Dreams, Doubts, and Dependencies of the Transatlantic Alliance

3.30pm, 27th May 2023

The current state of the transatlantic relationship is marked by several challenges, including protectionist economic policies, the war in Ukraine, structural changes within NATO, and strategic misunderstandings towards China. Re-imagining this vital partnership requires us to move beyond proclamations of unwavering unity and address the doubts, priorities, and co-dependencies that exist on both sides of the Atlantic. In this thought-provoking panel, experts from the United States, Germany, and the EU will come together to explore the pressing issues and conflicting opinions surrounding our common security goals and objectives. Through lively discussions, we will examine the opportunities and obstacles to strengthening the transatlantic bond, and imagine different futures for this critical alliance.

Speakers

  • Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook

    Senior Advisor, Bertelsmann Stiftung

    Cathryn is Senior Advisor in the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Europe’s Future Program with a focus on transatlantic relations, EU, US and German foreign and security policy, technology policy and digital diplomacy. She is also a non-resident fellow with the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi). Previously, she served as director and CEO of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). For over a decade prior, Cathryn served as the executive director of the Future of Diplomacy Project at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The research program, which she co-founded, examines the challenges to negotiation and statecraft in the 21st century, including the impact of technology on foreign policy. In addition, Cathryn directed a Harvard research program on Europe and transatlantic relations from 2018 to 2021.

  • Prof. David Rowe (PhD)

    Visiting Fellow, German Marshall Fund

    David M. Rowe is a Visiting Fellow at the German Marshall Fund and a professor of political science at Kenyon College, where he teaches courses on political economy, comparative politics, and international relations. From 2018 to 2022, he directed the Kenyon’s Center for the Study of American Democracy, an endowed, co-curricular institution of the college. He has been the recipient of several prestigious grants and awards. In 2022-2023, he holds a Fulbright NATO Security Studies scholarship in Brussels. He has previously held the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Innsbruck.

  • Julien Serre

    Lecturer, Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs, School of Management and Impact

    Julien Serre is a Director at Circle Institute focused on intellectual sovereignty and strategic autonomy, and he teaches security and development issues and public-private partnerships at Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs and School of Management and Impact. He was previously Deputy Director of the Peace, Stability and Security Department at Expertise France, and he has held positions at MINUSMA, the European Investment Bank, and the United Nations Secretariat. Julien is a graduate of ESSEC, Sciences Po, and Harvard University.

  • Moritz Flössler (Moderator)

    Deputy Director & Co-Founder of the Young Security Conference

    Moritz is a public sector consultant and passionate about the European project. He studied Political Science and International Relations in Munich and Paris during which he co-founded the Young Security Security Conference.