Virtual Discussion

The U.S. 2020 Election and Germany – Political, Economic and Strategic Implications

On the Occasion of the 30th Anniversary of German Unification

with

U.S. Ambassador JD Bindenagel

Senior Professor, University of Bonn

J.D. Bindenagel is a retired U.S. career diplomat and a long-time expert on Germany. During his career, he served in senior positions at the U.S. embassies in Bonn and East Berlin and at the State Department in Washington.

In 1999, Mr. Bindenagel was appointed by President Bill Clinton as U.S. Ambassador and Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues. He also served as Special U.S. Negotiator for “conflict diamonds.”

Following his diplomatic career, he was Vice President of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Vice President at DePaul University, and subsequently founding Henry Kissinger Professor for Governance and International Security, Bonn University. Prior to his diplomatic career, he was assigned to the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division in Germany. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Read Amb. Bindenagel's Full Bio

Germany from Peace to Power?
Can Germany lead in Europe without dominating?

by James D. Bindenagel

 About Amb. Bindenagel's Book

Registration

FREE for PCFR Members

$10 for Non-Members

Schedule

Thursday, October 1, 2020

11:00 am-12:15 pm PDT

Venue

Zoom Meeting

Meeting link and instructions will be emailed prior to the event.

Talking Points

• Events in Germany, from the 1989 coming down of the Berlin Wall to unification in 1990, gave the nation a new identity and have helped raise it to its commanding position in Europe today.
• In three decades, Germany has transformed itself into an international powerhouse through geo-economic and geo-political decisions about the European Monetary Union and an enhanced role in international security.
• Today, partnering in leadership, Germany is in a position to empower and overcome European international irrelevance in a time of Great Power politics.
• In addition, the U.S. needs a robust transatlantic partnership. Given the 2020 U.S. election and world order of systemic fluidity, a key question is how to uphold Western democratic values while Western power is in decline.
• Re-inventing Germany and the transatlantic relationship to address the dilemmas of conflict in a “free world vs. the authoritarians” are central challenges of our time.
• Europe will remain the bulwark of transatlantic relations, united in Western values as America’s partner. German leadership in a democratic Europe should help sustain the West in the transatlantic partnership.
• The U.S. and Europe, both anchored in democratic values, can argue over conflicting interests.
• In this context, and as Europe and the U.S. reshape their relationship, Germany needs to play a central leadership role and step up to security, economic, and political challenges from China, Russia, and even the U.S.
• There is a bipartisan U.S. consensus about China’s global systemic rivalry. How will Germany (and Europe more broadly) position itself in this struggle for global supremacy?