Newsletter September · October 2008

The Amerika Haus e.V. NRW is beginning its new season 2008 with a new program and new logo. The logo symbolizes the philosophy of the Society of reaching out across the Atlantic and across NRW while ensuring recognizability at the same time. The program fills this symbolism with life. Scheduled are discussions, lectures, readings, and concerts on transatlantic topics in the areas of politics, economics, and culture – throughout all of NRW. But what does the Amerika Haus Society stand for and what are its goals and visions?

 

The Amerika Haus e.V. NRW: A Network for the Transatlantic Community

The Society was founded in 2007 as a successor institution to the Amerika Haus, which was located in Cologne and run by the American Embassy. Under the patronage of Minister-President Jürgen Rüttgers it has positioned itself as an independent transatlantic network that operates NRW-wide. Founded as a non-profit public-private partnership, the Amerika Haus Society dedicates itself to German-American relations: As a platform for meeting the USA in the areas of politics, economics, culture, and society and for establishing personal contacts. The instruments for promoting the transatlantic dialogue between Europe and North America are roundtable discussions, studio interviews, lectures, concerts, and many other formats.

“With the Amerika Haus e.V. NRW, we would like to create a platform for a broad-based transatlantic network that operates at the local, regional, and supra-regional level,” the Baroness von Oppenheim stated with respect to the objectives of the Society, in which to date many committed transatlantic members have already found their ways together. The regional emphasis of the Society is the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and its surrounding regions – including Brussels as the seat of the EU.

 

The Topics: Transatlantic, Up-to-Date, and Balanced between Local and Global

The Amerika Haus e.V. NRW strives to create and strengthen interest in and understanding for issues of transatlantic relations at the regional level in North Rhine-Westphalia, but also beyond. In doing so, the focus is on the topical areas of politics, economics, and culture. In addition to the bilateral German-American perspectives, the Society aims to take up international themes and place substantive transatlantic topics within a global context.

 

The Political Focus: The US Presidential Election

In the political area, the presidential election in the USA is currently very relevant and in the limelight. The Amerika Haus e.V. NRW has been accompanying it from the primaries to the nomination of the two candidates McCain and Obama to the election outcome in November and the formation of the new administration in the early months of 2009. For example, there was the Otto-Wolff lecture on 29 September 2008, which took place with the American foreign policy expert John C. Hulsman. This lecture was the first in a series, to which, in conjunction with the Amerika Haus Society, the Otto-Wolff-Foundation is inviting American personalities to discuss current US-topics.

The emphasis will be on the issue of how the new administration and its policies will affect the West, and thus also Europe. How do both candidates view the central themes of international politics and what consequences do Germany, Europe, and the western alliances have to expect? The Amerika Haus e.V. NRW is offering analyses by and debates with experts, above all on the topics of the U.S. presidential election campaign, which are relevant for Europe and Germany. How will Europe face the challenges of a new American foreign political agenda? Regardless of what the outcome of the election will be, it is above all the member states of the EU that are facing new challenges: The reason is that both presidential candidates plan to tie in the West more strongly into their international strategies and actions. How will Germany react to this, and how will its neighbors react?

In addition to the topic that is the focus of interest, the “U.S. elections”, the Amerika Haus e.V. NRW plans to take up even farther-reaching themes through lectures and roundtable discussions: topics of global significance, such as security and geostrategic issues, for example, or the future of energy policy. These are topics that are of great importance for the West and are inseparably bound to the USA. Topics that also raise the question as to Europe’s conception of itself, such as, for example, whether the Union will be taking on multilateral responsibility in the future – above all in an international context.

Just how much both sides can learn from each other very concretely in a transatlantic exchange – especially on the local and regional level – is demonstrated by program events on topics such as city planning, civic action, integration, and education.

 

The Economy: A View to International Perspectives

Concerning economic issues the view to the USA is inevitable. Due to the influence the USA has on the international economy and finance, and due to the global linking of markets, the globalization of the world economy is on the agenda of the Amerika Haus Society NRW.

“We want to take up topics with transatlantic and international relevance, such as the global economy, and then discuss them with the leading experts”, says Peter Jungen, Vice-Chairman of the Society, “At the center stands the role of the West in the international architecture of economics and finance. How is the West dealing with the dramatic development of the world economy, for example, in which more and more countries are successfully freeing themselves from poverty?”

For example, the Amerika Haus Society invited the renowned economic expert Jagdish Bhagwati from Columbia University, New York City, to speak in Cologne. Moderated by Otto Count Lambsdorff, Professor Bhagwati presented the German edition of his international bestseller “In Defense of Globalization”.

Also in the field of economics, the bilateral German-American perspective should always be supplemented with the discussion of internationally relevant points and views – but also with issues bearing concrete reference to NRW.

 

Culture: Events to enhance Transatlantic Understanding

The Society is dedicated to culture in various formats: with concerts by American composers, readings, and panel discussions pertaining to art and culture in a transatlantic context.

The launch is marked by a very special concert: The Cologne concert guitarist Lucian Plessner plays works by Leonard Bernstein on guitar. He moderates the music with stories about Bernstein, his life, works, and thought. Plessner himself had been motivated and authorized by the composer to adapt selected pieces for the guitar.

North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the leading culture locations in Germany, and thus the dialogue with art and culture forms the third emphasis in the activities of the Society. With the presentation of American artists and authors, but also in roundtable discussions concerning the interrelationship of the American and German art scene, the Amerika Haus e.V.  NRW aims to promote the understanding of American culture.

 

The North Rhine-Westphalian Presence

“By holding events in different locations throughout NRW, we are granting the Amerika Haus a new regional presence. For it is our intention to provide people, societies, and companies in NRW interested in transatlantic topics with the opportunity to get information and enter into a dialogue, at the same time giving them a chance to network”, says Eveline Metzen, Executive Director of the Society, explaining the way the Amerika Haus e.V. NRW views its task.

The Society’s logo was developed for the Society by the bplusd pro bono agency.  Eveline Metzen thanked Dr. Günther Lewald, a partner at bplusd, for his efforts: “We are extremely delighted by the representative logo, which perfectly symbolizes both of our major concerns, that of promoting transatlantic relations all across NRW.”
The Amerika Haus Network: Curators, Members, and Supporters of the Society

One year after its foundation, the Amerika Haus, Registered Society North Rhine-Westphalia enjoys broad support from private persons and companies. There are already more than 30 sponsors, curators, and members who are active on behalf of our Society .
(» Members and Supporters)