This year’s German-American Conference brought together high-ranking experts from the worlds of politics, business, and security to discuss the challenges facing the transatlantic partnership. Following opening speeches by Atlantik-Brücke chairman Sigmar Gabriel and John B. Emerson, chairman of the American Council on Germany, experts discussed issues such as the reorganisation of the global balance of power, the significance of outer space for modern warfare and the economic aspects of security policy across six panels. The event concluded with a keynote speech by H. R. McMaster, former US National Security Advisor, who emphazised that 2025 represents a turning point in transatlantic relations, and that Europe must take responsibility for its own defense.
On the sidelines of the conference, we interviewed five panelists about the challenges of our time:
- Dr. Norbert Röttgen, MP and Co-Chairman of Atlantik-Brücke
- Prof. Charles Kupchan, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, and Professor of International Affairs, Georgetown University
- Dr. Fritzi Köhler Geib, Member of the Executive Board, Deutsche Bundesbank
- Sven Weizenegger, Head of Cyber Innovation Hub, German Armed Forces
- Prof. Peter Neumann, Professor of Security Studies, Department of War Studies, King’s College London
“I’m convinced that the European interest is to uphold the transatlantic alliance” – Norbert Röttgen on global power rebalancing, America’s pivot to Asia and the shift in the dynamic of war and peace.
“I wouldn’t go so far as saying that Cold War 2.0 has already started – but it’s a little bit too close for comfort” – Charles Kupchan on the crisis of Western Democracies and why the war on Ukraine reminds him of WWI.
“The cost of the tariffs will mainly hit American consumers” – Fritzi Köhler Geib on digital sovereignity, the cost of US tariffs for Europe and how Europe could reap the benefits of its common currency.
“Security agencies need to understand that the internet is a place, just like the street is a place” – Peter Neumann on how to deal with right-wing extremism, the threat of online radicalisation and why we should pay closer attention to Iran.
“We can leverage AI to save soldiers’ lives” – Sven Weizenegger on the role of cyber weapons in modern conflicts and why technology alone cannot tackle disinformation campaigns.