4 episodes
Foreign Correspondent Unplugged American Council on Germany
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The American Council on Germany and the Goethe-Institut are hosting a series of discussions across the United States highlighting how German and American journalists based in the United States currently see political and social developments in Germany, the United States, and internationally.
In a series of events speakers will address a range of topics that affect citizens in both countries. What strikes them most about current trends in Germany and the United States and the political discourse? What surprises them the most? In which direction(s) is the United States developing? What impact does this have on Germany – and the future of the transatlantic partnership?
In-person events will be hosted at Goethe-Instituts across the U.S. and then released as podcasts. They are available on your favorite audio platform.
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Foreign Correspondent Unplugged - From Anti-War Activism to Climate Justice: What’s Driving the Left in Germany and the United States?
A growing number of Americans and Germans have been engaging in civil action in recent years. They have come out to demand radical social and economic changes. What do their strategies look like? What is the role of civil society? And how do the two countries differ when it comes to the left at large?
On May 29, the fourth event in Foreign Correspondent Unplugged series was held at the Goethe Institut in New York City with a discussion featuring American political scientist Sheri Berman and German journalist Lukas Hermsmeier. The conversation was moderated by Dr. Steven E. Sokol, the President and CEO of the American Council on Germany. -
Foreign Correspondent Unplugged - Searching for a New Political Middle: Fragmentation and Polarization in Europe and the United States
With elections for the European parliament early next month and the U.S. Presidential election on the horizon, campaigning in 2024 is heating up on both sides of the Atlantic. We are seeing increasing polarization and fragmentation of the political landscape – and even a calcification of positions. Yet, on both sides of the Atlantic, many candidates from the left and from the right are trying to appeal to voters in the political middle in the hope that they can pull votes from across party lines.
On May 9, the third event in Foreign Correspondent Unplugged series was held at the Goethe Institut in Washington D.C. with a discussion featuring German journalists Annett Meiritz and Juliane Schäuble. The conversation was moderated by Dr. Steven E. Sokol, the President and CEO of the American Council on Germany. -
Foreign Correspondent Unplugged - Tolerance, Wokeness, and the Trouble With it All
On April 25, the second event in Foreign Correspondent Unplugged series was held at the Goethe Institut in Washington D.C. with a discussion featuring René Pfister, Der Spiegel’s Washington D.C. Bureau Chief and Charles Lane, Deputy Opinion Editor of The Washington Post and Columnist for the paper’s Op-Ed page. The event was moderated by Jacqueline Pfeffer Merrill, Director of the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) Campus Free Expression Project.
The discussion delved into current political debates on both sides of the Atlantic and explored issues around political correctness and threats to freedom of speech, as well as how current ideological norms are increasingly influencing freedom of expression in the Western world, particularly in Europe and the USA. As we approach the European parliamentary elections in June and the U.S. presidential election in November, understanding the nuances and impacts of the ideological shifts on freedom of speech is increasingly critical. -
Foreign Correspondent Unplugged - Dream or Nightmare? The Concept of Freedom in the United States and Germany
No other concept is more closely associated with the American self-image than that of freedom – be it liberation from former colonial masters, individual or economic freedom, freedom of speech, or religious freedom. However, the strong emphasis on the idea of freedom and the diversity of its forms of expression has led to internal tensions.
On March 4, the Foreign Correspondent Unplugged series kicked off at the Goethe Institut in Washington D.C. with a discussion featuring Susan Glasser, Staff Writer at The New Yorker and Julian Heissler, U.S. Correspondent for the Wirtschaftswoche. The event was moderated by Dr. Steven E. Sokol, the President of the American Council on Germany, and focused on freedom, questions around American identity, the political climate, and more.