• “The Brookings – Robert Bosch Foundation Transatlantic Initiative” will produce nonpartisan research and analysis and a series of high-profile, public events to reinvigorate transatlantic collaboration on global issues.
• The existing cooperation is being strengthened and broadened in scope.
The Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C., and the Robert Bosch Stiftung, Stuttgart, will begin a new collaboration — the “Brookings – Robert Bosch Foundation Transatlantic Initiative” — to analyze and work on issues concerning transatlantic relations and social cohesion in Europe and the United States. The Transatlantic Initiative aims to build up and expand resilient networks, contribute to sustained dialogue between the United States and Europe and to develop policy recommendations for some of the most pressing issues of our time. The initiative’s high-quality analysis and publications will inform debate on transatlantic issues for the benefit of policymakers and the public alike.
Research and programming will deepen understanding between Europe and the United States and contribute to the initiative’s overarching theme of reinvigorating transatlantic cooperation and coordination. The focus for 2017 will be the “resurgence of nationalism and xenophobia in European politics” with a comparative perspective on developments in the United States. Pressing issues such as relations with other world regions, reactions to global crises, and sociopolitical trends will also form the partnership’s agenda.
The initiative will launch officially with an event on April 10, 2017, in Washington, D.C. and a corresponding launch event in Germany later this year. With the “Brookings – Robert Bosch Foundation Transatlantic Initiative,” the Robert Bosch Stiftung is expanding its existing cooperation with Brookings, which began in 2013 with the establishment of the Robert Bosch Senior Fellowship at Brookings. Currently, the position is held by Dr. Constanze Stelzenmüller, a lawyer and expert on foreign and security policy and strategy. Through the fellowship, Dr. Stelzenmüller has produced rigorous and independent research and commentary for policymakers and the public on transatlantic and U.S.-German bilateral issues, as well as Germany’s relations with the world.
The Brookings Institution is one of the oldest and most renowned think tanks worldwide. The expansion of the successful collaboration with the Robert Bosch Stiftung will amplify Brookings’s research in and on Europe and create a platform for rigorous analysis and debate on key issues. Brookings is committed to quality, independence, and impact in all of its work.
For more than 30 years, strengthening the ties between the United States and Germany has been one of the main goals of the Robert Bosch Stiftung. Through its transatlantic projects, the foundation promotes open exchange and mutual understanding, cooperating with American universities, think tanks, and non-profit institutions. The existing programs will be continued with current and new partners alike.