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    Key Visual Conference
    WZB / Ines Meyer
    Wednesday, 8 October 2025

    Democracy at Stake: A Conversation Across the Atlantic

    Public Dialogue at Akademie der Künste between Beto O’Rourke and Franziska Brantner, moderated by Anna Sauerbrey

     

    Join us for a public dialogue titled “Democracy at Stake: A Conversation Across the Atlantic” exploring the challenges facing democracy today on both sides of the Atlantic. The event will take place on October 8, 2025, at 7:30 pm at Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz. This public dialogue will open the 1st Annual Interdisciplinary WZB Conference.

    This event features two influential politicians from Germany and USA: Franziska Brantner, Chairwoman of Germany’s Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, and Beto O’Rourke, a charismatic Democratic leader known for his 2020 presidential campaign.

    Franziska Brantner has been a member of the German Bundestag since 2013 and currently serves as the federal chairwoman of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen. Born near the French border, she is a committed European with extensive expertise in European and foreign policy. Her career includes service in the European Parliament and her role as Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. Her studies in the United States have greatly enriched her transatlantic expertise and global perspective.

    Beto O’Rourke is a fourth-generation Texan, born and raised in El Paso where he has served as a small business owner, a City council representative and a member of Congress. He leads Powered by People, a volunteer-driven organization focused on expanding democracy and registering Texans to vote. He has gained recognition as an engaging candidate during the 2020 U.S. presidential elections and is known as a moderately progressive politician who especially connects with and mobilizes young voters. Beto O’Rourke is currently being considered as a challenger for a Texas seat in the U.S. Senate. He and his wife Amy O’Rourke are raising their three children in El Paso. On the evening, he will share his insights on the state of U.S. democracy and his personal experience navigating the spotlight in a deeply polarized political environment.

    Anna Sauerbrey, Foreign Editor of Die ZEIT, will moderate the dialogue.

    The event will be followed by a reception, offering a splendid view of the Brandenburg Gate.