The 2017 Henry A. Kissinger Prize

News
The 2017 Henry A. Kissinger Prize

The 2017 Henry A. Kissinger Prize

On the evening of June 20, 2017, the trustees of the American Academy in Berlin awarded the 2017 Henry A. Kissinger Prize to Germany’s Federal Minister of Finance, Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble. The laudation for Dr.Schäuble was delivered by former US Secretary of Treasury Lawrence H. Summers.

The prize, which is awarded annually to a renowned figure in the field of international diplomacy, recognizes Dr. Schäuble for his decisive role in fostering transatlantic dialogue, in shaping an increasingly integrated Europe, and in effectively responding to current global challenges. It honors his enduring political engagement, which has significantly shaped Germany in its unification, advanced the European idea, and promoted the European-American partnership.

The Henry A. Kissinger Prize has been awarded annually since 2007. It was established to honor a Founding Chairman of the Academy, former US Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger, whose initiatives to create and sustain a stable East-West relationship helped to lay the foundation for change in Europe, the end of the Cold War, and the unification of Germany. Previous recipients of the prize are former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt; 41st President of the United States George H.W. Bush; former President of the Federal Republic of Germany Richard von Weizsäcker; New York Mayor and philanthropist Michael R. Bloomberg; former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl; former US Secretary of State George P. Shultz; founder of the Munich Security Conference Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist; former US Secretary of State James A. Baker, III; former President of Italy  Giorgio Napolitano and former Federal Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor of Germany Hans-Dietrich Genscher; and former US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power.

Photo: Annette Hornischer

Henry A. Kissinger and Academy chairman Gahl Hodges Burt. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Germany bureau chief of Bloomberg News Chad Thomas interviews Lawrence H. Summers before his laudation at the 2017 Henry A. Kissinger Prize. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Lawrence H. Summers, Lothar von Maltzahn, Marianne von Weizsäcker, Friede Springer, and Henry Kissinger. Photo: Annette Hornischer.
Bernd Schultz of Villa Grisebach shaking hands with Richard Gaul, a senior counselor of the American Academy. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Minister of Food and Agriculture Christian Schmidt speaks with Stephen Krasner of Stanford University and trustee Josef Joffe, editor-publisher of Die Zeit. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Minister of Finance Wolfgang Schäuble speaks with guests in the Academy library. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Hermann Scholl, an honoring chairman of Bosch, shakes hands with Minister Wolfgang Schäuble. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Henry Kissinger speaks with Minister Christian Schmidt. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Wolfgang Schäuble and Henry Kissinger speaking at a dinner in honor of Minister Schäuble. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Chairman of the Academy Gahl Hodges Burt gives a toast in honor of Wolfgang Schäuble. Photo: Annette Hornischer
A toast at the dinner honoring Wolfgang Schäuble. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Academy president Michael P. Steinberg, Friede Springer, and Wolfgang Schäuble. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Nicola Brüning, the head of the German representative office of BMW, and Jens Odewald, chairman of the general assembly of Odewald & Campagnie
William Drozdiak, senior advisor for Europe at McLarty Associates. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Henry Kissinger, Lawrence Summers, Wolfgang Schäuble, and Ingeborg Schäuble. Photo: Annette Hornischer
The Polyphony String Quartet. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Henry Kissinger delivers opening remarks at the 2017 Henry A. Kissinger Prize. Photo: Annette Hornischer
The first-row audience at the 2017 Henry A. Kissinger Prize. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Lawrence H. Summers congratulates Wolfgang Schäuble. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Minister Schäuble listens to the reading of the citation for the 2017 Henry A. Kissinger Prize. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Academy chairman Gahl Hodges Burt reads the citation for Minister Schäuble. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Minister Wolfgang Schäuble delivers remarks at the 2017 Henry A. Kissinger Prize. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Minister Wolfgang Schäuble delivers remarks at the 2017 Henry A. Kissinger Prize. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Minister Wolfgang Schäuble delivers remarks at the 2017 Henry A. Kissinger Prize. Photo: Annette Hornischer
American Academy president Michael P. Steinberg delivers words of welcome at the 2017 Henry A. Kissinger Prize. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Lawrence H. Summers delivers the laudation for Minister Schäuble at the 2017 Henry A. Kissinger Prize. Photo: Annette Hornischer
Wolfang Schäuble and Henry Kissinger. Photo: Annette Hornischer.
Wolfgang Schäuble, Academy COO Christian Diehl, Juliane Schäuble, head of politics at Der Tagesspiegel, and Ingeborg Schäuble. Photo: Annette Hornischer

RELATED
Fall2018program

The Fall 2018 Program

As the fellowship program of the American Academy in Berlin celebrates its twentieth anniversary, our…

Lothar And Nina Von Maltzahn, Volker Schlöndorff, Al Gore, John Kornblum. Photo: Ralph K. Penno

Al Gore at the American Academy

On August 7, former US Vice President Al Gore visited the American Academy, on the occasion of his new film, An Inconvenient Sequel.
Image: Farhad Moshiri

The Fall 2019 Program

The fall 2019 program begins in mid-September and features a wide array of engaging topics. Download the PDF.
Spring2020program2

The Spring 2020 Program

The spring 2020 program offers a wide-ranging selection of free public lectures and readings at the Hans Arnhold Center, in Berlin, and in several other German cities.
RCH Tallin Opener

The Holbrooke Forum in Estonia

From November 5-7, 2017, in cooperation with the Tallinn-based International Centre for Security and Defence (ICDS), the Richard C. Holbrooke Forum held a seminar in Tallinn, Estonia, as part of its Digital Diplomacy Project.
BJ32news

Berlin Journal 32

The Berlin Journal offers an eclectic range of essays by the American Academy in Berlin's residential fellows and Distinguished Visitors.
Photo: Lauren Kallen

The 2017 Gala at The Met

On November 28, the American Academy in Berlin held a fundraising gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City to support its work in forging transatlantic relationships in the arts, humanities, and public policy.
Erivan And Helga Haub

Remembering Erivan Haub (1932-2018)

The American Academy in Berlin mourns the loss of businessman Erivan Haub. Our thoughts are with his extended family, particularly his wife, Helga Haub, a dedicated former Academy trustee and donor, and an abiding supporter of the transatlantic relationship.
Marion Ackermann, Director General Of The Dresden State Art Collections, Delivers Welcoming Remarks. Photo: Ralph K. Penno

Welcoming the Fall 2019 Fellows

Academy supporters, friends, and colleagues gathered at the lakeside Hans Arnhold Center to welcome the fall 2019 class of fellows.
Winter2019programteaser

The Winter 2019 Program

Download the winter 2019 program of lectures and discussions by resident fellows and Distinguished Visitors.
Winter2018programteaser

The Winter 2018 Program

The winter 2018 program, featuring lectures, artist talks, and discussions on topics of transatlantic importance by Academy fellows and Distinguished Visitors of the spring 2018 class.
Spring2017ProgramFront 1

The Spring 2017 Program

The spring 2017 public program includes lectures on the self-contained nuclear "plutopias" of the Cold War,…

McCarthy Intro

New President of the American Academy in Berlin: Terry McCarthy

The trustees of the American Academy in Berlin appointed Terry McCarthy as the institution’s next president on September 1, 2018. McCarthy, a prize-winning foreign correspondent, previously served as president and CEO of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.
Midtermmap

The US Midterm Elections

National security expert Julie Smith, an Academy alumna and former adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, on the results of the midterm elections.
Gayatri Spivak. Photo: Ralph K. Penno

Gayatri Spivak at the American Academy

Columbia University professor Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak was the 2017 Richard von Weizsäcker Distinguished Visitor at the Academy, where she delivered an October 17 talk on the great African American intellectual W.E.B. Du Bois.
Back To Top