Understanding the Alternative for Germany (AfD)
AGI ProjectEpisode 109: Angela Merkel’s Legacy
Germany’s longest-serving chancellor of the twenty-first century was also uniquely successful; Angela Merkel left office after sixteen years with an approval rating of over 70 percent. As Germany must now …
Episode 108: The Role of Germany’s Anti-Semitism Commissioners
In 2019, the federal states established the Joint Federal and State Commission to Fight Anti-Semitism and Protect Jewish Life. This initiative builds on Germany’s decades-long political and civil society efforts …
Episode 107: Interpreting the European Parliament Elections
From June 6 to 9, citizens across the European Union’s 27 member states voted for the 720 seats in the European Parliament. The center-right had the strongest result, with the …
Episode 106: LGBTQIA+ Inclusion and the Economy
On this episode of The Zeitgeist, guest host Dr. Eric Langenbacher speaks with two participants of the AGI exchange program, “Building LGBTQ+ Communities in Germany and the United States.” Simon …

Will A Beautiful Summer Follow Germany’s Winter of Rage?
The mood in Germany right now is as bleak as a Berlin winter. Things are indeed not going so well in this “winter of rage” (Wutwinter). The economy contracted by …
Episode 100: The Enduring Allure of Weimar Music and Culture
Max Raabe & the Palast Orchester have been playing the music of and inspired by the 1920s and 30s for almost forty years, to enormous success in Germany and internationally. …
Episode 98: 2023 in Review
2023 was a tumultuous year in German politics and foreign policy. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government is polling at record lows following a series of unpopular policies and setbacks in …
Episode 97: LGBTQ+ Spaces, Public Art, and Memory
Public memorials have many functions: honoring victims, acknowledging history, or symbolizing values. After the 2016 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, the site was transformed into an …

Publication Preview: The German-Israeli Special Relationship
In the coming weeks, the American-German Institute will publish “The German-Israeli Special Relationship: A Chronicle of Four Decades, 1983-2023” from Senior Fellow Dr. Lily Gardner Feldman. In light of the …
Episode 94: The German-Israeli Relationship Following the October 7 Terror Attacks
On October 7, Hamas terrorists carried out a surprise attack that killed 1,400 people—the deadliest day in Israel’s history. Over 200 people remain hostages. One of the first foreign leaders …