civil engagement to deepen under-standing of the views and issues pertinent to the presentparties. The focus of the discussions were issues ofglobal and European security. All discussions were off-the-record and, in order to foster constructive dialog, thenames of participants were not made public. This con-ference was held under the auspices of the OSCE presi-dency of Germany and was made possible by majorcontributions from the Robert Bosch Foundation of Ger-many and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, as wellas the support of the Stiftung Wissenschaft &Demokratie.

Berlin transatlantic Workshop: “IdeasWanted! rebuilding trust in Democracy…andthe european Idea”April 5-7, 2016

The Aspen Institute Germany hosted its second AspenTransatlantic Workshop in Berlin from April 5-7, 2016.The workshop brought together more than 50 experts anddecision-makers from Europe and the U.S. from politics,business, media, and academia including 14 staffers fromthe U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag. Dedicatedto the topic “Ideas Wanted! Rebuilding Trust in Democ-racy… and the European Idea”, participants discussedcurrent challenges to liberal democracy, the rise ofpopulism and what this means in a digital age. Theconversations centered in particular on the questions:“What place for Islam in a secular Europe?”, “how todeal with autocratic governments?”, and “can Europesurvive without American leadership?”, which wereaddressed in three breakout groups. The concludinghigh-level panel on “The refugee crisis and its repercus-sions for Europe” with representatives from Hungary,Sweden, Turkey, as well as the European Commissionand the German Federal Foreign Office offered diverseinsights from different national and European perspec-tives.

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Bundestag and Congress staffers exchangeprogramApril 3-8, 2016

From April 3-8, 2016, the Aspen Institute Germanyinvited for the third time staffers of the GermanBundestag and the U.S. Congress to a cross-partyexchange. The participants engaged in an in-depth dialogabout the present as well as the future of transatlanticrelations. Furthermore, they received the opportunity toexchange ideas with experts and decision-makers inpolitics, economy, and civil society. The TransatlanticProgram of the Federal Government finances the staffersexchange.

Discussion with senior staffers of the u.s.Congress and the German BundestagJanuary 5, 2016

On January 5, 2016, the Aspen Institute Germany hostedhigh-ranking members of various U.S. Congress com-mittees as part of a visit by U.S. Congress SeniorStaffers. After a brief summary of current security chal-lenges by Members of the German Bundestag and theGreens’ Spokesperson on Foreign Policy OmidNouripour, the U.S. senior staffers and staff members ofthe German Bundestag discussed challenges. Despitedifferent opinions on potential solutions, participantsagreed that international crises represent challenges tothe transatlantic community and as such can only besolved cooperatively.

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panel Discussion: “the roles of the WesternBalkans and turkey in a troubled europe”December 3, 2015

On December 3, 2015, the Aspen Institute Germanyorganized an event at the China Club Berlin with thetopic “The Roles of the Western Balkans and Turkey ina Troubled Europe“. As part of Aspen’s Southeast EuropeProgram 2015, it commenced with a presentation of theresults of a preceding working group of Deputy Ministersfrom the Western Balkans. A discussion between RüdigerLentz and Dr. Ernst Reichel, Special Envoy for South-eastern Europe, Turkey and the EFTA States in theGerman Foreign Office, followed the Southeast Euro-pean Deputy Ministers’ presentations. The discussionrevolved around current developments in the WesternBalkans, Turkey as a partner in the solution of the refugeecrisis, as well as the situation inside this country. After-wards, guests had the opportunity to direct their ques-tions and concerns at the Southeast Europe expert.Finally, the guests, Dr. Reichel, and the Ministers had theopportunity to exchange opinions at a reception in thelibrary of the China Club.

Aspen Working Group southeast europeDecember 2-3, 2015

The Aspen Working Group Southeast Europe took placeon December 2-3, 2015. High-level representatives ofWestern Balkan countries, members of the GermanBundestag, and representatives from diverse ministriesfrom Austria and Germany came together in Berlin tosummarize and discuss the results of the previousconferences. Topics of democratic governance and publicadministration reform as well as regional cooperation inthe Western Balkans were on the agenda. In a final ses-sion, participants agreed on possible common policies todeal with current challenges. The findings were pre-sented to a public audience in the evening of December3, 2015.

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David Knower,Chief Operating Officer,Cerberus Deutschland Beteiligungsberatung GmbH

Dr. Johannes Bohnen,Managing Partner,BOHNEN Public Affairs GmbH

Peter Conze,Board Member,Transparency International Deutschland e.V.

Garry Kasparov,Former World Chess Champion and Political Activist

Second Berlin Transatlantic Conference: “Western Values Under Siege.How Open Societies Compete in a Multipolar World”October 13-14, 2015

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seventh southeast europe Foreign Ministers’Conferencenovember 24, 2015

Aspen Germany’s Seventh Southeast Europe ForeignMinisters’ conference took place in Berlin on November24, 2015. The conference was hosted by the Aspen Insti-tute Germany in cooperation with the German FederalForeign Office and the Italian Embassy in Berlin. TheForeign Ministers of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia aswell as Members of the German government, Bundestag,representatives of the EU and regional organizations, anddelegates from Foreign Ministries including Italy, Aus-tria, France, Great Britain, Turkey, and the U.S. were inattendance. They discussed current security, political,and economic issues of the individual countries in theEU integration process in a closed session. The talkswere followed by a public event in the Italian Embassyin Berlin with a panel discussion on “Attracting Invest-ments – Improving the Legal and Business Frameworkin the Western Balkans”. Questions regarding the im-provement of infrastructure, the region’s attractivenessfor foreign investors, but also the brain drain due to theemigration of young and well-educated people werementioned and controversially discussed. The ForeignMinister’s panel was opened with speeches of then Fed-eral Minister Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the ItalianForeign Minister Paolo Gentiloni. The subsequent paneldiscussion with the six Western Balkans Foreign Minis-ters covered a wide range of questions and points of dis-cussion from the current refugee crisis to terrorism andthe fight against foreign fighters, as well as the aspiredEU membership and the current state of accession nego-tiations.

the Aspen German-American-Dialog: “revitalizing our partnership to AnswerCommon Challenges”november 8-14, 2015

On November 8-14, 2015, the Aspen Institute Germanyhosted the first Aspen German-American Dialog underthe auspices of the Coordinator for Transatlantic Coop-eration, Jürgen Hardt. The program aims to revitalize theGerman-American partnership, strengthen mutual under-standing, and provide a platform for common answers topressing problems of the 21st century at the parliamen-tary and civil society levels. During two public panel dis-cussions, the participating representatives from the U.S.and Germany discussed current and future global chal-lenges of the transatlantic community in Berlin. Whilethe representatives continued the dialog in a closed ses-sion, the participating civil society representatives par-ticipated in three closed panel discussions and receivedseveral briefings before leaving to selected Germanhome districts: Siegen, Frankfurt a.M., Berlin-Pankow.The Dialog is supported by the Transatlantic Program ofthe Federal Republic of Germany with funds from theEuropean Recovery Program of the Federal Ministry forEconomic Affairs and Energy.

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second Berlin transatlantic Conference:“Western Values under siege. How opensocieties Compete in a Multipolar World”october 13-14, 2015

The end of the Cold War led many to think that theideological battle between East and West would be over.From now on, it was assumed, most nations, if not all,would strive to adopt the model of Western liberaldemocracy and its foundation of universal human rights.This vision did not materialize. Instead, countries likeRussia and China today openly oppose the concept ofWestern values and declare them to be inconsistent withtheir own civilizations and traditions. They even presentthemselves as an alternate model. Islamic extremists,especially the “Islamic State” (ISIS), stun the world withtheir barbarism and ability to attract young followers inthe West. On October 14, the Berlin Transatlantic Con-ference brought together distinguished experts and deci-sion-makers from both sides of the Atlantic and anaudience of 170 guests to discuss the state of WesternValues and search for ways how the West can restorecredibility and promote the strength and attractivenessof its ideals without betraying them. In her greeting ad-dress to the conference, German Chancellor AngelaMerkel stressed the importance of shared values: “In ourtransatlantic community of shared values as elsewhere,we are called upon to act by crises like those in Ukraineand Syria, by international terrorism and by the manymillions of people fleeing war, violence, and poverty. Itis therefore all the more important for us to be consciousof our values, keep faith with our convictions, and to actin concert with our transatlantic partners.”

Bundestag and Congress staffers exchangeprogramoctober 11-14, 2015

From October 11-14, 2015, the Aspen Institute Germanyinvited a group of U.S. Congress and German BundestagStaffers in the context of an exchange program to Berlin.During the program, participants discussed the past,present, and possible futures for transatlantic relationsamong themselves, as well as with decision-makers frompolitics, business, and civil society. As in the previousyear, the staffers had the opportunity to give a statementprior to the panels during the Second Transatlantic Con-ference. The program was made possible with fundingfrom the Transatlantic Program of the Federal Govern-ment.

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Conference on regional Cooperation in theWestern Balkansseptember 14-17, 2015

From September 14-17, 2015, the Aspen Institute Ger-many with the support of the Federal Foreign Office co-hosted a conference with the Ministry of Foreign Affairsand European Integration of Montenegro in Budva. Thetopic of the conference was “Regional Cooperation in theWestern Balkans“. Regional dialog and cooperation inthe Western Balkans has substantially improved over thepast years. However, difficulties remain. Against thisbackground, participants focused on questions of eco-nomic and security cooperation. After evaluating the cur-rent state of regional cooperation, the role of civil societywas discussed. In this regard, the recent Civil SocietyForum at the Vienna Summit was a point of discussion.Furthermore, regional cooperation was related to differ-ent security issues. Participants talked about the ways ofhow to combat terrorism, foreign fighters, and organizedcrime in the Western Balkans. Besides, the current mi-gration crisis was mentioned as a challenge for the West-ern Balkans and was diversely discussed from political,social, and economic perspectives. When it came to re-gional economic cooperation, energy security and infra-structure development were on the agenda. Especially therole of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and itsSouth East Europe 2020 Strategy were on the table. Par-ticipants concluded that much was done over recentyears, but more has to be done in the upcoming years.The role of the EU to foster regional cooperation in theWestern Balkans will remain essential for improvements.

Berlin transatlantic Workshop: “Western Values and the Challenges of a MultipolarWorld”June 30 - July 1, 2015

From June 30 to July 1, 2015, the Berlin TransatlanticWorkshop “Western Values and the Challenges of aMultipolar World” brought together 30 decision-makersfrom professional backgrounds in government, business,international and civil society organizations, academia,and the foreign service from Germany, Europe, and theU.S. Together they discussed the growing challengesWestern principles are experiencing in today’s world. Op-position is not only coming from outside through Russia,China, and Islamic extremism but also from within West-ern societies. Rising insecurity and diminishing trust inpolitical leadership and media create space for populistmovements. On a national level, Western societies arestruggling to balance liberty and security. In the foreignpolicy arena, they are grappling with the inherent tensionbetween their aspirations and reality, with the universal-ism of human rights and realpolitik. Often, Europeansand Americans do not agree on how to respond to thesechallenges. The workshop discussed what values connectthe Transatlantic community and how to redefine thecommon denominator that once gave this transatlanticbond its strength. In the working group phase of the con-ference the participants were split into three groups, inwhich they discussed the values from various perspec-tives.

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Conference on Democratic Governance andpublic Administration reform in the WesternBalkansJune 15-18, 2015

From June 15-18, 2015, the Aspen Institute Germanywith the support of the Federal Foreign Office co-hosteda closed conference with the Ministry of Foreign Affairsof the Republic of Serbia in Belgrade entitled “Demo-cratic Governance and Public Administration Reform inthe Western Balkans“. High-level participants from theWestern Balkan Six, Germany, and international andregional organizations identified and discussed centralchallenges the Western Balkan countries and their part-ners are facing. Evaluation of the current state of demo-cratic governance and public administration was thestarting point. Also questions for improvement and therole of the European Union were outlined. Moreover, theimportance of a well-functioning administration wasdiscussed. Roles of public services and human resourcemanagement were highlighted. Furthermore, accounta-bility and transparency measures, also in the context offurther reforms, were debated. The conference alsostressed the importance of state institutions’ integrity in-cluding the depoliticization of the public sector. Partici-pants searched for solutions on how to improve theeffectiveness and transparency of the checks andbalances system and how to make the political discoursemore constructive. The conference’s last session focusedon the role of parliament. Hereby, participants discussedimprovements of and challenges for legislatures. More-over, the role of political parties and different civil soci-ety actors was stressed. Participants agreed thatdemocratic governance and public administration reformwill remain essential elements of the reform processesin the Western Balkans and prerequisites for long-termpeace, prosperity, and democracy in the region.

“Kosovo’s population Drain: How Can the Governments of Kosovo and Germanyrespond to people’s Demand for a Better Future?”March 4, 2015

On March 4, 2015, the Aspen Institute Germany hostedan expert discussion on the topic “Kosovo’s populationdrain: How can the governments of Kosovo and Germanyrespond to people’s demand for a better future?” Theguest speakers were H.E. Skender Hyseni, Minister ofInternal Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, Dr. ErnstReichel, Special Envoy for South-Eastern Europe,Turkey, and the EFTA States in the Federal ForeignOffice, and Dr. Michael Jansen, Head of Division M I 5European Migration, European Harmonization in theFederal Ministry of the Interior. The discussion wasmoderated by Dr. Andrea Despot, Deputy Director of theEuropean Academy Berlin. Improvement of thesocial and economic situation of the people in Kosovo,including economic development, the fight against cor-ruption, as well as EU and NATO membership were iden-tified as the key priorities of the government.Furthermore, speakers discussed advantages and disad-vantages of Schengen visa liberalization. One speakerstressed the importance of Schengen visa liberalizationfor the people in Kosovo because the agreement wouldallow for migration control. Critical voices by contrastdeclared that the visa liberalization might not solve theproblem of increasing numbers of asylum seekers fromKosovo as the opposite was the case for its neighboringstates. Both proponents and critics identified the visa lib-eralization process as a whole as a strong motor forKosovo’s reform process to align with European stan-dards. Everyone agreed that it was necessary to improvethe people’s situation within Kosovo to give them a long-term perspective within their own country. In this regard,Germany’s readiness to support Kosovo’s governmentwas mentioned.

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Seventh Aspen Southeast Europe Foreign Ministers’ ConferenceNovember 24, 2015

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Discussion with H.e. Dr. Mladen Ivanić: “euenlargement in times of new Internationaluncertainties and Growing Challenges:perspectives for Bosnia and Herzegovina andthe Western Balkans”December 8, 2016

On December 8, 2016, Aspen Institute Germany’s PublicProgram in cooperation with Deutschlandfunk Kulturhosted an interview with H.E. Dr. Mladen Ivanić,Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina,on the topic of “EU Enlargement in Times of New Inter-national Uncertainties and Growing Challenges: Perspec-tives for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the WesternBalkans”. H.E. Dr. Mladen Ivanić commented on thecurrent stage of the European Union, Bosnia and Herze-govina’s membership application, and the importance ofthe EU perspective for Bosnia and Herzegovina, as he isconvinced that there is no alternative for his country tojoining the EU. Without being part of the common mar-ket, the country is too small and isolated to develop itseconomy further. Moreover, the discussion evolvedaround the threat of an unconstitutional independencereferendum of Republika Srpska as well as the problemsof young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina. H.E. Chair-man Dr. Ivanić is seriously concerned about the youth inthe region and emphasized the relevance of youth ex-changes to dismantle prejudices between theethnic groups.

The interview was broadcast on December 10, 2016, andcan be found at http://www.deutschlandradiokultur.de/mladen-ivanic-vorsitzender-des-praesidiums-von-bosnien-und.990.de.html?dram:article_id=373647.

puBlIC proGrAM

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u.s. election night 2016november 8, 2016

“Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump?“ 2016’s historic pres-idential election was of monumental importance,especially for Germany, as the United States’ mostimportant ally. The Aspen Institute Germany, togetherwith its transatlantic partner organizations, closely fol-lowed the election results. This event brought togetherexperts and analysts from both sides of the Atlantic, aswell as guests from the political, economic, academic,and cultural fields.

Rüdiger Lentz and State Secretary Volker Ratzmann ex-pressed words of welcome to approximately 1,300 guestsin the name of all of our partners. They were followed byMaster of Ceremony Javier Arguedas, who introducedthe Panel Discussion “Partners in Leadership: A WishList for the Next U.S. President”, under the moderationof Christian Hänel, Head of Department of InternationalRelations America and Asia at the Robert BoschStiftung; Ambassador Kurt Volker, Executive Director ofthe McCain Institute for International Leadership; Dr.Steven E. Sokol, President of the American Council onGermany; Jan Techau, Director of the Richard HolbrookeForum of the American Academy in Berlin; and Dr.Stormy-Annika Mildner, Head of the Department for Ex-ternal Economic Policy at the Federation of German In-dustries (BDI) discussed their expectations for a newAmerican president. Afterwards, U.S. Ambassador JohnB. Emerson greeted the guests and discussed the mean-ing of this presidential election with Dr. DanielaSchwarzer, Otto Wolff-Director of the Research Instituteat the German Council on Foreign Relations. FollowingAmbassador Emerson’s remarks, Federal Minister andPresident of the German Atlantic Association, ChristianSchmidt, answered questions with Sudha David-Wilp,Deputy Director, Berlin Office, German

Marshall Fund of the United States. YouGov Germanyprovided an additional highlight, as it presented exclusivesurvey results before the official closing of the first U.S.polls. Besides enjoying live music and culinary special-ties from both sides of theAtlantic, guests had the oppor-tunity to participate in several entertainment elements,including a tombola and a “toto“, as well as to pose ques-tions about the U.S. electoral system to diplomats fromthe United States.

The guests were able to enjoy live reporting from the U.S.starting at 1 a.m. via a satellite connection to CBS andCNN. Additionally, the ARD reported live nationwide,and the Deutsche Welle reported worldwide from theU.S. Election Night 2016. The U.S. Election Night 2016at the Baden-Wuerttemberg State Representation to theFederation, which counted prominent guests, includingVice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, Federal MinistersThomas de Maizière and Christian Schmidt, diplomats,political decision-makers, and several members of par-liament as well as representatives from the economic,cultural, and business worlds, was an enormous success.On Twitter alone, tweets including our hashtag #USPres-Berlin were seen by over 264,210 users, and engagedwith by over 370,239 users. Through this unparalleledjoint effort by all of our partners, we were successful inbringing a bit of the American spirit to Berlin.

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Special thanks to our partners and sponsors in this event:

Partners:Baden-Wuerttemberg State Representation to the FederationEmbassy of the United States of America in BerlinThe American Academy in BerlinDeutsche Atlantische Gesellschaft e.V.The German Marshall Fund of the United StatesRobert Bosch StiftungDeutsche WelleHandelsblatt GlobalInforadio rbbnpr BerlinYouGov

Sponsors:Daimler AGPorscheinfineonCatherine von Fürstenberg-DussmannShepard Stone FoundationGoogle News LabBDSV - Bundesverband der Deutschen Sicherheits- undVerteidigungsindustrie e.V.Coca ColaDunkin’ DonutsKentucky Fried ChickenCBS News Campaign 2016

“Great Again” or “stronger together”?A Briefing on the u.s. presidential electionsoctober 31, 2016

Together with APCO Worldwide, Aspen Germany hosteda brown bag lunch discussion on the upcoming U.S. elec-tions on October 31, 2016. Two distinguished politicalexperts from Washington D.C., Democrat Dan Glickmanand Republican Dan Scandling shared their predictionsfor the election result on November 8, 2016, their in-sights about the likely new administration, and their re-flections on what the election result could mean for theUnited States domestically and the country’s impact onthe world stage. The discussion indicated that the electionwas not over, even if there were clear tendencies. DanGlickman pointed out that he would not call Hillary Clin-ton’s email affair a “game changer”. Nevertheless, Clin-ton’s dominant lead over Donald Trump could sufferfrom these news. Both Scandling and Glickman agreedthat the entertainment factor should not be underesti-mated, as Donald Trump “is one of the best entertainersthat have ever run for president”, according to Glickman.He remembered a dialog with Bill Clinton, who rea-soned: “Strong and wrong will usually defeat weak andright”, by which he did not intend to attribute weaknessto Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Dan Scalding added thatalthough both parties were currently in a troubled shape,Clinton was without a doubt the better qualified candi-date, even though she faced a growing trust problem.Still, Glickman believed a Trump presidency to be highlyunlikely, unless Clinton’s leaked emails were to revealsomething unexpected. In terms of Hillary Clinton’sviews on foreign policy, Glickman described her as beingmore hawkish, favoring a tougher, more engaged foreignpolicy than Barack Obama did, and pushing a strong Eu-ropean-American relationship. Being asked who DonaldTrumps top adviser might be, Dan Scalding hinted atRudy Guiliani, the former mayor of New York City.

Dr. Daniela Schwarzer,Otto Wolff Director of the Research Institute,German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)

Ambassador John B. Emerson,in his previous position as Ambassador of the United States to Germany

U.S. Election NightNovember 8, 2016

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panel Discussion: “Britain, Germany and the european Future after Brexit”october 24, 2016

On October 24, 2016, the Aspen Institute hosted a paneldiscussion with Lord Stephen K. Green of Hurstpier-point, Member of the House of Lords, Chairman of theNatural History Museum, former Minister of State forTrade and Investments, and former Group Chairman ofHSBC Holdings plc. on “Britain, Germany and theEuropean future after Brexit“. Lord Green discussed ina relaxed atmosphere with Rüdiger Lentz the impact ofBrexit on the economy and politics. Following openingremarks by Rüdiger Lentz, the discussion started withthe question, how well informed pollsters could be sowrong about Brexit. Lord Green pointed out, that he wasshocked as well because of the unexpected result. Theestablishment had not understood the division within thecountry, for example, between the older and the youngergeneration, higher socio-economic classes and lowerones, and first and foremost between politicians and theirconstituents. Lord Green also emphasized that the stateof shock had dominated the public image initially, butsoon the people, even active remainers, tried to get thebest possible solution, as they have realized that there isno way back. Lord Green also explained that the ideo-logical debate what Brexit really means is still going onboth in Parliament and among society. Overall, LordGreen argued that Brexit represents a wake-up call forEurope. He expects the informal leadership triangle be-tween Great Britain, France and Germany to be replacedby a French-German axis with a more prominent Germanleadership. Lord Green referred to his publication “Re-luctant Meister: How Germany’s Past is Shaping its Eu-ropean Future“.

roundtable Discussion: “Into the Clouds.european sMes and the Digital Age”october 10, 2016

On October 10, 2016, the Aspen Institute Germany andthe Atlantic Council co-hosted a roundtable discussionon Europe’s cloud-computing landscape. Tyson E.Barker, senior research fellow at the Brandenburg Insti-tute for Society and Security, presented his findings andpolicy recommendations on the topic. Among them, heexplained that, considering its economic power,Germany’s process of adopting to the cloud-industry wassurprisingly low, thus making Germany “the unlikelylaggard“. A controversial discussion followed, led byDr. Fran Burwell from the Atlantic Council and ClarkParsons from the Internet Economy Foundation. Manyaspects of the digital economy were discussed, such aslegal and security issues.

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Aspen Housewarming-partyseptember 16, 2016

On the evening of September 16, 2016, it was all about“Aspen 3.0”. Gathered around in good company, havinga glass of wine and enjoying the art of our member PetraSeebauer, our guests came together in our new premisesto celebrate the motto: “Aspen After Work: Politics MeetsArt, Art Meets Politics”.

Background Briefing and Discussion for Information officers of the German ArmedForces on u.s. Foreign and security policyseptember 1, 2016

On September 1, 2016, the Aspen Institute hosted a back-ground briefing for Youth Information Officers of theGerman Armed Forces before their trip to the UnitedStates. Brent A. Meier, Senior Officer and expert on Iranat the Embassy of the United States in Berlin discussedcurrent issues of U.S. foreign and security policy. In asubsequent discussion, moderated by Rüdiger Lentz, Mr.Meier gave some insights in the German-American rela-tionship and the nuclear deal with Iran.

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Aspen summer partyJune 21, 2016

On June 21, 2016, the Aspen Institute Germany and the“Verein der Freunde” hosted its annual Summer Party atthe Mendelssohn Remise in Berlin. Given the wonderfullocation and the lovely weather, our guests had a pleasantevening at our Summer Party. This evening’s guest ofhonor, Richard Kühnel, Head of the European Commis-sion Representation in Germany, together with RüdigerLentz discussed “The European Union before the UKReferendum – Thoughts on European Unity” and the im-plications of a potential “Brexit” for the European Union.In addition to the insightful discussion, the Aspen Insti-tute offered a public screening of the final preliminarygame of Germany against Northern Ireland as part of theEuropean Soccer Championship – which was crownedwith a German victory.

Background Briefing and Discussion onpalestine and Israel with representativesfrom oneVoiceJune 16, 2016

On June 16, 2016, the Aspen Institute Germany hosted abackground briefing on Palestine and Israel with repre-sentatives from OneVoice. The NGO aims to appeal tothe civil society in Palestine, Israel, and beyond, in orderto encourage a peaceful conflict resolution from withinsociety. During the background briefing, OneVoicestaffers outlined their activities, especially concerningtheir workshops, with students all over Europe. Thereby,they conveyed new perspectives on the difficult situationin the Middle East.

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YouGov-Debate: “Brexit or Bremain – WhatWill Happen and What Does It Mean for europe?”May 31, 2016

On May 31, 2016, the Aspen Institute Germany as partof its Public Program and in cooperation with YouGovhosted a panel discussion about a possible “Brexit”. Sev-eral political and societal representatives from the UnitedKingdom and Germany participated in the event. Beforetwo lively panel discussions, YouGov presented theresults of the latest survey conducted in several countrieson the consequences of the UK leaving the EU. Duringthe debate, it became clear that the participating panelistshad very different points of view and that their attitudesrested on differing assumptions. Especially Iain DuncanSmith, Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party,as one of the leaders of the Brexit campaign challengedthe opinion of the majority of panelists that the UKshould remain a part of the EU for the sake of its ownbenefit.

The YouGov survey can be found here:ht tps: / /yougov.de/ loesungen/infocenter/white-paper/yougov-debate-referendum-survey

lunch Discussion with Anthony l. Gardner:usA and europe: “partners in trade andpolitics Beyond obama?”April 26, 2016

On Tuesday, April 26, 2016, the Aspen Institute Germanyin cooperation with H.E. Pablo Garcia-Berdoy, SpanishAmbassador to Germany, hosted an exclusive lunch withAnthony L. Gardner, U.S. Ambassador to the EuropeanUnion. The lunch was held at the residence of theAmbassador of the Kingdom of Spain, where Ambassa-dor Gardner shared his thoughts on President Obama’svisit in Hanover, on TTIP, and on U.S.- EU relations.

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Discussion with ulrich Deppendorf, FormerHead and editor-in-Chief of the ArD-Haupt-stadtstudio Berlin: “report From Berlin –politics and Journalism – First Hand!”April 14, 2016

On April 14, 2016, the Aspen Institute Germany, incooperation with the China Club Berlin, hosted aninterview with Former Head and Editor-in-Chief of theARD-Studio in Berlin, Ulrich Deppendorf, on the topic:“Report from Berlin: Politics and Journalism – FirstHand!” Deppendorf commented on current issues, dis-cussed the latest developments in the journalistic fieldand, in a casual atmosphere and according to the motto“First Hand!”, recounted several anecdotes about directencounters and interviews with high-ranking politicalfigures.

exclusive Dinner and Debate: “europe andthe refugee Crisis: A split between Humanityand realpolitik”April 6, 2016

On April 6, 2016, on the invitation of H.E. PietroBenassi, Ambassador of the Italian Republic toGermany, the Aspen Institute Germany hosted anexclusive dinner and debate on “Europe and the RefugeeCrisis: A Split Between Humanity and Realpolitik” withopening remarks by Dr. Otto Schily, Former FederalMinister of the Interior of the Federal Republic ofGermany, followed by comments from H.E. HüseyinAvni Karslıoğlu, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkeyin Berlin. The lively discussion was moderated byRüdiger Lentz. The festive evening event on April 6 wasfollowed by the launch of the “Aspen European Initia-tive“ (AEI) in Berlin on April 7. The Aspen EuropeanInitiative is the general framework for enhanced cooper-ation among all seven Aspen European Partners,designed to tackle key-strategic issues of great relevancefor Europe. The April event focused on the currentrefugee crisis and its impact on the unity and security ofthe European Union. Under the leadership of chair-woman Marta Dassú, Aspen Italia, representatives fromAspen Italia, Aspen Prague, Aspen Romania, and AspenKyiv discussed how to best build collaboration andcohesion among themselves.

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reception and exclusive Guided tourthrough the exhibition “Art From the Holocaust”March 31, 2016

On March 31, 2016, our corporate member DeutscheBank AG invited the “Verein der Freunde” to a receptionand exclusive guided tour through the exhibition “ArtFrom The Holocaust” in the German Historical Museumin Berlin. The German Historical Museum in Berlin dis-played 100 pieces of art from the Israeli memorial siteYad Vashem for the first time in Germany. Prisonersmade the pieces under inhumane conditions and in secretin different concentration camps, labor camps, and ghet-tos. An art historian of the museum gave the guided tour.We thank the Deutsche Bank AG and especially AnsgarTietmeyer, who supported the exhibition – which origi-nates from a cooperation with the memorial site YadVashem – and made the exclusive guided tour possible.

Brown Bag lunch: “A World out of Joint –Germany’s Changing role in today’s World”March 7, 2016

On March 7, 2016, The Aspen Institute Germany wel-comed fellows of the prestigious White House FellowsProgram to a Brown Bag Lunch with Dr. Karsten Voigt,former Coordinator for Transatlantic Cooperation, on thetopic: “A World out of Joint – Germany’s Changing Rolein Today’s World”. In the first part of this meeting, Dr.Anna Kuchenbecker, Deputy Director of The Aspen In-stitute Germany, and Dr. Karsten Voigt informed the dis-tinguished group on Germany’s current role in the worldand how it has changed in recent years. Furthermore,they brought the changed perception of Germany’s role,as well as its limits in the world into question. In this con-text, Dr. Karsten Voigt pointed out the importance of in-ternational law and norms in German foreign policy andthe necessity of intensive multilateral cooperation in Eu-rope as well as globally. In the second part, the guestshad the opportunity to pose questions and comments toDr. Karsten Voigt. In the process, they controversiallydiscussed the challenges and chances of an intensifiedintegration within the EU, and the challenges for Ger-many as well as the U.S. at interacting with Russia.Moreover, the guests disputed chances and challenges inregards to the refugee crisis and the possible conse-quences for Germany and the EU in a long term. At theend, the participants emphasized the importance of sus-taining the German-American relations and commendedthe Aspen Institute Germany for its transatlantic commit-ment.

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Background Breakfast Briefing: “the Dayafter super tuesday: the u.s.-election Campaign and potential Consequences foreurope”March 2, 2016

On March 2, 2016, The Aspen Institute Germany incooperation with the Embassy of the United States ofAmerica in Berlin hosted a Background Breakfast Brief-ing with Prof. Dr. Earl Fry, Professor of Political Scienceand Endowed Professor of Canadian Studies at BrighamYoung University on the topic: “The Day after SuperTuesday: The U.S.-Election Campaign and PotentialConsequences for Europe“. After a short welcome andintroduction of Prof. Dr. Earl Fry by Dr. Anna Kuchen-becker, Deputy Director of the Aspen Institute Germany,Fry began with his briefing on the results of Super Tues-day. In the process, he outlined the recent economic de-velopments in the U.S. and the increasingly polarizedvoters, which are opposing the political establishment.In the subsequent discussion, the events in the UnitedStates were compared to the current situation in Europe,and the possible consequences in regard to the particularcandidates for the transatlantic relations were discussed.At the end of the morning, a clear prognosis was con-cluded: Hillary Clinton will prevail and might have goodchances of becoming the President in this year’s election.

Book presentation and Discussion with peterschneider: “An der schönheit kann’s nichtliegen...”February 24, 2016

On February 24, 2016, the Aspen Institute Germany andDussmann das KulturKaufhaus invited to a reading withthe author and essayist Peter Schneider. The occasionwas Schneider’s newest book, in which he depicts hisadopted hometown: “An der Schönheit kann’s nichtliegen... Berlin – Portrait einer ewig unfertigen Stadt.”The event started with welcoming words by Catherinevon Fürstenberg-Dussmann, Chairperson of the Board ofTrustees of the Peter Dussmann-Foundation and Memberof the Board of Trustees of the Aspen Institute Germany.Then, after a short introduction by Rüdiger Lentz,Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Germany, PeterSchneider took the audience on an authentic journeythrough Berlin, on which he tried to figure out its mys-terious fascination in comparison to a quite rough andharsh metropolis. The reading was followed by an inter-view with Rüdiger Lentz, in which Peter Schneider dis-cussed current cultural and political topics concerningBerlin and answered questions from the audience. At thesubsequent reception, the guests had the opportunity topurchase a personally autographed copy of Peter Schnei-der’s book.

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After-Work Briefing: “Beyond Iowa and newHampshire: the Dynamics of the u.s. presidential race 2016”February 10, 2016

On February 10, 2016, the Aspen Institute Germanyinvited to an After-Work Background Briefing with theformer Senator Chris Dodd, Chairman and CEO of theMotion Picture Association of America on the topic “Be-yond Iowa and New Hampshire: The Dynamics of theU.S. Presidential Race 2016”. In the first part of thebackground talk, Rüdiger Lentz, Executive Director ofthe Aspen Institute Germany, former Senator Chris Dodd,and Dr. Marco Overhaus, Associate of the German Insti-tute for International and Security Affairs, discussed thelatest results of the primaries in Iowa and New Hamp-shire, noted the link to special features and difficultiesof the American election system, and outlined the role ofthe media and other political institutions in the electioncampaigns. In the second part, the invited guests and ex-perts had the opportunity to pose questions and com-ments to Senator Dodd and Dr. Overhaus. In doing so,they discussed the ongoing success of polarizing candi-dates and their impact on the reputation of the presiden-tial office, the seeming lack of a political middle in theelection campaigns, and current challenges in the transat-lantic relations. At the end, Senator Dodd emphasized theimportance of sustaining the German-American relationsand commended the Aspen Institute Germany for itstransatlantic commitment.

Discussion: “eight Years after Independ-ence – Kosovo between Isolation and eu Integration?”January 27, 2016

On January 27, 2016, the Aspen Institute Germany incooperation with the Ministry of European Integrationof the Republic of Kosovo had the pleasure of hostingH.E. Bekim Çollaku, Minister for European Integrationof the Republic of Kosovo, for a discussion withDr. Ernst Reichel, Ambassador, Special Envoy for SouthEastern Europe, Turkey, and the EFTA States in theGerman Federal Foreign Office, and Gunther Krich-baum, Member of the German Bundestag and Chairmanof the Committee on the Affairs of the European Union.The focus of the discussion was Kosovo’s progress overthe past years, in particular with regard to its Europeanintegration efforts. One of the key issues addressed wasthe issue of visa liberalization for Kosovo citizens. Whileit was pointed out that the current refugee crisis inEurope was not a particularly favorable background forKosovo’s ambitions, Minister Çollaku questionedwhether it was reason enough to disregard Kosovo’sprogress in fulfilling the technical criteria for liberaliza-tion, thereby isolating 1.8 million Kosovars in Europe.While Minister Çollaku warned that without substantialprogress the support for EU integration in the regionwould be difficult to uphold, both German speakersunderlined the clear perspective of EU membership forthe countries in the region.

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Brown Bag lunch: “Digital Front – How terrorists use social Media for their recruitment, Why It Works, and What WeCan Do About It”January 25, 2016

On January 25, 2016, the Aspen Institute Germany,together with the Embassy of the United States in Berlin,invited Colonel David B. Des Roches (U.S. Army),Associate Professor at the National Defense Universityin Washington, D.C., to a Brown Bag Lunch. Des Rochesdiscussed, together with Alexander Ritzmann, SeniorFellow at the Brandenburg Institute for Society andSecurity, in a small group the topic “Digital Front: HowTerrorists Use Social Media for Their Recruitment, WhyIt Works, and What We Can Do About It”. He outlinedin detail the process and motivation leading to the radi-calization of individuals, who ultimately become fightersfor terrorist groups. It became apparent that social mediais getting increasingly important for recruiting andindoctrinating potential fighters. Ritzmann added to thediscussion by speaking about his research on “push-factors” created by terrorists groups in order to, amongother things, isolate those already marginalized bysociety. Ritzman also stressed that over 98 per cent of thetarget group of potential recruits do not heed the call ofterrorist groups. Finally, Des Roches pointed out howsuch actions by terror groups can be countered and howthe threat emanating from foreign fighters can beminimized.

Breakfast Background Briefing: “Israel – Germany – usA: Common threats and Common Answers”December 7, 2015

On December 7, 2015, the Aspen Institute Germany andthe AJC Berlin Ramer Institute invited distinguishedguests to a Breakfast Background Briefing with DavidHarris, Executive Director of the American JewishCommittee, under the heading “Israel – Germany – USA:Common Threats and Common Answers”. Together withDavid Harris, Rüdiger Lentz, Executive Director of theAspen Institute Germany, debated current challenges inthe context of international terrorism and the refugeecrisis, current issues regarding the trilateral relationshipbetween Germany, Israel, and the United States as wellas common values. Afterwards, guests had the opportu-nity to direct their questions and concerns at the Israelexpert and debate the controversy surrounding a possiblefight against terrorism and the approach towards Israel’sneighboring countries.

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Discussion: “Fit for Action – the Future ofthe German Bundeswehr”october 27, 2015

On October 27, 2015, the Aspen Institute Germany or-ganized a discussion with Dr. Katrin Suder, Secretary ofState at the Federal Ministry of Defence, with the topic“Fit for Action – the Future of the German Bundeswehr”.In a conversation with Rüdiger Lentz, Executive Directorof the Aspen Institute Germany, State Secretary Suderexplained her experience and understanding of her tasks,as well as the military reforms currently taking place inGermany. Subsequently, the guests had the opportunityto pose further questions to State Secretary Suder duringthe discussion and the reception in the China ClubBerlin.

Discussion “Fortress europe under siege – A Challenge For solidarity”october 5, 2015

On October 5, 2015, the Aspen Institute Germany andthe Embassy of Italy organized a panel discussion in the“Refugee’s Church Berlin” (Flüchtlingskirche) to tacklequestions regarding the refugee crisis. The growing num-bers of refugees heading for Europe are testing Europeansolidarity. As there is no sign of an end to the stream ofrefugees, each EU Member State is confronted with anenormous humanitarian challenge. As the vast majorityof refugees seems to have chosen Germany as theirdestination, this challenge holds especially true forthe Federal Republic. How can Europe account for itshumanitarian responsibilities? What means could appro-priately and sufficiently accommodate the needs of thevast numbers of refugees? How can the European Unionsupport and assist authorities in the Western Balkans, theMediterranean Sea, and the Horn of Africa, which lie inthe path of refugees and are home to migrants searchingfor economic stability or asylum in other countries them-selves? What consequences will the refugee crisis bring?What role can Germany assume in this regard and howcan its municipalities deal with this task? Among the dis-cussants were: H.E. Pietro Benassi, Ambassador of theRepublic of Italy to the Federal Republic of Germany;Harald Glöde, Board Member, boderline-europe – Men-schenrechte ohne Grenzen e. V.; Elisabeth Kotthaus, Po-litical Affairs Department, Representation Office of theEU Commission in Germany; Boro Šuput, Chargé d’Af-faires, Embassy of the Republic of Serbia to the FederalRepublic of Germany; Michael Tetzlaff, Head of Depart-ment Migration, Refugees, European Harmonization,Federal Ministry of the Interior. The panel discussion waschaired by Rüdiger Lentz.

Juan de la Fuente, President of the Board of the Aspen Institute Mexico

Monica Raya, Scenographer

Pablo García-Berdoy, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to the European Union

Rüdiger Lentz, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Germany

Clare Muñana, International Committee of The Aspen Institute (U.S.)

Elliot Gerson, Executive Vice President of The Aspen Institute (U.S.)

Ken Ito, Trustee and Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Japan

Second Berlin Transatlantic Conference: “Western Values under Siege.How Open Societies Compete in a Multipolar World”October 13-14, 2015

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Interview with H.e. Wladimir M. Grinin,Ambassador of the russian Federation to theFederal republic of Germany: “russia andthe West – permanent Crisis or new perspectives?”september 30, 2015

On September 30, 2015, the Aspen Institute Germanyorganized an interview alongside a discussion about thetopic “Russia and the West: Permanent Crisis or NewPerspectives“ with the Ambassador of the Russian Fed-eration H.E. Wladimir M. Grinin in the China ClubBerlin. Dr. Anna Kuchenbecker, who moderated the in-terview, addressed among other subjects Russia’s per-spective on Western values, conflict with Ukraine,European sanctions against Russia, and the situation inSyria. The audience posed questions during a short dis-cussion.

roundtable Discussion with Governor JackAllen Markellseptember 18, 2015

On September 18, 2015, the Aspen Institute Germany or-ganized a small luncheon discussion with the Governorof Delaware, Jack Allen Markell, and his trade and in-vestment delegation including the Executive Director ofthe German-American Chamber of Commerce inPhiladelphia, Ms. Lydia Sarson. The roundtable discus-sion amongst members of the Aspen Board, corporatemembers of the Aspen Institute Germany, the DeputyChief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, Mr. KentLogsdon, and the Governor gave all participants valuableinsight of the current status of German-American rela-tions, the upcoming presidential elections in the U.S., aswell as future opportunities for a closer collaboration be-tween our two economies.

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taskforce: “Advance the transatlantic DigitalAgenda”september 17, 2015

On September 17, 2015, the Aspen Institute hosted ataskforce organized by the Atlantic Council to discusshow to “Advance the Transatlantic Digital Agenda“. Thegroup’s fact-finding trip began a few days earlier in Brus-sels, where they met with EU decision-makers to learnabout their perspectives on the issue. The taskforce, con-sisting of EU and U.S. experts on the digital economy,then traveled to Berlin to meet with experts representinggovernment, private sector and the vibrant Berlin start-up scene. The overall objective of their mission was togather insights and compose a comprehensive report –to be released in D.C., as well as Brussels, at the end ofthis year – that proposes recommendations and suggeststhe next steps on this important issue. The opening work-shop was led by Dr. Frances Burwell, Project Director ofthe Task Force on Advancing the Transatlantic DigitalAgenda at the Atlantic Council. Issues debated were: 1)the role that digitalization plays in today’s economy andits importance to economic growth and innovation; 2) thelevel of trust towards governments and the way differentsocieties deal with the unavoidable disruption that digi-talization brings about; 3) the privacy debate; 4) the prac-ticality of a transatlantic digital marketplace. Questionslike how flexible our economies are and to what degreeregulatory intervention is sensible or even desirable wereposed. In the end, the discussion returned to the corequestion and participants deliberated on how to createand further build trust and consensus, as regulation alonewill most likely not succeed.

Brown Bag lunch: “the u.s., europe, and theMiddle east – What Are the stakes and WhatAre our options?”september 2, 2015

On September 2, 2015, the Aspen Institute Germanyhosted a Brown Bag Lunch on “The U.S., Europe, andthe Middle East: What Are the Stakes and What Are OurOptions?” with Dr. Adam Garfinkle, founding editor ofThe American Interest and former principal speechwriterto the U.S. Secretary of State. At first, the currentsituation in the Middle East was briefly summarized. Itwas explained that the ongoing conflict between Israeland the Palestinians, which had long been the centralsource of unrest in the region, had now been replaced byreligious conflicts. Regarding the influence of U.S.foreign policy in the region, the case was presented thatthe U.S. war in Iraq and withdrawal of all U.S. troops in2011 had left a vacuum in the region and thereby openedup the opportunity for Al Qaeda and ISIS to step in, in-filtrate ungoverned areas, and further radicalize and mil-itarize the already fragile region. The ObamaAdministration’s decision to withdraw all U.S. troopsfrom Iraq in 2011 was criticized as too soon, as well asthe failure to successfully negotiate a SOFA-Agreementwith the Iraqi Government. The participants also dis-cussed the nuclear agreement with Iran and the U.S. re-lationship with Israel. Toward the end of the discussion,Turkey’s decisive role in the fight against ISIS wasstressed. However, Dr. Garfinkle remained largely scep-tical with regard to intensified military engagement onthe part of Turkey and mentioned the tense political sit-uation in Turkey with snap elections to be held in No-vember.

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exclusive Dinner with Madeleine K. Al-bright, Former u.s. secretary of state: “newChallenges for the transatlantic Alliance:Why the West Must Work together”June 24, 2015

On June 24, 2015, Aspen Germany, Aspen Spain, and theSpanish Embassy in Berlin jointly hosted a dinnerdiscussion with Madeleine K. Albright, former Secretaryof State and member of the board of Aspen USA. Guestsaround the table included ambassadors, members of par-liament, Aspen board and corporate members, represen-tatives of think tanks and foundations who engaged in alively conversation about pressing issues ranging fromRussia to TTIP, from Turkey and Islamist extremism tothe relevance of Western values. Secretary Albrightacknowledged that Europeans and Americans have towork out several disagreements, but especially stressedthe importance and necessity of a close German-Ameri-can cooperation and called on both our countries to standup for our values and the achievements of our opensocieties.

Annual Gathering and summer party of theFriends of Aspen with Dr. Markus Kerber, Director General of the Federation of GermanIndustry (BDI): “export above All else? – Ger-many’s Chances and risks in a GlobalizedWorld”June 22, 2015

On June 22, 2015, Rüdiger Lentz welcomed the guestand s Dr. Markus Kerber, Director General and Memberof the Presidential Board of the Federation of GermanIndustry (BDI) for the 2015 summer party. Together, theydiscussed chances and risks of globalization for Ger-many. Dr. Markus Kerber began by stressing that al-though Germany hardly possessed any raw materials andwas inhabited by only one percent of the world popula-tion, it generates about five percent of the global GDP, itis the world’s second largest export nation after China,and is a front-runner in many areas. Thus, he stressed thatthe most populated EU country had an extraordinary po-sition in the world, particularly since the 70 years of Ger-man prosperity had been a basis of peace and democracy.However, this was raising expectations for Germany totake over more global responsibility. One example is thefight against global warming, in which Germany is seenas a global leader. More responsibility would of coursemean higher “costs of leadership”, Dr. Markus Kerbersaid. Since Germany was producing much more than itcould consume, it was dependent on exports for its eco-nomic survival. Having benefited so much from global-ization, he argued that now was the time for “pay back”:As an agenda setter, Germany was going to take on aleading role, Dr. Markus Kerber predicted. He said thathe missed a certain degree of openness in the Germanpublic.

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Discussion: “Collapse Middle east – GermanInfluence and German responsibility in aDifficult region”May 21, 2015

On 21 May, 2015, the Aspen Institute Germany hosted adiscussion with Omid Nouripour, Member of the Ger-man Bundestag and foreign affairs spokesperson of theparty Alliance 90/The Greens. Under the title “CollapseMiddle East – German Influence and German Respon-sibility,” he first focused on Iran: Although nuclear non-proliferation negotiations with Iran were close to beingfinished, Nouripour advised against early relief. UntilJune 30, the details would still need to be finalized, andafter that the agreement would either be ratified – or not.Iran had now been more willing to compromise as theregime was running out of money due to the economicsanctions imposed on it. The agreement aimed at avoid-ing nuclear weapon proliferation but could thus lead toan increase in conventional armament, Saudi Arabia andothers worried. Nouripour was concerned about the sta-bility of Syria and Iraq, as these were being infiltratedby the “Islamic State” (IS). He was very concerned abouta potential disintegration of Lebanon and called for helpfrom the West to stabilize it, especially with regards tothe critical amount of refugees populating the country.He named the east African country Somalia as a surpris-ingly positive example in recent years. Although referredto as a “failed state” for years now, signs of rule of lawhad been developing again around Mogadishu and theseparatist entity “Somaliland” had even developed a kindof a democracy. At the same time the sense for the con-sequences on the whole region should not be lost. Theconversation revealed the depth and complexity of thesubject and raised many new questions.

Discussion: “ttIp – A Matter of negotiation”April 28, 2015

“TTIP – A Matter of Negotiation” was the topic of anevent organized jointly by the European Commissionrepresentation in Berlin, the European Council onForeign Relations, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, andthe Aspen Institute Germany on April 28, 2015. In hiskeynote speech, Ignacio García Bercero, the chief nego-tiator on TTIP for the European Commission, stressedthe necessity of public debate. Particularly in Germany,he could already see broad discourse. He cited three mainarguments in favor of TTIP. First, TTIP would maketransatlantic trade easier for companies on both sides.Second, the regulation of global consumer protectionwould lead to an increase of economic power both in theU.S. and the EU. And third, TTIP would serve the regu-lation of globalization. In the subsequent paneldiscussion, Josef Janning, European Council on ForeignRelations, emphasized that TTIP would work as acoupling instrument in order to prevent Japan, India,China, South Korea, and the U.S. from surpassing theEU. Matthias Machnig, Secretary of State at the GermanFederal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy,called for a discussion on prejudices such as a bias to-wards big companies, deregulation and de-democratiza-tion, and referred to the importance of unified globalstandards. The subsequent Q&A session with the guestsin Berlin and on Twitter demonstrated the willingness ofthe public for a critical dialog.

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Background Discussion: “After the election:What’s next for Israel and palestine?” withsamer Maklouf, executive Director ofoneVoice palestine and tal Harris, Formerexecutive Director of oneVoice IsraelApril 17, 2015

On April 17, 2015, Rüdiger Lentz welcomed SamerMaklouf, Executive Director of OneVoice Palestine andTal Harris, former Executive Director of OneVoice Israel,at the Aspen Institute Germany for a discussion on theeffects of the recent elections in Israel. Polls in advanceof the election had signalled that Prime Minister Ne-tanyahu’s time was going to reach its end. In light of whatwas perceived by some participants as a shocking elec-tion result, a call for more activity from Europe, partic-ularly Germany, to promote the two-state solution wasdiscussed. Furthermore, the role of Palestine, as well asthe different understandings on both sides of what a two-state-solution could look like were explained. It waspointed out that people were losing hope in finding atwo-state solution, which led to a decline in support forthis model. However, a one-state solution was not con-sidered a viable option either, given the relations betweenthe two people and comparisons to other binational statesin the world showed that binational states often face dif-ficulties, even in countries like Belgium.

Brown Bag lunch: “putin’s leadership andIts Implications for the West”April 14, 2015

On April 14, 2015, the Aspen Institute Germany hosteda brown bag luncheon with Dr. Fiona Hill, Director ofthe Center on the United States and Europe at BrookingsInstitution and co-author of “Mr. Putin: Operative in theKremlin”. Together with the moderator Rüdiger Lentzand 22 guests, Dr. Fiona Hill spoke about “Putin’s lead-ership and its implications for the West.” According toher, one could have seen the annexation of Crimea com-ing, as it was a very symbolic piece of land for Russians.She stated that Putin’s goal was a dominant Russia, botheconomically and politically. She described the dilemmaof the West’s reaction: While appearing too weak mayinclude the risk of not being taken seriously enough,appearing too strong might eventually make Putin moreprone to use his nuclear arsenal. According to Dr. FionaHill, Putin’s ultimate opponent is the United States, as hewas striving for a similarly exceptional stance in inter-national politics. She described Putin as an unpredictablecharacter with many faces. Thus, he is in control of boththe power to escalate and the power to deescalate. In ne-gotiations, this would play out as a tactical advantage forhim, but the West’s unity would finally be a strategic ad-vantage. Accordingly, Dr. Fiona Hill explained that Putinwas trying to sow discord among Western countries bywooing EU-critical countries like Greece and Turkey. Shealso gave insights about how the situation is perceived inthe U.S.: Americans are afraid of being considered ap-peasers and hence any presidential candidate for the pres-idency will probably take a stronger stance towardsRussia than Obama.

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Brown Bag lunch: “russia’s Foreign policyand Its View of the new european (Dis)order”March 23, 2015

On March 23, 2015, Fyodor Lukyanov, Chairman of thePresidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policyand Editor-in-Chief of Russia in Global Affairs was ourguest during the Brown Bag Luncheon on “Russia’sForeign Policy and its View of the New European(Dis)order”. Three big issues were addressed: Russia’scurrent military conflict with Ukraine and the resultingimplications on Russia’s position in the world; Putin’srole; and Russia’s economy. Katrin Eigendorf, reporterfor ZDF and former Moscow Correspondent of RTL,interviewed Fyodor Lukyanov about the current conflict.The problem, he argued, was Putin’s disregard forUkrainian independence and sovereignty. This led to astate of war without an official declaration from eitherside. Rather than pursuing a concrete strategy, theannexation of Crimea was part of Putin’s grander visionfor the former Soviet bloc. Furthermore, hediscussed the Baltic states’ growing fear of Russianaggression and worries about a lack of protection fromNATO. However, he dismissed these fears as irrelevant,as Russia would never risk military confrontation withNATO. Commenting on the state of the Russianeconomy, Fyodor Lukyanov pointed out that Europe andthe U.S. had made the mistake of failing to offer their as-sistance during the transition of the Russian economyafter the Soviet Union had collapsed. Consequently, theRussian economy is now relatively isolated, which ex-plains why the economic sanctions so far imposed havehad limited effect. He stressed that Putin’s character andleadership style as well as the universal uncertainty re-garding a potential successor make him an unpredictableactor in international relations.

“ttIp: regulatory Coherence and Cooperation”March 20, 2015”

On March 20, 2015, in an effort to foster a better-in-formed and thorough debate about opportunities andchallenges with regard to transatlantic free trade, the At-lantische Initiative, The Aspen Institute Germany and Ini-tiative junger Transatlantiker / Young TransatlanticInitiative hosted a joint event on “TTIP: Regulatory Co-herence and Cooperation”. The event featured PeterChase, Vice-President for Europe at the U.S. Chamber ofCommerce (AmCham), and was attended by twenty par-ticipants from a broad range of professional back-grounds. Peter Chase made a strong case for a deep and comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) plus investment protection chapter between the EuropeanUnion and the United States of America that would lowertariffs, mutually recognize high standards and thereforereinforce the foundation for a strong transatlantic alliance. With concrete examples, he countered wide-spread myths that TTIP would necessarily lower consumer protection standards and threaten the legislators’ “right to regulate.” In his presentation, he fo-cused particularly on the aspect of “regulatory coopera-tion.” TTIP exemplifies a new generation of FTAs whichoffer the opportunity to find common ground on regula-tions not only as an ad hoc measure but on an institution-alized level. Exchanging information about plannedbroad regulatory efforts with a significant impact on thetransatlantic economy while preserving the primacy of democratic principles to pass such regulations is key tocreating a free trade area with lasting impulses. If suc-cessfully negotiated, TTIP could express our commontransatlantic values, among them the rule of law, democracy, and transparency.

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“Germany’s troubling Construction sites: limits of Feasibility or political Mistakes?”March 9, 2015

On March 9, 2015, Hartmut Mehdorn, the CEO of thenew Berlin airport Flughafen Berlin BrandenburgGmbH, was the guest of a discussion with Rüdiger Lentzat the China Club Berlin. Their topic was “Germany’sTroublesome Construction Sites – Limits of Feasibilityor Political Mistakes?”. Hartmut Mehdorn blamed themedia for their biased coverage of the developments surrounding the airport’s construction. He stated that delays and increased costs were a common phenomenonof construction projects of this scale, especially if – asin the case of the airport BER – the final project wouldbe far bigger than originally planned. Furthermore, theproject had been enormously politicized due to the involvement of Berlin’s governing mayor. HartmutMehdorn named a number of obstacles during the con-struction process: the conflicts of interest between threeshareholders, the complexity of German construction law, which was not suitable for major projects, the successive enlargement of the airport duringits construction, and the lack of leadership and overviewon the management level. He said that he had been thefirst to set up a functioning management and that he hadbuilt up effective reporting structures. He was convincedthat the airport would become a Berlin landmark.

“strong europe: America’s Contribution intimes of russia’s new Geopolitics”March 2, 2015

Lt. General Ben Hodges, the Commanding General ofthe U.S. Army Europe, was our guest at a discussion withour cooperation partner Deutschlandradio Kultur. Together with moderator Burkhard Birke, Hodges dis-cussed a “Strong Europe: America’s Contribution inTimes of Russia’s New Geopolitics”. Hodges identifiedtwo issues as Putin’s objectives regarding the Ukraine cri-sis: to prevent the integration of Eastern European coun-tries into the EU and NATO, and to divide NATO. To stopRussia’s violent geopolitics, he stressed the importanceof cooperation between the Western countries to isolateRussia from the international community. He named in-formation as only one of the four ways of power together with diplomacy, military, and economic meas-ures deployed in the Ukraine crisis. Putin is challengingthe West with the power of information, but according toBen Hodges, the West should avoid this path to stay trueto its values. He also explained that the sophisticatedequipment and strategy used by the rebels in easternUkraine were an obvious proof of Russian support. Al-though the NATO remains an important coalition, BenHodges remarked that fewer and fewer member states arewilling to commit to the alliance. Regarding the questionof whether the United States is ready to take on the bur-den as a leader of NATO in Europe under these circum-stances, he clarified that it is in the strategic interest ofthe United States to sustain a significant role on this con-tinent. At the same time, he pointed towards the respon-sibility of Germany as a prominent leader in Europe tocontribute with their military in addition to their eco-nomic and diplomatic share – and to step forward fromthe historic mistake it made 70 years ago.

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“Willi Baumeister and european Modernity1920s-1950s”February 26, 2015

On February 26, 2015, our long-time corporate memberDaimler AG invited friends and supporters of the AspenInstitute Germany to “Haus Huth” at Potsdamer Platz tovisit their current exhibition “Willi Baumeister and European Modernity 1920s-1950s”. Eckart von Klaeden, Trustee of Aspen Germany and Head of External Affairs at Daimler AG, welcomed the guests inthis historical building. Dr. Kathrin Hatesaul, art historian at the Daimler Art Collection, guided the groupthrough the exhibition. Afterwards, a small get-togetheroffered an occasion to discuss the impressions the exhibition had left with the guests.

“Anti-Immigration, Anti-Islam, Anti-Americanism – Is the Western Ideal of anopen society Facing Its end?”January 27, 2015

On January 27, 2015, the Aspen Institute hosted anAspen Brown Bag Lunch on the topic “Anti-Immigra-tion, Anti-Islam, Anti-Americanism – Is the WesternIdeal of an Open Society Facing Its End?” Input state-ments were given by Dr. Alexander Gauland, the Chair-man of the “Alternative für Deutschland” ParliamentaryGroup Brandenburg, and Barbara John, Chairwoman ofthe Advisory Committee of the Federal Anti-Discrimi-nation Authority. Gauland repeatedly emphasized that immigration was changing Germany. According to him,the Pegida movement and the new party AfD were formsof protest against developments that were no longer controlled by the government. Some participants understood him to be arguing for a less open society. Dr.Gauland countered that Germany should remain welcom-ing and tolerant, but that there is a limit to tolerance. Ms.John first stressed that Western society is the most liberaland just society in history, but that it is still far from per-fect. She considered it the duty of open democracies toextend a hand to people who were born into less fortu-nate circumstances. She warned that freedom is at risk,should society take it for granted. She furthermore ex-plained some of the differences between the “Western”models of Europe and the United States and called foran in-depth debate and reflection on our own as well asforeign values and ideas. Both Gauland and John sharedthe concern about a lack of active debate about ideas andpolicy propositions. They concluded their speeches witha call for a comeback of a culture of lively public debate.

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Alexandra Dinkler | ProgramOfficer – Alexandra joinedAspen in 2016. Since June 2017,Alexandra is Program Officer inthe Public Program. Alexandra ispursuing her M.A. at the John F.Kennedy Institute for NorthAmerican Studies of the FreieUniversität Berlin, where she re-

ceived her B.A. in 2015. Previously, she lived in Canadaand the United States, where she worked for the GermanMarshall Fund of the United States.

peter eitel | Program Officer– Peter joined the Aspen Insti-tute as a freelance Program Offi-cer in June 2014, organizingAspen Germany’s Bundestag andCongress Staffers Exchange Pro-gram. He holds a B.A. in Politi-cal Science and History and aM.Sc. in Global Security. Peter

started his career in 2009 at Afrika-Verein. He thenserved as COO at Germany’s first private Security SectorReform consultancy unit. In 2017, he took up a post asResearch Fellow in International Security at CranfieldUniversity at the Defence Academy of the United King-dom, where he works on his Ph.D.

Valeska esch | Senior Pro-gram Officer – Valeska works asSenior Program Officer with theAspen Institute Germany and isresponsible for Aspen’s PolicyProgram on Southeast Europe.Valeska joined Aspen in Febru-ary 2009. She holds an M.A. inPolitical Science, International

and European Law, and English Language and Literaturewith a focus on security politics, the EU, and SoutheastEurope, for which she studied at the RheinischeFriedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn and the Universityof Birmingham. Valeska has published on the WesternBalkan policies of the EU and Germany. Prior to joiningAspen, she worked for an event management firm inBonn and interned at the United Nations University’s In-stitute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS).

thorsten Freers | SeniorProgram Officer – Thorstenjoined Aspen in June 2015. SinceJanuary 2017, Thorsten is theSenior Program Officer inAspen’s transatlantic exchangeprograms – the Aspen German-American Dialog and the Bun-destag and Congress Staffers

Exchange Program. Before, he was Political Advisor inthe German Bundestag and Project Manager with INPO-LIS UCE GmbH. Thorsten holds a B.A. in Social Sci-ences from the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Hegained further professional experience as freelancing Li-aison Officer, among others for the Federal Foreign Of-fice. Thorsten started his professional career as regularsoldier and officer in the German Armed Forces andtoday serves as First Lieutenant of the Reserve at theBundeswehr Command and Staff College in Hamburg.

KeY stAFF

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tobias V. Jerzewski | Pro-gram Assistant – Tobias joinedAspen Germany as a ProgramAssistant in September 2016where he is part of the Transat-lantic and the Leadership Pro-gram. He currently pursues adual M.A. in European Affairs atSciences Po Paris and the Freie

Universität Berlin. Prior to that, Tobias completed hisB.A. in Political Science at the Otto-Suhr-Institut of Po-litical Science at the Freie Universität Berlin and HECParis. Tobias volunteers as a seasonal school coordinatorwith the International Association for Political ScienceStudents.

Carina Kempf | Program Of-ficer – Carina is responsible forthe Leadership Program andworks for the Aspen BerlinTransatlantic Forum. Prior, sheworked for the Aspen SoutheastEurope Program. Carina holds aB.A. in Political Science andLaw from the Friedrich-Schiller-

University of Jena and received her M.A. in InternationalSecurity with Distinction from the University of Leices-ter and in Political Science from the Freie UniversitätBerlin. Carina is a doctoral candidate at the Freie Uni-versität Berlin. Her dissertation is about security, migra-tion and social space. She interned with the Research andDocumentation Service of the Parliament of the FederalRepublic of Germany, the German Embassy in Helsinkias well as with the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt(HSFK). She gained work experience in internationalconference management as Project Assistant at the Fed-eral Academy for Security Policy (BAKS).

lena Kiesewetter | SeniorProgram Officer – Lena joinedthe Aspen Institute Germany in2012. She was the head of thePublic Program and in charge ofboard relations, fundraising,budgeting, and membership co-ordination. Lena studied politicalscience and peace research at the

universities of Freiburg, Oslo, Toronto, and at ETHZurich, where she graduated with an M.A. Before joiningthe Aspen Institute, she worked at the German Embassyin Oslo and conducted field research on human rights ac-tivism in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the Swedish NGOCivil Rights Defenders. Her further experience includesuniversity research and teaching as well as adult educa-tion. Besides working at the Aspen Institute Germany,she is a research associate and lobbying activist at theGerman human rights organization Genocide Alert.Since July 2017, she became the Managing Director ofthe Willy Brandt School of School of Public Policy.

laura König | Program Assis-tant – Laura worked at the AspenInstitute Germany as a ProgramAssistant from February 2016 toAugust 2016 with a focus on theBundestag and Congress StaffersExchange Program and the Ger-man-American Dialog. Cur-rently, she works as a Public and

Corporate Affairs Consultant in Berlin. She holds a M.A.in Culture, Communication and Globalization from Aal-borg University, Denmark. Prior to her M.A., she com-pleted her B.A. in International Relations andManagement at the University of Applied Sciences inRegensburg.

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Dr. Anna Kuchenbecker |Deputy Director – Anna joinedAspen Germany as Deputy Di-rector in February 2015. Annaspent the last 14 years in Wash-ington, D.C., where she workedin the non-profit sector and inhigher education. Anna holds aPh.D. in History from Berlin

Technical University and a M.A. in History and SlavicLanguages from the University of Hamburg. In addition,she serves as a board member of the KCRW - AmericanPublic Radio in Berlin and of the Women in InternationalSecurity Germany, as well as a global ambassador forSameSky, a non-profit organization empowering womengenocide survivors in Rwanda.

Inga landgrebe | ProgramAssistant – Inga worked in theAspen Institute’s Southeast Eu-rope Program between July andDecember 2016. She receivedher B.A. in European Studiesfrom Maastricht University andis currently pursuing her M.A. atthe European University Viad-

rina. During her studies, she completed exchange semes-ters in Seoul and Lisbon. Her research focus is on foreignpolicy, international relations, human rights, and EU in-tegration. Inga was a board member of Student ForumMaastricht, a student’s association organizing interna-tional student conferences in Maastricht and Brussels.Prior to joing the Aspen Germany team, she gained workexperience in a political consultancy, at PMG PresseMonitor. She currently works at the office of Green PartyChairman Cem Özdemir.

Franciska lange | ProgramOfficer – Franciska worked forseveral months for the Leader-ship Program. She joined the“Verein der Freunde” as a juniormember. She is a foreign policyanalyst and an intercultural ex-pert with several years of leader-ship experience in international

diplomacy. She has served as Head of Protocol to theGerman Ambassador in Washington, D.C. and gatheredseveral years of project management experience in theMENA region and South America. Franciska has re-cently left a consultant position at Partake AG, where herprimary responsibility was establishing a NGO consul-tancy. Franciska is currently based in Oslo and Berlin,consulting and designing interactive workshops. Fran-ciska holds a M.A. in public policy and studied conflictand security studies, Middle Eastern studies, Spanish,and management.

Caroline Marten | ProgramOfficer – Caroline joined AspenGermany in February 2015 forthe Leadership Program and suc-ceeded Cornelia von Rundstedtin this position. Prior to that, shewas a lawyer with Noerr LLP inFrankfurt and Müller-Wrede &Partner in Berlin in the field of

public law. Caroline studied law at the University ofFreiburg and the Humboldt University of Berlin. In ad-dition, she holds a M.A. in European Law (LL.M. Eur.)from London University College.

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Cornelia von rundstedt |Senior Program Officer – Cor-nelia worked at the Aspen Insti-tute Germany as a SeniorProgram Officer for the Leader-ship Program from December2012 to February 2015. She wasin charge of the implementationand management of the Aspen

Leadership Seminar. Following an education in AntiqueFurniture Restoration, Cornelia studied Art History atthe Universities Bonn and Rome and completed her M.A.in 2006. After graduating, she worked at the Departmentfor European Decorative Art of Van Ham Fine Art Auc-tions in Cologne. In 2008, she joined a leading Germanconsultancy for integrated personnel management inDüsseldorf. In 2009 she relocated to the Berlin officewhere she was in charge of the new business unit for theconsulting of students and young professionals concern-ing their career planning.

tanja treysse | Office Man-ager – Tanja joined the Aspen In-stitute in March 2014. Tanja is abilingual secretary also holdinga business degree. During herstudies, she worked as an assis-tant to the Sales and MarketingDirector of Transrapid Interna-tional (marketing of trains with

magnetic levitation) amongst other positions. Afterwardsshe worked for the Head of Electricity Trade of theBDEW (German Association of Energy and Water In-dustries) before she became Managing Assistant of IZKlima, an association for the distribution of informationabout climate friendly power generation, for six years.

Yvonne van Diepen | Execu-tive Assistant to the ExecutiveDirector – Yvonne was responsi-ble for the Public Program of theAspen Institute Germany fromAugust 2015 to January 2017.Yvonne is specialized in interna-tional politics as well as publicinternational law. Prior to joining

Aspen, Yvonne worked as a program coordinator in thePublic and Economic Policy Program at the AmericanAcademy in Berlin. As a research associate at the Ger-man Council on Foreign Relations, she managed a proj-ect on transatlantic security cooperation and conductedresearch in the field of German and European foreignand security policy. Yvonne holds a Diploma in LatinAmerican Area Studies from the University of Cologneand of the Universidad Central del Ecuador in Quito.

Dr. Klaus Wittmann | SeniorFellow – Brigadier General (ret.)Dr. Klaus Wittmann retired fromthe Bundeswehr in 2008 after 42years of service that includedbattalion and brigade command,academic phases at HamburgUniversity and at the Interna-tional Institute for Strategic

Studies, military policy assignments in the Ministry ofDefence, Bonn, and at NATO Headquarters, Brussels, aswell as higher officer education at theFührungsakademie, Hamburg, and the NATO DefenseCollege, Rome, where he concluded his career as Direc-tor Academic Planning and Policy. He is a security policyand NATO expert, has lectured and published widely onhistory, strategy, and arms control topics, and teachescontemporary history at Potsdam University. Since 2011,he has been supporting Aspen Germany as a Senior Fel-low.

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JAnuArY

24 the strong Man on the Bosporus: What Does president erdogan Want?H.E. Martin Erdmann, German ambassador to the Republic of Turkey

FeBruArY

13 Background Briefing on the recent Developments in Albania and the re-gionRoland Gjoni, Researcher in Political Science and International Relations at the University College Dublin.

17 side events at the 2017 Munich security Conference Charlie Kupchan, former Senior Director for Europe at the National Security CouncilKurt Volker, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO U.S. Governor John R. Kasich from Ohio

23-26 Aspen leadership seminar “philosophy and practice”

MArCH

09 From reluctant to Destructive: How Will the leaders of the Free World shape the liberal order in 2017 and Beyond? Dr. Michael J. Mazarr, Associate Director of RAND Arroyo Center’s Strategy, Doctrine, andResources Program and Senior Political Scien-tist at RAND Corporation Prof. Dr. Joachim Krause, Academic Director atthe Institute for Security Policy at KielUniversity

14 exclusive Discussion with robby Mook, Veteran Democratic political operative and Former Campaign Manager for the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential Campaign

16 leadership program | Fourth Aspen leadership Alumni roundtable – the Conductor’s perspective: What Business Can learn from orchestras!Dr. Raphael von Hoensbroech, Managing Director at Konzerthaus Berlin

27-28 Aspen european strategy Group

29 A shifting International order: new Challenges and opportunities for Canada’s and new Zealand’s relationstowards europeH.E. Marie Gervais-Vidricaire, Ambassador ofCanada in BerlinH.E. Rodney Harris, Ambassador of New Zealand in Berlin

AprIl

02 exclusive Discussion With pete Buttigieg, Mayor of south Bend, Indiana

04 Qualitative Freedom: self-Determina-tion in Cosmopolitan responsibilityProf. Dr. Claus Dierksmeier, Director of the Global Ethic Institute at the University of Tübingen

05 Conference transatlantic Digital Agenda: Bridging the Gap

proGrAM2017

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25 Cyber risk Management and the riseof Cyber InsuranceBeau Woods, Deputy Director of the Cyber Statecraft Initiative at the Atlantic Council of theUnited StatesConstance Baban, Senior Research Fellow at theBrandenburg Institute for Society and Security

MAY

07-13 Aspen German-American Dialog in Berlin, Cologne, potsdam, and siegen

15-17 third Aspen transatlantic Workshop

23-24 Germany-Visegrad 4-Forum Workshop I, prague

24 4 Months Down, 44 Months to Go – two American perspectives on president trumpDavid Knower, Chief Operating Officer, Cerberus Deutschland GmbHFrank Sportolari, President, United Parcel Service Deutschland

28-3 Bundestag and Congress staffers exchange program 2017, part I, Berlin

31 eighth Aspen southeast europe Foreign Ministers Conference

June

08 Conference next europe

12 summer party of the Aspen Institute Germany and the “Verein der Freun-de” 2017: powerful Alliance or lame Duck? What Can We expect from european Foreign policy?Helga M. Schmid, Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS)

19-22 Aspen southeast europe Conference:Improving perspectives for the Youth:economic Development and Job Creation in the Western Balkans

22-23 Germany-Visegrad 4-Forum Workshop II, Warsaw

28 Background Briefing on the Current situation in serbia and Its regional ImplicationsSonja Licht, President of the Belgrade Fund forPolitical Excellence

JulY

07 Kennedy Breakfast With Mayor eric Garcetti, Mayor of the City of los Angeles

02-08 Bundestag and Congress staffers exchange program 2017, part II, Washington, D.C.

14 Dinner on the occasion of the Visit ofrahm emanuel, Mayor of the City of Chicago

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17 simulation Game “Crisis in ukraine” for Ips Fellows of the German BundestagProf. Dr. Peter SchmidtMalte Roschinksi, Managing DirectorPlan4Risk

19 Background Briefing on the outcomesof the trieste summit and the Future of the Berlin processMatthias Lüttenberg, Deputy Head of Division212 Bilateral Relations to the Countries of Cen-tral, Southeastern and Eastern Europe, SouthernCaucasus and Central Asia at the German Fed-eral ChancelleryTobias Flessenkemper, Senior Fellow and Balkans Project Director, Centre International de Formation Européenne (CIFE), Nizza/Berlin

septeMBer

12 Floating Dialog on leadership: Anchoring in society – How Can We live “responsible leadership” in ourVarious roles in Modern society?Dr. Friedrich Kuhn, Global Head Transforma-tional Leadership, Egon Zehnder

14 transatlantic Discussion on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of state Department Auswärtiges Amt exchange FellowshipConrad Tribble, Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of StateAndreas Michaelis, Political Director, German Foreign Office

17 Digital Dish series: A Debrief from theHamburg G20 summit: look Ahead atDigital Global Governance Lars-Hendrik Röller, Chief Economic Advisor,German Federal ChancelleryLuis María Kreckler, Ambassador of the Argentine Republic to Germany

19 Fifth leadership Alumni roundtable: “life at the extreme – testing one’s limits – leadership from the perspective of an extreme Mountain Climber”

20 Germany before the election 2017 – AView from the outside on the Germanelection: Four Foreign Correspondents on Merkel & Co.

26 Book presentation and Discussion “Abenteuer Freiheit – ein Wegweiser für unsichere Zeiten” with prof. Dr. Carlo strenger

26-7 transatlantic Digital Agenda Workshop: Defining a Digital social Contract

oCtoBer

04 Digital Dish series: Democracy in theDigital Age Howard Dean, former Govornor of Vermont; former Chair of the Democratic National Com-mittee

05 Workshop on leadership for Young Women – Insights in the Field of leadership from a Female perspective

26 Aspen Berlin transatlantic Conference 2017the World in 2025: Germany’s role and partners in a shifting World orderAmbassador Kurt Volker, U.S. Special Repre-sentative for Ukraine NegotiationsRadoslaw Sikorski, Distinguished Statesman, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, D.C., and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland

26 Aspen Annual Gala and presentationof the shepard stone AwardAward Recipients: Wolf Biermann, Poet and Songwriter, and Dr. Guido Goldman, founder ofthe German Marshall Fund of the United States

noVeMBer

7-10 Aspen southeast europe Conference:responding to populism, nationalism,and Authoritarianism in the Western Balkans and Beyond

23 American style thanksgiving Dinner Together with the Harvard Alumni Club and theGerman Stanford Association

30 public event presentation of results of the southeast europe Working Group

DeCeMBer

6 Germany and America: the Future of transatlantic relations. A new Foreign policy strategy after Jamaica?

7-8 Germany – Visegrad 4 – Forum Workshop III, Berlin

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FIVe reAsons to support Aspen1. strengthen transatlantic Cooperation

Strengthening Transatlantic cooperation is at the core ofthe Institute’s mission. We believe that a strong relation-ship between Germany, Europe, and the United States isvital to the world as it strives to foster peace and pros-perity. Our programs bring together leaders from politicsand business from both sides of the Atlantic to addressmajor challenges and find joint solutions.

2. Be part of expert Conversations on theWorld’s Most pressing Issues

Aspen Germany convenes thought leaders from acrosssociety and creates a space for serious dialog and analy-sis to address national and global challenges and developmutually acceptable solutions. Ranging from informal,intimate and off the record conversations to rich intellec-tual exchanges at expert workshops and conferences, theInstitute facilitates discussions on today’s most pressingissues, e.g. the crisis with Russia, TTIP, and the rise ofpopulist movements. Recent speakers included top CEOHartmut Mehdorn, NATO General Ben Hodges, Assis-tant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, as well as Russiaexperts Dr. Fiona Hill and Fyodor Lukyanov.

3. Access Aspen’s Global network

Aspen Germany is part of a global network with partnersin the U.S., France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Romania,Spain, Japan, India, and Mexico. In being part of this net-work, Aspen Germany has access to and works withsome of the most talented, like-minded individualsaround the world to address the world’s toughest ques-tions.

4. Foster a Culture of leadership Based onenduring Values

The idea that good leaders are a key to a good society isa core part of Aspen’s mission. Becoming an effectiveleader is an inside-out process. Leading a life that is con-gruent with one’s personal beliefs and values, gives lead-ers the authenticity and credibility that their constituentsdesire. Once leaders have identified their values, theyhave a greater sense of stability and confidence and areperceived as consistent, trustworthy, and likely to be will-ingly followed. Through its values-based leadership sem-inar “Philosophy & Practice”, which reflects onquestions regarding ethics, integrity, consistency, andcompassion, Aspen Germany strengthens leaders frombusiness, politics, and civil society for the good of theirorganizations and society.

5. Invest in Constructive Dialog and Mutualunderstanding

In times of diminishing public confidence in the media,snap judgement, and growing polarization, opportunitiesto have a constructive and civil discourse about difficulttopics are not easy to find. Aspen Germany enables re-spectful conversations amongst conflicting parties,brings together opposing views, and works towards find-ing common ground and mutually acceptable solutions– at home and abroad.

For Further Information Contact:Wiebke Wartenberg, Program Officer Aspen Institute Deutschland e.V.Friedrichstraße 60, 10117 BerlinT +49 (0) 30 804 890 15 F +49 (0) 30 804 890 [email protected]

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© 2017 Aspen Institute | Germany

No part of this report may be reproduced in any formwithout the express, prior, written permission of the pub-lisher.

The Aspen Institute’s role is limited to that of an organizer and

convener. Aspen takes no institutional position on policy issues

and has no affiliation with the U.S. or German governments. All

statements of fact and expressions of opinion contained in all

Aspen publications are the sole responsability of the author or au-

thors.

Aspen Institute Deutschland e.V.Friedrichstrasse 6010117 BerlinFederal Republic of Germany

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