- September 23, 2020
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- February 07, 2025

On September 23, 2020, the Aspen Institute Germany hosted a Transatlantic Discussion with German Ambassador to the Unites States, Dr. Emily Haber and former United States Ambassador to Germany, John B. Emerson on the topic “Knowing each other? Mutual Perceptions across the Atlantic”.
The two Ambassadors, both renowned experts in the realms of foreign policy and transatlantic relations, shared their perception on how Americans currently perceive their German partners across the Atlantic and vice versa. What larger trends can we deduce from the current state of transatlantic relations? Are we in fact still “wunderbar together”?
This event is part of the virtual Road to Election Night & Beyond, which the Aspen Institute Germany organizes in cooperation with several Berlin-based transatlantic institutions and political foundations. More information on the event series can be found here: https://landing.berlin-election-night.de.
H.E. Emily Margarethe Haber has been German Ambassador to the United States since June 2018. Prior to her transfer to Washington, DC, she served in various leadership functions at the Foreign Office in Berlin. In 2009, she was appointed Political Director and, in 2011, State Secretary, the first woman to hold either post. Thereafter, she was deployed to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, serving as State Secretary in charge of homeland security and migration policy from 2014 until 2018. Emily Haber has many years of experience with Russia and the former Soviet Union and held various posts at the German Embassy in Moscow.
H.E. John B. Emerson is Vice Chairman at Capital Group International. From 2013 to 2017 he served as United States Ambassador to the Germany. He served at a particularly challenging time, and in 2015 Ambassador Emerson was awarded the State Department’s prestigious Sue M. Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service, which is given annually to one non-career Ambassador. He also served on President Obama’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. In 2018 he was named Chairman of the American Council on Germany.