Wolfgang Ischinger

In reviewing Wolfgang Ischinger’s best-seller, World in Danger, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger called him “one of the most perceptive analysts of international affairs.” Portraying a world at a major turning point, Ischinger looks at the urgent challenges we face: Tensions between the U.S. and China, the re-emergence of hard-edged nationalism, and the fear that the U.S. appears to be abdicating its leadership role — while Moscow and Beijing exploit any opportunity to flame conflict between allies.

Despite these urgent challenges, Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, Germany’s most prominent diplomat and a former Ambassador to both the U.S. and the U.K., foresees a future of peace and stability. Drawing upon both history and the latest headlines, Ambassador Ischinger examines the root causes of our current state of affairs, offering a practical vision for turbulent times.

After Brexit and beyond, how can we move forward to build a more coherent, more capable, more unified European Union?

Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger brings two perspectives to this question: As a modern European with a passionate belief in the ideal of a borderless continent where historical adversaries become allies, and as a native of the country at the core of the two largest conflicts of the 20th century. Bringing decades of experience as a diplomat and international thought leader, Ambassador Ischinger examines the current state of Europe and the challenges it faces ahead.

While it’s fascinating to look at the political aspects of U.S.-European relations, the economic relationships are even more important. In Germany, for example, the U.S. has invested so heavily that U.S. interests employ roughly a million people. Similarly, German companies like BMW, Bosch and others employ roughly 900,000 people on the American side. By comparison, Germany’s or the U.S.’s investment in China is minimal compared to what they have invested, over time, in each other’s economies.

Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger provides a compelling overview of the business relationship between the U.S. and Europe, outlining why China is going to be the single biggest challenge to the transatlantic community.

From four decades of diplomatic experience, Ambassador Ischinger knows that trust is the currency of diplomacy. But trust is also the currency in cyberspace – and even more so in cyber diplomacy. The lack of trust across the Atlantic – among governments, businesses, and citizens – when it comes to cyber policy and regulation is a serious problem.

Ambassador Ischinger explains why Europe needs to become more capable but it still cannot guarantee a secure and democratic cyberspace by itself: A common, democratic digital agenda with the U.S. and other partners is needed to set global rules of the road for cyberspace.

Wolfgang Ischinger first came to the U.S. as a teenager, attending high school in Illinois and even earning a letter jacket. He went on to study at the Fletcher School and Harvard Law School. Years later, on September 11, 2001, he began his tenure as Ambassador to the U.S. as planes crashed into the World Trade Center and Pentagon, witnessing first-hand the trauma experienced by America and the world. His deep understanding of both sides of the Atlantic propelled him to a career as Germany’s most prominent diplomat and Chairman of the highly influential Munich Security Conference. Bringing decades of perspective from a storied diplomatic career, Ambassador Ischinger looks at the current state of U.S.-European relations — and the political, security and economic forces that are shaping the world’s most critical alliances.