After four and a half days, two international conferences, four side events, several roundtables and panel discussions, and many other bilats the Aspen Germany team has returned to Berlin.
As institutional partners of the Munich Cyber Security Conference, the Aspen Germany team accompanied the conference in preparation for developing the annual MCSC Report. With the topic, „Uncertainty on the Rise: Defining Purpose with Clarity“ the MCSC attempted to answer the question of where the focus for cybersecurity should be in 2025 and beyond. Some key takeaways?
- Geopolitics and cybersecurity are intimately intertwined. More and better international collaboration will be key to strengthening cyber resilience, even in an age of increased fracturing.
- In light of the multi-polar wold we find ourselves in, digital sovereignty is more critical than ever but it does not require reinventing the wheel.
- AI is a double-edge sword for cybersecurity. On one-hand it can lead to more advanced intrusions. Yet most speakers were optimistic that AI would ultimately be more beneficial for defenders than attackers.
- Cyber regulation is necessary and it’s not going away. But instead of regulating it as a tool, the application of the tool should be regulated.
As Keynote Speaker Henna Virkkunen noted, “cybersecurity is no longer a niche issue, it is key for resilience for our societies, for our economic security, and for our defense”.
Also on Thursday, Aspen Germany Executive Director Stormy Mildner joined the Hans Seidel Stiftung for a roundtable discussion on the shifting priorities of U.S. foreign policy and U.S. expectations towards Germany. She pointed out that the U.S. is aiming to achieve four key outcomes with its renewed tariff policies:
- Even the playing field for the U.S. and reduce the trade deficits it has
- Generate income so that he can then reduce taxes on Americans
- Re-industrialize the U.S. and encourage more companies to produce and create jobs in the United States
- To use tariffs to achieve other policy goals, like fighting illegal migration and the flow of illegal drugs across U.S. borders.
As the MCSC was wrapping up on Friday, Aspen Germany in cooperation with Südosteuropa-Gesellschaft e.V., Europa Union Deutschland, and Youth Initiative for Human Rights Serbia organized an informal side event the topic “Inherited Insecurity: Why Youth Engagement Matters for Reconciliation in the Western Balkans with Sofija Todorović, Director, Youth Initiative for Human Rights Serbia and Branimir Đurović, Researcher, Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Serbia. The discussion was opened by Manuel Sarrazin, Federal Government Special Representative for the Countries of the Western Balkans / President of the Southeast Europe.
On Friday afternoon, Stormy Mildner was also guest at the Junge Forum of the Foreign Affairs Association to discuss the future of Europe alongside Dr. Jörg Kukies, Dr. Wladimir Klitschko, Sanna Marin, @Roderich Kiesewetter, and Ali Aslan. The key takeaway is that Europe is at a turning point and must act, or its future will be decided by others.
Friday Evening, Aspen Germany was proud to support – along with the Gates Foundation – the FRAUEN100 and Goals House Women’s Only Dinner. With an inspiring keynote from Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and a call to action to stand together in solidarity at a time when geopolitics challenges our togetherness, the evening sought to motivate women to engage in politics and to leadership.
On Saturday morning, Aspen Germany co-hosted an official MSC side Event as a part of the „MSC@Amerikahaus“ series for emerging leaders under the topic „Scrolling for the Truth: Rethinking Influencers as the First Line of Defense Against Disinformation in Central and Eastern Europe.“ The panel discussion featured Christiane Hoffmann (BPA), Ingrid Dickinson (Meta), and content creators David Matei, Anastasia Pukha and Mihai-George Stoica. We were also pleased that Dylan Page (@NEWSDADDY), an influencer with more than 15 million followers across all social platforms, participated in the audience and shared his unique insights.
Later on Saturday, Aspen Germany and Transatlantic Hub brought together two content creators from the #InfluencersAgainstDisinfo project, a social media expert from industry, a former White House official, a strategic communication and public diplomacy expert from the Auswärtiges Amt, a former NATO cybersecurity official, and a tech entrepreneur to discuss the future of social media into today’s challenging geopolitical environment. The key takeaway? That by strengthening the human aspect of social media, we can also strengthen our democracies and build resilience against malicious efforts to weaken democracy.
Finally, on Sunday morning, Aspen Germany, together with American Council on Germany and BerlinDialogue, discussed “Ending the War in Ukraine – But How and When?”. The exclusive roundtable brought together security experts, diplomats, and politicians from the United States and Europe for an exclusive discussion about the future of transatlantic security in light of current and upcoming changes and challenges. This was made possible by its partners & sponsors:
- Rud Pedersen Public Affairs
- German American Exchange e.V. (GAE)
- TRANSATLANTIC HUB
- Atlantik-Brücke e.V. (MUC Chapter)
- Rückel & Collegen
Reflecting on the many interactions had over the past few days of both conferences, it is clear that the current geopolitical situation is top of mind for key decision makers across the world. But the positive takeaway is that through continued conversations – like the ones had this week – we can refocus on building trust, strengthening democracies, and defending values-based, like-minded relationships.
