Difference between revisions of "Atlantic Bridge (Germany)"
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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 | ||
| − | | | + | |logo=Atlantik-Brücke logo.png |
|type=think tank, influence network | |type=think tank, influence network | ||
| − | |constitutes=Deep state | + | |constitutes=Deep state group |
|headquarters=Berlin, Germany | |headquarters=Berlin, Germany | ||
| − | | | + | |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 | + | |members=Christian Wulff, Thomas de Maizière, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Michael Otto, 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,Volker Perthes,Henning Wegener |
}} | }} | ||
| − | '' | + | ''Not to be confused with [[The Atlantic Bridge]], a similar British association'' |
| − | + | '''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. 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 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> | |
| − | + | 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. | |
| + | |||
| + | The association is closely connected to the deep state [[Warburg family]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | 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}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | 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. | 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. | ||
| − | The | + | ==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 Media== | + | 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. | |
| − | |||
| − | 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. | 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== | + | ===Politics=== |
| + | [[image:Atlantik scholz.png|thumb|left|500px|The photograph was taken on January 28, 2013 and is shown on page 55 of the Atlantik-Brücke's annual Report 2012/2013. It shows private banker and host [[Max Warburg]]; the then Mayor of [[Hamburg]] and guest speaker (later Chancellor), [[Olaf Scholz]]; as well as the then lobbyist and chairman of Atlantik-Brücke, [[Friedrich Merz]]. In 2016, the Hamburg-based [[Warburg Bank]] turned out to be a central player in the multibillion-dollar [[Cum–ex]] scandal – the largest [[tax fraud]] in German history - but after a confidential meeting between the Warburg bosses and Mayor Scholz, the Hamburg tax authority suddenly wanted to waive tax recoveries. Olaf Scholz could not remember the delicate conversations in front of an investigative committee later.(SPR)<ref>https://swprs.org/zu-gast-bei-der-atlantik-bruecke/</ref>]] | ||
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. | 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. | 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. <ref>http://spiegelkabinett-blog.blogspot.com/2014/01/das-netzwerk-der-atlantikbrucke.html</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==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<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. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *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> | ||
| + | |||
| + | *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]]. | ||
| − | |||
==Award named after CIA-director== | ==Award named after CIA-director== | ||
| − | |||
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>. | 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>. | ||
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> | 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== | ||
| Line 96: | Line 115: | ||
==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 | + | [[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== | ==Extract of member list== | ||
| Line 103: | Line 121: | ||
Below is a selection from the member list of the Atlantik Brücke: | Below is a selection from the member list of the Atlantik Brücke: | ||
| − | [[Philip D. Murphy]], former | + | [[Philip D. Murphy]], former [[US/Ambassador to Germany]] |
| − | [[Henry Kissinger]], former Secretary of State | + | [[Henry Kissinger]], former [[US/Secretary of State]] |
[[Josef Ackermann]], former CEO of [[Deutsche Bank]], Germany | [[Josef Ackermann]], former CEO of [[Deutsche Bank]], Germany | ||
| − | [[Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg]], former Secretary of | + | [[Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg]], former [[Secretary of Defence of Germany]] |
| − | [[Helmut Kohl]], former Chancellor of Germany | + | [[Helmut Kohl]], former [[Chancellor of Germany]] |
[[Helmut Schmidt]], former Chancellor of Germany | [[Helmut Schmidt]], former Chancellor of Germany | ||
| Line 119: | Line 137: | ||
[[Torsten Oltmanns]], Global Marketing Director at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants | [[Torsten Oltmanns]], Global Marketing Director at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants | ||
| − | [[Joachim Gauck]], former President of Germany | + | [[Joachim Gauck]], former [[President of Germany]] |
[[Angela Merkel]], Chancellor of Germany | [[Angela Merkel]], Chancellor of Germany | ||
Latest revision as of 21:55, 20 December 2024
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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. 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 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.
The association is closely connected to the deep state Warburg family.
The chairman, retired Federal Minister Sigmar Gabriel , is a former SPD leader that is well connected to the business lobby.
Contents
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. [6]
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[7]. Since 2005, the two organizations have each held their own Young Leaders conference.
- There are strategic partnerships with institutions such as the Munich Security Conference or the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany.[8]
- An annual expert meeting has been held in Berlin since 1990 with the US Army High Command in Europe, the US European Command.
Award named after CIA-director
Showing it close intelligence ties, from 1993 to 2008, the AB named its highest price [9] in honor of CIA-officer Vernon A. Walters, responsible for such regime changes as the 1973 coup in Chile.[10].
From 2015 onward, their highest price is named after former CIA-director George HW Bush.[11]
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
References
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFvQuZBxh-Q
- ↑ http://spiegelkabinett-blog.blogspot.com/2013/03/journalisten-der-atlantikbrucke-in.html?m=1
- ↑ http://www.transatlanticperspectives.org/entry.php?rec=133
- ↑ http://spiegelkabinett-blog.blogspot.com/2014/01/das-netzwerk-der-atlantikbrucke.html
- ↑ https://swprs.org/zu-gast-bei-der-atlantik-bruecke/
- ↑ http://spiegelkabinett-blog.blogspot.com/2014/01/das-netzwerk-der-atlantikbrucke.html
- ↑ https://www.atlantik-bruecke.org/programme/konferenzen/deutsch-amerikanische-konferenzen/deutsch-amerikanische-konferenz-2014/
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20181004232906/http://www.atlantik-bruecke.org/ueber-uns/interview-mit-friedrich-merz/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20110212154114/http://www.atlantik-bruecke.org/programme/preisverleihungen/vernon-a-walters-award/
- ↑ https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol46no1/article01.html
- ↑ https://www.atlantik-bruecke.org/george-h-w-bush-erhaelt-preis-der-atlantik-bruecke/
