AGI News
Friedrich Merz in Washington: AGI Analysis in the Media
The White House via Flickr
Jeff Rathke
President of AGI
Jeffrey Rathke is the President of the American-German Institute in Washington, DC.
Prior to joining AGI, Jeff was a senior fellow and deputy director of the Europe Program at CSIS, where his work focused on transatlantic relations and U.S. security and defense policy. Jeff joined CSIS in 2015 from the State Department, after a 24-year career as a Foreign Service Officer, dedicated primarily to U.S. relations with Europe. He was director of the State Department Press Office from 2014 to 2015, briefing the State Department press corps and managing the Department's engagement with U.S. print and electronic media. Jeff led the political section of the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur from 2011 to 2014. Prior to that, he was deputy chief of staff to the NATO Secretary General in Brussels. He also served in Berlin as minister-counselor for political affairs (2006–2009), his second tour of duty in Germany. His Washington assignments have included deputy director of the Office of European Security and Political Affairs and duty officer in the White House Situation Room and State Department Operations Center.
Mr. Rathke was a Weinberg Fellow at Princeton University (2003–2004), winning the Master’s in Public Policy Prize. He also served at U.S. Embassies in Dublin, Moscow, and Riga, which he helped open after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Mr. Rathke has been awarded national honors by Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, as well as several State Department awards. He holds an MPP degree from Princeton University and BA and BS degrees from Cornell University. He speaks German, Russian, and Latvian.
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office for a third time on March 3, 2026.
Chancellor Merz’s visit came days after the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran. AGI President Jeff Rathke previewed the visit with media outlets, saying that Iran would be a focal point of the visit. Following the Oval Office meeting, he spoke to DW News about what the meeting revealed about the transatlantic relationship and Europe’s strategic sovereignty.
t-online: “Merz hat klargemacht, dass das nicht geht”
Reuters: Trump hosts Germany’s Merz against backdrop of Iran strikes, tariff threats
DW News: Iran: Germany’s Merz avoids Trump’s criticism as UK, Spain, face Trump’s anger
