Ambassador
David Anderson
(1989-1997)
The Aspen Institute Germany gradually shifted course under Anderson’s leadership. The main focal points were now trans-Atlantic relations, security and foreign affairs, and the role of international institutions following the fall of the Iron Curtain. The search for a solution to the Balkan conflict became a further priority. Working with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Anderson created the International Commission on the Balkans under the leadership of former Belgian Prime Minister Leo Tindemans.
This new political concentration meant that less attention was focused on the humanistic approach pursued by the Aspen Institute USA. In contrast to his predecessor, who saw the continuing interdisciplinary development of leaders as his primary mission, Anderson placed the early identification of rising leaders and emerging decision makers high on his agenda. Another of Anderson’s aims was broader outreach within Germany. He opened more events to the public and invited representatives of the media.
The Aspen Institute entered into important new partnerships under Anderson – with the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, the Dräger Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Its main source of funding, however, remained the Berlin Senate. Other important sponsors included the newly founded Shepard Stone Foundation.
