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 84: The Evolution of German-American Relations

On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke; Dr. Eric Langenbacher, Senior Fellow and Director of AGI’s Society, Culture & Politics Program; and Dr. Jackson Janes, President Emeritus …

Episode 83: Can the WTO Retool for an Age of Geoeconomic Competition?

The open and rules-based trading system is at an inflection point. Countries are reexamining their trade policies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, China’s rise, and Russia’s invasion of …

Episode 82: Dealing with Social Divisions and Integration in Memmingen

On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke and Susanne Dieper, Director of Programs and Grants, discuss the latest findings in the AGI project “Social Divisions and Questions …

Episode 81: Sustaining Germany’s Support for Ukraine—A Conversation with Dr. Norbert Röttgen

On this episode of the Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke speaks with Dr. Norbert Röttgen, member of the German Bundestag (CDU) and Vice Chairman of the Atlantik-Brücke, about Germany’s efforts …

Episode 81: Sustaining Germany’s Support for Ukraine—A Conversation with Dr. Norbert Röttgen

On this episode of the Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke speaks with Dr. Norbert Röttgen, member of the German Bundestag (CDU) and Vice Chairman of the Atlantik-Brücke, about Germany’s efforts …

Episode 80: 40 Years of AGI—A Conversation with Frank Trommler

On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI looks back on the 40 years of the Institute’s work on strengthening the American-German relationship through academic research, policy dialogue, and exchanges. AGI …

Episode 79: Germany’s Public Health Care System

On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI president Jeff Rathke and Dr. Christine Arentz, Professor for Health Economics at the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne, discuss Germany’s public health …

Olaf Scholz in Washington: AGI Expert Analysis in the Media

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 …

Olaf Scholz: The Indispensable Element of a Sustainable China Strategy

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz travels to Washington on March 3, at a peak of transatlantic focus on supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s aggression. President Biden’s bold visit to …

Episode 78: Transatlantic Trade Cooperation for the Future—A Conversation with Dan Mullaney

Dan Mullaney, Former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East, is our guest for this episode of The Zeitgeist. Together with AGI President Jeff Rathke and Peter …

Episode 77: Zeitenwende Anniversary

On February 27, 2022, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made an historic speech to the German Bundestag, declaring a historic turning point (Zeitenwende) for Germany’s security and defense policy following Russia’s …

Episode 76: Energy, Trade, and Security—Germany’s Expanded Zeitenwende with FDP Caucus Leader Christian Dürr

On this episode of the Zeitgeist, our guest is FDP Bundestag Caucus Leader Christian Dürr. He and AGI President Jeff Rathke discuss how Germany has reset its energy policy, the …