The San Diego World Affairs Council Presents
A Virtual Distinguished Speakers Series Program Featuring
Dr. Steven E. Sokol
President & CEO of the American Council on Germany
This event was previously scheduled for 12/11/24, but was rescheduled to 12/18/24 due to technical difficulties.
Wednesday, December 18th, 2024
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Zoom link to be sent to all registrants via the registration confirmation email.
About this Program
On November 6th, while the US was absorbed by Trump's election to the presidency, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired his Free Democrat finance minister Christian Lindner, collapsing Germany's ruling "traffic light" coalition. The coalition had been on the brink since the European Parliament election in June, when the ruling parties suffered a historic drubbing. Scholz' decision also came on the heels of the stunning results from regional elections in the East German states of Brandenburg, Thuringia and Saxony in September which saw the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) make strong gains.
Lindner's firing followed weeks of sharp disputes among the coalition partners over ways to boost the country’s ailing economy and pass a 2025 budget. Scholz initially said he would seek a vote of confidence in January that could lead to early elections being held in March 2025. However, criticism from CDU leader Friedrich Merz regarding electoral delays resulted in Scholtz moving the vote of confidence up to December 16, paving the way for early parliamentary elections on February 23, 2025.
But the poll-leading CDU and its leader Friedrich Merz also face difficult choices. Germany’s corporate chiefs, EU partners and most economists struggle to see how it can revive its traditional business model, pursue decarbonization, strengthen its military and support Ukraine without greater private and public investment. All this will be even harder with Trump back in power. Meanwhile, political fragmentation may make forming a new coalition under a CDU banner a challenge.
What is driving political fragmentation in Germany? What has been the impact of the war in Ukraine? What role does immigration play? Will elections bring flexibility to the application of Germany's constitutional 'debt brake'? With the manufacturing sector in decline since 2018, how deep are Germany's economic problems?
Dr. Steven E. Sokol, President & CEO of the American Council on Germany, will address these questions and then participate in a discussion with SDWAC President David Edick. Audience members will be able to ask questions.
Free to members & the public, available via Zoom. Pre-registration required.
About Dr. Steven E. Sokol
Dr. Steven E. Sokol is the President and CEO of the American Council on Germany. Previously, he served as President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh. Prior to that, he was the Vice President and Director of Programs at the ACG. Earlier in his career, Dr. Sokol served as the Deputy Director of the Aspen Institute Berlin, was the Head of the Project Management Department at the Bonn International Center for Conversion GmbH (BICC), and a Program Officer in the Berlin office of The German Marshall Fund of the United States.
He holds a Doctorate in Law and Policy from Northeastern University as well as an M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins University’s Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a B.A. from Wesleyan University. He also studied at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität in Heidelberg and as a Fulbright Scholar at the Freie Universität in Berlin starting in the fall of 1988. Steven got to know Berlin as a divided city. He was studying in Berlin on November 9, 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell. Dr. Sokol is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and was awarded a Bundesverdienstkreuz in 2022.
The American Council on Germany (ACG) is an independent, nonpartisan nonprofit organization that was founded in 1952 to strengthen German-American relations. Today, the ACG works across generations to provide a deeper, more nuanced understanding about Germany, Europe, and the importance of the transatlantic partnership. Through a range of programs and activities, the ACG addresses the most pressing economic, political, and social challenges of the day to ensure better mutual understanding.
