Anchorman Jim Clancy at the Hans Arnhold Center

A dinner in honor of Jim Clancy, anchorman for CNN International and host of "The Brief," was held at the American Academy in Berlin on May 23 in preparation for CNN's joint coverage with RTL, NTV, Die Welt, the American Academy in Berlin, and Bertelsmann of the 2012 US Presidential Election, in November. Attending the dinner were Academy chairman A. Michael Hoffman, who welcomed Clancy to his first Academy visit, executive director Gary Smith, N-TV nchorwoman Isabelle Körner, and Clemens Wergin, chief foreign policy editor of Die Welt, in addition to several high-level guests from the transatlantic community, media, and the German Bundestag.

During the dinner in the Academy library, Clancy provided a fresh perspective on current US affairs, the upcoming election, and possible implications for the relations between Germany and the United States. His basic assessment was that the for the US public was that many had expected more "change" than what had been delivered, and that this will weigh on President Obama in the run-up to the fall election. Moreover, Clancy noted that the United States' current level of debt was one greatest threats to national security in the long term, but since the media drama of Congressional standoff has passed, the issue has receded into the background. He said he wanted to bring the topic back to the fore so that a reinvigorated debate could be introduced to the public sphere.

Earlier that afternoon Clancy was at the Freie Universität Berlin in discussion with professor Andreas Etge and Isabelle Körner.

Stay tuned to the American Academy in Berlin's website for more information about our joint coverage of the 2012 US Presidential election with CNN, RTL, N-TV, Die Welt, and Bertelsmann.