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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Episode 08: German and European Security at a Crossroads
As the March 29 deadline for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union approaches, no one knows how it will ultimately turn out. But some lessons are apparent despite the …
Episode 07: Muslim Women’s Experiences in Germany and the U.S.
Muslims have lived in Germany in significant numbers for decades; in 1961 the Federal Republic concluded an agreement with Turkey that would ultimately bring nearly a million Turkish workers to …
Trump invokes new demand for extracting billions of dollars from U.S. allies
In reaction to President Trump’s recent “cost plus 50” proposal for allies’ financial contribution to defense, AGI President Jeff Rathke told The Washington Post, “’The United States, including under the …
Episode 06: Competing Visions for a New Era of Globalization
The U.S. economic relationship with Europe is the most intense and largest economic relationship on the planet. Bigger than U.S.-China trade, or any other for that matter. Earlier this week, …
Defending Democracy in the Cybersphere
Strong Democracies Need Strong Partners: Lessons from a German-American Cyber Dialogue Policy Report 69 Foreword by Jeff Rathke President, AGI On the day that President Donald Trump met with Chancellor …
US expected to announce US suspension of landmark INF arms control treaty
On the U.S. suspension of the INF Treaty, AGI President Jeff Rathke told CNN that Europe is “worried about US withdrawal in particular because it takes the pressure off of …
Jeff Rathke on Voice of America’s “Encounter”
Jeff Rathke, AGI President, and Thomas Wright, Director of the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution, join host Carol Castiel on VOA’s “Encounter” program to …
Episode 05: Transatlantic Relations and the Evolving View of China
China has represented opportunity—both geopolitical and economic—since its dramatic openings in the 1970s. There are, of course, the opportunities for China itself: hundreds of millions of people have escaped poverty …
Episode 04: One of the Largest Deals Ever Made: Talking Trump, China, and Trade
On December 1, President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met during the G-20 summit in Argentina and agreed, it seems, to put the economic disputes on ice. No raising …
Will Merkel’s Retreat Spark German Foreign Policy Renewal?
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has ruled Germany since 2005 and for 49 of the past 69 years—its election of a new party leader December 7 will have far-reaching impact …
Episode 03: Burdensharing within NATO: Do more, spend more?
No relationship is without its difficulties and disagreements, not even between societies as close as the U.S. and Europe. For almost as long as NATO has existed, Washington has wanted …
NATO Then, Now, and In The Future
For nearly 70 years, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has provided a system of collective defense for North American and European Nations. Known as NATO, the alliance has grown from …
