"EU and USA - A Strong Alliance? Reordering Geopolitics in the Wake of Putin's War" –
Our 1st Bavarian Winter School on Trade and Security
From December 1-3, 2023, Amerikahaus - Bavarian Center for Transatlantic Relations hosted the first Bavarian American Winter School on Trade and Security entitled "EU and USA - A Strong Alliance? Reordering Geopolitics in the Wake of Putin's War" at Amerikahaus Munich. The event was co-organized by our partners at the Youth Atlantic Treaty Association Germany (YATA), the Young Security Conference (YSC), as well as the Young German Council on Foreign Relations (Junge DGAP).
The Winter School provided emerging voices in the debates on transatlantic trade and security politics between 18 and 35 years of age a forum to discuss current issues such as the role of the European Union, the importance of NATO and the relationship between Germany and the U.S. The guiding question was how the transatlantic partnership can remain resilient and as such an essential pillar of European peace and economic welfare.
The response to the Call for Applications for the first Winter School in Munich was overwhelming. We received over 100 competitive applications from all over the world. 36 persons from 11 different countries such as Canada, the United States, Malaysia, Europe and Germany and from a diverse range of backgrounds such as security studies, economics, law or policy making were finally selected to participate.
Photo: Theatersaal Winter School ©Amerikahaus München / Johannes Simon
Amerikahaus München / Johannes Simon
Central Goals of the Winter School
The central goals of the Winter School were a) to provide the participants with a knowledge base on the current state of and future challenges for the transatlantic partnership with a particular focus on NATO, on the geopolitical situation, as well as on domestic perspectives on both sides of the Atlantic; and b) to get the participants to work on specific challenges within these topics and offer them a stage to reveal and discuss their own viewpoints and arguments. Accordingly, the Winter School consisted of a number of diverse formats, from lectures and panel discussions to SWOT analysis and Oxford Union style debates.
One of the main reasons for the huge success of the Winter School was the guidance provided to the participants by our core faculty – three highly prolific experts in their fields: Cathryn Clüver-Ashbrook, Senior Advisor on Europe’s Future at Bertelsmann Foundation, General (ret.) Rainer Meyer zum Felde, and David Rowe, Professor of Political Science at Kenyon College. Aside from chairing specific workshop sessions, the core faculty provided guidance through the Winter School and was always available for feedback and input. The core faculty was supported by experts invited for specific inputs on e.g. deterrence and NATO, or scenario forecasting in international politics.
Amerikahaus München / Johannes Simon
Keynote Townhall with Dr. Karen Donfried
A particular highlight of the Winter School was the keynote townhall with former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia and former President of the German Marshall Fund Dr. Karen Donfried. In her talk on “The Challenge of War in Europe. The Transatlantic Partnership and the War in Ukraine,” she outlined what a productive transatlantic partnership requires and how in particular Europe needs to ready to take responsibility.
Impressions of the 1st Bavarian Winter School on Trade and Security
Round table of the first Bavarian Winter School on Trade and Security in the Theatersaal at Amerikahaus – Bavarian Center for Transatlantic Relations.
General (ret.) Rainer Meyer zum Felde at the 1st Bavarian Winter School on Trade and Security at the Amerikahaus in Munich ©Amerikahaus München, Johannes Simon
Cathryn Clüver-Ashbrook, Bertelsmann Foundation, at the 1st Bavarian Winter School on Trade and Security at the Amerikahaus in Munich
David Rowe,Professor of Political Science at Kenyon College, at the 1st Bavarian Winter School on Trade and Security at the Amerikahaus in Munich
Participants of the first Bavarian Winter School on Trade and Security working on a SWOT analysis at Amerikahaus in Munich.
Flip chart
Workshop during the first Bavarian Winter School on Trade and Security at Amerikahaus
Leonhard Simon (President YATA Germany) during the first Bavarian Winter School on Trade and Security