Dear Members and Friends of the AmerikaHaus NRW,

We cordially invite you to a virtual discussion on:

"America is back" was President Joe Biden's key foreign policy message shortly after his inauguration. He thus heralded a clear change of course from the Trump Administration, which had tapped into the long-running isolationist strain in US foreign policy, questioning the value of long-standing alliances and international engagement. What we did not know in 2021 is that some of the major, long-term challenges - the rise of authoritarianism around the world and China's growing ambitions, the accelerating climate crisis and its effects - would soon be overshadowed by wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. How is the Biden Administration tackling these multiple crises? Which role is America playing in the world today and how might its positioning change should the Republican Party win back the White House in 2024? And what are the implications for the transatlantic partnership?

We look forward to discussing these and other questions with Peter Rough, expert on US foreign policy and transatlantic relations at the conservative Washington think tank Hudson Institute and Dr. Hendrik Ohnesorge of the University of Bonn. You are cordially invited to join the conversation!

Peter Rough is a senior fellow and director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute, where he writes and comments on US foreign policy, briefs official delegations, news media, academics, and business leaders worldwide. Previously, as director of research in the Office of George W. Bush, Mr. Rough assisted the former president with his memoir Decision Points. From 2007 to 2009, Mr. Rough served as associate director in the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives, where he helped coordinate political strategy and outreach to key stakeholders. In 2012, he was responsible for US-Russia bilateral relations as a member of the Romney for President Russia Working Group, and in 2016, he served as a member of the Rubio for President Middle East Working Group. Mr. Rough began his career at the Republican National Committee specializing in political research. He holds his BA, summa cum laude, from the George Washington University and MA in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Dr. Hendrik W. Ohnesorge is Managing Director of the Center for Global Studies as well as Lecturer and Research Fellow at the Chair in International Relations at the University of Bonn. He is also a non-resident visiting fellow at NYU's Center for Global Affairs. His research centers on power and power shifts in global politics, with a special focus on soft power, US foreign policy and transatlantic relations, as well as charismatic leadership and individual agency in international affairs. His latest book Soft Power and the Future of US Foreign Policy was published in 2023. Dr. Ohnesorge was a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2017 and an associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University in 2022. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Münster and a Master’s degree as well as a PhD (summa cum laude) from the University of Bonn.

Please register via Zoom for this event: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cA_Lj0xfSd2VP-N1plbj6w

We are looking forward to an informative evening with you!