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

Reset

Jeff Rathke discusses Neo-Nazis in German Army Ranks with CBSN

AGI President Jeff Rathke spoke with CBS News about the recent report by The New York Times on growing evidence of neo-Nazis infiltrating special forces in the Germany’s military. Mr. Rathke …

Enduring Partnership

Recommendations to the Next U.S. Administration for the German-American Relationship In this publication, AGI scholars and staff focus on the common interests that can form the basis of renewed transatlantic …

Enduring Partnership

Recommendations to the Next U.S. Administration for the German-American Relationship The United States and Germany have forged a unique partnership in the seventy-five years since the end of World War II, …

Episode 28: From Frugality to Stimulus: Responses to the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging all aspects of modern society.  Public health systems are grappling with a disease that has spread faster than anything in a century.  Workplaces have lain …

Episode 27: EU-U.S. Relations: Messy but Valuable

The European Union is one of the world’s most important but least understood international bodies.  It is simultaneously many things: a collection of institutions, including an executive administration (the European …

Episode 26: Deep History and Politics in Eastern Germany Today

How does the past shape today’s politics? For states in eastern Germany, memories of life in the German Democratic Republic are not that distant of a past. One example is …

Jeff Rathke discusses U.S. troop withdrawal from Germany with Washington Post

AGI President Jeff Rathke discusses President Trump’s plan to withdraw one-third of U.S. troops stationed in Germany with The Washington Post’s Karen DeYoung. He notes, “For those who think this …

Jeff Rathke on G7 in Washington Post

AGI President Jeff Rathke discusses Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision not to attend the G7 – and the later fallout – with The Washington Post’s Anne Gearan. He notes, “Merkel’s decision …

SPD Asks Others to Hold the Nuclear Umbrella

One of Germany’s most significant political figures grabbed and shook an important pillar of transatlantic security a few days ago. Rolf Mützenich, leader of the Social Democratic Party’s (SPD) Bundestag …

Episode 25: Defeat or Liberation: The Changing Interpretations of May 8

May 8 marked the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. While the displays of remembrance differed from the past given presence of the coronavirus, it …

Episode 24: German Politics in the Coronavirus Era

Germany and the United States are both grappling with what policies to enact—and for how long—to combat the coronavirus pandemic, and the choices made by political leaders will have political …