The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs is proud to host a Director's Seminar entitled "U.S. - German Relations" with Wolfgang Ischinger, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United States. AMB Ischinger will be talking about German foreign policy against the background of the recent election in which many analysts have argued that Chancellor Schroeder achieved reelection by campaigning against President Bush's policy in Iraq, rather than his conservative opponent in Germany. AMB Ischinger has intimate knowledge of the policy climate in Washington and has the unenviable task of maintaining/rebuilding relations between the U.S. and one of our strongest and closest global allies. AMB Ischinger joined the German Foreign Service in 1975. He has served as a member of the Foreign office's Policy Planning Staff, as Private Secretary to the Foreign Minister and Director of Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs. During his years as Director General for Political Affairs (Political Director, 1995-1998), AMB Ischinger participated in a number of international negotiating processes, including the Bosnia Peace Talks at Dayton, Ohio, the negotiations concerning the NATO-Russia Founding Act, as well as the negotiations on NATO enlargement and on the Kosovo crisis. From October 1998 to June 2001, AMB Ischinger served as State Secretary, the highest civil service post in the German Foreign Office. In 2000-2001, he also served as a member of the High Level German-Russian Strategy Group created by Chancellor Schroeder and President Putin. He is widely published in the areas of foreign policy, security and arms control policy, and European policy issues. AMB Ischinger studied law at the universities of Bonn/Germany and Geneva/Switzerland. He did graduate work at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and at Harvard University Law School. Please join us for what is sure to be a stimulating and informative discussion.
