AGI

Society, Culture & Politics

The AGI Society, Culture & Politics Program focuses on crucial topics within the German-American dialogue, including: demographic change, migration/integration, and aging societies; electoral politics at the national, state, and European levels, and comparative analysis of Germany and the United States; diversity within Germany, Europe, and the United States; the politics of collective memory and identity, Holocaust remembrance and reconciliation, and shifting conceptions of national identity that shape perspectives and policy responses.
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150 Days of the Merz Government

Between Reform and Restraint When Friedrich Merz entered office as chancellor in May 2025, he did so under the banner of stability and reform. After the collapse of Olaf Scholz’s …

AGI Profiles: Johann Wadephul

Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Johann Wadephul hails from northern Germany, a region whose people are often described as taciturn and reserved. Defying that cliché, he chose a career …

Finja Augsburg, DAAD/AGI Research Fellow

AGI is pleased to welcome Finja Augsburg as a DAAD/AGI Research Fellow in Fall 2025. Finja Isabel Augsburg is a doctoral researcher and project associate at the University of Erfurt, …

AGI Profiles: Jens Hanefeld

German Ambassador to the United States Jens Hanefeld took up the role as Germany’s ambassador to the United States on August 8, 2025. He replaces Ambassador Andreas Michaelis, who retired …

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Kathrin Ritzka, DAAD/AGI Research Fellow

AGI is pleased to welcome Kathrin Ritzka as a DAAD/AGI Research Fellow in Fall 2025. Kathrin Ritzka is a doctoral researcher and Research Associate in Catholic Theology at Humboldt University …

Episode 132: Transatlantic Alliances of the New Right

Ties between far-right parties and movements in Europe and the United States are growing. Annett Meiritz and Juliane Schäuble join this episode of The Zeitgeist to discuss their forthcoming book …

“We do not have any fax machines and we have no plans to buy any”*

Germany’s New Digital Ministry Germany has established its first-ever ministry dedicated solely to all matters digital. Spearheaded by political newcomer Karsten Wildberger, the Ministry for Digital and State Modernization aims …

AGI Profiles: Katherina Reiche

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy On April 28, chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz unveiled his cabinet. Alongside some unexpected nominations—such as Johann Wadephul as Foreign Minister and Karsten Wildberger as …

AGI Profiles: Karsten Wildberger

Federal Minister for Digital and State Modernization Karsten Wildberger is a newcomer in more ways than one. His appointment as Germany’s first-ever Minister for Digital and State Modernization appeared as …

Episode 129: German Constitutional Law and Banning Extremist Political Parties

Even though it came in second place in the 2025 German federal election, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) was subsequently classified as an extremist party by the Office for the …

AGI Profiles: Dorothee Bär

Federal Minister for Research, Technology, and Space In May 2025, Dorothee Bär took office as Germany’s first Federal Minister for Research, Technology, and Space. As the former Parliamentary State Secretary …

The Social Democrats Give Their Leader a Yellow Card, Green Light for Stronger Defense

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has devoted significant energy in his first two months in office to restoring Germany’s international partnerships, strengthening the Bundeswehr and hardening the country’s Russia policy. His success depends …

Sustaining LGBTQ+ Communities in a Fragmenting Landscape

The second cohort of AGI’s project “Building LGBTQ+ Communities in Germany and the United States” met in March 2025 in the Bavarian capital of Munich. Between their first meeting in …