The Zeitgeist AICGS | American Institute for Contemporary German Studies

On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AICGS president Jeff Rathke and Dr. Christine Arentz, Professor for Health Economics at the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne, discuss Germany’s public health system since the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular the issue of rising demand for long-term care. How has the public discussion on health care changed since the pandemic? Is the German health care system adequately financed to handle pandemic-related health emergencies as well as other emerging public health needs like long-term care? What are some of the major disagreements and key challenges concerning funding social health schemes? How would the proposed changes, such as allowing more opt-outs from public social insurance or reducing co-payments across the board, impact financing and performance of Germany’s health care system? What could be done to improve the country’s capacity in terms of health care personnel and facility for increasing long-term care needs?



Host

Jeff Rathke, President, AICGS

Guest

Christine Arentz, Professor for Health Economics, TH Köln (University of Applied Sciences, Cologne)

Dan Mullaney, Former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East, is our guest for this episode of The Zeitgeist. Together with AICGS President Jeff Rathke and Peter Rashish, AICGS Vice President and Geoeconomics Program Director, they discuss the current trade policy agenda and the role of closer U.S.-EU cooperation in shaping a sustainable, future-oriented global trading system. Has recent experience with the covid-19 pandemic and increasing strategic competition fundamentally changed the U.S. and European approach to globalized trade? What role should the United States play in reforming the WTO and enabling the organization to better deal with issues such as non-market economic practices and climate policy? Is friendshoring about picking trade partners based on political and ideological preferences or incentivizing practices that are crucial to assembling resilient supply chains? Can the United States and the EU find a way to avoid trade frictions arising from their respective climate policies and reconcile them with existing WTO rules? How important is it for the United States to strengthen bilateral cooperation with EU member states, especially its largest economy Germany, to address common trade-related challenges?



Host

Jeff Rathke, President, AICGS

Guest

Dan Mullaney, Former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East

Peter Rashish, AICGS Vice President; Director, Geoeconomics Program

On February 27, 2022, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made an historic speech to the German Bundestag, declaring a historic turning point (Zeitenwende) for Germany’s security and defense policy following Russia’s invasion in Ukraine days before. One year on, AICGS President Jeff Rathke and AICGS Non-Resident Senior Fellow Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger take stock of Germany’s support for Ukraine, the progress of re-investment in the armed forces, and Berlin’s partnership with its key allies in Europe and NATO. Has the German government delivered the promised fundamental change in in the country’s security posture toward Russia? What obstacles has Germany faced in its efforts to recapitalize the Bundeswehr? Is it fair to criticize Berlin for its reluctance to provide weapons systems to Ukraine? What does Scholz’s insistence on close coordination with the United States mean for the transatlantic relationship and NATO? Are German political parties both within the government coalition and in opposition on track to meet the challenges of the Zeitenwende?



Host

Jeff Rathke, President, AICGS

Guest

Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger, AICGS Non-Resident Senior Fellow

On this episode of the Zeitgeist, our guest is FDP Bundestag Caucus Leader Christian Dürr. He and AICGS President Jeff Rathke discuss how Germany has reset its energy policy, the future of trade in a global environment increasingly defined by strategic competition, and how Germany is addressing the threats to its security stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. What lessons has Germany taken from its successful efforts to cut energy dependency on Russia and how might it help the country’s transition to green, net-zero energy? To what extent has the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act affected U.S.-German trade, and is it possible to rejuvenate the transatlantic economic partnership? What are the expectations for Germany’s new Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius? How can Germany balance rebuilding the Bundeswehr while continuing to provide military support to Ukraine?



Host

Jeff Rathke, President, AICGS

Guests

Christian Dürr, FDP member of the German Bundestag

On this episode of the Zeitgeist, AICGS President Jeff Rathke talks with Dr. Liana Fix, Fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations, to discuss ongoing challenges in Germany’s foreign policy as Olaf Scholz pursues the Zeitenwende – the reorientation of Berlin’s security agenda. Amidst intense public debates over the shipment of Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, how does Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s leadership reflect Germany’s attitudes towards European security? What signals is Scholz sending with regard to the future of European security and the transatlantic alliance when he made it a condition that the United States also send Abrams tanks to Kyiv? What challenges does Germany’s new Defense Minister Boris Pistorious face, and what are his near-term goals? Berlin has gotten over the hump of announcing tank deliveries to Ukraine, but how could Germany’s caution affect its relationships in Europe and the long-term viability of the Zeitenwende?



Host

Jeff Rathke, President, AICGS

Guests

Liana Fix, Fellow for Europe, Council on Foreign Relations

In December 2022, German authorities arrested dozens of people tied to an alleged right-wing extremist plot to overthrow the German government. Among the accused are a member of a former German noble family, a member of the German army’s elite force KSK, and a former member of the Bundestag from the far-right AfD party (who had worked as a federal judge). The alleged conspirators are tied to the Reichsbürger movement, which rejects the legitimacy of the modern German state and seeks to overthrow the Federal Republic. This incident echoes recent attempts by right-wing extremists to terrorize or overturn democratically elected governments by violent means on both sides of the Atlantic, including most recently the attempted insurrection in Brasilia on January 8.

On this episode, AICGS President Jeff Rathke and AICGS Senior Fellow and Director of the Society, Culture, and Politics Program Eric Langenbacher join former AICGS fellow Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss, one of the United States’ leading scholars on extremism and radicalization, to assess trends in right-wing extremist mobilization and its impact on politics and societies in Germany, the United States, and beyond. Dr. Miller-Idriss is a Professor at American University in Washington, DC and is the founding Director the AU’s Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL). We discussed whether current approaches to monitor right-wing extremism are sufficient. Have extreme groups around the world become more dangerous by learning from each other’s attempted attacks on democratic institutions? What can be done to prevent mobilization of antidemocratic extremists and normalization of political violence?



Host

Jeff Rathke, President, AICGS

Guests

Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Professor, American University

Eric Langenbacher, Senior Fellow and Director, Society, Culture & Politics Program