Difference between revisions of "Atlantik-Brücke"

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|description=A long established and relatively public organ of the US to control German politics.
 
|description=A long established and relatively public organ of the US to control German politics.
 
|start=1952
 
|start=1952
|image=Atlantik-Brücke logo.svg
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|logo=Atlantik-Brücke logo.png
 
|type=think tank, influence network
 
|type=think tank, influence network
|constitutes=Deep state milieu
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|constitutes=Deep state group
 
|headquarters=Berlin, Germany
 
|headquarters=Berlin, Germany
|titular_logo=1
+
|founders=Marion Gräfin Dönhoff, Helmut Schmidt, Eric M. Warburg,Hans Karl von Borries,Gotthard von Falkenhausen,Ernst Friedlaender,Gerhard Geyer,Hans Christoph von Tucher,Friedrich Wilhelm Ziervogel
 
|wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantik-Br%C3%BCcke
 
|wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantik-Br%C3%BCcke
 
|interests=Germany, Creating a network of reliable political cadre
 
|interests=Germany, Creating a network of reliable political cadre
|members=Christian Wulff, Thomas de Maizière, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Michael Otto, Jürgen Großmann, Thomas Enders,Paul-Bernhard Kallen, Hans-Gert Pöttering, Charles Schumer, Cem Özdemir, Edelgard Bulmahn, Michael Vassiliadis, Wolfgang Ischinger, Richard Burt, Silvana Koch-Mehrin, Craig Kennedy, Kai Diekmann, Katja Gloger, Joshua Bolten, Philip D. Murphy, Henry Kissinger, Josef Ackermann, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Helmut Kohl, Helmut Schmidt, Rupert Stadler, Torsten Oltmanns, Joachim Gauck, Angela Merkel, Sigmar Gabriel, Michael Hüther, Norbert Röttgen, Andreas Dombret, David Deissner, Angelika Gifford, Reiner Hoffmann, Alexander Lambsdorff, Christian Lange, Eveline Metzen, James von Moltke, Omid Nouripour, Julie Linn Teigland, Anahita Thoms, Friederike von Tiesenhausen, Karsten Uhlmann, Nagila Warburg, Michael Werz, Ute Wolf, Sven Afhüppe, Tamara Anthony, Anna von Bayern,Frank Behrendt, Angela Cullen, Christina Eibl, Tasso Enzweiler, Manuel Hartung, David Ignatius, Adam Lashinsky, Kirsten Rulf, Klaus Scherer,Sylke Tempel, Matthias Naß, Jan Fleischhauer, Claudia Roth, Friedrich März,Katrin Göring-Eckardt,Stefan Liebich  
+
|members=Christian Wulff, Thomas de Maizière, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Michael Otto, Jürgen Großmann, Thomas Enders, Paul-Bernhard Kallen, Hans-Gert Pöttering, Charles Schumer, Cem Özdemir, Edelgard Bulmahn, Michael Vassiliadis, Wolfgang Ischinger, Richard Burt, Silvana Koch-Mehrin, Craig Kennedy, Kai Diekmann, Katja Gloger, Joshua Bolten, Philip D. Murphy, Henry Kissinger, Josef Ackermann, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Helmut Kohl, Helmut Schmidt, Rupert Stadler, Torsten Oltmanns, Joachim Gauck, Angela Merkel, Sigmar Gabriel, Michael Hüther, Norbert Röttgen, Andreas Dombret, David Deissner, Angelika Gifford, Reiner Hoffmann, Alexander Lambsdorff, Christian Lange, Eveline Metzen, James von Moltke, Omid Nouripour, Julie Linn Teigland, Anahita Thoms, Friederike von Tiesenhausen, Karsten Uhlmann, Nagila Warburg, Michael Werz, Ute Wolf, Sven Afhüppe, Tamara Anthony, Anna von Bayern, Frank Behrendt, Angela Cullen, Christina Eibl, Tasso Enzweiler, Manuel Hartung, David Ignatius, Adam Lashinsky, Kirsten Rulf, Klaus Scherer, Sylke Tempel, Matthias Naß, Jan Fleischhauer, Claudia Roth, Friedrich März, Katrin Göring-Eckardt, Stefan Liebich, Rudolf Scharping, Hubertus Schmoldt, Guido Westerwelle, Volker Rühe, Jens Neumann, Siegfried Luther, Martin Kohlhaussen, Christoph Bertram, Juergen B. Donges, Norbert Gansel, Jürgen R. Grossmann, Arend Oetker, Beate Lindemann, Max Warburg Jr., Christopher Vollmer, Sebastian Blum, David Livingston, Bernd-Georg Spies, Dominik Pförringer, Alexia D’Arco, Alexander Görlach, Brian Moran, Friedrich Bieselt, Ute Elisabeth Weiland, Sabine Bendiek, Eveline Y. Metzen, Anahita Thoms, Fritz Erler, Kurt Birrenbach, Kurt Becker, Henry Kissinger, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Herman Georg Kaiser, Gotthard von Falkenhausen, Alexander Menne, Liz Mohn, Jörg Paura, Friedbert Pflüger, Pam Campos-Palma, Felix Reinshagen, Hanno Stegmann, Jan Friedrich Kallmorgen, Andreas Winiarski, Christopher Becker, Amanda Mertens Campbell, Alex Yergin, Cenk Sidar, Barbara Engels, Ana Ramic, Elizabeth Linder, Ernst Friedländer, Erik Blumenfeld, Albert Schäfer, Hans Karl von Borries, Marion Gräfin Dönhoff, John J. McCloy, Friedrich Merz, Burkhard Schwenker, Andreas R. Dombret, Jürgen Fitschen, Eckart von Klaeden, Max Warburg, Nagila Warburg, Ingrid Hengster, Philipp Rösler, Patrick Döring, Dorothee Bär, Markus Blume, Joachim Pfeiffer, Karl-Heinz Paqué, Karsten Voigt, Christian Lindner, Claus Kleber, Stefan Kornelius, Sonja Lahnstein-Kandel, Martin Winterkorn, John Christian Kornblum, Birgit Breuel, Max Strauß, Carlo Schmid, Kurt Georg Kiesinger, Karl Schiller, Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, Max Horkheimer, Axel Springer, Friedrich Carl Freiherr von Oppenheim, Joachim Zahn, Otto Wolff von Amerongen, Hans Constantin Boden, Kurt Hansen, Hans-Günther Sohl, Konrad Henkel, Otto Graf Lambsdorff, Casimir Johannes Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Karl Heinz Beckurts, Karlheinz Schreiber, Dieter Holzer, Hilmar Kopper, Hans-Dietrich Winkhaus, Josef Joffe, Philipp Mißfelder, Richard von Weizsäcker, Walther Leisler Kiep, Arnold Bergstraesser, Karl Klasen, Ali Aslan, Elmar Theveßen, Hans Tietmeyer, Elmar Brok, Phillip Breedlove, Heinrich Aller, Peter Altmeier, Peter Ammon, Kai Andrejewski, Ulf Baecker, Thomas Bagger, Evarist Baimu, May Bapista, Mark Barrenecha, Evan Bayh, Fernando Beccalli-Falco, Ernst-Reinhard Beck, Gunnar Bender, Michael F. Bennet, Chris Bentley, J.D. Bindenagel, Laura Blumenfeld, Michael W. Blumenthal, Peter Boehm, Myron Brilliant, Christian Bunsen, Ernst Burgbacher, Nicolas Burns, Sharon Christians, Volker C. Christians, Jürgen Conzelmann, Charlie Dent, Pamela Dent, Ariane von Dewitz, Berend Diekmann, Wolfgang Dierker, Klaus von Dohnanyi, Andreas Dombret, Hans-Lothar Domröse, Xenia Dormandy, Marie-Luise Dött, Garrelt Duin, Thomas Ellerbeck, John English, Marcus Erhardt, Veit Etzold, Sebastian Fairhurst, Joachim von Falkenhausen , Peter Fessler, Hans-Walter Forkel, , Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger, Michael Froman, Ralf Fücks, Wim Furthmann, Martin Gerster, Pat Gifford, Robin Meloy Goldsby, Alexandre Grewlich, Jürgen R. Großmann, Karel de Gucht, Tim Gürtler, Peter Gushurst, Andrea Hägebarth, Carl Hahn, Jane Harman, Helge Hassold, Jana Hecker, Nicolaus Heinen, Ingrid Hengster , Anne Ruth Herkes, Heinrich Hiesinger, Lars Hinrichs, Günther Horetzky, Rudolph Houck, Stefan A. Hubler, John C. Hulsman, Sarmad Hussian, Michael Hüther, Jeffrey  R. Immelt, Fred Irwin, Martin Jäger, Tom Jenkins, Cherno Jobotay, , Mari-Vaughn Johnson, Jan Kallmorgen, Joel Kaplan, Frederick Kempe, Markus Kerber, Robert M. Kimmitt, Rita Kissing, Ulrich Kissing, Dietrich von Klaeden , Eckart von Klaeden, Hans-Ulrich Klose, Georg Knoth, David Knower, Walter Köhler, Michael Kotz, Jochen Körner, Andreas Krautscheid, Karen Krömer, Tanja Kufner, Ludger Kühnhardt, Gerrit Lange, Florian Langenscheidt, Adam Lashinsky, Walter Leisler Kiep, Marc Lemcke, John Lipsky, David Lipton, Henneke Lütgerath, Kevin G. Lynch, Heike MacKerron, Roy Maclaren, Anna Mahron, Paul von Maltzahn, Christoph von Marschall, Georg Mascolo, Kathy McMillan, Christoph Meinel, James D. Melville, Kevin Milas, Connie Morella, Peter Mueller, Hildegard Müller, Tammy Murphy, Andreas Muschter, Özcan Mutlu,Klaus Naumann, Christoph Nedopil, Martin Ney, Robin Niblett, Sybille Obernitz, Bettina von Oestereich, Arend Oetker, Torsten Oltmanns, Leyle Ones, Jeane von Oppenheim, Stephan Ortolf, Friedbert Pflüger, Lena Pietsch, Christopher Pleister, Reinhard Ploss, Ruprecht Polenz, Ernst Primosch, Cornelia Quennet-Thielen, Hanspeter Quodt, Lutz Raettig, Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, Klaus Regling, Bernd Reuther, Jörg Rocholl, Hergard Rohwedder, Carola Rolofs, Oliver Rolofs, Kasper Rorstedt, Lawrence A. Rosen, Sebastian Rudolph, Eberhard Sandschneider, Antonin Scalia, Georg Schaeffler, Klaus Schäfer, Wofgang Schäuble, William L. T. Schirano, Stefan Schirm, Karl-Heinz Schlaiss, Volker Schlegel, Ulrich Schlie, Thomas Schließke, Michael Schmidt, Wulf Schmiese, Olaf Scholz, Jörg Schönenborn, Hagen Schremmer, Benedikt von Schröder, Christoph Schröder, Karenina Schröder, Felix von Schubert, Jens Schulte-Bockum, Oliver Schulte-Ladebeck, Martin Schulz, Carsten Seeliger, Dov Seidman, Neil Senkowski, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Julianne Smith, Irina Soeffky, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Theo Sommer, Henning Speck, Friede Springer, Janice Stein, Constanze Stelzenmüller, Rainer Stinner, Sara Sumi-Yang, Cass Sunstein, Katharina Tafel, Stephan Thomae, Karl Ferdinand von Thurn und Taxis, Clemens Trautmann, Franziska von Ungarn-Sternberg, Simon Vaut, Günter Verheugen, Andera Verpoorten, Alexander Vershbow, Marco Vollmar, Lars Wagner, Eric Walsh, Leslie von Wangenheim, Marie Warburg, Julia Wayand, Beatrice Weder di Mauro, Bernhard Welschke, Roland Werner, Martin C. Wilhelm, Helen Winter, Werner Wnendt, Stefan Wölfle, Roland Wöller, Janet Yellen, Matthias Deiß, Thomas Roth, Sonja Seymour Mikich, Bernhard Wabnitz, Tina Hassel, Ingo Zamperoni, Ellen Ehni, Frank Jahn, Rüdiger Löwe, Ulrich Wilhelm, Dieter Schröder, Olivia Schoeller, Katja Kessler, Nikolaus Blome, Paul-Bernhard Kallen, Frederik Pleitgen, Marika de Feo, Friedbert Meurer, Michael Stürmer, Marc Brost, Robert Leicht, Jan Ross, Martin Klingst, Catriona McLaughlin, Margret Heckel, Nikolas Busse, Cornelia von Wrangel, Steffi Kammerer, Rafael Seligmann, Helmut Herles, Gerd Schulte-Hillen, Michael J. Innacker, Gabor Steingart, Korinna Klasen-Bouvatier, Dirk Ippen, Anna Marohn, Julia Diehl, Heiner Bremer, Michael Kolz, Stefanie Augter, Tim Arnold, Ralf Schremper, Thomas Ebeling, Bára Procházková, Thorsten Wilhelm Krauel, Sabine Ulbrich, Katja Ridderbusch, Eckhard Stuff, Christiane Hoffman, Marc Hujer, Mathias Döpfner, Reiner Maria Gohlke, Christian Wernicke, Reymer Klüver, Juliane Schäuble, Cecilie Rohwedder, Robert von Rimscha, Malte Lehming, Matthew Karnitschnig, Richard Kiessler, Bodo Hombach, Anke Plättner, Klaus-Peter Siegloch, Susanne Gabriele Biedenkopf-Kürten, Theo Koll, Jan Philipp Burgard, Thomas Bellut, Udo van Kampen, Cherno Jobatei, Rudi Sölch, Chrystia Freeland, Heiko Maas, Jens Spahn, Thomas Oppermann,Christiane Hoffmann
 +
}}
 +
''Not to be confused with [[The Atlantic Bridge]], a similar British association''
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 +
'''Atlantik-Brücke''' (English: <i>Atlantic Bridge</i>) is the most powerful US-German socio-political influence network, an association that include leading personalities from business, politics, the armed forces, science, the media and culture.
 +
 
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The members have dominated the leadership in every German party since its foundation, and all the chief editors and leading journalist in the German {{ccm}} are members. <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFvQuZBxh-Q</ref><ref>http://spiegelkabinett-blog.blogspot.com/2013/03/journalisten-der-atlantikbrucke-in.html?m=1</ref>
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 +
In addition to decision-makers from these areas, who find a framework for confidential discussions at Atlantik-Brücke, the association also includes young executives who forge networks at the “Young Leaders” conferences.
  
}}
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It was designed from the start to tie Germany to the US leadership, especially by strenghtening support for [[NATO]], and to further the interests of big corporations.
''Although they are based on very similar ideas, Atlantik-brúcke is not to be confused with its British counterpart [[The Atlantic Bridge]]''
+
 
 +
The chairman, retired Federal Minister [[Sigmar Gabriel]] , is a former [[SPD]] leader that is well connected to the business lobby.
 +
 
 +
==Origins==
 +
Atlantik-Brücke was founded in Hamburg in 1952. [[Eric M. Warburg]] (founder of the firm currently known as [[Warburg Pincus]]) was one of the founders of Atlantik-Brücke, together with editor [[Marion Gräfin Dönhoff]], Chancellor of Germany [[Helmut Schmidt]] and other Hamburg citizens. In those [[Cold War]] times, the U.S. was looking for influence on Germany. The ''[[Council on Foreign Relations]]'' (CFR) may have given the idea for founding the Atlantik-Brücke; Eric M. Warburg was a friend and consultant for [[John J. McCloy]], Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations and President of the World Bank. The Atlantik-Brücke is the German counterpart for the U.S. based ''American Council on Germany''.{{cn}}
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The group had its headquarters in the old capital Bonn between 1983 and 1999, and is now located in Berlin. The association organizes invitation-only conferences, seminars and colloquia<ref>http://www.transatlanticperspectives.org/entry.php?rec=133</ref>. Through various programs for "Young Leaders", military officers, leading journalists, central politicians and promising students, Atlantik-Brücke fosters strong social networks among current and future pro-US German leaders in business, media and politics.<ref>http://spiegelkabinett-blog.blogspot.com/2014/01/das-netzwerk-der-atlantikbrucke.html</ref>
 +
 
 +
The Atlantic Bridge cooperates with CIA-close think-tanks like the [[Aspen Institute]] and [[German Marshall Fund]], and the membership list has a significant overlap with [[Bilderberg]]-participants.
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 +
==Members==
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The powerful network, in no way democratically legitimized, consist of people who only see the world from one perspective, from above; and who only know one type of appreciation, that of money and power. If someone wants to be part of the ruling establishment, they have to share this view. If the want to personally benefit from this network, be it an aspiring politician, journalist, civil servant or academic, they must be at the service of those to whom the world belongs.
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The number of members is limited in order to preserve the exclusivity of the association, and is only partially public The list of members (see above) is members or associates collected from their own publications.
 +
 +
===The Media===
 +
A large percentage of the members are journalists. This is certainly not a coincidence. The Atlantic Bridge is about who gets to control money an power, and it is important to sell this policy smoothly to the outside world.
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It is particularly noticeable that a large number of correspondents who have been sent to the [[USA]] by their broadcasters and newspapers are on the list of members. Pretty much all of the correspondents are invited to join the Atlantic Bridge before starting their job in the [[United States]]. This networking effort makes sense; the AB's connections, especially to conservative politicians and [[think tanks]] in the states, are excellent.
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String pullers such as [[Henry Kissinger]], [[Madeleine Albright]], [[Zbigniew Brzeziński]] and [[John Kornblum]] can open many doors in Washington. The reporting is influenced accordingly, and shows a picture of the United States as these elite politicians want European audiences to see it. Figuratively (and probably often literally), the [[CIA]] is at the table every time these journalists meet with American politicians, scientists or the military.
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===Politics===
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The largest group of members is politicians, While the number of representatives of the individual parties roughly corresponds to the representation in the German parliament, the Left party ([[Die Linke]]) is noticeably absent. The representatives that are members belong exclusively to the economic liberal wings of their parties, with strong pro-[[NATO]] views.
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On the American side, the membership is a pleasant experience in empire mangagement.
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===Business===
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Whose interests are to be furthered, is clearly illustrated by another big group of members: managers, many of them from the [[financial industry]], consultants from predatory consultancy companies that often operate worldwide, bankers, [[PR-companies]] and [[lobbyists]]; they all have only one interest, to defend and expand their privileges and their already huge possessions. <ref>http://spiegelkabinett-blog.blogspot.com/2014/01/das-netzwerk-der-atlantikbrucke.html</ref>
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==Activities==
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Atlantik-Brücke's activities include conferences, lectures and discussions, study trips, award ceremonies and the Young Leaders program.
  
==Organization==
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*With its sister organization [[American Council on Germany]] (ACG), Atlantik-Brücke holds German-American conferences every year<ref>https://www.atlantik-bruecke.org/programme/konferenzen/deutsch-amerikanische-konferenzen/deutsch-amerikanische-konferenz-2014/</ref>.  Since 2005, the two organizations have each held their own Young Leaders conference.
  
'''Atlantik-Brücke''' ('[[Atlantic Bridge]]') is the leading German private association to promote German-American understanding and Atlanticism. Founded in Hamburg in 1952, it was located in Bonn between 1983 and 1999 and is now located in Berlin.
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*There are strategic partnerships with institutions such as the [[Munich Security Conference]] or the [[American Chamber of Commerce in Germany]].<ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20181004232906/http://www.atlantik-bruecke.org/ueber-uns/interview-mit-friedrich-merz/</ref>
  
The association organizes invitation-only conferences, seminars and colloquia. Through various programs for "Young Leaders", military officers, leading journalists, central politicians and promising students, Atlantik-Brücke fosters social networks among current and future pro-US German leaders in business and world affairs. The AB is cooperating with CIA-close think-tanks like the [[Aspen Institute]], and the membership list has a significant overlap with [[Bilderberg]]-participants.
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*An annual expert meeting has been held in Berlin since 1990 with the [[US European Command|US Army High Command in Europe, the US European Command]].
  
==Vernon Walters Award==
 
  
From 1993 to 2008, the AB named its highest price <ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20110212154114/http://www.atlantik-bruecke.org/programme/preisverleihungen/vernon-a-walters-award/</ref> in honor of CIA-officer [[Vernon A. Walters]], responsible for such regime changes as the 1973 coup in [[Chile]].<ref>https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol46no1/article01.html</ref>. From 2015 onward, their highest price is named after former CIA-director George HW Bush.<ref>https://www.atlantik-bruecke.org/george-h-w-bush-erhaelt-preis-der-atlantik-bruecke/</ref>
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==Award named after CIA-director==
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Showing it close intelligence ties, from 1993 to 2008, the AB named its highest price <ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20110212154114/http://www.atlantik-bruecke.org/programme/preisverleihungen/vernon-a-walters-award/</ref> in honor of CIA-officer [[Vernon A. Walters]], responsible for such regime changes as the 1973 coup in [[Chile]].<ref>https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol46no1/article01.html</ref>.  
  
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From 2015 onward, their highest price is named after former CIA-director [[George HW Bush]].<ref>https://www.atlantik-bruecke.org/george-h-w-bush-erhaelt-preis-der-atlantik-bruecke/</ref>
  
 
==Young Leaders==
 
==Young Leaders==
The two Atlantik-Brücke Young Leaders conferences receive more than 500 applications per year, from which 120 Young Leaders are chosen with the help of a steering committee of political, business and academic leaders. Sixty young leaders are chosen for the German-American Conference (30 Americans and 30 Germans) and sixty are chosen for the European Conference. As of 2011, the German-American Young Leaders Conference has been running for 33 years.  
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The two Atlantik-Brücke Young Leaders conferences receive more than 500 applications per year, from which 120 Young Leaders are chosen by the steering commitee. Sixty young leaders are chosen for the [[German-American Conference]] (30 Americans and 30 Germans) and sixty are chosen for the European Conference. As of 2011, the German-American Young Leaders Conference has been running for 33 years.  
  
The Young Leaders Program initiated by Atlantik-Brücke represents the oldest and largest program dedicated to identifying and nurturing relationships among the future custodians of the transatlantic partnership. Since the first Young Leaders Conference was held in 1973, over 1,500 Europeans and Americans have attended one of thirty-two German-American Young Leaders Conferences or ten European Young Leaders Conferences. Alumni of these prestigious gatherings remain in contact with each other both informally and through regional discussion groups and biennial alumni conferences that had been held under the auspices of Atlantik-Brücke. On January 1, 2011 Atlantik-Brücke established the independent organization "Atlantik Forum e.V. – the Young Leaders Alumni of Atlantik-Brücke" to more effectively facilitate and manage all these activities.  
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The Young Leaders Program initiated by Atlantik-Brücke represents the oldest and largest program dedicated to identifying and nurturing relationships among the future custodians of the transatlantic partnership. Since the first Young Leaders Conference was held in 1973, over 1,500 Europeans and Americans have attended one of thirty-two German-American Young Leaders Conferences or ten European Young Leaders Conferences, a 10-day international young leader exchange.  
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Alumni of these prestigious gatherings remain in contact with each other both informally and through regional discussion groups and biennial alumni conferences that had been held under the auspices of Atlantik-Brücke. On January 1, 2011 Atlantik-Brücke established the independent organization "Atlantik Forum e.V. – the Young Leaders Alumni of Atlantik-Brücke" to more effectively facilitate and manage all these activities.  
  
  
 
==Prominent Young Leaders alumni==
 
==Prominent Young Leaders alumni==
    [[Christian Wulff]], Former Federal President of Germany
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[[Christian Wulff]], Former Federal President of Germany
    [[Thomas de Maizière]], Former Federal Minister of Interior
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    [[Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg]], Former Federal Minister of Defense
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[[Thomas de Maizière]], Former Federal Minister of Interior
    [[Michael Otto]], Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Otto Group
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    [[Jürgen Großmann]], Chairman of the Managing Board of RWE
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[[Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg]], Former Federal Minister of Defense
    [[Thomas Enders]], President and CEO of [[Airbus]] Industries
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    [[Paul-Bernhard Kallen]], Chairman of the Board of [[Hubert Burda Media Holding]]
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[[Michael Otto]], Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Otto Group
    [[Hans-Gert Pöttering]], Former President of the [[European Parliament]]
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    [[Charles Schumer]], Senior U.S. Senator from New York
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[[Jürgen Großmann]], Chairman of the Managing Board of RWE
    [[Cem Özdemir]], Chairman of [[Alliance 90/The Greens]]
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    [[Edelgard Bulmahn]] Member of Parliament; Former Federal Minister of Education and Research
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[[Thomas Enders]], President and CEO of [[Airbus]] Industries
    [[Michael Vassiliadis]], Chairman of the Board of IG BCE – Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union
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    [[Wolfgang Ischinger]], Former German Ambassador to the United States
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[[Paul-Bernhard Kallen]], Chairman of the Board of [[Hubert Burda Media Holding]]
    [[Richard Burt]], Former United States Ambassador to Germany
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    [[Silvana Koch-Mehrin]], Vice President of the European Parliament
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[[Hans-Gert Pöttering]], Former President of the [[European Parliament]]
    [[Craig Kennedy]], President of the [[German Marshall Fund of the United States]]
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    [[Kai Diekmann]], Editor-in-Chief of [[BILD Zeitung]]
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[[Charles Schumer]], Senior U.S. Senator from New York
    [[Katja Gloger]], Editor-at-large, [[STERN Magazin]]
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    [[Joshua Bolten]], Former White House Chief of Staff, President George W. Bush
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[[Cem Özdemir]], Chairman of [[Alliance 90/The Greens]]
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[[Edelgard Bulmahn]] Member of Parliament; Former Federal Minister of Education and Research
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[[Michael Vassiliadis]], Chairman of the Board of IG BCE – Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union
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[[Wolfgang Ischinger]], Former German Ambassador to the United States
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[[Richard Burt]], Former United States Ambassador to Germany
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[[Silvana Koch-Mehrin]], Vice President of the European Parliament
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[[Craig Kennedy]], President of the [[German Marshall Fund of the United States]]
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[[Kai Diekmann]], Editor-in-Chief of [[BILD Zeitung]]
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[[Katja Gloger]], Editor-at-large, [[STERN Magazin]]
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[[Joshua Bolten]], Former White House Chief of Staff, President [[George W. Bush]]
  
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
[[Eric M. Warburg]] (founder of the firm currently known as Warburg Pincus) was one of the founders of Atlantik-Brücke, together with legendary editor [[Marion Gräfin Dönhoff]], Chancellor of Germany [[Helmut Schmidt]] and other leading Hamburg citizens. In those Cold War times, the U.S. was looking for influence on Germany. [[The Council on Foreign Relations]] (CFR) probably gave the idea for founding the Atlantik-Brücke; Eric M. Warburg was a friend and consultant for [[John J. McCloy]], Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations and President of the [[World Bank]]. The Atlantik-Brücke is the German counterpart for the U.S. based [[American Council on Germany]] (members include US diplomats [[Richard Holbrooke]] and [[Henry Kissinger]]).  
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[[Eric M. Warburg]] (founder of the firm currently known as [[Warburg Pincus]]) was one of the founders of Atlantik-Brücke, together with legendary editor [[Marion Gräfin Dönhoff]], [[Chancellor of Germany]] [[Helmut Schmidt]] and other citizens of [[Hamburg]]. In those [[Cold War]] times, the U.S. was looking for influence on Germany. [[The Council on Foreign Relations]] (CFR) probably gave the idea for founding the Atlantik-Brücke; Eric M. Warburg was a friend and consultant for [[John J. McCloy]], Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations and President of the [[World Bank]]. The Atlantik-Brücke is the German counterpart for the U.S. based [[American Council on Germany]] (members include US diplomats [[Richard Holbrooke]] and [[Henry Kissinger]]).
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==Extract of member list==
  
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Below is a selection from the member list of the Atlantik Brücke:
  
==Extract of member list==
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[[Philip D. Murphy]], former [[US/Ambassador to Germany]]
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[[Henry Kissinger]], former [[US/Secretary of State]]
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[[Josef Ackermann]], former CEO of [[Deutsche Bank]], Germany
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[[Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg]], former [[Secretary of Defence of Germany]]
  
Below you can find an extract of the member list of the Atlantik Brücke:
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[[Helmut Kohl]], former [[Chancellor of Germany]]
  
    [[Philip D. Murphy]], former United States Ambassador to Germany
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[[Helmut Schmidt]], former Chancellor of Germany
    [[Henry Kissinger]], former Secretary of State of the United States of America
 
    [[Josef Ackermann]], former CEO of [[Deutsche Bank]], Germany
 
    [[Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg]], former Secretary of Defense of Germany
 
    [[Helmut Kohl]], former Chancellor of Germany
 
    [[Helmut Schmidt]], former Chancellor of Germany
 
    [[Rupert Stadler]], former chairman of Audi AG
 
    [[Torsten Oltmanns]], Global Marketing Director at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
 
    [[Joachim Gauck]], former President of Germany
 
    [[Angela Merkel]], Chancellor of Germany
 
  
 +
[[Rupert Stadler]], former chairman of Audi AG
  
 +
[[Torsten Oltmanns]], Global Marketing Director at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
  
 +
[[Joachim Gauck]], former [[President of Germany]]
  
 +
[[Angela Merkel]], Chancellor of Germany
  
 
==Members of the Board==
 
==Members of the Board==

Latest revision as of 14:08, 11 March 2024

Group.png Atlantik-Brücke  
(Deep state group)Rdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png 5
Atlantik-Brücke logo.png
Formation1952
Founder• Marion Grafin Donhoff.jpg Marion Gräfin Dönhoff
• Helmut Schmidt.jpg Helmut Schmidt
• Eric Warburg.jpg Eric M. Warburg
•  Hans Karl von Borries
• Gotthard von Falkenhausen.png Gotthard von Falkenhausen
• Ernst Friedlaender.png Ernst Friedlaender
• No image available (photo).jpg Gerhard Geyer
•  Hans Christoph von Tucher
•  Friedrich Wilhelm Ziervogel
HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
Type•  think tank
•  influence network
InterestsGermany, Creating a network of reliable political cadre
SubpageAtlantik-Brücke/Chairman
Membership• Christian Wulff.jpg Christian Wulff
• Thomas de Maizière.jpg Thomas de Maizière
• KT zu Guttenberg 666 (cropped).JPG Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg
•  Michael Otto
•  Jürgen Großmann
• Tom Enders.jpg Thomas Enders
•  Paul-Bernhard Kallen
•  Hans-Gert Pöttering
•  Charles Schumer
• 16-09-02-Cem Özdemir-RalfR-RR2 4940.jpg Cem Özdemir
•  Edelgard Bulmahn
•  Michael Vassiliadis
• MSC 2014 Ischinger2 Mueller MSC2014.jpg Wolfgang Ischinger
• Richard Burt.jpg Richard Burt
• Silvana Koch-Mehrin.jpg Silvana Koch-Mehrin
• Craig kennedy.png Craig Kennedy
• KaiDiekmann.jpg Kai Diekmann
•  Katja Gloger
• Joshua Bolten.jpg Joshua Bolten
• Phil Murphy.jpg Philip D. Murphy
• Henry Kissinger.jpg Henry Kissinger
• Josef Ackermann.jpg Josef Ackermann
• KT zu Guttenberg 666 (cropped).JPG Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg
• KAS-Kohl, Helmut-Bild-14701-1.jpg Helmut Kohl
• Helmut Schmidt.jpg Helmut Schmidt
•  Rupert Stadler
•  Torsten Oltmanns
•  Joachim Gauck
• Angela Merkel2.png Angela Merkel
• Sigmar Gabriel 2018.jpg Sigmar Gabriel
•  Michael Hüther
• Röttgen Portrait Mai2021.jpg Norbert Röttgen
•  Andreas Dombret
•  David Deissner
•  Angelika Gifford
•  Reiner Hoffmann
• Lambsdorff, Alexander Graf.jpg Alexander Lambsdorff
•  Christian Lange
•  Eveline Metzen
•  James von Moltke
• Omid Nouripour.jpg Omid Nouripour
•  Julie Linn Teigland
•  Anahita Thoms
•  Friederike von Tiesenhausen
•  Karsten Uhlmann
•  Nagila Warburg
•  Michael Werz
•  Ute Wolf
•  Sven Afhüppe
•  Tamara Anthony
•  Anna von Bayern
•  Frank Behrendt
•  Angela Cullen
•  Christina Eibl
•  Tasso Enzweiler
•  Manuel Hartung
• David Ignatius.jpg David Ignatius
•  Adam Lashinsky
•  Kirsten Rulf
•  Klaus Scherer
•  Sylke Tempel
• Matthias nass.png Matthias Naß
•  Jan Fleischhauer
•  Claudia Roth
•  Friedrich März
• Katrin Göring-Eckardt.png Katrin Göring-Eckardt
•  Stefan Liebich
•  Rudolf Scharping
•  Hubertus Schmoldt
• Guido Westerwelle 2013-02-28 (cropped).jpg Guido Westerwelle
• Volker Rühe.jpg Volker Rühe
•  Jens Neumann
•  Siegfried Luther
•  Martin Kohlhaussen
• Real Christoph Bertram.jpg Christoph Bertram
•  Juergen B. Donges
•  Norbert Gansel
•  Jürgen R. Grossmann
• Arend Oetker.png Arend Oetker
•  Beate Lindemann
•  Max Warburg Jr.
•  Christopher Vollmer
•  Sebastian Blum
•  David Livingston
•  Bernd-Georg Spies
•  Dominik Pförringer
•  Alexia D’Arco
•  Alexander Görlach
•  Brian Moran
•  Friedrich Bieselt
•  Ute Elisabeth Weiland
•  Sabine Bendiek
•  Eveline Y. Metzen
•  Anahita Thoms
• Fritz Erler.jpg Fritz Erler
• Kurt Birrenbach.jpg Kurt Birrenbach
• Kurt Becker.png Kurt Becker
• Henry Kissinger.jpg Henry Kissinger
• Zbigniew Brzezinski.jpg Zbigniew Brzezinski
•  Herman Georg Kaiser
• Gotthard von Falkenhausen.png Gotthard von Falkenhausen
•  Alexander Menne
•  Liz Mohn
•  Jörg Paura
• Friedbert Pflüger.jpg Friedbert Pflüger
•  Pam Campos-Palma
•  Felix Reinshagen
•  Hanno Stegmann
•  Jan Friedrich Kallmorgen
•  Andreas Winiarski
•  Christopher Becker
•  Amanda Mertens Campbell
•  Alex Yergin
•  Cenk Sidar
•  Barbara Engels
•  Ana Ramic
• Elizabeth J Linder.jpg Elizabeth Linder
•  Ernst Friedländer
•  Erik Blumenfeld
•  Albert Schäfer
•  Hans Karl von Borries
• Marion Grafin Donhoff.jpg Marion Gräfin Dönhoff
• John J. McCloy.jpg John J. McCloy
• Friedrich Merz.jpg Friedrich Merz
•  Burkhard Schwenker
•  Andreas R. Dombret
•  Jürgen Fitschen
• Eckart von Klaeden.jpg Eckart von Klaeden
• Max Warburg.jpg Max Warburg
•  Nagila Warburg
•  Ingrid Hengster
• Roesler-klein.jpg Philipp Rösler
•  Patrick Döring
•  Dorothee Bär
•  Markus Blume
•  Joachim Pfeiffer
•  Karl-Heinz Paqué
• Archiv Kosinsky 1498 (cropped).jpg Karsten Voigt
• 2017-05-14 NRW Landtagswahl by Olaf Kosinsky-116.jpg Christian Lindner
•  Claus Kleber
• Stefan Kornelius.png Stefan Kornelius
•  Sonja Lahnstein-Kandel
•  Martin Winterkorn
•  John Christian Kornblum
• Birgit Breuel.jpg Birgit Breuel
•  Max Strauß
• Carlo Schmid Bilderberg.jpg Carlo Schmid
• Kurt Georg Kiesinger.jpg Kurt Georg Kiesinger
• Karl Schiller.jpg Karl Schiller
•  Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker
•  Max Horkheimer
• Axel Springer and Teddy Kollek 1966-11-08.jpg Axel Springer
•  Friedrich Carl Freiherr von Oppenheim
•  Joachim Zahn
• Otto Wolff von Amerongen.jpg Otto Wolff von Amerongen
•  Hans Constantin Boden
•  Kurt Hansen
• Hans Günther Sohl.png Hans-Günther Sohl
•  Konrad Henkel
• Graf Otto Lambsdorff.jpg Otto Graf Lambsdorff
•  Casimir Johannes Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
•  Karl Heinz Beckurts
•  Karlheinz Schreiber
•  Dieter Holzer
• Hilmar Kopper.jpg Hilmar Kopper
•  Hans-Dietrich Winkhaus
• Josef Joffe.jpg Josef Joffe
• PhilippMissfelder2008.jpg Philipp Mißfelder
• Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1991-039-11, Richard v. Weizsäcker.jpg Richard von Weizsäcker
•  Walther Leisler Kiep
• Arnold Bergstraesser.png Arnold Bergstraesser
• Karl Klasen.png Karl Klasen
• Ali Aslan.jpg Ali Aslan
•  Elmar Theveßen
•  Hans Tietmeyer
• Elmar Brok Press conference Strasbourg European Parliament 2014-02-03 02.jpg Elmar Brok
•  Phillip Breedlove
•  Heinrich Aller
•  Peter Altmeier
• Peter Ammon.jpg Peter Ammon
•  Kai Andrejewski
•  Ulf Baecker
•  Thomas Bagger
•  Evarist Baimu
•  May Bapista
•  Mark Barrenecha
• Evan Bayh.jpg Evan Bayh
•  Fernando Beccalli-Falco
•  Ernst-Reinhard Beck
•  Gunnar Bender
•  Michael F. Bennet
•  Chris Bentley
• James D. Bindenagel.png J.D. Bindenagel
•  Laura Blumenfeld
•  Michael W. Blumenthal
•  Peter Boehm
• Brilliant Myron.jpg Myron Brilliant
•  Christian Bunsen
•  Ernst Burgbacher
•  Nicolas Burns
•  Sharon Christians
•  Volker C. Christians
•  Jürgen Conzelmann
•  Charlie Dent
•  Pamela Dent
•  Ariane von Dewitz
•  Berend Diekmann
•  Wolfgang Dierker
• Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F055059-0017, Köln, SPD-Parteitag, Dohnanyi.jpg Klaus von Dohnanyi
•  Andreas Dombret
• Hans-Lothar Domröse.jpg Hans-Lothar Domröse
•  Xenia Dormandy
•  Marie-Luise Dött
•  Garrelt Duin
•  Thomas Ellerbeck
•  John English
•  Marcus Erhardt
•  Veit Etzold
•  Sebastian Fairhurst
•  Joachim von Falkenhausen
•  Peter Fessler
•  Hans-Walter Forkel
•  Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger
• Michael Froman.jpg Michael Froman
•  Ralf Fücks
•  Wim Furthmann
•  Martin Gerster
•  Pat Gifford
•  Robin Meloy Goldsby
•  Alexandre Grewlich
•  Jürgen R. Großmann
• Karel De Gucht.jpg Karel de Gucht
•  Tim Gürtler
•  Peter Gushurst
•  Andrea Hägebarth
•  Carl Hahn
• Jane Harman MSC 2017.jpg Jane Harman
•  Helge Hassold
•  Jana Hecker
•  Nicolaus Heinen
•  Ingrid Hengster
•  Anne Ruth Herkes
•  Heinrich Hiesinger
• LarsHinrichs.jpg Lars Hinrichs
•  Günther Horetzky
•  Rudolph Houck
•  Stefan A. Hubler
•  John C. Hulsman
•  Sarmad Hussian
•  Michael Hüther
•  Jeffrey R. Immelt
•  Fred Irwin
•  Martin Jäger
•  Tom Jenkins
•  Cherno Jobotay
•  Mari-Vaughn Johnson
•  Jan Kallmorgen
•  Joel Kaplan
•  Frederick Kempe
•  Markus Kerber
• Robert M. Kimmitt.jpg Robert M. Kimmitt
•  Rita Kissing
•  Ulrich Kissing
•  Dietrich von Klaeden
• Eckart von Klaeden.jpg Eckart von Klaeden
•  Hans-Ulrich Klose
•  Georg Knoth
•  David Knower
•  Walter Köhler
•  Michael Kotz
•  Jochen Körner
•  Andreas Krautscheid
•  Karen Krömer
•  Tanja Kufner
•  Ludger Kühnhardt
•  Gerrit Lange
•  Florian Langenscheidt
•  Adam Lashinsky
• Walther Leisler Kiep.jpg Walter Leisler Kiep
•  Marc Lemcke
• John Lipsky.jpg John Lipsky
•  David Lipton
•  Henneke Lütgerath
• Kevin Lynch.jpg Kevin G. Lynch
•  Heike MacKerron
•  Roy Maclaren
•  Anna Mahron
•  Paul von Maltzahn
•  Christoph von Marschall
•  Georg Mascolo
•  Kathy McMillan
•  Christoph Meinel
•  James D. Melville
•  Kevin Milas
•  Connie Morella
•  Peter Mueller
•  Hildegard Müller
•  Tammy Murphy
•  Andreas Muschter
• Özcan Mutlu.jpg Özcan Mutlu
•  Klaus Naumann
•  Christoph Nedopil
•  Martin Ney
•  Robin Niblett
•  Sybille Obernitz
•  Bettina von Oestereich
• Arend Oetker.png Arend Oetker
•  Torsten Oltmanns
•  Leyle Ones
•  Jeane von Oppenheim
•  Stephan Ortolf
• Friedbert Pflüger.jpg Friedbert Pflüger
•  Lena Pietsch
•  Christopher Pleister
•  Reinhard Ploss
• Ruprecht Polenz 2012.jpg Ruprecht Polenz
•  Ernst Primosch
•  Cornelia Quennet-Thielen
•  Hanspeter Quodt
•  Lutz Raettig
•  Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy
• Klaus Regling.jpg Klaus Regling
•  Bernd Reuther
•  Jörg Rocholl
•  Hergard Rohwedder
•  Carola Rolofs
•  Oliver Rolofs
•  Kasper Rorstedt
•  Lawrence A. Rosen
•  Sebastian Rudolph
• Eberhard Sandschneider.jpg Eberhard Sandschneider
• Antonin Scalia.jpg Antonin Scalia
•  Georg Schaeffler
•  Klaus Schäfer
•  Wofgang Schäuble
•  William L. T. Schirano
•  Stefan Schirm
•  Karl-Heinz Schlaiss
•  Volker Schlegel
•  Ulrich Schlie
•  Thomas Schließke
•  Michael Schmidt
•  Wulf Schmiese
• Olaf Scholz - Deutscher Radiopreis 2016 01.jpg Olaf Scholz
•  Jörg Schönenborn
•  Hagen Schremmer
•  Benedikt von Schröder
•  Christoph Schröder
•  Karenina Schröder
•  Felix von Schubert
•  Jens Schulte-Bockum
•  Oliver Schulte-Ladebeck
•  Martin Schulz
•  Carsten Seeliger
•  Dov Seidman
•  Neil Senkowski
• Anne-Marie Slaughter.jpg Anne-Marie Slaughter
•  Julianne Smith
•  Irina Soeffky
•  Ali Asghar Soltanieh
• Theo Sommer.jpg Theo Sommer
•  Henning Speck
•  Friede Springer
•  Janice Stein
• Constanze Stelzenmüller 3.jpg Constanze Stelzenmüller
•  Rainer Stinner
•  Sara Sumi-Yang
• Cass Sunstein.jpg Cass Sunstein
•  Katharina Tafel
•  Stephan Thomae
•  Karl Ferdinand von Thurn und Taxis
•  Clemens Trautmann
•  Franziska von Ungarn-Sternberg
•  Simon Vaut
•  Günter Verheugen
•  Andera Verpoorten
• Alexander Vershbow.jpg Alexander Vershbow
•  Marco Vollmar
•  Lars Wagner
•  Eric Walsh
•  Leslie von Wangenheim
•  Marie Warburg
•  Julia Wayand
• Beatrice Weder di Mauro - World Economic Forum.jpg Beatrice Weder di Mauro
•  Bernhard Welschke
•  Roland Werner
•  Martin C. Wilhelm
•  Helen Winter
•  Werner Wnendt
•  Stefan Wölfle
•  Roland Wöller
• Janet Yellen.jpg Janet Yellen
•  Matthias Deiß
•  Thomas Roth
•  Sonja Seymour Mikich
•  Bernhard Wabnitz
•  Tina Hassel
•  Ingo Zamperoni
•  Ellen Ehni
•  Frank Jahn
•  Rüdiger Löwe
•  Ulrich Wilhelm
•  Dieter Schröder
•  Olivia Schoeller
•  Katja Kessler
•  Nikolaus Blome
•  Paul-Bernhard Kallen
•  Frederik Pleitgen
•  Marika de Feo
•  Friedbert Meurer
•  Michael Stürmer
•  Marc Brost
•  Robert Leicht
•  Jan Ross
•  Martin Klingst
•  Catriona McLaughlin
•  Margret Heckel
•  Nikolas Busse
•  Cornelia von Wrangel
•  Steffi Kammerer
•  Rafael Seligmann
•  Helmut Herles
• Gerd Schulte-Hillen.jpg Gerd Schulte-Hillen
•  Michael J. Innacker
•  Gabor Steingart
•  Korinna Klasen-Bouvatier
•  Dirk Ippen
•  Anna Marohn
•  Julia Diehl
•  Heiner Bremer
•  Michael Kolz
•  Stefanie Augter
•  Tim Arnold
•  Ralf Schremper
• Thomas Ebeling.png Thomas Ebeling
•  Bára Procházková
•  Thorsten Wilhelm Krauel
•  Sabine Ulbrich
•  Katja Ridderbusch
•  Eckhard Stuff
•  Christiane Hoffman
•  Marc Hujer
• Mathias Döpfner.jpg Mathias Döpfner
•  Reiner Maria Gohlke
•  Christian Wernicke
•  Reymer Klüver
•  Juliane Schäuble
•  Cecilie Rohwedder
•  Robert von Rimscha
•  Malte Lehming
•  Matthew Karnitschnig
•  Richard Kiessler
•  Bodo Hombach
•  Anke Plättner
•  Klaus-Peter Siegloch
•  Susanne Gabriele Biedenkopf-Kürten
•  Theo Koll
•  Jan Philipp Burgard
•  Thomas Bellut
•  Udo van Kampen
•  Cherno Jobatei
•  Rudi Sölch
• Chrystia Freeland.jpg Chrystia Freeland
• Heiko Maas.jpg Heiko Maas
• Jens Spahn.jpg Jens Spahn
• Thomas Oppermann.jpg Thomas Oppermann
•  Christiane Hoffmann
A long established and relatively public organ of the US to control German politics.

Not to be confused with The Atlantic Bridge, a similar British association

Atlantik-Brücke (English: Atlantic Bridge) is the most powerful US-German socio-political influence network, an association that include leading personalities from business, politics, the armed forces, science, the media and culture.

The members have dominated the leadership in every German party since its foundation, and all the chief editors and leading journalist in the German commercially-controlled media are members. [1][2]

In addition to decision-makers from these areas, who find a framework for confidential discussions at Atlantik-Brücke, the association also includes young executives who forge networks at the “Young Leaders” conferences.

It was designed from the start to tie Germany to the US leadership, especially by strenghtening support for NATO, and to further the interests of big corporations.

The chairman, retired Federal Minister Sigmar Gabriel , is a former SPD leader that is well connected to the business lobby.

Origins

Atlantik-Brücke was founded in Hamburg in 1952. Eric M. Warburg (founder of the firm currently known as Warburg Pincus) was one of the founders of Atlantik-Brücke, together with editor Marion Gräfin Dönhoff, Chancellor of Germany Helmut Schmidt and other Hamburg citizens. In those Cold War times, the U.S. was looking for influence on Germany. The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) may have given the idea for founding the Atlantik-Brücke; Eric M. Warburg was a friend and consultant for John J. McCloy, Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations and President of the World Bank. The Atlantik-Brücke is the German counterpart for the U.S. based American Council on Germany.[citation needed]

The group had its headquarters in the old capital Bonn between 1983 and 1999, and is now located in Berlin. The association organizes invitation-only conferences, seminars and colloquia[3]. Through various programs for "Young Leaders", military officers, leading journalists, central politicians and promising students, Atlantik-Brücke fosters strong social networks among current and future pro-US German leaders in business, media and politics.[4]

The Atlantic Bridge cooperates with CIA-close think-tanks like the Aspen Institute and German Marshall Fund, and the membership list has a significant overlap with Bilderberg-participants.

Members

The powerful network, in no way democratically legitimized, consist of people who only see the world from one perspective, from above; and who only know one type of appreciation, that of money and power. If someone wants to be part of the ruling establishment, they have to share this view. If the want to personally benefit from this network, be it an aspiring politician, journalist, civil servant or academic, they must be at the service of those to whom the world belongs.

The number of members is limited in order to preserve the exclusivity of the association, and is only partially public The list of members (see above) is members or associates collected from their own publications.

The Media

A large percentage of the members are journalists. This is certainly not a coincidence. The Atlantic Bridge is about who gets to control money an power, and it is important to sell this policy smoothly to the outside world.

It is particularly noticeable that a large number of correspondents who have been sent to the USA by their broadcasters and newspapers are on the list of members. Pretty much all of the correspondents are invited to join the Atlantic Bridge before starting their job in the United States. This networking effort makes sense; the AB's connections, especially to conservative politicians and think tanks in the states, are excellent.

String pullers such as Henry Kissinger, Madeleine Albright, Zbigniew Brzeziński and John Kornblum can open many doors in Washington. The reporting is influenced accordingly, and shows a picture of the United States as these elite politicians want European audiences to see it. Figuratively (and probably often literally), the CIA is at the table every time these journalists meet with American politicians, scientists or the military.

Politics

The largest group of members is politicians, While the number of representatives of the individual parties roughly corresponds to the representation in the German parliament, the Left party (Die Linke) is noticeably absent. The representatives that are members belong exclusively to the economic liberal wings of their parties, with strong pro-NATO views.

On the American side, the membership is a pleasant experience in empire mangagement.

Business

Whose interests are to be furthered, is clearly illustrated by another big group of members: managers, many of them from the financial industry, consultants from predatory consultancy companies that often operate worldwide, bankers, PR-companies and lobbyists; they all have only one interest, to defend and expand their privileges and their already huge possessions. [5]

Activities

Atlantik-Brücke's activities include conferences, lectures and discussions, study trips, award ceremonies and the Young Leaders program.

  • With its sister organization American Council on Germany (ACG), Atlantik-Brücke holds German-American conferences every year[6]. Since 2005, the two organizations have each held their own Young Leaders conference.


Award named after CIA-director

Showing it close intelligence ties, from 1993 to 2008, the AB named its highest price [8] in honor of CIA-officer Vernon A. Walters, responsible for such regime changes as the 1973 coup in Chile.[9].

From 2015 onward, their highest price is named after former CIA-director George HW Bush.[10]

Young Leaders

The two Atlantik-Brücke Young Leaders conferences receive more than 500 applications per year, from which 120 Young Leaders are chosen by the steering commitee. Sixty young leaders are chosen for the German-American Conference (30 Americans and 30 Germans) and sixty are chosen for the European Conference. As of 2011, the German-American Young Leaders Conference has been running for 33 years.

The Young Leaders Program initiated by Atlantik-Brücke represents the oldest and largest program dedicated to identifying and nurturing relationships among the future custodians of the transatlantic partnership. Since the first Young Leaders Conference was held in 1973, over 1,500 Europeans and Americans have attended one of thirty-two German-American Young Leaders Conferences or ten European Young Leaders Conferences, a 10-day international young leader exchange.

Alumni of these prestigious gatherings remain in contact with each other both informally and through regional discussion groups and biennial alumni conferences that had been held under the auspices of Atlantik-Brücke. On January 1, 2011 Atlantik-Brücke established the independent organization "Atlantik Forum e.V. – the Young Leaders Alumni of Atlantik-Brücke" to more effectively facilitate and manage all these activities.


Prominent Young Leaders alumni

Christian Wulff, Former Federal President of Germany

Thomas de Maizière, Former Federal Minister of Interior

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Former Federal Minister of Defense

Michael Otto, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Otto Group

Jürgen Großmann, Chairman of the Managing Board of RWE

Thomas Enders, President and CEO of Airbus Industries

Paul-Bernhard Kallen, Chairman of the Board of Hubert Burda Media Holding

Hans-Gert Pöttering, Former President of the European Parliament

Charles Schumer, Senior U.S. Senator from New York

Cem Özdemir, Chairman of Alliance 90/The Greens

Edelgard Bulmahn Member of Parliament; Former Federal Minister of Education and Research

Michael Vassiliadis, Chairman of the Board of IG BCE – Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union

Wolfgang Ischinger, Former German Ambassador to the United States

Richard Burt, Former United States Ambassador to Germany

Silvana Koch-Mehrin, Vice President of the European Parliament

Craig Kennedy, President of the German Marshall Fund of the United States

Kai Diekmann, Editor-in-Chief of BILD Zeitung

Katja Gloger, Editor-at-large, STERN Magazin

Joshua Bolten, Former White House Chief of Staff, President George W. Bush


History

Eric M. Warburg (founder of the firm currently known as Warburg Pincus) was one of the founders of Atlantik-Brücke, together with legendary editor Marion Gräfin Dönhoff, Chancellor of Germany Helmut Schmidt and other citizens of Hamburg. In those Cold War times, the U.S. was looking for influence on Germany. The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) probably gave the idea for founding the Atlantik-Brücke; Eric M. Warburg was a friend and consultant for John J. McCloy, Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations and President of the World Bank. The Atlantik-Brücke is the German counterpart for the U.S. based American Council on Germany (members include US diplomats Richard Holbrooke and Henry Kissinger).

Extract of member list

Below is a selection from the member list of the Atlantik Brücke:

Philip D. Murphy, former US/Ambassador to Germany

Henry Kissinger, former US/Secretary of State

Josef Ackermann, former CEO of Deutsche Bank, Germany

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, former Secretary of Defence of Germany

Helmut Kohl, former Chancellor of Germany

Helmut Schmidt, former Chancellor of Germany

Rupert Stadler, former chairman of Audi AG

Torsten Oltmanns, Global Marketing Director at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants

Joachim Gauck, former President of Germany

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany

Members of the Board

Chairman

Former Federal Minister Sigmar Gabriel, MdB (SPD), Deutscher Bundestag, Berlin Vice-Chairmen

Professor Dr. Michael Hüther, Director and Member of the Presidium, German Economic Institute, Cologne

Former Federal Minister Dr. Norbert Röttgen, MdB (CDU/CSU), Berlin Treasurer

Professor Dr. Andreas Dombret, Former Member, Executive Board of Deutsche Bundesbank, Columbia University, New York Executive Director

Dr. [David Deissner]]


Members of the Board

[1] Angelika Gifford, TUI AG, ProSiebenSat1 Media SE und Rothschild & Co., Munich

Reiner Hoffmann, German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB), Berlin

Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, Munich Security Conference (MSC), Munich

Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, MdB (FDP), Deutscher Bundestag, Berlin

Parliamentary State Secretary Christian Lange, MdB (SPD), Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection, Berlin

Eveline Metzen, American Chamber of Commerce in Germany e.V., Frankfurt am Main

James von Moltke, Deutsche Bank AG, Frankfurt am Main

Omid Nouripour, MdB (Bündnis 90/ Die Grünen), Deutscher Bundestag, Berlin

Julie Linn Teigland, Ernst & Young GmbH, Mannheim

Anahita Thoms, Baker & McKenzie, Düsseldorf

Friederike von Tiesenhausen Cave, Bloomberg L.P., London

Karsten Uhlmann, Frankfurter Brauhaus GmbH, Frankfurt (Oder)

Dr. Nagila Warburg, Warburg Archive Foundation, Hamburg

Dr. Michael Werz, Center for American Progress, Washington, DC

Ute Wolf, Evonik Industries AG, Essen


 

Related Quotation

PageQuoteAuthorDate
Lars Hinrichs“Without my networks I would be nothing”Lars Hinrichs27 February 2021

 

Known members

102 of the 453 of the members already have pages here:

MemberDescription
Josef AckermannChairman of Deutsche Bank, G30, Bilderberg Steering Committee
Otto Wolff von AmerongenBilderberg Advisory Committee member, deep politician
Peter AmmonGerman diplomat, Atlantik-Brücke, MSC
Ali AslanSpooky journalist, Georgetown University, many deep state ties
Evan BayhUS lawyer, lobbyist, and politician
Kurt BeckerGerman editor-in-chief and government spokesman. Attended Bilderberg/1967 and Bilderberg/1975. Member of Atlantik-Brücke.
Arnold BergstraesserGerman political scientist who headed some deep state groups in the 1950s and 1960s
Christoph BertramGerman journalist with a heavy Bilderberg habit
James BindenagelUS Chargé d'affaires to Germany from 1996 to 1997,
Kurt Birrenbach7 Bilderbergs, West German politician
Birgit BreuelGerman politician, 6 times Bilderberger. Became president of the Treuhandanstalt, the state-organized looting of former East German assets, after the assassination of her predecessor Detlev Rohwedder
Myron BrilliantBridge between the business world and the intelligence-connected organizations. Also lobbyist for free trade agreements.
Elmar Broklobbyist and European parliament politician, MSC regular
Zbigniew BrzezinskiA central US Deep politician, Cercle, Bilderberg, ...
Richard BurtUS Deep state operative who took part in the discussion about "terrorism" at the 1986 Bilderberg. Founded Diligence
Kai DiekmannDeep state connected German editor. 2001-2015 chief editor of Bild Zeitung, Europe's biggest newspaper.
Klaus von DohnányiAttended two Bilderbergs in the 1970s. Mayor of Hamburg in the 1980s.
Hans-Lothar DomröseSenior German Army officer. He is believed to have visited Le Cercle in 1983.
Marion DönhoffSpooky German journalist
Mathias DöpfnerCEO of mightiest media group in Germany and Europe, Axel Springer SE, member of the Bilderberg Steering Committee and other transatlantic networks, most notably Atlantik-Brücke. Became billionaire after receiving gift from elderly widow.
Thomas EbelingSingle Bilderberg German businessman - tobacco, Pepsi, Novartis pharmaceuticals, media executive. Member of Atlantik-Brücke.
Tom EndersAtlantik-Brücke, American Council on Germany/Young Leaders, Bilderberg/Steering committee, Munich Security Conference/Advisory Council ...
Fritz ErlerSPD Deputy chair. Attended all Bilderberg meetings from 1955 September to his death in 1967, aged 53
Gotthard von FalkenhausenGerman banker
Klaus-Dieter FrankenbergerTransatlantic German editor
Chrystia Freeland"A bit of a living parody of everything wrong with the detached technocratic neoliberal order"
Michael FromanSerial WEF meeting visitor with many other SDS connections
Ralf FücksGerman politician married to Marieluise Beck of the German cluster of the Integrity Initiative
Sigmar GabrielGerman deep state operative, Atlantik-Brücke Chairman since 2019
Joachim GauckPresident of Germany 2012-2017
Karl-Theodor zu GuttenbergBorn with silver spoon as scion of the zu Guttenberg family, but blew his political career in 2011 after academic plagiarism was discovered. Since then has stayed in spooky think-tanks.
Katrin Göring-EckardtWarmongering German Green politician
Jane HarmanRanking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee and caught her coordinating with an Israeli agent.
Lars HinrichsGerman entrepreneur and WEF Young Global Leader 2008. "Without networks I would be nothing".
Christiane HoffmannBerlin correspondent for Der Spiegel who then became government spokesperson.
David IgnatiusAttender of spooky "security" conferences
Wolfgang IschingerSpooky German diplomat. Chaired the Munich Security Conference
Josef JoffePublisher-editor of Die Zeit
Max Warburg Jr.Grandson of Max Warburg Sr., MSC regular, banker
Udo van KampenJournalist, Atlantik-Brücke member, visited the Brussels Forum 2007-2009
Frederick KempeSpook and deep state actor
Craig Kennedypresident of the German Marshall Fund in the period 1996-2014
Walther KiepPolitician, financial fraudster, perjurer, attended 4 Bilderbergs from 1974 to 1980
Kurt Georg KiesingerFive early Bilderbergs, German Chancellor. Possible tool of the BND
Robert KimmittUS deep state functionary, CFR, Bilderberg etc. Facebook's "Lead Independent Director" since March 2020
Henry KissingerUS deep politician, 40+ Bilderbergs, Nobel peace prize, war criminal
Eckart von KlaedenTriple Bilderberg German politician
Karl KlasenDeutsche Bank, Atlantik-Brücke...
Silvana Koch-MehrinWEF/Young Global Leaders 2005. Promising euro-politician from the German FDP until revelations that she had plagiarized large parts of her doctoral thesis.
Helmut KohlAttended 3 Bilderbergs in the 1980s. Chancellor of Germany 1982-1998
... further results


Rating

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References