Programs and Events

Selected Events 2008

Afghan Governors on NATO Tour

December 18, 2008. Afghan Governors Mohammad Halim Fedai (Wardak) and Sayed Fazlullah Wahidi (Kunar) visited Berlin as part of a vist to European capitals beginning in Brussels, Paris and ending on December 20 in Munich. While in Berlin the Governors met with government officials and members of parliament, who were interested in learning about the current state of affairs in their respective provinces. In a press conference at the Adlon Hotel, the Governors thanked the German people for their ongoing support for Afghanistan, and emphasized the importance of maintaining German troops to provide security. "Both governance and development need ground-but who prepares the ground to make that possible? Troops and police." In response to a question about President-Elect Obama deciding to send more troops to Afghanistan, Governor Wahidi said: "He didn't decide to send them--we asked for them." Governor Fedai underscored that poverty was an ongoing cause of unrest and instability, but said that many districts in Afghanistan needed more troops and police to create a secure environment in which development can occur. Governor Wahidi described the challenges of sharing a 240-kilometer border with Pakistan, but maintained that the government controlled all the district centers in Kunar province, even though the U.S. military and ANA are fired at almost daily by infiltrators from the Pakistani side. The Governor asked for increased help in guarding the border, at the same time that he acknowledged that such a task would be extremely challenging. He added that Afghans accept the Durand line "for now", but emphasized the close familial relations between tribes that straddle both sides of the border make a formal division difficult to enforce. Photo Gallery

Associate Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer Briefs Berlin Journalists

December 15, 2008. Associate Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer participated in a rare briefing for journalists organized by the U.S. Embassy. Justice Breyer discussed the role of the Supreme Court as the final arbiter of constitutional disputes in the U.S., and provided an overview of the four decisions the Court has reached regarding the habeas corpus and due process rights of detainees in Guantanámo Bay. Justice Breyer emphasized to the journalists that, unlike some European constitutional courts which can issue advisory opinions to guide decisions makers in the executive and legislative branches, the U.S. Supreme Court cannot "reach down" and rule on important constitutional questions of the day. He explained that the Court can only rule on cases that come to it after the action giving rise to the lawsuit has taken place: "This takes time, but it is an important part of the checks and balances inherent in our form of constitutional democracy." Justice Breyer is in Berlin as a guest of the American Academy in Berlin, and is the recipient of the inaugural Lloyd Cutler Distinguished Visitorship, which has been established by the Academy to bring leading American legal scholars, practitioners and judges to Berlin to discuss the important legal issues of the day. Photo Gallery

U.S. Veterans to Berlin Visit the New Embassy

December 12, 2008. Eight U.S. veterans and their spouses visited the new Embassy on Pariser Platz as part of the Checkpoint Charlie Foundation's Welcome Home Tours for members of the U.S. military who served in Berlin. Collectively, the group witnessed some of the most important episodes in the history of the post-war German-American relationship - starting at the end of WWII, through the Airlift, the start of the Cold War, the standoff at Checkpoint Charlie when the Wall went up until it finally came down in 1989. Chargé d'Affaires John M. Koenig and Cultural Attaché Peter Claussen, both of whom served at the U.S. Embassy in East Berlin in the 1980s, spoke with the group about the enormous changes that have taken place in the transatlantic partnership thanks to their commitment. The veterans also received briefings at the Bundestag and the Berlin State Parliament. In addition, visits to local schools were scheduled to give the veterans an opportunity to share their experiences with young Berliners.

Making reading fun @ your library!

December 11, 2008. Following what has become an annual joint tradition with the America Memorial Library branch of the Central and Regional Library Berlin, Natalie Koenig, spouse of Chargé d’Affaires John Koenig, joined youth librarian Karen Groening in a bilingual reading from selected award-winning youth books. The reading and accompanying book donation, just two of a number of joint activities with this and other libraries around the country, are part of the Embassy’s “America @ your library®” partnership initiative. A focal point of the initiative is the development of reading promotion activities to complement English teaching and social studies curriculum needs relating to the United States. photo gallery

Chargé d'Affaires John M. Koenig opens exhibition at Free University Berlin

December 9, 2008. Chargé d’Affaires John M. Koenig delivered remarks at the opening of the exhibition “Evolution of a Friendship” in the Henry Ford Building of the Free University Berlin. The exhibition is one in a series of events marking the 60th Anniversary of the founding of Free University Berlin. Other speakers included Prof. Ursula Lehmkuhl, the university’s First Vice President, COL Hans Ehlert, Director of the German Military History Research Institute in Potsdam which developed the exhibition, and Member of the Bundestag Hans-Ulrich Klose, Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Chairman of the German-American Parliamentarians’ Group. The Chargé highlighted the importance of the German-American friendship for the development of the Free University Berlin. Koenig’s speech in full (in German)

Minister-Counselor Helena Kane Finn lights the Christmas Tree at Checkpoint Charlie

December 5, 2008. Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs Dr. Helena Kane Finn lit the Christmas tree at the Mauermuseum, following a long tradition in which every year a representative from the U.S. Embassy performs this ceremony at the former sector checkpoint. The ceremony commemorates the American soldiers who stood guard there during the years of the Berlin Wall, 1961–1989. The museum has an annual tradition of lighting a Christmas tree to remember the sacrifices made by Allied troops for the freedom of Berlin during the Cold War and, by extension, to signal hope for a future of freedom around the world.

“The Global Marketplace 2020: Where will Germany be?”

Ambassador Timken Serves Thanksgiving Dinner to the Homeless at the Berliner Stadtmission

November 27, 2008. For the fourth and last time during their time in Germany, Ambassador Timken and his wife Sue, along with employees of the U.S. Embassy and the Ambassador’s residence, served a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless at the shelter at the Berlin train station. The dinner included 5 large stuffed turkeys and all the trimmings. Thanksgiving, the American “Erntedankfest,” is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. Thanksgiving Day dates back to the time when the pilgrims settled in America. During the first hard winter in the New World, approximately half of the first settlers died. They asked the neighboring Indian tribes for help. The Indians showed them how to grow corn and other indigenous plants. The abundant harvest in the following year prompted the pilgrims to celebrate Thanksgiving. Today Thanksgiving is a holiday when Americans go home — often travelling long distances — to celebrate with their family and friends. Thanksgiving is also a day, however, when many people in the United States share their holiday with the poor, the sick and the elderly through volunteer initiatives. more about the holiday | Photo Gallery »

DCM Koenig Speaks At Fulbright Commission's Thanksgiving Dinner

November 25, 2008. DCM John Koenig gave the keynote address at a Thanksgiving dinner and concert hosted by the German Fulbright Commission at the historic Harnack Haus in Berlin. Approximately 200 guests were in attendance, including Fulbright grantees and alumni, and special guests from Berlin and Brandenburg. In his speech, DCM Koenig commended the work of the Fulbright Commission and its contributions to the bilateral relationship, spoke of the recent U.S. elections and the challenges facing the new administration, and reiterated the importance of fostering partnerships and cooperation. Following remarks by Mr. Koenig, Dr. Rolf Hoffman, Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission, Dr. Wedigo de Vivanco, Dean of International Affairs of the Freie Universität Berlin, and Dr. Berthold Neizert, Head of the International Relations Division of the Max Planck Society, Munich, the group presented award certificates to 35 students who participated in Fulbright’s diversity summer school program in the U.S. this year. A traditional Thanksgiving buffet followed. Koenig's speech in full

U.N. Ambassador Gregory L. Schulte Briefs Journalists on Iran and Syria

November 24, 2008. During his visit to Berlin, Ambassador Gregory L. Schulte, Permanent Representative of the U.S. to the United Nations in Vienna, briefed German and American reporters on the latest IAEA report on Iran and Syria. Media participants included ARD and Reuters Television, as well as leading German print journalists. Ambassador Schulte said that Iran continues to produce and stockpile low-grade enriched uranium, which cannot be used for power production and which violates Security Council resolutions. “It is a relatively small step from low enriched uranium to weaponization.” In addition, Iran continues to refuse to fully explain its prior activities with the IAEA. full story | audio»

After the Vote. Prospects for America and the World

Ambassador's wife Sue Timken receives German Order of Merit

November 21, 2008. Sue Timken, wife of Ambassador Timken, has been awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Bundesverdienstkreuz, in appreciation of her social and philanthropic work within Germany. Mrs. Timken is being recognized for her efforts at reaching out to Germany’s immigrant youth and Muslim communities, in particular her tireless advocacy and support of the “Windows on America” initiative and the “Streets of Wedding” project. The Windows on America program provides young immigrant students and other underrepresented youth in Germany a chance to experience the U.S. firsthand. To date, over one hundred disadvantaged youths have benefited from the exchanges, gaining personal insight into American culture and returning home with more open minds and a greater sense of self. Similarly, the Streets of Wedding project, a musical, aimed to reach out and engage minority youths. The theatrical production was a lively examination of Wedding (an economically depressed district in Berlin) as seen through the students’ eyes and a way for them to counter negative images of Wedding and its residents. The Order of Merit is the highest honor that can be bestowed on individuals for their service and contribution to the German nation.

US-EU Partnership Highlighted

November 20, 2008. Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs Helena Kane Finn opened the embassy's first joint US/EU lecture/discussion program "After the Vote: New Perspectives for the Transatlantic Partnership" held November 20 at the EU Commission representation in Berlin. She and Dietlind Jering, the EU Commission representative in Berlin, welcomed over 200 guests to a roundtable discussion with Dr. William Drozdiak, the President of the New York based American Council on Germany, Valentin Gescher, the General Director for Foreign Policy at the European Commission in Brussels, and Dr. Stormy-Annika Mildner, a researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin. The panelists spoke on the future of the US-EU relationship under the new administration of President elect Obama. While recognizing economic and political challenges ahead, the speakers assured the audience that the US-EU partnership will be as important to the new President elect Obama as it has been to past presidents. Only a strong and comprehensive US-EU relationship will ensure that the present global economic and financial crisis will be solved as smoothly as possible on the global level. A lively discussion on the challenges and opportunities laying ahead of the new administration concluded the program. The audience was particularly happy to hear that one of the first tasks to be taken on by the new administration will most certainly be climate change, an issue that in the past had often divided the transatlantic partners. Photo Gallery

German-American Partnership: Benchmarking Success

November 12, 2008. “The bilateral relationship between the United States and Germany is now stronger, more mature and more balanced than it has ever been before,” said U.S. Ambassador William R. Timken, Jr. during an event at the Confederation of German Industry (BDI) in Berlin. “We are truly operating on the basis of a global partnership.” The Ambassador presented a report compiled by the U.S. Embassy that documents the breadth and depth of the investment, trade and financial connections between Germany and the United States. “There has been an unbelievable advancement in interaction since German reunification,” said the Ambassador, and “the daily exchange of citizens, Germans to America, Americans to Germany both physically and through modern electronic communications is the greatest and most varied in history.” Speaking at the same event, BDI President Jürgen R. Thumann lauded the extremely close ties between the two countries and agreed that the strengthening of the transatlantic partnership is in the fundamental interest of German business. Melinda Crane of Deutsche Welle moderated the subsequent panel discussion. Other participants in the event were Carl Graf von Hohenthal of AmCham Germany, Dr. Karl-Ernst Brauner of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, Dr. Michael Burda, Professor of Economics at Humboldt University, Dr. Stormy-Annika Mildner of the German Institute for International & Security Affairs (SWP), Dr. Arend Oetker, BDI Vice President and Managing Director of Dr. Arend Oetker Holding, and Dr. Robert Pollard, Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Embassy Berlin. Ambassador’s speech | more photos

November 7, 2008

New Roles for Librarians in the 21st Century: Hollywood Librarians, New Librarians, Vanishing Librarians
Election 2008 is over. Librarians in the United States did much more than point users to resources. They played a leadership role in guaranteeing that all local voices were heard, informing the public on election procedures, reform proposals, and candidates’ backgrounds and positions through voter registration training sessions, special programs, displays, and websites. This is one example of the expanded role of libraries in today’s society. 
Meet John and Louise Berry at the new U.S. Embassy in Berlin to discuss the role of libraries and librarians in the 21st century. 
more »

U.S. Embassy Celebrates Presidential Election

On the night of November 4-5, Germany watched closely as Americans went to the polls to elect a new president. The U.S. Embassy took part in the celebrations, co-sponsoring two large events in Berlin.

The first event, hosted at Deutsche Telekom’s Berlin office, was organized by ZDF, the German Marshall Fund, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik, the American Chamber of Commerce, Tagesspiegel, the Internationaler Club im Auswärtigen Amt, the Verband Berliner Kaufleute und Industrielle (VBKI), and the Deutsche Atlantische Gesellschaft, with ZDF broadcasting live throughout the night. The program included expert panel discussions, live music, and constant news updates with analysis by local experts on American politics.

The second event was an election party organized in partnership with the American Academy in Berlin by news channels n-tv, RTL, and CNN, who broadcast live from the event, held at the Bertelsmann office in Berlin.

Chargé d’Affaires John M. Koenig opened both events, and appeared in several interviews with different German media outlets throughout the night. Both parties were full beyond capacity, with several thousand guests coming to watch the election results and take part in this historic night. The unprecedented turnout at these and other election night parties and events all across Germany underscored the intense interest that the German public has shown in this election.

• Photo gallery
• Chargé Koenig’s remarks at the post-election breakfast (German)

U.S. Presidential Election 2008: Berlin Announces Results

Student presents predictions for Alabama

November 4, 2008. Berlin has voted. The village Dixville Notch, which is part of the Berlin, New Hampshire, Micropolitan Statistical Area, is traditionally among the first communities in the U.S. to report election results. Immediately after midnight, the 21 votes were counted and the results announced. But also Berlin, Germany, has already reported some predictions for the U.S. Presidential elections. These are the result of a month-long Embassy project with schools from Berlin and Brandenburg. Each school adopted a specific state and presented their predictions in a presentation at Berlin’s city hall Rotes Rathaus this morning. Photo gallery

U.S. Expert Advances Transatlantic Environmental Dialogue

October 14, 2008. Dr. Michael K. Orbach, Professor of the Practice of Marine Affairs and Policy at Duke University, spoke on Tuesday about “Climate Change and Coastal Zone Management” at Ecologic, a German environmental think tank. In his lecture and the ensuing discussions, Dr. Orbach drew on the experience of the United States with an emphasis on the factors driving development in the coastal zone as well as the current responses in the U.S. to climate change and rising sea levels, especially after the experiences and lessons learned as a result of hurricanes Katrina, Ike and Gustav. The audience included representatives of almost all major German environmental NGOs headquartered in Berlin who were eager to hear about the on-going new approaches in the US to confront rising sea levels as result of climate change.

Frankfurt Book Fair opens in Berlin

October 14, 2008. Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs Dr. Helena Kane Finn opened the Embassy Book Fair program at the state of Hesse representation in Berlin featuring a reading by Turkish-American writer Güneli Gün and Maureen Freely, an American writer who grew up in Istanbul. Turkey, the guest of honor of this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, serves as inspiration to both writers, who look at the county from abroad, yet make it the center of their stories. In addition to reading from their novels, both discussed the challenges of translating literature, since both have translated novels by Nobel Prize recipient Orhan Pamuk for the English-speaking world. Both writers also represent Turkey and the U.S. at the Book Fair in Frankfurt as participants of the official program. An audience of about 70, among them teachers and their students, some of Turkish decent, representatives of Berlin’s culture circles as well as of federal ministries and the Turkish Embassy attended this informative and thought-provoking program. The reading was part of the U.S. Embassy literature series which celebrates the opening of the new Embassy building in the heart of Berlin this year. more | photo gallery »

AmCham Transatlantic Partnership Award for Jürgen Weber

Photo: Christian Kruppa

October 10, 2008. The American Chamber of Commerce in Germany awarded Dr. Jürgen Weber, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Deutsche Lufthansa AG, the AmCham Transatlantic Partnership Award for his dedication to advancing German-U.S. trade and promoting Germany as a business location. In his remarks for Dr. Weber, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury and former U.S. Ambassador to Germany Robert M. Kimmitt recognized Weber for his longstanding efforts to promote economic exchange between the U.S. and Germany through his role in the aviation industry, and in advocating Lufthansa's early lead as a charter member of the Star Alliance airline network. Laudation (pdf)

Teacher Academy in Potsdam: Preparing for the Lincoln Bicentennial

October 2–5, 2008. 45 teachers, teacher trainers, curriculum planners and textbook editors from 15 German states met to discuss “Lincoln’s Legacy: Nation Building, Democracy and the Question of Race and Civil Rights” at the Teacher Academy 2008 in Potsdam. The Teacher Academy is a program established by the U.S. Embassy in 2003. This year, it was cosponsored by Jena University and the Center for USA Studies at the University of Halle-Wittenberg. Now in its fifth year, the Teacher Academy offers a unique national platform to bring together multipliers across state lines focusing on central themes in American Studies. It serves as a model of teacher training in that it bridges the gap between University-based research and practical work in the EFL classroom. For three-and-a half days, expert faculty from the U.S. and Germany approached the topic from interdisciplinary angles covering historical, literary and cultural aspects of Lincoln’s legacy. Workshops explored the applicability of the materials in the classroom and gained new insights into up-to-date research in the field. more »

U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker on Pakistan, and the Russia/Georgia Conflict

September 26, 2008. In a press roundtable at the Embassy, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker outlined current NATO successes, priorities and challenges. He also answered journalists’ questions concerning the situation at the Pakistan border and the situation in the Caucasus. Ambassador Volker discussed the situation in Georgia, and explained the clear distinctions between Russia’s immediate and unilateral recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and the UN-sanctioned process which led to international recognition of Kosovo. Volker called on Russia to be a “responsible” member of the world community, and emphasized the importance of cooperating with Russia where possible, but added that the U.S., NATO and the EU should not tolerate the 19th Century concept of a Russian “sphere of influence” where it would be allowed to redraw the international boundaries of its neighbors and interfere with the ability of sovereign states to determine their own future.

Chargé Koenig Delievers Keynote Address to Robert Bosch Fellows

September 18, 2008. The Robert Bosch Foundation hosted a reception on September 18 at the German Society for Foreign Policy (DGAP) in Berlin honoring the new Bosch Fellows for 2008. This year’s twenty Bosch Fellows bring outstanding academic and professional credentials from fields as diverse as finance, law and environmental management. Fellows will spend the coming year working in various institutions and companies throughout Germany. The Bosch Fellowship program seeks to familiarize American professionals with the political, economic, and cultural environment of Europe and of the Federal Republic of Germany. Chargé d’Affaires John Koenig and State Secretary for European Affairs Günter Gloser gave speeches that touched on the profound connections between the U.S. and Germany, and outlined some of the challenges ahead for the transatlantic partnership: “The world may have high expectations for a new U.S. President,“ Chargé Koenig explained in his speech “— but rest assured that that President, no matter who it is, will have high expectations for resolve and support from our Allies and partners, as well. It won’t be a question of America making demands on Europe; rather a question of Europe and the United States, together standing up to their responsibilities in the world [...] The same issues that President Bush, and Secretaries Rice and Gates, and our NATO and EU Allies have been dealing with these last several years, everything from terrorism and WMD proliferation, Iran and Iraq, to Darfur and greenhouse gases won’t go away just because the United States elects a new President.” Speeches in full: Gloser (pdf) | Koenig »

Please find more events in our archive (QI/2008 | QII/2008 | QIII/2008).