Young Leaders Retreat 2009 “America After the Elections: Challenges, Capabilities, and Perspectives for Germany”

The recent change of government in the US is seen as a great chance for a successful renewing of the transatlantic relations between the United States of America and Germany. Nonetheless, there are several challenges, which require a strong cooperation and an effective management. The most crucial of those are climate change, the economic crisis and the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. To cope with them, one needs concepts that are mutually created by committed experts on transatlantic relations.

Thus, the DGAP organized a meeting of young leaders in important positions who were able to discuss their ideas and concepts with experts from the Embassy of the United States to Germany, the Federal Foreign Office, the Free University of Berlin and the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. Being convinced that the recent problems threatening the transatlantic relations can only be solved through cooperation and the identification of mutual interests, the DGAP establishes strong networks of people working in important institutions and experts on certain policy fields.
The vivid discussions on the Young Leaders Retreat have shown that such efforts can successfully help to gather new ideas and findings. As a result, the DGAP plans to arrange further meetings of the Young Leaders Retreat Group to help deepening the contacts and to continue the dialogue.