BSF Closing Event – How the World is Changing

BSF has the pleasure of closing its program with Mr. Christoph Heusgen, who served as German Ambassador to the United Nations in New York from 2017 to 2021, was Under-Secretary for Foreign and Security Policy in the German Chancellery from 2005 to 2017, and Angela Merkel’s foreign policy and security adviser.

He will be joined in conversation by Mr. Ivan Vejvoda, a dear friend of the BSF, and as of September 2021, Acting Rector of the Institute for Human Sciences. Mr. Vejvoda is also head of the Europe’s Futures program at the Institute.

We were inspired to invite Mr. Heusgen to close this year’s BSF after reading his interview in Der Spiegel: “I Have Eliminated ‘the West’ from My Vocabulary”. We suggest you read it too.

Discussion points:

• How to preserve norm- and value based international system?
• Is the center of gravity shifting to the East, once again?
• Are norms being cancelled by power?
• What will Germany do now, following the formation of the new government?
• Will it find a partner in France and is how is the Franco-German relationship going to evolve from here?