The German Marshall Fund held the third annual Bundestag Forum on the United States in Berlin, May 27–28, 2004, six months before the U.S. presidential election.  The Forum provides an important opportunity for a diverse group of first-rate U.S. thinkers to debate American politics in Berlin.  This year’s topic, “Is the Transatlantic Rift Over? The U.S. Perspective in 2004 and Beyond,” focused on the future of transatlantic relations.  It featured lively discussion among a diverse group of roughly 150 parliamentarians, opinion leaders, and decision makers from the United States and Germany.

GMF co-chairman Guido Goldman and Deutsche Bank Managing Director Hanns-Michael Hölz served as the Forum’s hosts and moderators.  Ronald D. Asmus, senior transatlantic fellow at GMF, opened the Forum with a dinner address on how U.S. foreign policy would change if John F. Kerry were to be elected.  The second day of the Forum kicked off with a presentation by Bill Kristol, chairman of the Project for the New American Century and editor of the influential Washington-based political magazine The Weekly Standard, called “A Conservative Perspective on the Transatlantic Partnership.” John C. Hulsman, research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, and G. John Ikenberry, Peter F. Krogh Professor of Geopolitics and Global Justice at Georgetown University, followed with a discussion on U.S. multilateralism.  The Forum concluded with a presentation by John F. Harris, political correspondent at The Washington Post, on “Who Will Win? Trends in the U.S. Presidential Race,” followed by a debate during lunch. 

Deutsche Bank AG sponsored the Bundestag Forum for the third year in a row, with additional financial and logistical support provided by the German-American Parliamentary Group, the Foreign Relations Committee of the German Bundestag, and the International Relations Division of the German Bundestag. The fourth Bundestag Forum on the United States will be held in Berlin June 2–3, 2005.