The Idea
DGAP’s Karl Kaiser Forum is a new space for strategic foreign policy thinking that aims to directly contribute to Germany’s capacity to act. It is inspired by the work of foreign policy pioneer Karl Kaiser, director of DGAP from 1973 to 2003, who is widely respected for building bridges between business, academia, and politics. In this spirit, the forum facilitates high-level and cross-sectoral exchange on Germany’s most pressing strategic challenges – overarching questions that concern all facets of society. Addressing these challenges requires a consolidated effort that broadens the scope of academic research and traditional think tank work and breaks through the confines of party politics.
How We Work
The Karl Kaiser Forum brings together leading figures from politics, business, academia, and civil society who meet regularly to discuss key foreign policy issues from a long-term perspective and derive recommendations for policymakers. It is non-partisan and independent. Its goal is to contribute to a type of foreign policy that thinks ahead rather than reacts. At its core is a group of individuals boasting wide-ranging expertise, practical experience, and strategic vision. It is up to the core group to identify policy priorities, and that group can draw on additional expertise where needed. The forum’s work will result in publications and events on big questions of German foreign policy, such as our response to hybrid warfare or the future of our alliances. It is not tied to specific outcomes or timelines but can react to the latest developments.
Core Group
Co-chairs:
- Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Former Federal Minister of Defence and Chairwoman of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS)
- Jakob von Weizsäcker, Minister of Finance, Saarland
Members include:
- Dr. Kristina Eichhorst, Head of International Affairs, Mercedes Benz
- Serap Güler, Minister of State, Federal Foreign Office
- Prof. Anselm Hager, Humboldt University, Berlin
- Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff, Otto Wolff Director, DGAP
- Dr. Jörg Kukies, Former Federal Minister of Finance
- Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Ambassador
- Nico Lange, Founder and Director, IRIS (Institute for Risk Analysis and International Security)
- Nathanael Liminski, Minister for Federal, European and International Affairs, and the Media, North Rhine-Westphalia
- Jürgen-Joachim von Sandrart, Lieutenant General (Ret.), Bundeswehr
- Anna-Lena Schütte, Executive Member of the Board, German Asia-Pacific Business Association (OAV)
- Prof. Emeritus Thomas Risse, Freie Universität Berlin
- Dr. Kira Vinke, Head of the Center for Climate and Foreign Policy, DGAP
The publications and comments published by the forum reflect the views of the respective authors only. They represent neither the opinions of all the members of the core group nor those of DGAP.
Partners
The Karl Kaiser Forum welcomes partnerships. For any inquiries, please get in touch with Jan Stöckmann (stoeckmann@dgap.org). We are grateful for the generous grants of two private donors that have allowed us to start this new initiative.
