AGI News

Olaf Scholz in Washington: AGI Expert Analysis in the Media

Jeffrey Rathke

Jeff Rathke

President of AGI

Jeffrey Rathke is the President of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC.

Prior to joining AICGS, 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 M.P.P. degree from Princeton University and B.A. and B.S. degrees from Cornell University. He speaks German, Russian, and Latvian.

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jrathke@aicgs.org

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met President Biden on March 3, 2023, for a one-on-one meeting. AGI President Jeff Rathke discussed the chancellor’s visit with multiple media outlets.

The two leaders discussed ongoing support for Ukraine, strengthening transatlantic security, and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. As the leaders of the two countries with the highest contributions to Ukraine, Mr. Rathke told reporters that it was important for Chancellor Scholz and President Biden to align their positions on support for Kyiv and sanctions on Moscow. He also explained the work the countries still had to do in order to coordinate strategies toward China.


In English:

NPR Morning Edition: U.S., Germany aim to deter China from supplying Russia with weapons against Ukraine

Yahoo News: Biden, Scholz to map out next steps for Ukraine

In German:

Norddeutscher Rundfunk: US-Deutschland-Experte: Scholz und Biden brauchen einander

RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland: Der Schatten über dem Scholz-Besuch

Stern: Scholz’ zweite Reise zu Joe Biden: viel Gesprächsbedarf, keine Zeit für die Presse

Tagesschau: Bundeskanzler Scholz bei US-Präsident Biden: Verbundenheit trotz angespannter Lage

In French:

La Provence: Biden reçoit Scholz pour un message d’unité adressé à Moscou et Pékin

The views expressed are those of the author(s) alone. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American-German Institute.