Conversation with the German Foreign Policy Advisor Christoph Heusgen

On April 25, 2013, the AGI Foreign & Domestic Policy Program hosted a roundtable discussion with Dr. Christoph Heusgen, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s foreign policy advisor, moderated by Dr. Jackson Janes, President of AGI. The rich discussion focused on a number of foreign policy and economic topics, and stressed the German desire for European competitiveness and a balanced budget. In terms of foreign policy, the participants and speakers contemplated the need for German and American forces in Syria due to the potential use of chemical weapons on civilians; the complications faced with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s support of Bashar Al-Assad, President of Syria; and the French and British desire to lift the weapons embargo to Syrian rebels. The discussion also touched on foreign policy in Iran, Russia, France, the U.K., Turkey, Ukraine, and the pivot to Asia. And finally, participants discussed the future of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) as a political and economic project, and the dangers of protectionism.