The Zeitgeist
103 episodes — Page 2 of 3
Episode 96: The United States and Germany in a Shifting Global Order
The international order built by the United States after World War II is under strain, and the consensus about America’s role that used to unite U.S. political leaders and the …
Episode 95: German Security Policy’s Balancing Act
Dr. Constanze Stelzenmüller joins this episode of The Zeitgeist to discuss Germany, transatlantic defense, and the West’s response to today’s challenging security order. Are Germany and the United States doing …
Episode 94: The German-Israeli Relationship Following the October 7 Terror Attacks
On October 7, Hamas terrorists carried out a surprise attack that killed 1,400 people—the deadliest day in Israel’s history. Over 200 people remain hostages. One of the first foreign leaders …
Episode 93: Sahra Wagenknecht Tries to Shake Up German Politics with a New Party
On October 23, one of Germany’s most popular politicians Sahra Wagenknecht announced that she would leave the Left Party and form a new political party. The “Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance” (BSW) …
Episode 92: State Elections in Bavaria and Hesse
Two German Länder elected their state parliaments on Sunday, October 8: Bavaria and Hesse. In both states, it appears that the current coalitions will continue, led by center-right parties (the …
Episode 91: After the Zeitenwende: Is Germany’s Military Measuring Up?
Dr. Eva Högl is the German Bundestag’s Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, assisting the Parliament in their oversight of the German military. She is working to ensure that everyone …
Episode 90: A Fragmenting Global Economic System?
The multilateral economic order is in crisis. The WTO no longer has the final word on trade issues, the IMF and World bank have lost market share as lenders, and …
Episode 89: Forty Years of Anticipating Trends
Dr. Jill McGovern has been involved with AGI since the idea for it came about in 1981. As part of our AGI at Forty series, Dr. McGovern reflects on how …
Episode 88: The Geoeconomic Evolution of Germany and AGI
On this episode of the Zeitgeist, guest host Dr. Eric Langenbacher, Senior Fellow and Director of the Society, Culture & Politics Program, continues our AGI at Forty podcast series with …
Episode 87: German Political Turbulence and the Rise of the Alternative for Germany
Squabbles within Germany’s coalition parties and unpopular policy decisions—including a controversial home heating bill spearheaded by Green Party Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck—have dragged the approval rating of the traffic light …
Episode 86: Transatlantic Alignment in the International Economic Order
In its economic policies, the Biden administration has focused on domestic investment, close collaboration with like-minded democracies, and addressing geopolitical challenges. The EU is proposing an economic security strategy; the …
Episode 85: Addressing Germany’s Colonial Legacy
Germany is well-known for its robust memory culture that deals with the crimes of National Socialism and the Holocaust; however, it has only recently begun to address legacy of its …
Episode 84: The Evolution of German-American Relations
On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke; Dr. Eric Langenbacher, Senior Fellow and Director of AGI’s Society, Culture & Politics Program; and Dr. Jackson Janes, President Emeritus …
Episode 83: Can the WTO Retool for an Age of Geoeconomic Competition?
The open and rules-based trading system is at an inflection point. Countries are reexamining their trade policies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, China’s rise, and Russia’s invasion of …
Episode 82: Dealing with Social Divisions and Integration in Memmingen
On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke and Susanne Dieper, Director of Programs and Grants, discuss the latest findings in the AGI project “Social Divisions and Questions …
Episode 81: Sustaining Germany’s Support for Ukraine—A Conversation with Dr. Norbert Röttgen
On this episode of the Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke speaks with Dr. Norbert Röttgen, member of the German Bundestag (CDU) and Vice Chairman of the Atlantik-Brücke, about Germany’s efforts …
Episode 80: 40 Years of AGI—A Conversation with Frank Trommler
On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI looks back on the 40 years of the Institute’s work on strengthening the American-German relationship through academic research, policy dialogue, and exchanges. AGI …
Episode 79: Germany’s Public Health Care System
On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI president Jeff Rathke and Dr. Christine Arentz, Professor for Health Economics at the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne, discuss Germany’s public health …
Episode 78: Transatlantic Trade Cooperation for the Future—A Conversation with Dan Mullaney
Dan Mullaney, Former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East, is our guest for this episode of The Zeitgeist. Together with AGI President Jeff Rathke and Peter …
Episode 77: Zeitenwende Anniversary
On February 27, 2022, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made an historic speech to the German Bundestag, declaring a historic turning point (Zeitenwende) for Germany’s security and defense policy following Russia’s …
Episode 76: Energy, Trade, and Security—Germany’s Expanded Zeitenwende with FDP Caucus Leader Christian Dürr
On this episode of the Zeitgeist, our guest is FDP Bundestag Caucus Leader Christian Dürr. He and AGI President Jeff Rathke discuss how Germany has reset its energy policy, the …
Episode 75: What Germany’s Solution to its Tank Dilemma Tells Us about the Zeitenwende?
On this episode of the Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke talks with Dr. Liana Fix, Fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations, to discuss ongoing challenges in Germany’s …
Episode 74: Antidemocratic Insurrections and Populist Uprising—Germany, Brazil, and the United States
In December 2022, German authorities arrested dozens of people tied to an alleged right-wing extremist plot to overthrow the German government. Among the accused are a member of a former …
Episode 73: 2022—A Year in Review
As 2022 draws to a close, AGI President Jeff Rathke, AGI Senior Fellow and Director of Society, Culture, and Politics Program Eric Langenbacher and AGI Non-Resident Senior Fellow Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger …
Episode 72: Germany’s Foreign Policy Reorientation—A Zeitenwende Conversation with Roderich Kiesewetter MdB
On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke sits down with Roderich Kiesewetter, ranking member of the CDU/CSU faction in the Foreign Relations Committee of the German Bundestag, …
Episode 71: Economic Boom, Income Disparity, and Climate Change in Glendale, AZ
On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke talks with participants in the AGI project on social divisions in Germany and the United States, which recently visited Glendale, …
Episode 70: Germany and Systemic Competition with China and Russia—A Conversation with Johannes Vogel
On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke sits down with Johannes Vogel, Deputy Chairman of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the FDP’s Chief Whip in the …
Episode 69: Germany’s Shifting Political Landscape: Through the Lens of the Lower Saxony Elections
On this episode of the Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke, AGI Senior Fellow and Director of Society, Culture, and Politics Program Eric Langenbacher and AGI Non-Resident Senior Fellow Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger …
Episode 68: U.S.-German Economic Relations and a Changing Global Landscape
On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke and Peter Rashish, Director of the AGI Geoeconomics Program, discuss the state of German-American economic relations and the countries’ shared …
Episode 67: Will Germany’s Zeitenwende Stick?
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared a “Zeitenwende,” a historic turning point for Germany’s security and defense policy. Scholz pledged to set up an …
Episode 66: Are the International Trading System and Globalization in Crisis?
On this episode of the podcast, AGI President Jeff Rathke and Peter Rashish, Director of the AGI Geoeconomics Program, discuss the ongoing challenges facing international trade, potential reforms to the …
Episode 65: The Future of Trade and Globalization—A Conversation with Former WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy
On this episode of the podcast, AGI President Jeff Rathke and Peter Rashish, Director of the AGI Geoeconomics Program, discuss the challenges facing globalization and the evolving international trading system …
Episode 64: Economic Power amid Geopolitical Competition—A Conversation with Barry Eichengreen
In a stark display of their economic power following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States and its allies deployed an array of sanctions aimed at curtailing Russia’s access to …
Episode 63: Trust, Media Literacy, and Regulation—How to Think about Fake News, Misinformation, and Disinformation in Germany and the United States
On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke is joined by Alex Sängerlaub, the director and co-founder of futur eins in Berlin, and Rebekah Tromble, Associate Professor and …
Episode 62: Pandemic Lessons for Public Health Policy in Germany and the United States
On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke discusses the experience of managing the COVID-19 pandemic and lessons for public health policy in Germany and the United States …
Episode 61: Economic Transformation, Demographic Change, and Social Divisions in Buffalo, NY
On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke talks with participants in the AGI project on social divisions in Germany and the United States, which recently visited Buffalo, …
Episode 60: Economic Headwinds—U.S. and German Responses to Russia’s War in Ukraine, Energy Transition, and Inflation
While the U.S. and German governments successfully adopted expansionary fiscal policies to deal with massive economic disruptions brought about by the COVID 19 pandemic, they are now faced with new …
Episode 59: Germany’s Shifting Political Landscape—State Election Edition #2
This month’s election in Germany’s largest state, North Rhine-Westphalia, saw a resurgence of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), growing support for the Green Party, further decline of the Social Democratic …
Episode 58: Economic Transformation and Social Divisions in Germany’s Ruhrgebiet
On this episode of the Podcast, AGI President Jeff Rathke talks with participants in the AGI project on social divisions in Germany and the United States, which recently visited the …
Episode 57: U.S. and European Responses to Economic and Strategic Challenges from China
On this episode of The Zeitgeist, Daniel Gros, Member of the Board and Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), joins AGI President Jeff Rathke and Peter …
Episode 56: War in Ukraine: How are the United States and its NATO Allies Responding?
A Conversation with Ambassador Julianne Smith, U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Russia’s war in Ukraine has entered a new phase, after the Ukrainian forces’ spirited and effective resistance forced Russia …
Episode 55: Russia’s War on Ukraine and Europe’s Response
On this episode of The Zeitgeist, Stavros Lambrinidis, Ambassador of the European Union to the United States, joins AGI President Jeff Rathke and Peter Rashish, Director of AGI Geoeconomics Program. …
Episode 54: Diverse Communities, Questions of Identity, Polarization of Societies
On this episode of The Zeitgeitst, AGI President Jeff Rathke talks with participants in the AGI project on social divisions in Germany and the United States, which recently visited the …
Episode 53: The Changing Dynamics of German Politics
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens, and the Liberal FDP has just passed 100 days in office, faced with Russia’s war on Ukraine and …
Episode 52: A Turning Point in Germany’s Policy toward Russia?
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has invaded Ukraine to redraw the post-Cold-War order in Europe. Russia’s aggression has drawn global condemnation and prompted Western governments to impose more severe economic sanctions …
Episode 51: Why Does Russia Want to Roll Back Europe’s Political and Security Architecture?
On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke and AGI Trustee Ambassador John Kornblum discuss the growing threat to European security and the post-Cold War security architecture resulting …
Episode 50: German Interests, a New Coalition, and a Changing World
On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI president Jeff Rathke and Senior Fellow and Geoeconomics Program Director Peter Rashish talk with Dr. Josef Joffe about Germany’s foreign and economic policy …
Episode 49: Health Care Workers and Public Health in Germany and the United States During COVID-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has subjected the German and U.S. healthcare systems to tremendous pressure and posed great challenges to public health policy makers. In both countries, the pandemic has exacted …
Episode 48: The Future of Germany’s Security and Defense Policy
Germany is essential to transatlantic security, a fact that grows more important with rising security challenges in Europe. Berlin’s allies have long called on the country to play a bigger …
Episode 47: False Information, Conspiracy Theories, and Right-Wing Extremism
Since the Covid 19 pandemic began in many countries, conspiracy theories and political extremism have grown but particularly in the United States and Germany. False information has flourished, leading the …