Common Ground Berlin

How are Germans responding to inflation? Do cheap transit tickets make up for it? And what should we make of President Joe Biden’s handshake diplomacy in the Middle East? Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson asks her guests to weigh in on these and other issues at Podfest Berlin 2022 . Joining her for a chat and libation are:  Agence France-Presse Correspondent Deborah Cole , Comedian Carmen Chraim and Pod...

In this “Transatlantic Takeaway” episode, hosts Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Rachel Tausendfreund debate the growing problems with plane, train, car and bike travel in Germany and beyond and government attempts to fix them.  Their guests:  Dirk von Schneidemesser of Changing Cities, an initiative specializing in democratic sustainability transformation. Katja Diehl,  host of the podcast: “She Drives...

It’s been 18 months since Donald Trump left office, but with one global crisis after another, the relationship between the United States and Germany has not had time to rebound. But does it matter? Is Germany squandering an opportunity to set its own international agenda? Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson discusses the state of German-U.S. relations in these precarious times with: Jeremy Shapiro , resea...

Any day now, the Supreme Court of the United States will almost certainly overturn the landmark ruling known as Roe v. Wade. That will make it harder – if not impossible – for women to get abortions in dozens of states. But in Germany, the new government is headed in the opposite direction, trying (to a point) to ease access for women to abortion services. Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson talks about t...

In this “Transatlantic Takeaway” episode, hosts Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Rachel Tausendfreund delve into scenarios to end Russian President Vladmir Putin’s war on Ukraine and how the conflict is changing the global order. Their guests are: Michal Baranowski, senior fellow and director of the GMF office in Warsaw . Gesine Dornblueth , co-author of “Ruhmlose Helden,” a book on a plane crash that c...

Handy. Public Viewing. Home Office. Boostern – It’s hard sometimes to tell German from English. But is the incorporation of English into German a bad thing? Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson discusses the impact of the resulting hybrid called Denglish with Anatol Stefanowitsch, an English linguistics professor at the Free University of Berlin and Oliver Baer of the Verein Deutsche Sprache or German Lang...

In this special episode, guest host Abigail Megginson examines the widespread use of American Indian imagery in German culture since the 18th century. But is it flattery or racism? Her guests are Renae Watchman, co-author of “Indianthusiasm,” which examines indigenous people’s responses to the German obsession with American Indians, and Florian Schleburg, chair of the Karl May Gesellschaft, a grou...

On April 20 – a date associated with marijuana – we hosted a spirited debate on Twitter Space about Germany’s controversial proposal to make personal cannabis use legal for adults. Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson moderated the talk with Steffen Geyer , legalization activist and longtime head of the annual “Hanfparade” or hemp parade in Berlin; Joa Helms , CEO of Green House Amsterdam coffee shops and...

In this “Transatlantic Takeaway” episode, hosts Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Rachel Tausendfreund dissect sweeping new EU digital laws and their impact on large tech companies, start-ups and users with guests: Constance Chucholowski , founder and managing director at Candid Public Affairs; Travis Todd , co-founder of Silicon Allee; and Julia Trehu , program manager and Fellow with the German Marshal...

The Russian war in Ukraine has led to millions of Ukrainians fleeing, many of them to the West. How are Germany and its neighbors handling the new refugee surge? And what does it mean for others escaping war, terrorism and persecution who come to the EU? Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson discusses the crisis with Wiebke Judith , legal policy advisor for the refugee group, Pro-Asyl; Julia Chenusha , depu...

Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley and Joanna Kakissis, and Ukrainian journalist Katerina Malofeyeva discuss their experiences reporting on the Russian war in Ukraine and how women journalists redefine the way conflicts are covered. Recorded on Twitter Spaces on March 22, 2022. This show was produced by Dina Elsayed and Stefano Montali. 

Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson @sorayanelson will be talking with fellow war correspondents Eleanor Beardsley @ElBeardsley, Joanna Kakissis @joannakakissis and Katya Malofeyeva @KatyaMalofeyeva on Twitter about our experiences reporting on the Russian war in Ukraine and how women journalists are reshaping the way combat is covered. Join this important conversation on Twitter by following @cgberilnpod...

A watershed speech by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in late February that cast off Germany’s long-standing, military-averse policies is lauded by NATO and the United States. But can Germany enhance its armed forces quickly enough to protect Europe against Russia? And what does this sea change mean for a proposed European army? Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson explores the new German tack and its ramifications...

Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson talks about the future of vaccines, social restrictions and Vladmir Putin’s impact on the pandemic with Korinna Hennig, science editor and co-host of German public broadcaster NDR’s weekly podcast “The Coronavirus Update” and molecular Kai Kupferschmidt in Berlin who writes for the magazine, Science. This show was produced by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Abigail Megginson...

Blame it on Omicron, Vladimir Putin and Europe’s biggest war in decades, but the global economy is in a weaker position this year than anyone expected. So what exactly is the impact the pandemic and Ukraine crisis are having on businesses and consumers in Germany and the United States? And are key economic players doing enough to keep it from getting worse? On the day Putin invaded Ukraine, hosts...

Chancellor Angela Merkel defined politics in Germany for a generation and with her gone, younger German politicians have a rare opportunity to reshape the governance of their country and address key topics facing it.  This episode features excerpts of a virtual town hall Common Ground co-hosted with our partner, the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson talks with...

Afghanistan’s former education minister, a female activist who climbs mountains and a German foundation director dissect the Taliban’s impact on the Central Asian country on the semi-anniversary of its return to power. Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson speaks with guests:  Ellinor Zeino, Southwest Asia regional program director at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Rangina Hamidi, Afghanistan’s former educ...

Why is a Nazi resistance fighter big in Brazil and unheard of in Germany? How did an African American bass-baritone artist become a national hero in the former GDR? Does Onkel Toms Huette refer to a German man and his cabins or the protagonist of a controversial American 19th-century novel? Senior Producer Dina Elsayed explores the fascinating stories behind Berlin’s unusual street names in this s...

Russia appears ready to invade Ukraine, with the recent deployment of roughly 100,000 Russian troops along their mutual border.  In this episode of Transatlantic Takeaway -- a monthly collaboration between Common Ground and the German Marshall Fund of the United States -- Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and her guests discuss the ongoing crisis and its impact on the EU, the United States and Moscow. O...

Our collaboration with the Goethe Institute that shatters the stereotype of the unfunny German – Or does it? Laugh at and learn about German humor with host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and her guest comedians Carmen Chraim, Christian Schulte-Loh and Daniel Stern as well as German Institute for Humor founder Eva Ullmann and Nicola McLelland, a German professor and linguistics expert at the University of...

On the inaugural episode of Transatlantic Takeaway -- a monthly collaboration between Common Ground and the German Marshall Fund of the United States -- Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson explores what German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the French taking over the EU presidency will mean for the European bloc and the United States. Her guests:  Rachel Tausendfreund, GMF editorial director in Berlin and hos...

How will Germans respond to beer getting more expensive? What will the outcome of the ongoing coalition talks mean for younger Germans? How do Americans perceive the legacy of Angela Merkel? And is Joe Biden a hit or a miss in Germany? Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and her guests delve into these issues and more on this special episode of Common Ground, which was the opening event of Podfest Berlin...