Spotlight on CEE: Responding to the U.S. Elections

Speakers

• Dr. Michael Carpenter, Managing Director, Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, and nonresident Senior Fellow, the Atlantic Council (U.S) 
• Dr. Radu Magdin, CEO, Smartlink Communications (Romania)
• Dr. Patrycja Sasnal, Head of Research, The Polish Institute of Foreign Affairs (PISM) (Poland)
• Dr. Margarita Šešelgytė, Director, Vilnius University's International Relations and Political Science Institute (Lithuania)

Moderator

• Michał Baranowski, Director, the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), Warsaw Office 
• Alina Inayeh, Director, Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation, the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), Bucharest Office

Joined by:

• Andreas Kaju, Partner, Meta Advisory Group (Estonia)
• Dr. Krassimir Kanev, Director, the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (Bulgaria)
• Olevs Nikers, Director of the Baltic Sea Security Initiative (Latvia)
• Dr. Márton Ugrósdy, Director, the Hungarian Institute of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Hungary)

The outcome of the U.S. presidential election will have ramifications around the globe, as the world awaits in uncertainty to see what will happen to the U.S. domestic and foreign policy after November 3rd. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe are no exception as the U.S. remains a key player in the region in fields such as security, technology, and democratic development. Yet, while this decisive and divisive U.S. presidential election campaign is at the center of international attention, significantly less consideration has been paid to the Central and Eastern European perspectives on this election. Meanwhile, the region is facing turbulent times, trying to cope with the COVID-19 health crisis and its unprecedented economic fallout, while facing political challenges at home and geopolitical turmoil in the neighborhood.

The countries of Central and Eastern Europe therefore each have their own challenges and expectations leading up to the U.S. election. But how do the societies in Central and Eastern Europe perceive the role of the U.S. in the region? And how will the election outcome affect the varying national interests? In other words, how would the second Trump term or Biden presidency affect each country in Central and Eastern Europe? To provide insights on this timely and crucial discussion, Spotlight on CEE will host representatives from the B9 countries (Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Romania) to discuss the Central and Eastern European perspectives on the upcoming U.S. presidential election. 

If you have any questions, please contact Monika Bičkauskaitė at [email protected].