Karen Donfried
 Karen Donfried     (intelligence operative) | ||||||||||||
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| Nationality | US | |||||||||||
| Alma mater | Wesleyan University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, University of Munich | |||||||||||
| Member of | Council on Foreign Relations/Members, German Marshall Fund | |||||||||||
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Dr. Karen Donfried is president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). Despite its name, it is a US organization, with strong ties to the intelligence services, dedicated to keeping German and European political life properly obedient to US interests ('transatlantic'), through methods like monitoring political life, fellowships for next-generation leaders, and support for compatible NGOs; plus whatever happens behind the scenes.
Career
Before assuming her current role in GMF in April 2014, Donfried was the special assistant to the president of the United States and senior director for European affairs on the National Security Council at the White House. In that capacity, she was the president’s principal advisor on Europe and led the interagency process on the development and implementation of the president’s European policies.
Prior to the White House, Donfried served as the national intelligence officer (NIO) for Europe on the National Intelligence Council, the US intelligence services’ center for strategic thinking. As NIO, she directed and drafted strategic analysis to advance senior policymakers’ understanding of Europe.
Donfried first joined GMF in 2001 after having served for ten years as a European specialist at the Congressional Research Service. From 2003 to 2005, she was responsible for the Europe portfolio on the U.S. Department of State’s Policy Planning Staff. She returned to GMF from 2005 to 2010, first as senior director of policy programs and then as executive vice president.
Donfried is a member of the Board of Trustees of Wesleyan University, her undergraduate alma mater. She serves as a senior fellow at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Council on Germany. From 2014 to 2016, Donfried served as vice chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the United States; in 2017, she became a member of WEF’s Europe Policy Group. Donfried is a member of the Team of External Advisors to the President of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly. She was a member of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board from 2015 to 2017. [1]
Decorations
She received the Cross of the Order of Merit from the German Government in 2011, became an officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2018 and an officer of the Order of the Crown of Belgium in 2010, and received a Superior Honor Award from the U.S. Department of State in 2005 "for her contribution to revitalizing the transatlantic partnership" (Angela Merkel became chancellor the same year).
Events Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brussels Forum/2006 | Belgium Brussels | Yearly discreet get-together of huge amount of transatlantic politicians, media and military and corporations, under the auspices of the CIA and NATO-close German Marshall Fund. | ||
| Brussels Forum/2007 | Belgium Brussels | Yearly discreet get-together of huge amount of transatlantic politicians, media and military and corporations, under the auspices of the CIA and NATO-close German Marshall Fund. | ||
| Brussels Forum/2009 | Belgium Brussels | Yearly discreet get-together of huge amount of transatlantic politicians, media and military and corporations, under the auspices of the CIA and NATO-close German Marshall Fund. | ||
| Brussels Forum/2010 | Belgium Brussels | Yearly discreet get-together of huge amount of transatlantic politicians, media and military and corporations, under the auspices of the CIA and NATO-close German Marshall Fund. | ||
| Brussels Forum/2011 | 25 March 2011 | 27 March 2011 | Belgium Brussels | Yearly discreet get-together of huge amount of transatlantic politicians, media and military and corporations, under the auspices of the CIA and NATO-close German Marshall Fund. |
| Brussels Forum/2015 | 20 March 2015 | 22 March 2015 | Germany North Rhine-Westphalia Cleve | Yearly discreet get-together of huge amount of transatlantic politicians, media and military and corporations, under the auspices of the CIA-close German Marshall Fund. The 2015 main theme was (R)evolution. |
| Brussels Forum/2017 | 23 March 2017 | 25 March 2017 | Belgium Brussels | Yearly discreet get-together of huge amount of transatlantic politicians, media and military and corporations, under the auspices of the CIA-close German Marshall Fund. The overarching theme was "‘End of Complacency – Era of Action?" |
| Brussels Forum/2018 | 8 March 2018 | 10 March 2018 | Belgium Brussels | Annual 3 day spooky get-together of transatlantic politicians, media and military and corporations, under the auspices of the CIA and German Marshall Fund. Discussed the "Fight for Economic Equality". |
| Munich Security Conference/2014 | 31 January 2014 | 2 February 2014 | Germany Munich Bavaria | The 50th Munich Security Conference |
| Munich Security Conference/2015 | 6 February 2015 | 8 February 2015 | Germany Munich Bavaria | "400 high-ranking decision-makers in international politics, including some 20 heads of state and government as well as more than 60 foreign and defence ministers, met in Munich to discuss current crises and conflicts." |
| Munich Security Conference/2017 | 17 February 2017 | 19 February 2017 | Germany Munich Bavaria | The 53rd Munich Security Conference |
| Munich Security Conference/2019 | 15 February 2019 | 17 February 2019 | Germany Munich Bavaria | The 55th Munich Security Conference, which included "A Spreading Plague" aimed at "identifying gaps and making recommendations to improve the global system for responding to deliberate, high consequence biological events." |
| Munich Security Conference/2022 | 18 February 2022 | 20 February 2022 | Germany Munich Bavaria | |
| Munich Security Conference/2023 | 17 February 2023 | 19 February 2023 | Germany Munich Bavaria | Annual conference of mid-level functionaries from the military-industrial complex - politicians, propagandists and lobbyists. The real decisions are made by deep politicians behind the scenes, elsewhere. |
| Munich Security Conference/2024 | 16 February 2024 | 18 February 2024 | Germany Munich Bavaria | Annual conference of mid-level functionaries from the military-industrial complex - politicians, propagandists and lobbyists - in their own bubble, far from the concerns of their subjects |
