Election Day in America: A Pre-Analysis from Berlin

Rarely has a U.S. presidential election sparked as much attention, mystification, perplexity, and concern as the 2020 race to the White House – both in the U.S. and abroad. No matter who will emerge as the winner on Election Night (or in the weeks to come), the aftershocks will be felt in Germany, Europe, and around the world.

On the eve of the U.S. presidential election, leading representatives of the transatlantic community will come together in Berlin, in order to help you make sense of the events unfolding across the Atlantic. Join us for this timely virtual discussion and listen in as heads of the most important transatlantic institutions and political foundations voice their hopes, expectations, and concerns regarding the immediate election and the future of the Euro-American bond – before the polls close.

The discussion will be streamed live and feature the following speakers:

• Dr. Ellen Ueberschär, President, Heinrich-Böll-Foundation
• John B. Emerson, Chairman, American Council on Germany; Ambassador of the United States to Germany (2013 – 2017)
• Daniel Benjamin, President, American Academy in Berlin; Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State (2009 – 2012)
• Frank Sportolari, President, American Chamber of Commerce in Germany e.V.; President, UPS Germany, Austria and Switzerland
• Dr. Benjamin Becker, Managing Director, AmerikaHaus NRW e.V.
• Eckart von Klaeden, Chairman, Aspen Institute Germany; Vice President & Head of External Affairs, Daimler AG
• Prof. Dr. Michael Hüther, Vice Chairman, Atlantik-Brücke e.V.; Director and Member of the Presidium, German Economic Institute
• Dr. Meike Zwingenberger, Executive Director, Bavarian Center for Transatlantic Relations
• Christian Schmidt, President, German Atlantic Association; Member of Bundestag (CDU/CSU), German Minister of Food & Agriculture (2014 – 2018)
• Kurt Beck, Chairman, Friedrich Ebert Foundation; Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate (1994 – 2013); Leader of the Social Democratic Party (2006 – 2008)
• Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Member of the Board of Trustees, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom; Member of Bundestag (FDP); Member of the European Parliament (2004 – 2017)
• Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff, Vice President and Director of the Berlin Office, German Marshall Fund of the United States; Head of Policy Planning and Speechwriting, Office of the German Federal President (2014 – 2017)
• Markus Ferber, Chairman, Hanns Seidel Foundation; Member of the European Parliament (CSU)

The discussion will be moderated by Annette Riedel, Senior Editor, Deutschlandfunk Kultur.

On the day of the event, join the discussion on Twitter using the hashtag #R2EN for a chance of your question being featured in the panel discussion.

This special format is part of the transatlantic virtual event series Road to Election Night & Beyond #R2EN, which is organized and hosted by several transatlantic institutions and political foundations. More information on the virtual series can be found here.