In the year of the presidential elections, Aspen Germany is organizing a new event series in cooperation with the Association of German-American Centers (AGAC) and the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. In the context of the series, eight U.S.-American speakers will come to Germany for one week to visit different cities and share their insights on varying topics surrounding the election with interested local groups.
The initiative features eight individual week-long speaker tours, each headlined by distinguished experts from the United States. The speakers will travel to three different German cities throughout their visit, providing their perspective on decisive aspects of the upcoming election, such as the role of media in elections, voter demographics, polarization, and other significant themes influencing the U.S. elections. The series will incorporate a variety of activities, such as panel events, interviews, interactive workshops, and other opportunities for exchange with students, academics, civil society groups and other interested parties.
This initiative not only seeks to educate and inform but also to facilitate dialogue and exchange, contributing to a stronger and more dynamic transatlantic relationship. By engaging a broad spectrum of participants and incorporating diverse perspectives, the series aims to enrich the understanding of U.S. democracy and its global implications.
The individual events and opportunities for exchange will be implemented together with project partner, the Association of German-American Centers. The AGAC is a network of transatlantic educational and cultural non-profit organizations. The association combines the activities of its twelve member institutions and deepens the engagement for German-American dialogue and cooperation nationwide. The member institutions provide open and easily accessible platforms for transatlantic encounters, involving diverse actors from the United States and Germany as well as the general public in their regions. Together, they offer hundreds of programs per year, from political education events and cultural formats to exchange programs, all of which are tailored to regional audiences and conditions. The AGAC stands for strengthening these regional perspectives in transatlantic relations and, by connecting the activities of its member institutions, engages a broad cross-section of society on issues of relevance to the United States and Germany.
July – Role of the Media
Megan Shahi, Director of Technology Policy at American Progess, embarked on an exciting week-long tour of Germany, visiting the cities of Kaiserslautern, Leipzig and Berlin to address the connection between media platforms und political elections.
September – Campaign Strategies
Jazmine Ulloa, a political reporter for the New York Times, embarked on an exciting week-long trip to Germany, visiting the cities of Hamburg, Bremen, Cologne, and Heidelberg to talk about campaign strategies, political communication, fundraising, and campaign infrastructure.
October – Mapping the Election
Bruce Stokes, an expert on international trade and transatlantic politics and Visiting Senior Fellow at the German Marshall Fund, travelled through Germany for a week, visiting Berlin, Kaiserslautern, and Kiel. He discussed the US electoral system, in particular the Electoral College, swing states, redistricting, and social polarization.
October – Democracy on the Ballot Paper
David Goldfield, historian and professor at the University of Maryland, embarked on an exciting one-week trip to Germany and visited the cities of Freiburg im Breisgau, Cologne, and Bonn to talk about democracy in the context of the U.S. elections. Vedna Lacombe-Heywood, Board Director and Trustee at the League of Woman Voters, visited the cities of Cologne, Bonn, and Nuremberg.
November – Demographic Aspects
From 11 to 16 November, Marc Hugo Lopez, Director of Ethnicity and Ethnicity Research at the Pew Research Center, travelled through the cities of Munich, Tübingen, and Freiburg. During his trip, he gave lectures for interested parties on the topic ‘The Role of Demographics in the Recent U.S. Election’.
December – Post-Election Perspectives
From December 1-6, 2024, Sarah McCammon travelled through the cities of Berlin, Leipzig, Coburg, Nürnberg, and Stuttgart, to talk about post U.S.-election perspectives. During this trip, she particularly focused on issues such as religious intersections with politics and partisan shifts.
January – Economic Perspectives
From January 19-24, 2025, Michelle Egan travelled to Munich, Kiel, Berlin, and Erfurt, to talk about economics perspectives regarding the new U.S. administration. This included several discussions with school and university students, as well as a public event on taxes and tariffs at the Aspen Institute Germany.
Partners
