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German-Canadian Young Atlantiks Program 2026
Call for Applications: Emerging professionals from Germany and Canada are invited to apply for an intensive five-day exchange in Berlin.
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Shaken but Not Deterred: Why I Still Have Hope for International Development After 2025
USAID, the world's largest foreign aid agency, was abolished by the Trump administration in July 2025. Tessa Coggio reflects on this process as well as on its long-term implications.
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Democrats at a Crossroads: Left-Wing Populism or the Center Path?
Since Trump assumed office, the Democrats have struggled with an identity problem: whether to take a leftward turn or stay closer to the center.
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“Bridging Leadership Across Borders”
This year's German-American Young Leaders Conference took place from August 9 to 15, 2025, at Schloß Neuhardenberg in Brandenburg.
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„Carney needs to keep this unity going“
Read Young Atlantiks' alumnus Benjamin Sauvé's assessment of the new US-Canada relationship.
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“We can leverage AI to save soldiers’ lives”
Insights from the German-American Conference 2025. Watch our interviews with experts Norbert Röttgen, Fritzi Köhler-Geib and more.
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AI: Consider not only the risks, but also the benefits
Young Leader alumnus Armand Zorn was a guest at the Netzwerkstatt. In the video interview, he talks about the regulation of artificial intelligence and the fight against disinformation.
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Young Leaders Alumni Day 2025
Following the traditional German-American Conference, the second edition of the Young Leaders Alumni Day took place.
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DKK 2025: “Canada and Germany need closer relations”
The German-Canadian Conference in Ottawa on May 5 and 6, 2025 came at just the right time.
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„Climate change requires a political response“
Read Michael Hüther's and Pierre-Gerlier's paper on climate neutrality and regional development, one of the key topics of the German-Canadian Conference 2025.
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Young Atlantiks: Meet the Class of 2025
Every year, ten young professionals from Canada and Germany meet at the German-Canadian Conference as part of the Young Atlantiks Program. Meet this years cohort.
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German-Canadian Young Atlantiks Program 2025
Call for Applications: The Young Atlantiks Program promotes the “next generation” of German-Canadian transatlantic partnership.
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German-Canadian Young Atlantiks Program 2025
Call for Applications: The Young Atlantiks Program promotes the “next generation” of German-Canadian transatlantic partnership.
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Deep-Dive into Hamburg’s Innovative Work with Young Leaders Alumni
Impressions from the insightful Young Leaders Alumni Day designed to strengthen the sense of community.
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Young Leaders Conference 2024: “Why follow when you can lead?”
Transatlantic partnership in the 21st century and the transformation of industrial and societal ecosystems were some of the topics discussed at the
German-American Young Leaders Conference in Detroit, Michigan,
2024. Report by Felix Bauch, Linn Bieske and Bastian Schneider.
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What the Young Leaders have to say!
Discover a selection of the most memorable quotes from our current cohort of Young Leaders at the conclusion of the conference in Detroit, Michigan.
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2024 Young Atlantiks Program Report
From May 11-15, 2024, ten young Canadian and German professionals, with diverse backgrounds and expertise, met to discuss current and future transatlantic challenges and to attend the 37th German-Canadian Conference in Berlin.
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The New Realities of Democracy
The German-American Conference of Atlantik-Brücke and the American Council on Germany took place in April 2024. Especially in the year of the US elections, there were heated discussions and valuable contributions to the debate.
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Engaging in conversations, exploring solutions, forming friendships
This year’s German-American Young Leaders Conference of Atlantik-Brücke was held at Schloss Neuhardenberg in Brandenburg from August 12-18, as the program celebrated its 50th anniversary.
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An Abundance of Shared Challenges and Goals
Energy and the environment; innovation and AI, industrial policy and supply chains as well as defense, security and procurement: these were the topics of the German-Canadian Conference 2023.
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Global Economic Disruptions and Transatlantic Alliances
The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and climate change have created huge disruptions – with lasting implications at the global, national, and local levels. At this critical juncture, the American Council on Germany and Atlantik-Brücke convened their annual transatlantic conference in Washington, D.C. to explore the recent economic impacts to the transatlantic partnership – and worldwide.
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“A lot to be hopeful for”
The 2022 Young Leaders convened in Atlanta, Georgia. In their conference report, they reflect on the hard questions they discussed, the solutions they developed, and the hope they have - despite the crises that the world is facing.
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German-American Young Leaders Conference 2020-2021
Up and coming leaders from Germany and the United States came together for a week at Schloss Neuhardenberg in Brandenburg, Germany. After a year and a half of social distancing, this Young Leaders conference felt truly special.
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“Allies, allies, allies”
General James Mattis, United States Marine Corps (Ret); 26th U.S. Secretary of Defense, spoke at Atlantik-Brücke’s Young Leaders Conference 2021 about what matters most in foreign policy.
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“A 1949 Moment”
Ambassador Victoria Nuland, Under Secretary for Political Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, spoke with John B. Emerson, Chairman of the ACG, and Sigmar Gabriel, Chairman of Atlantik-Brücke, about President Biden's recent trip to Europe, the common challenges ahead and the priorities for U.S. foreign policy.
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Delegation Trip 2020
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year, we took our members along for a virtual delegation trip to the contested battleground states. Experts and decision makers gave insights into the 2020 election and the role of battleground states such as Michigan and Wisconsin.
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Reinventing the German-American Agenda in 2021
Sigmar Gabriel and John Emerson discuss the future of German-American relations.
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“Changing Demographics: Diversity in the United States and Germany”
Our panel on changing demographics discussed the challenges and opportunities a changing society presents for transatlantic relations.
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“Did We Miss the Warning Signals?“
Ambassador Boris Ruge and Professor Gregory F. Treverton discuss with Dr. Constanze Stelzenmüller whether we could have anticipated this pandemic.
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Global Order in Crisis Mode – Coping Strategies of the West
Ambassador Victoria Nuland and Omid Nouripour, Member of the German Bundestag, discuss the crisis management of the West.
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Passing storm or tectonic shift?
Forty-five Young Leaders from the United States and Germany came together for a week of deep engagement on transatlantic issues in Queenstown, MD. On a political level, this year’s cross-sectoral group of young decision-makers observed a more volatile transatlantic relationship. In times of rising nationalism and populism in both countries, the issues at stake were emotional, debates heated. Nonetheless, the bonds forged show just how strong our transatlantic connection remains.
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In conversation with true Atlanticists Friedrich Merz and Ambassador John Emerson
Atlantik-Brücke’s Chairman and the former U.S. Ambassador to Germany and current Chairman of the American Council on Germany look back and ahead.
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A signal of closeness from Canada
Atlantik-Brücke’s German-Canadian-Conference underscored the importance of the relationship between both countries for global questions of our time.
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Chrystia Freeland: „Let’s not underestimate our collective power“
In her acceptance speech for Atlantik-Brücke's Warburg-Award, Chrystia Freeland emphasized how important it is for Canada and Germany to stand up for multilateralism - especially in times of growing nationalism.
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Minister Freeland honored with Warburg Award
Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland was presented with the Eric M. Warburg Award by Atlantik-Brücke in recognition of her strong commitment to CETA, the trade agreement between Canada and the EU. She is the first Canadian to receive the Warburg Award.
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“A wake-up call”
At Schloss Neuhardenberg in Brandenburg, forty-eight young professionals met for the 40th German-American Young Leaders Conference. The discussions were shaped by one overarching topic: In the face of both external and internal pressures, what is the future of the transatlantic partnership?
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The “New South”, New Skills, and Old Alliances
Over the course of six days, the Atlantik-Brücke delegation traveled to the United States and met with a diverse group of politicians, CEOs, journalists, academics, and others, in Charlotte, North Carolina and Washington, DC.
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Award Ceremony for the Eric-M.-Warburg-Prize honoring Dr. Richard von Weizsäcker
On June 4, 2014, the Atlantik-Brücke recognized former Federal President Dr. Richard von Weizsäcker in Berlin for his outstanding commitment to transatlantic relations by awarding him the Eric M. Warburg Prize. Friedrich Merz, Chairman of Atlantik-Brücke, provided the laudation in front of the exclusive circle of guests. He emphasized, “You are a shining example for […]
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Discussion of the Election Results with the Vice President of the Bundestag
The strong election results of the AfD and the poor results of the big established parties, the Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Social Democrats (SPD), were the main topics of a discussion with Edelgard Bulmahn, Vice-President of the German Bundestag. The 25 Young Leaders alumni attending the event in Berlin on Monday were concerned about […]
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German-American Conference 2016
On May 23 and 24, Atlantik-Bruecke and the American Council on Germany held their annual German-American Conference. About 170 German and American participants convened at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where the conference was held under the title “Toward a New Transatlantic Narrative: The German-American Partnership in Turbulent Times.” Speakers included Dr. Thomas […]
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Between the Conflict in Ukraine and the Threat of ISIS
The twenty-third expert meeting with the U.S. European Command took place on November 18 in the Magnus-Haus in Berlin. Admiral Mark Ferguson, Commander Allied Joint Force Command Naples, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and U.S. Naval Forces Africa, and Lieutenant General Erhard Bühler, Director Defense Plans & Policy at the German Ministry of Defense, presided over […]
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German Canadian Conference 2015 “Foreign and Security Policy”
As the de facto capital of the European Union and NATO, Brussels was the appropriate venue for this year’s German-Canadian Conference on foreign and security policy. From April 15 to 18, challenges arising through terrorism as well as energy security, hybrid warfare and cyber security were discussed. The German and Canadian conference participants from the […]
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Young Leaders Conference in Santa Cruz and Silicon Valley
Fourty-seven young professionals from the United States and Germany gathered in Santa Cruz, CA, for Atlantik-Bruecke’s 39th German-American Young Leaders Conference this August. The close proximity of Santa Cruz to the Silicon Valley determined many of the conference topics – e.g. discussions about the opportunities and challenges of technical innovation. The group visited companies like […]
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German-American Young Leaders Conference 2016
Idyllic Lake Starnberg was once again the setting for Atlantik-Brücke’s Young Leaders conference. This year’s group discussed a broad scope of topics, ranging from the opportunities of digitization to populism in Europe and the US as well as the current state of affairs in Europe. A host of prominent guest speakers joined the Young Leaders: […]
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37th German-American Young Leaders Conference
At the end of July, the 2015 cohort of Atlantik-Brücke Young Leaders came together in Queenstown, Maryland, for an intensive, week-long program under the headline »Managing Change in a Volatile World: A Task for Transatlantic Leaders«. Forty-seven participants with diverse professional backgrounds from Germany and the United States met with high-level guest speakers, exchanged views […]
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