German Marshall Fund Podcast Series

In this GMF Podcast, Communications Director Will Bohlen interviews Dr. Tomicah Tillemann, Senior Advisor to Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton for Civil Society and Emerging Democracies, about the new LEND network, created to connect leaders in emerging democracies. The initiative, co-chaired by the United States and Estonia, provides real-time interaction between countries through voice, video, and text communication.

In this podcast, GMF Transatlantic Fellow Joshua Walker, interviews Ambassador Ishii, Director of the Public Planning Staff for the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Japan. Ambassador Ishii outlines the advantages of the U.S. pivot toward Asia, discusses North Korea’s failed rocket launch, the effect of the Iran crisis on Japan’s energy needs, and looking beyond Japan’s traditional foreign policy partners of the United States and EU to encompass India and the Republic of Korea.

In this podcast, GMF Senior Transatlantic Fellow Bruce Stokes interviews Pawel Swieboda, President of demosEUROPA in Warsaw, Poland, about how the European debt crisis will change EU-Asia relations. Mr. Swieboda outlines how economic troubles between the two regions will put the EU-China relationship on a level playing field, since China will have to consider the EU’s concerns on improved market access.

In this GMF podcast, John Barrett, Chief Professional Officer for Climate Change, Environment, Infrastructure, and Livelihoods at the UK Department for International Development (DFID), discusses DFID’s new approach to agricultural development, looking at the pivot toward a greater commitment and investment in food security. He describes specific ways that practitioners and government stakeholders can engage the private sector, and emphasized the role of markets, women, and regional trade as a catalyst for transformational change.

In this GMF podcast, Senior Fellow Jim Kolbe interviews Khalid Bomba, CEO of the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA), a new agency dedicated to addressing Ethiopia’s most pressing food security issues in innovative ways. Bomba outlines how the inclusion of the Ethiopian Prime Minister is transforming their approach to agricultural policies, and the major differences between ATA and other organizations aimed at improving economic development in the country.

In this podcast, GMF Transatlantic Fellow Joshua Walker speaks with Zbigniew Brzezinski, former U.S. national security advisor under President Jimmy Carter. Brzezinski discusses the major issues covered in his latest book, Strategic Vision: America and the Crisis of Global Power, including Russian geopolitics and the Eurasian Union, Turkey and Russia’s perspective on the Eurozone crisis, the Arab Spring, and the complex future of U.S.-Asian relations.

In this GMF podcast, speaking from the Stockholm China Forum, Transatlantic Fellow Sarah Raine discusses EU-China relations with Wang Yiwei, Distinguished Professor at Tongji University where he serves as Executive Dean of the Institute of International and Public Affairs and Director of the China-EU Academic Network (CEAN). They cover trade and economic relations, the potential role of China in the Eurozone crisis, and the significance of relations between China and Germany.

In this GMF Podcast, Middle East expert and former adviser to President Jimmy Carter, Dr. William Quandt, discuses the new dynamics of the Middle East, including Egypt's transition to civilian rule and the recent reconciliation agreement between rival Palestinian parties, Fatah and Hamas. Dr. Quandt also addresses the likelihood that the United States might adjust its foreign aid to Egypt in response to the targeting of U.S. NGO workers in Egypt.

In this GMF podcast, Transatlantic Academy Fellow Stacey VanDeveer interviews Andrew Leach, assistant professor at the University of Alberta, and Steven Mufson, staff writer for the Washington Post, about the debate surrounding the Keystone XL Pipeline. From what was considered more of a “sleeper” issue, the Keystone XL Pipeline evolved into what Mufson describes as something that “has really crystallized the questions about environment, energy security, energy prices, and business decisions.” Leach explains the possible impact of the Keystone Pipeline from an American and Canadian perspective, while both participants give their thoughts on what this debate will mean in the upcoming U.S. presidential election.

In this GMF podcast, Thomas Legge, senior program officer with the Climate and Energy Program, speaks with Transatlantic Academy Fellows Corey Johnson and Tim Boersma following recent shale gas site visits to Poland and the United States. They discuss the technological advancements in the sector over the last ten years, the differing developments in North America and Europe, and the political effects of the progress.

Following the launch of the 2011 Transatlantic Trends: Immigration Survey, Immigration and Integration Program Officer Hamutal Bernstein interviews Jason DeParle, The New York Times, and Susan Martin, Georgetown University, about highlights from the survey, including respondents perceptions of governments versus immigrants, birthright citizenship, and the larger implications for the transatlantic relationship.

In this podcast, GMF Senior Transatlantic Fellow Jim Kolbe and Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz, the State Secretary for the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, discuss the recent German aid reforms. With 19,000 staff under a single entity and strategy, Germany now has the world’s largest bilateral agency. Secretary Beerfeltz discusses the factors that led to this consolidation and how will it result in more effective aid. He also explains the shift toward more bilateral development assistance in Germany. .

In this podcast, Transatlantic Trends Director Zsolt Nyiri outlines some of the key findings from the 2011 Transatlantic Trends survey with Senior Fellow Bruce Stokes. They discuss EU opinions on Obama and his international policies; shifting dynamics between the EU, United States, and Asia; a first-ever finding on U.S. views toward the war in Afghanistan; and transatlantic opinions on NATO and Turkey, among others.

In this GMF podcast, Brussels Office Director Ian Lesser speaks with Director of Communications Will Bohlen about the future of Libya post-Gaddafi. Dr. Lesser explains that the international community actually knows very little about the political composition of the Libyan rebels, and he describes how this may impact the country’s attempt to transition to a new government. He also outlines what role Europe and the United States may play in this process and how these changes will impact the larger Arab world.

In this podcast, GMF Fellow Jim Kolbe talks with Simon Winter, Senior Vice President of Development at TechnoServe, about the current role of the private sector in development aid and the main barriers to continued assistance from individuals and businesses. Winter explains that while certain regions have an aversion to private investment, the current economic climate makes their involvement critical.

In part 1 of this podcast, recorded on the occasion of the first Aid Effectiveness Experts Group meeting in Brussels, GMF Senior Transatlantic Fellow Jim Kolbe speaks to GMF Senior non-Resident Fellow and former CEO of France's international development agency Jean-Michel Severino. Discussion includes the potential for U.S.-European cooperation in development assistance, and private-public sector partnerships in the area.
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In this podcast, GMF Senior Fellow Jim Kolbe discusses with Bill Anderson, Professor at Virginia Tech and former longtime USAID foreign service officer, the importance of the transatlantic dialogue to achieve sustainable results in key development areas such as food security and crisis prevention. Anderson emphasizes the role of partner countries and advocates for a general effort to coordinate development policies between the United States and the EU, the “two most important development partners.”

In this podcast, GMF Senior Fellow Jonathan White discusses with Laura Fuesers from the Policy Planning Staff of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development the need for a more coherent development policy. She outlines the recent measures her Ministry has taken to streamline development efforts by merging the agencies that provide technical assistance and incorporating the private sector and civil society.

In this podcast, recorded at the Stockholm China Forum 9, 10-11 June, GMF Senior Fellow Bruce Stokes discusses growing Chinese investment in Europe and its consequences with Klas Eklund, Senior Economist at the Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (SEB). Eklund offers an optimistic view on the growing influx of investment, especially for European countries in crisis, and analyzes the prospect for further market liberalization in China through Sino-European trade.

In the second part of this podcast, Swedish Minister for Trade Ewa Björling and GMF Senior Transtlantic Fellow Jim Kolbe discuss with European Center for International Political Economy Director Frederik Erixon the current stagnation in global trade policy that has led to a near halt of multilateral negotiations. While recognizing the present complex nature of decision-making in the WTO, the interviewees point out why a multilateral free trade agreement remains possible.

In part one of this podcast, Swedish Minister for Trade Ewa Björling and GMF Senior Tranastlantic Fellow Jim Kolbe discuss with European Center for International Political Econonmy Director Frederik Erixon how to regain public support for trade given the impending failure of the Doha rounds, the current state of transatlantic trade, and the importance of transatlantic leadership in encouraging further multilateral cooperation.

In this podcast, Professor of Economics at Sciences Politiques Patrick Messerlin discusses transatlantic support for regional integration in sub-Saharan Africa with Kathleen van Hove, Senior Policy Officer at the European Center for Development Policy Management. The experts discuss how closely Africa should follow Europe’s model of integration, and how the United States and Europe can most helpfully support African regions as they attempt to increase trade and bolster broad-based economic growth.

In this GMF Podcast Senior Transatlantic Fellow Jennifer Hillman interviews Patrick Messerlin, Director of the Groupe d’Economie Mondiale at Sciences Po, and Jean Pierre Chauffour, Lead Economist, World Bank International Trade Department, about a new, high-level international advisory committee developed to analyze a series of studies on the effectiveness of regional trade agreements; how difficult they are to implement; and any disparities between how the U.S. and EU approach these agreements.

During the eighth annual Stockholm China Forum in Stockholm, Sweden, Transatlantic Fellow Bruce Stokes sat down with Xiao Geng of Columbia University to outline some of the less discussed internal economic issues facing China. Geng argues that while the issue of currency manipulation is most prominent in discussions between Western countries, competition for foreign direct investment and low Chinese wages, among other things, play a more important role in economic problems facing the country.

In this GMF podcast, Transatlantic Academy Fellow Soo Yeon Kim interviews Andre Sapir, a senior fellow at Bruegel, about the European perspective on the Doha Development Round trade negotiations. Sapir also discusses how effective the EU could be as a moderator between the United States and China, and why he views the 2012 U.S. presidential elections as one of the most important challenges facing the transatlantic relationship.

In this GMF Podcast Transatlantic Academy Bosch Public Policy Fellows Joseph Quinlan, Martin Jacques, and Eberhard Sandschneider discuss the highlights of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to the United States, including his comments on human rights violations, implications for corporate cooperation, and the future of the United Sates as a global power. Transatlantic Academy Director Stephen Szabo moderates the panel.

In this Transatlantic Take Podcast, Senior Director of Policy Programs Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff interviews Jim Kolbe, GMF Fellow and former Arizona congressman who served in the same district now represented by Gabrielle Giffords. Kolbe, a personal friend of Giffords, describes the shooting’s effect on the political climate in Washington, what it is like serving the district of Tucson, and if he believes the assassination attempt will have long-term implications for Congress.

On January 6, GMF hosted an event to discuss the recent presidential election and subsequent riots and government crackdown in Belarus. Following the event, Natalya Kalyada, director of the Free Theater of Belarus, who was also jailed during the crackdown on opposition protesters in the wake of the country's presidential election; Irina Krasovskaya, president of the We Remember, Belarus foundation; and David Kramer, executive director of Freedom House, sat down with GMF Vice President of Programs Ivan Vejvoda to discuss their experiences and outline the most effective response strategy for the United States.

Dame Jenny Shipley discusses the G20 summit in Seoul, South Korea, continuing GMF’s podcast series with members of the Club de Madrid. The former prime minister of New Zealand and current vice president of the Club de Madrid takes questions from GMF Fellow Kati Suominen. Dame Shipley discusses the importance of free trade to economic development and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. She also addresses the G20’s role in advancing the Doha trade talks and modernizing the international institutional framework.

At the 2010 Transatlantic Trends survey launch, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Phil Gordon, responded to the data and covered each of the main topics from the presentation. This year’s presentation focused on the complexities of Obama’s popularity in Europe, attitudes toward the economic benefits of the EU and the euro, key transatlantic foreign and security policy challenges, differing transatlantic views on the rise of Asia, and Turkey’s changing relationship with the West.