Podcast appearances and mentions of peter sparding

After 16 years in power, the Christian Democrats without Angela Merkel have reaped historically bad results in Sunday's election. All the votes have been tallied and the Social Democrats have come out on top, but with only 25.7% of the vote they will need to get both the Greens and the Liberals on board for a coalition. But other coalition options are also in play, including the “Jamaica” coalition that would return the Christian Democrats to the Chancellery. Rachel Tausendfreund, GMF's editorial director based in Berlin talks Germany's election results, future coalition possibilities, and the implications for the “traffic light” or the “Jamaica” coalition for European and transatlantic priorities with Markus Ziener, GMF's Helmut Schmidt Fellow, and Peter Sparding, GMF fellow and resident Germany expert.

Juliane Schäuble, U.S. correspondent for the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel spoke with Peter Sparding, transatlantic fellow at the German Marshall Fund about her experience covering the White House, the U.S. primary election cycle and the current COVID-19 pandemic. Schäuble talked about translating U.S. politics for a German audience and the challenges that the last few weeks have posed.  Be sure sure to tune into Reporting Across the Pond, Part 1, featuring a conversation between Alistair Somerville and Brent Goff of Deutsche Welle News. This episode is part of our collaboration with the German Marshall Fund. You listen and subscribe to their podcast, Out of Order, here, or wherever you get your podcasts.  The Europe Desk is a podcast from the BMW Center for German and European Studies at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. It brings together leading experts working on the most pertinent issues facing Europe and transatlantic relations today. Music by Sam Kyzivat and Breakmaster Cylinder Production by Zachary Tarrant, Sydney Simon and Alistair Somerville  Design by Sarah Diebboll Communications by Laura Rodriguez and Charlie Fritz https://cges.georgetown.edu/podcast Twitter and Instagram: @theeuropedesk If you would like a transcript of this episode, more information about the Center's events, or have any feedback, please email: theeuropedesk@gmail.com.

Out of Order is excited to present part two of our first collaborative episode series, Reporting Across the Pond, produced in coordination with the Europe Desk, a podcast from the BMW Center for German and European Studies at Georgetown University. Out of Order host Peter Sparding connects with Juliane Schäuble, the U.S. Correspondent for “Der Tagesspiegel”, to discuss her experience covering the White House, the U.S. primary election cycle and the current COVID-19 pandemic. Schäuble talks about translating U.S. politics for a German audience, working a primary press briefing, and reporting during the pandemic. If you haven't already, make sure to tune into Reporting Across the Pond Pt. 1, featuring a conversation between the Europe Desk's Alistair Somerville and Brent Goff of Deutsche Welle News.  

Team IQ2US is busy in Brussels, getting ready to bring you our next debate, “The Transatlantic Relationship Has Been Irreparably Damaged.” This one will be presented in partnership with the German Marshall Fund. In this episode, get ready for the debate with a special episode of “Out of Order,” created by our partners. In this podcast, the German Marshall Fund's president Karen Donfried sits down with senior fellow Peter Sparding to discuss the future of the transatlantic relationship.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A month into 2019, the fight over immigration policy is without resolution as the White House battles with Democrats over funding for a wall on the southern border. The President is set to deliver his State of the Union address to a divided chamber—and nation. Immigration is expected to feature prominently as prospects of another government shutdown loom.  New York Times White House correspondent Michael Shear joins Out of Order’s Peter Sparding for a timely conversation about immigration politics and how it all got to this point—from the origins of Trump’s fixation on building a wall, to the many characters driving the debate, and where the actual policy stands.

Trade is back in the spotlight, and the U.S. is at the center of a building international showdown. A combative economic agenda is now being realized as the Trump administration disrupts trade relations with allies and adversaries alike. From the torpedoed TPP, new NAFTA, tariffs on steel, aluminum, and potentially autos, and even suggestions that the U.S. could leave the WTO – who wins and who loses in this new landscape, and where can constructive compromises be made? Is there a common transatlantic trade agenda in dealing with China, and are we heading for a US-China economic decoupling or even a new Cold War? On the latest episode of GMF’s Out of Order podcast, we’ll deconstruct the current state of international trade—from micro to macro-- with the foremost expert on the matter, Georgetown law professor Jennifer Hillman. Hillman has served as a member of the WTO’s Appellate Body, as commissioner of the US International Trade Commission, and as General Counsel at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, among many other roles. Also joining host Peter Sparding this week in Washington, GMF’s senior transatlantic fellow Andrew Small, resident expert on China’s foreign and economic policy. Think or Tank Links: Andrew Small: Vice President Mike Pence's Remarks on the Administration's Policy Towards China Link Here Jennifer Hillman: Failure to Adjust How Americans Got Left Behind in the Global Economy by Edward Alden Link Here Peter Sparding: The Rigging of American Politics by Ezra Klein Link Here Bonus Content: Testimony Of Jennifer Hillman Professor From Practice, Georgetown University Law Center Before The U.S.-China Economic And Review Security Commission Hearing On U.S. Tools To Address Chinese Market Distortions Link Here

How should Europe respond to a US that might be pivoting away or might not see Europe as useful anymore? There's a number of camps, one might say. The relationship between US and Europe has faced many stresses and strains over the years, especially in present times as European leaders debate over the transatlantic partnership. Thus, WAR ROOM is pleased to welcome to the studio special guest Peter Sparding, a transatlantic fellow in the Washington office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. As the US faces increased competition from other regions of the world, whither Europe? And what does Europe have to say about the US?     You can also download a copy of the podcast here.   Peter Sparding is a transatlantic fellow in the Washington office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, where he works on foreign and economic policy developments in the United States and Europe. Darrell Driver is a colonel in the U.S. Army and the Director of European Studies at the U.S. Army War College. The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense. Photo Credit: NATO  

Over the last years, policy makers on both sides of the Atlantic have become increasingly concerned that the Liberal International Order is in danger. At first, threats to this Western-led order seemed to emanate mostly from the outside, as rising powers such as China and Russia challenged the existing order. But with the Brexit referendum and the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, it has become clear that there are plenty of actors within our societies who are equally opposed to existing global order. But what exactly are the opposed to - and what do proponents of the LIO want to defend? It is not clear if either the critics or the supporters agree about what the most essential components of the order are. Is it about the West? It it about free trade and neoliberal economics? Is it about democracy and human rights? What makes the order "liberal" anyway? Do we need to scale back the LIO in order to save it? What would a world without it look like? In this episode, recorded live at the Young Professionals Summit at GMF's Brussels Forum, hosts Rachel Tausendfreund and Peter Sparding are joined by GMF transatlantic fellow Janka Oertel and Josh Rogin, Global Opinions Columnist with the Washington Post, to discuss these questions and work towards understanding what the Liberal International Order is anyways.

So far, the Out-of-Order Podcast has focused on specific countries and the role they play in trying to stabilize, uphold, change, or transform the current international order. In the fifth episode, we take a different approach as we look at what role the military and hard power plays in shaping the international order. To discuss this and related issues, hosts Amy Studdart and Peter Sparding are joined by GMF Visiting Senior Fellow Shawn Turner and GMF Executive Vice President Derek Chollet. During the Cold War, the role of the military in underpinning the Western international order seemed clear. After the end of the Cold War, however, the mission of Western militaries seemed to change as NATO was looking for a new role and Western militaries primarily focused first on humanitarian interventions like in the Balkans and then, following the attacks on 9/11, on targeted military action fighting against terrorism and broad-scope wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now, as the new U.S. National Defense Strategy (NDS) outlines, the focus of U.S. military policy seems to turn back to questions of strategic competition with other powers and the larger international order like we saw more so during the Cold War. Shawn and Derek lay out how the strategic environment has changed to necessitate these developments—changes that were well underway during the previous administration. In fact, they say that despite some of the changed rhetoric, there is a lot of continuity with regard to U.S. military posture under the Trump administration (which sounds like a bipartisan opinion given Jamie Fly’s take in our last episode). The question is raised as to how sustainable the current discrepancy between the policy priorities set in documents such as the NDS, which emphasizes the need to work with allies, and President Trump’s more brash approach to coalition building, including repeated clashes with allies. As Derek lays out the relative loss of superiority of the U.S. military vis-à-vis actors like China in areas such as AI, the discussion turns to the questions whether authoritarian powers such as China or Russia are helped in their ambition by their lack of adherence to certain liberal ideals which enable them push forward all-out-efforts in technology and certain policy areas. Naturally, the focus then shifts to Europe, as we analyze the important contribution of some European countries, while also pointing to the increasing divergence in capabilities between the transatlantic partners. Finally, we discuss whether too much is asked of the military as the it is increasingly put forward as a solution to more problems and the answer to ever more questions. Given the growing sentiment to focus on “nation building at home” on both sides of the Atlantic and the reluctance of Americans to engage in new large scale military interventions following the experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq, how sustainable is the current approach? Is there a risk of losing public support at home for international engagement? Think or Tank Amy – THINK- The Rise of the Anti-Liberalism Essay in The Atlantic by Shadi Hamid Derek – THINK - The Heroism of Incremental Care in The New Yorker Dr. Atul Gawande; TANK- Mattis Not speaking at Munich Security Conference. Shawn – TANK – On the gun control and school shooting debate going on in the U.S. currently, armed teachers become the first target in a planned attack Peter – THINK - Why Is It So Hard for Democracy to Deal With Inequality? In The New York Times by Thomas Edsall

In the fourth episode of Out of Order, having discussed the roles of Germany, China, and whether other international actors can fill the void left in the international system, this episode focuses on the country that supposedly is leaving this void: the United States. Hosts Rachel Tausendfreund and Peter Sparding talk with GMF Senior Fellow and Director of the Asia and Future of Geopolitics programs Jamie Fly, a long-time Republican foreign policy hand, about U.S. foreign policy in the unpredictable first year of the Trump presidency. Fly argues that Trump’s foreign policy has been relatively conventional, if not too conventional — when you set asides his tweets and some erratic statements. He goes on to contend that U.S. foreign policy thus far has actually continued the trend of the previous democratic administration by stepping even further back from a position of leadership in the world order we’ve come to know. Yet, at the same time, recent domestic political developments and behaviors of the Trump administration are definitely worrying and could irreversibly hurt U.S. standing in the world going forward. The discussion also dives into the questions of whether it is possible to (and if we should) separate tweets and statements from policy, and whether the increasing discrepancy between rhetoric and actions will be impossible to keep up? What are the long-term consequences of this for U.S. alliances and the international order? Is the U.S. public turning away from international engagement due to the failure of previous U.S. foreign policy or due to other factors like rising nationalist sentiment and a feeling of displacement in a fast-changing world? Things to make you THINK: Rachel recommends Masha Gessen’s essay in The New York Review of Books, “To Be or Not to Be,” that explores all different sides of ones identity as an international immigrant. It begins, “Thirty-nine years ago my parents took a package of documents to an office in Moscow. This was our application for an exit visa to leave the Soviet Union. More than two years would pass before the visa was granted, but from that day on I have felt a sense of precariousness wherever I have been, along with a sense of opportunity. They are a pair.” Link: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/02/08/to-be-or-not-to-be/ Given the focus of this episode is on the future of U.S. global leadership, Peter suggests also digging into the similar debate happening on the other side of the pond around the future of EU global leadership and more specifically Germany’s role in it. He recommends starting with a recent policy essay by Hans Kundnani and Jana Puglierin entitled, “Atlanticist and ‘Post-Atlanticist’ Wishful Thinking,” which argues that those in favor of maintaining the status-quo in the transatlantic relationship are underestimating the current crises and “although it is true that Trump is not America, neither is the foreign policy establishment, as the Atlanticists seem to suggest.” Link: http://www.gmfus.org/publications/atlanticist-and-post-atlanticist-wishful-thinking And Jamie, as a former Capitol Hill staffer and lifelong Republican, points to President Trump’s first State of the Union address as a window into the “powerhouse presidency that might have been.” Link: https://www.c-span.org/video/?439496-1/president-trump-delivers-state-union-address Go In-depth… If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, we would recommend these pieces to start you off: One Year of President Trump: Views from Around the World: http://www.gmfus.org/publications/one-year-president-trump-views-around-world The Contested Global Landscape in Trump’s New Security Strategy: http://www.gmfus.org/blog/2017/12/20/contested-global-landscape-trumps-new-security-strategy The U.S.–France Special Relationship after a Year of Trump: http://www.gmfus.org/publications/us-france-special-relationship-after-year-trump

Misinformed, disinformed, and divided —  that’s Russia’s goal. In the third episode of GMF’s Out of Order podcast, we look at Russia’s hybrid toolbox of trouble, and what it means for the future of the liberal international order as we know it. What is the Kremlin doing to undermine Western democracies and why? Hosts Rachel Tausendfreund and Peter Sparding talk with David Salvo and Bret Schafer from GMF’s Alliance for Securing Democracy, a bi-partisan project that tracks ongoing efforts to subvert democracy in the United States and Europe. We talk twitter, the Hamilton 68 disinformation dashboard, money trails, and covert invasions. How much success is it having, and how much should the public care?

In the second episode of Out of Order, GMF Fellows Amy Studdart, Andrew Small, and Peter Sparding take a look at China and its approach to the liberal international order. First, they discuss the so called “China shock" ˗ the analysis that China, as a massive rising economic power, has been one of the causal factors for the crisis in Western democracies, in particular by taking manufacturing jobs in some regions. They then analyze responses from the United States and Europe and wonder if, in some cases, the cures that are now being contemplated may be worse than the disease. Then the podcast looks at the question of interference in Western democracies and whether China is acting similar in this regard to other powers, such as Russia, and what the differences are. Finally, Amy, Andrew, and Peter contemplate the "contest for the future" and what it means if an illiberal power like China takes the lead in various technological areas, such as AI, space, genomics, and nano-tech.

In the pilot episode of Out of Order, GMF Fellows Rachel Tausendfreund, Amy Studdart, Hans Kundani, and Peter Sparding take a look at the political situation in Germany. Following the Brexit referendum in the United Kingdom and the U.S. presidential elections in 2016, many observers saw Germany as the last man/woman standing. Some even went as far as to anoint German chancellor Angela Merkel to be the new defender of the liberal international order. Yet, a year later and following the German federal elections in fall of 2017, the country is struggling to form a new government, right wing populists have entered the Bundestag, and a debate has ensued about the future of Germany’s relationship with the United States. Rachel, Amy, Hans, and Peter discuss recent developments in Germany, explain why Germany may be caught between a rock and a hard place in its relationship to the U.S., and look at the implications for Europe and Germany’s role in the world. In the “Think or Tank” segment, all discussants are asked to talk about something - an article, a book, a speech – that either made them think or that completely tanked.