New Infographic | Strength in Numbers
Multilateral organizations play a huge role in the Indo-Pacific. But what are those organizations, and what members do they include?
Highlights
New Episode | Out of Darkness: Transforming Public Spaces in Barcelona
Following the death of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, Spain began the transformation from authoritarianism to thriving member of the democratic family of nations. Cities and public spaces became key drivers in shaping a vibrant, creative nation that learned from its past to build a...
Transatlantic Barometer | New Indicator: Transatlantic Trade
The Transatlantic Barometer explores critical aspects of the transatlantic trade relationship for each of its 30 featured countries and the European Union. The indicator builds on trade figures from the American Chambers of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis and U.S. Census Bureau, as well as...
New Publication | Lithium Rising: The Race for Critical Minerals
Journey to the frontlines of the 21st-century resource scramble—from Bolivian salt flats to Congolese cobalt mines—uncover how lithium, cobalt, and nickel have become central to clean energy, national security, and economic power. This is more than a policy report—it's a vivid, human-centered...
New Episode | Blueprint in the Bluegrass
In this episode of the Democracies in Cities series, five elements of civic health are explored: education, the public realm, local news and reporting, convening and bridging, and civic transformation. Follow the work of the Lexington NGO CivicLex, which has pioneered this comprehensive approach to...
Latest Issue | Transponder: The Future
The seventh issue of Transponder Magazine explores the critical choices shaping the future of our world, from the geopolitics of space and the race for rare earth minerals to the rise of AI and its societal impact. The challenges and opportunities ahead are vast. The future is in our hands—how will...
Thematic Areas
Democracy
Democratic decline in the U.S. and Europe is weakening the transatlantic relationship and undermining its influence around the world. America and its European allies need to recalibrate their values and practices at home in order to serve as beacons to aspiring democracies abroad. But disruptions to our democratic traditions keep emerging: from new technologies changing the way we communicate and work to pandemics and economic shocks. Our work analyzes how these disruptions are playing out, and it will be up to civil society, lawmakers, and the people to prepare our democracies for the future.
Learn More
Politics & Society
As crises and trade disputes escalate, accompanied by the ascendancy of populist movements and fraying international alliances, a notable geopolitical shift is underway, causing a growing divergence between the United States and its European counterparts. We closely monitor the evolving dynamics of the transatlantic relationship, analyzing how political landscapes and societal responses on both sides of the Atlantic are adapting to the complex global challenges of the 21st century. Our analysis, web-based tools, crowd-sourced forecasting and multimedia content from short explainer videos to full-length documentaries bring these challenges to the fore, conveying both the personal impact and the broader geopolitical implications of the forces shaping transatlantic politics and societies.
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Future Leadership
Leaders around the world have been forced to grapple with a series of unfamiliar threats to domestic and international stability. From the COVID-19 pandemic to right-wing populism and escalating state-sponsored and rogue cyberattacks, the need for effective leadership at this moment is critical. This can only be achieved through international exchange, idea-sharing, and learning from prior successes and failures of transatlantic leadership. Through research, polling, and our transatlantic legislative exchange program, the Bertelsmann Foundation Fellowship (BFF), we seek to foster stronger transatlantic ties through a deeper mutual understanding.
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Digital World
Around the world, humanity navigates a digital revolution that’s upending life as we know it. And while the United States and Europe are the nexus of the world's data flows and digital trade for now, the rest of the world is expanding digital output exponentially. It’s now more essential than ever that the conversation about these changes be inclusive. A successful transition to a digital world requires input from all sectors of society. Through analysis, data visualization, and documentary storytelling, we bring you inside the issues shaping today's global digital economy and society.
Learn MoreUpdates
Politics & Society
United in Division
Perspectives on 35 Years of German Reunification
Germany celebrates 35 years of unity on October 3, 2025, following 41 years of division as the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). In the last three decades, substantial progress has been made to foster German unity culturally, economically...
Democracy
Demonstrations, Democracy and Dreams Deferred
35 Years of Reunification in Thuringia
October 7, 1989 marked 40 years of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), or East Germany, a repressive Communist state that divided post-war Germany politically, economically, socially and culturally.
Democracy
Accounting for Autocracy
Rule of Law in the Next EU Budget
The price of democratic backsliding may soon rise.
Democracy
Tokyo Drifting?
Japan Debates an Uncertain Future
2025 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for Japan.
Politics & Society
Atoms and Ambitions
How the United States and the United Kingdom are Reimagining Civil Nuclear Energy
The U.S. and U.K. are reigniting their nuclear ambitions with bold new policies.
Politics & Society
Kids Fighting in the Park
Merz, Trump, and the Specter of Musk
When German Chancellor Friedrich Merz came to Washington on June 5 for his long-awaited meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, it was unclear what he would encounter.
Politics & Society
Swing State? Belgium’s Arizona Coalition Walks a Tightrope
Belgium’s June 2024 federal elections yielded a surprising second-place finish for the far-right Vlaams Belang (VB) party.
Politics & Society
Roadblocks at Home, Full Speed Abroad
Friedrich Merz’s First 48 Hours
On the morning of May 6, Friedrich Merz prepared for the formality of being elected Germany’s 11th postwar chancellor.
Politics & Society
An American in Berlin
Why the U.S. Needs an Ambassador to Germany
The United States and Germany have long shared many important ties.
Democracy
Pianissimo:
Brussels’ Silence on Italy’s Democratic Decline
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, once heralded as a danger to EU cohesion, has become Brussels’ favored bridge-builder.
Democracy
The Third Way
New Caledonia and French Strategy in the Indo-Pacific
In May 2024, tensions in New Caledonia reached a breaking point.
Democracy
Macron’s Millennial Minister: Winning Over the Next Generation
French President Emmanuel Macron had to shake things up. His government was unable to secure parliamentary majorities for two hot-button issues, pension reform and immigration, each a major setback. “La Macronie”, as the French have nicknamed his political brand, now finds itself at a difficult...
Digital World
Where Online Meets Offline
Social Media's Double-edged Sword
Young people have grown up alongside social media platforms and many have never known a world without them. Teens and young adults are often very intentional about what they post on social media and how they present themselves on each platform. Social media allows users to carefully curate content...
Digital World
Democracy Needs Tech Support
Technological development offers seemingly endless benefits and convenience. Internet connectivity was critical for personal and professional interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, and, more broadly, everyday emerging technology is saving lives, whether from 3D printed organs or automatic brakes...
Digital World
E-Stonia Rewired
A Nation Transformed from Cyberattack Victim to Cybersecurity Leader
In April 2007, the Estonian government approved a controversial plan to relocate a statue from the center of its capital, Tallinn. Soviet authorities had unveiled the monument, a life-sized World War II Russian soldier with a clenched right fist and a bowed head, 60 years earlier, after their forces...
Digital World
Growing Audiences and Influence: Russian Media in Latin America
Russia’s first move against Ukraine on February 24 was not the full-scale military invasion covered in the news. Several hours before its troops crossed the border, Moscow launched a round of destructive cyberattacks aimed at weakening Ukraine’s digital infrastructure. These cyberattacks were...
Digital World
The U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) In Detail
During the TTC’s inaugural meeting in Pittsburgh on September 29, U.S. and EU leaders identified five issue areas that the various working groups will focus on until their next meeting in spring of 2022. To learn more about the structure of the TTC and its working groups, read The U.S.-EU Trade and...
Digital World
Our Post Pandemic Future of Work Part 2 of 2
Policy Approaches for a Contested World
To many, the future of work is a question of technology and its impact on jobs, workers, the economy, and work itself. This way of looking at it has resulted in policy solutions focusing on workers and what they can do to prepare for the inevitability of technological disruption.
Politics & Society
How German Elections Work
Politics & Society
Zeitenwende: The Next Era of German Security
Politics & Society
The European Energy Crisis Explained
Politics & Society
Stronger Than Hate: A story of resilience and humanity in a violent world
Politics & Society
How Relevant is NATO to Transatlantic Security and Defense?
Democracy
The Boogaloo Ballad Of Henry Graves
Disinformation and Online Radicalization in the Age of COVID-19
Digital World
Putting Villa 31 on the Map: Bridging the Digital Divide
How Villa 31 in Buenos Aires Was Mapped
Digital World
Future of Work | Weinheim
Germany's Educational System Prepares for the Future of Work
Digital World
Infographic: Cybersecurity
Digital World
Which Countries are Regulating AI?
Politics & Society
How Important is NATO?
Politics & Society
The French Presidential Election: Who's in the Running?
Democracy
American Democracy on Unstable Ground
Digital World
The Post-Pandemic Future of Work
Politics & Society
TikTok's Mixed Signals
Digital World
Profiting in the Age of COVID-19
Digital World
E-Commerce vs. Digital Trade
Democracy
The Many Shades of Democracy
Democracy
Fresco or Fiasco
Democracy
Season 5, Episode 15 | Jacob Heilbrunn
In conversation with Andrew Keen, the American journalist Jacob Heilbrunn, outlines the continuous history of the close association of conservative views and the Republican Party in the early to Mid-Twentieth Century. He describes the party's support of strong anti-immigrant racial differences in...
Democracy
Season 5, Episode 14 | James Kirchick
For this episode, host Andrew Keen sits down with James Kirchick journalist and author of the New York Times bestseller Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington. They discuss the historical exclusion of gay individuals within American democracy, with a particular emphasis on the...
Podcasts
Partner, Competitor, or Rival: The Transatlantic Relationship with China - 6
This sixth and final episode of Wisdom of the Crowd is all about China. From the race to define the use of Artificial Intelligence, to securing critical materials around the globe, the issues on the horizon are both new and daunting. There has been a long debate about whether China is a partner,...
Podcasts
A Trillion Dollar Partnership: The Future of the Transatlantic Economy - 5
In this fifth episode of Wisdom of the Crowd we explore the intricate trade and economic relationship between the United States and Europe. Within this trillion-dollar partnership lies a complex history of agreements, conflicts, and transformative shifts that have altered its course throughout the...
Podcasts
Episode 6 | The Near Future of Transatlantic Relations
Last episode I spoke with guests about how younger generations will shape the transatlantic relationship in years to come, this time we take a look just down the road ahead. In the European Union, Spain took over the presidency of the Council of the EU through the end of this year, and in 2024, both...
Podcasts
Episode 5 | Transatlantic Generational Divide
How the transatlantic relationship looks in the future depends in large part on the younger generations who will inherit it. Millennials and Gen Z already exert their political influence through voting—and in some cases as legislators or even heads of government—but for the most part the...
BFNA Docs Highlights
Out of the Darkness
Transforming Public Spaces in Barcelona (2025, 19 minutes)
Out of the Darkness follows the transformation of Barcelona’s once-oppressive sites into vibrant centers of civic participation and democratic renewal
Blueprint in the Bluegrass
Civic Health in Lexington (2025, 20 minutes)
Blueprint in the Bluegrass follows CivicLex in Lexington, Kentucky, as it revitalizes civic life through education, public space, local news, community bridging, and democratic transformation.
Still Here
Preserving Native American Communities in Minneapolis (2024, 22 Minutes)
In Minneapolis, one of the largest urban Native American communities in the U.S. fights to preserve its languages, cultures, and histories while building civic power through grassroots organizations.
Rising Voices
(2024, 21 minutes)
In Vienna, Rising Voices follows young students partnering with city leaders to shape their neighborhoods, showing how even five-year-olds can spark lasting democratic change.