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.

__

jrathke@aicgs.org

Recent Content

Reset

Episode 67: Will Germany’s Zeitenwende Stick?

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared a “Zeitenwende,” a historic turning point for Germany’s security and defense policy. Scholz pledged to set up an …

Episode 66: Are the International Trading System and Globalization in Crisis?

On this episode of the podcast, AGI President Jeff Rathke and Peter Rashish, Director of the AGI Geoeconomics Program, discuss the ongoing challenges facing international trade, potential reforms to the …

Episode 65: The Future of Trade and Globalization—A Conversation with Former WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy

On this episode of the podcast, AGI President Jeff Rathke and Peter Rashish, Director of the AGI Geoeconomics Program, discuss the challenges facing globalization and the evolving international trading system …

Episode 64: Economic Power amid Geopolitical Competition—A Conversation with Barry Eichengreen

In a stark display of their economic power following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States and its allies deployed an array of sanctions aimed at curtailing Russia’s access to …

Episode 63: Trust, Media Literacy, and Regulation—How to Think about Fake News, Misinformation, and Disinformation in Germany and the United States

On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke is joined by Alex Sängerlaub, the director and co-founder of futur eins in Berlin, and Rebekah Tromble, Associate Professor and …

Episode 62: Pandemic Lessons for Public Health Policy in Germany and the United States

On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke discusses the experience of managing the COVID-19 pandemic and lessons for public health policy in Germany and the United States …

Episode 61: Economic Transformation, Demographic Change, and Social Divisions in Buffalo, NY

On this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke talks with participants in the AGI project on social divisions in Germany and the United States, which recently visited Buffalo, …

Episode 60: Economic Headwinds—U.S. and German Responses to Russia’s War in Ukraine, Energy Transition, and Inflation

While the U.S. and German governments successfully adopted expansionary fiscal policies to deal with massive economic disruptions brought about by the COVID 19 pandemic, they are now faced with new …

Episode 59: Germany’s Shifting Political Landscape—State Election Edition #2

This month’s election in Germany’s largest state, North Rhine-Westphalia, saw a resurgence of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), growing support for the Green Party, further decline of the Social Democratic …

Episode 58: Economic Transformation and Social Divisions in Germany’s Ruhrgebiet

On this episode of the Podcast, AGI President Jeff Rathke talks with participants in the AGI project on social divisions in Germany and the United States, which recently visited the …

Episode 57: U.S. and European Responses to Economic and Strategic Challenges from China

On this episode of The Zeitgeist, Daniel Gros, Member of the Board and Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), joins AGI President Jeff Rathke and Peter …

Episode 56: War in Ukraine: How are the United States and its NATO Allies Responding?

A Conversation with Ambassador Julianne Smith, U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Russia’s war in Ukraine has entered a new phase, after the Ukrainian forces’ spirited and effective resistance forced Russia …