Across the Pond — Episode 4

“Democracies under pressure, polarized societies, lost trust: what can Berlin and Washington learn from one another?” Nov 06, 2026 Spotify

What happens when political polarization crosses the Atlantic – and can democracy be strengthened from the ground up?
In this fourth episode of Across the Pond, presenters Verena Kahl and Dan Krause welcome FOTAR fellows Ben Speggen and Jonathan Lehrer to explore the growing political divides in Germany and the United States, the erosion of transatlantic trust, and the lessons both democracies can learn from each other.
Together, they look past political headlines to talk about:
 

  • Why Germans and Americans currently view transatlantic relations so differently,
  • What parallels exist and what Germany can learn from the rise of the MAGA movement in the US,
  • How economic insecurity and political nostalgia shape voting behavior, and
  • Why local engagement, civic dialogue and education offer hope for democratic renewal.

 

 Key Topics in this Episode:
 

  • A Transatlantic Trust Crisis: Why German confidence in the US has plummeted while Americans remain comparatively optimistic about the relationship – and what this growing perception gap reveals about Europe's dependence on Washington.
  • Lessons from the American Political Divide: What Germany's political center and conservative parties can learn from the rise of MAGA, the struggles of US Democrats to connect with working-class voters, and the growing appeal of populist movements on both sides of the Atlantic.
  • Erie, Pennsylvania – A Mirror of America: How a former industrial region that swung from Obama to Trump, Biden, and back to Trump, reveals the political power of economic insecurity, the search for opportunity, and nostalgia for a supposedly better past.
  • Democracy Beyond the Ballot Box: Why civic dialogue, community-based institutions, and transatlantic networks like the Heartlands Transformation Network are essential for overcoming polarization – and how the Jefferson Educational Society's Civic Leadership Academy empowers a new generation of democratic changemakers.
  • Berlin's New Foreign Policy Reality: How Trump's second term is reshaping Germany's defense priorities, domestic spending, and diplomatic strategy – and why deeper partnerships with emerging middle powers such as India, Brazil, and South Africa could help Europe navigate an increasingly unpredictable world.
  • The Transatlantic Treasures: A photograph of a coal miner, an Abraham Lincoln bust carved from coal, and a simple packet of butter – unexpected symbols of economic transformation, democratic history, and the everyday consequences of political decisions.
    If democracy is increasingly challenged from within, can Germany and the US learn from each other's mistakes – and might the future of the transatlantic partnership depend less on political leaders than on the people and communities keeping democracy alive?

 

Meet the Guests & Hosts
 

  • Ben Speggen is Vice President of the Jefferson Educational Society, a nonpartisan think tank based in Erie, Pennsylvania, dedicated to civic education, public dialogue, and community engagement. He is also co-founder and editor of the Erie Reader, an independent regional newspaper established in 2011. His work focuses on local politics, grassroots initiatives, and the challenges and opportunities facing America's changing industrial communities.
  • Jonathan Lehrer is Program Manager for International Affairs at the Körber-Stiftung, where he works on the Körber Emerging Middle Powers Initiative and serves as editor of The Berlin Pulse, the foundation's annual foreign policy publication. His professional background includes experience at the German Federal Foreign Office, the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), and the German Bundestag.
  • Dan Krause is the Program Director for Europe and International Politics at the Bundeskanzler-Helmut-Schmidt-Stiftung (BKHS) in Hamburg.
  • Verena Kahl is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hamburg specializing in international law, human rights, and climate justice.

 Resources & Shownotes
 

  • Project Context: Learn more about the underlying initiative on the official FOTAR 2026 Project Page.
  • Transatlantic Public Opinion: Explore The Berlin Pulse, the Körber-Stiftung's annual foreign policy publication, and discover how German attitudes toward the US, international security, and global partnerships are changing.
  • Democracy at the Local Level: Discover the work of the Jefferson Educational Society in Erie, Pennsylvania, and how its nonpartisan approach to civic education and public dialogue creates spaces for people with different political perspectives to engage.
  • Understanding Political Polarization: Read Robert D. Putnam's Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, a landmark study of declining social capital, civic participation, and the erosion of community ties in the United States.
  • History, Nostalgia & Democracy: Take a closer look at Erie County, Pennsylvania, and its changing voting patterns in recent US presidential elections – a revealing case study of how economic transformation, political identity, and competing visions of the future shape American democracy.