AGI
Jeffrey Rathke

Jeff Rathke

President of AGI

Jeffrey Rathke is the President of the American-German Institute at the Johns Hopkins University 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 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

Recent Content

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Episode 124: Tariffs, Taxes, and Their International Ramifications

The Trump administration has taken sweeping actions on tariffs, with more scheduled to be imposed in April. On this episode of The Zeitgeist, Kim Clausing explains the administration’s approach to …

Episode 123: An Expanding German Memory Culture

For decades, memory culture in Germany has largely focused on coming to terms with and memorializing the Holocaust. In recent years, however, memory discourses have expanded to include, among others, …

AGI Experts on the German Elections

The governing coalition in Berlin collapsed in November 2024, and Germany held snap elections in February 2025. AGI experts have contributed to multiple media reports explaining and analyzing Germany’s political …

Assessing the Zeitenwende

Implications for Germany, the United States, and Transatlantic Security The Zeitenwende marks a major turning point in German security policy. Fundamental shifts in Germany’s energy-security strategy, policies on security cooperation, conventional …

Episode 122: The German Bundestag Election Results

Shortly after the polls closed in Germany, Jeff Rathke, Eric Langenbacher, and Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger discussed the results of the snap elections. They give their reactions to the performance of the …

Episode 121: Climate Change and National Security

Climate change can create national security risks, test military resilience, and redefine how countries pursue their geopolitical interests. Sherri Goodman, author of Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership, and the Fight …

Episode 120: The Issues Driving German Politics One Month from the Bundestag Election

With the German elections slated for February 23, Member of the Bundestag Omid Nouripour, a former national co-chairman of the Green Party, joins The Zeitgeist to discuss the issues shaping the campaign. …

Episode 119: Voter Volatility and Political Stagnation

Germany votes for a new parliament on February 23. While the center-right Christian Democrats maintain a lead in the polls, the three parties of Olaf Scholz’s outgoing “traffic light” coalition …

The Ukraine War and the German Election

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote in the Bundestag on December 16, setting the stage for an early election expected on February 23, 2025. This was the culmination …

Episode 118: Is There a Leadership Vacuum in Europe?

Who does the United States call when it wants to call Europe, especially as Germany enters a transition through early elections and France experiences political turmoil? Dr. Phyllis Berry joins …

Episode 117: Germany in 2025

The second Trump administration will take office in just over one month—how will it approach the European security order and trade with the European Union? What risks and opportunities does …