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BERLIN–March 28, 2025–The American Academy in Berlin has awarded the Henry A. Kissinger Prize to Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission; former Prime Minister, Republic of Estonia; Evika Siliņa, Prime Minister, Republic of Latvia; and Ingrida Šimonytė, former Prime Minister, Republic of Lithuania.

The ceremony was held at the Axica Convention Center in Berlin on the evening of Friday, March 28, 2025. The laudation was delivered by Wolfgang Ischinger, President of the Munich Security Conference Foundation Council and Trustee of the American Academy in Berlin.

The event marked the first time the prize was given to not one but three recipients, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the transatlantic relationship. It took place on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of their countries’ membership to the European Union and NATO, institutions whose developments they have influenced in remarkable ways. This is also the first Kissinger Prize following the passing of its namesake, one of the visionary founders of our institution.

Daniel Benjamin, President of the American Academy in Berlin, said: “In a time when the foundational values of the transatlantic alliance—democracy, sovereignty, and the rule of law—are under grave threat, Kaja Kallas, Evika Siliņa, and Ingrida Šimonytė have demonstrated tremendous leadership and extraordinary moral courage. Through their unwavering support for Ukraine and commitment to European unity and security, they have pointed the way for the North Atlantic community and moved their own nations to undertake enormous sacrifices. Sitting, as their nations do, on the edge of the volcano, they have been crystal clear in calling out aggression and barbarity for what it is. No one today more dramatically exemplifies the historic shared values of the transatlantic community. With admiration and gratitude, the American Academy in Berlin recognizes their heroic work to achieve a secure, democratic, and peaceful future.”

Sandra Peterson, Chairman of the American Academy in Berlin, said: “As heads of government for each of the three Baltic states, these three leaders demonstrated exceptional foresight and determination in strengthening Baltic participation within NATO, the European Union, and the broader transatlantic community. Their leadership not only fortified their nations’ integration into the European and Euro-Atlantic security framework but also ensured robust support for Ukraine at a critical juncture. In honoring them, the American Academy in Berlin recognizes the profound impact they have had on advancing collective defense, support of a free, vibrant and democratic European future, and transatlantic solidarity.”

Wolfgang Ischinger, President of the Munich Security Conference Foundation Council and Academy Trustee, said: “Honoring three outstanding female Baltic leaders with the Henry Kissinger Prize reflects both the legacy of Henry Kissinger and Richard Holbrooke, and their vision for the American Academy in Berlin. Thirty years ago, in an issue of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Holbrooke published an essay titled ‘America, a European Power,’ where he wrote: ‘In the 21st century, Europe will still need the active American involvement that has been a necessary component of the continental balance for half a century.’ In that spirit, there must be no question mark after ‘America, a European Power’—a statement made all the more meaningful by the remarkable progress of the Baltic states. Their freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity represent one of the most impressive achievements of transatlantic cooperation in recent decades, and a testament to the enduring importance of American engagement in Europe.” Read Ischinger’s laudation on the Munich Security Conference’s website. 

Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission; former Prime Minister, Republic of Estonia, said: “We have entered a new era, with uncertainties over the principles we have held dear over the past decades. Yet, in the face of these challenges, Europe can find strength in its core identity. Our values—freedom, dignity, equality, and prosperity—remain unchanged. These values are not only the foundation of who we are, but also the source of our greatest influence and global appeal.” Read Kallas’s keynote speech on the European Union’s website. 

Evika Siliņa, Prime Minister, Republic of Latvia, said: “It’s a true honor to receive this award alongside my Baltic sisters—the former Prime Ministers of Estonia and Lithuania. We share a deep commitment to European values and a strong transatlantic bond. This prize belongs to the Baltic people, who understand that resilience comes through unity. This year’s Henry Kissinger Prize also recognizes our firm support for Ukraine, proving that together, we are stronger.”

Ingrida Šimonytė, former Prime Minister, Republic of Lithuania, said in her speech: “Three decades ago, Kissinger warned that ‘NATO has come to be taken for granted as part of a landscape that needs no further tending.’ Having ignored the hint, Europe must finally take resolute action. We must contribute our long-overdue fair share to building NATO deterrence and defense capabilities in Europe and substantially increase our military aid to Ukraine to achieve a secure and lasting peace. Our best chance at succeeding in these two monumental efforts is to merge the tasks and accept Ukraine as our thirty-third ally. Article 5 is the only security guarantee with seventy-five years of proven working experience. And take it from Lithuania, any NATO member that has joined since 1997, or from Kissinger’s own example: taboos get broken, beliefs change, and what once seemed incomprehensible becomes reality. All it takes is a refusal to give up on fighting for what is right.

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The American Academy in Berlin is proud to acknowledge Airbus, Arx Robotics GmbH, Bank of America Europe DAC, Bayer AG, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Daimler Truck AG, Deutsche Bank AG, Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA, Google Deutschland GmbH, Lazard, Mastercard, Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Microsoft, Quantum-Systems GmbH, Robert Bosch GmbH, Rohde & Schwarz, Sequoia Capital, Siemens Energy AG, and STARK for their generous support of this Henry A. Kissinger Prize.

The Henry A. Kissinger Prize was established to honor the founding Chairman of the American Academy in Berlin. Previous recipients are Helmut Schmidt, George H.W. Bush, Richard von Weizsäcker, Michael R. Bloomberg, Helmut Kohl, George P. Shultz, Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist (posthumous), James A. Baker III, Giorgio Napolitano, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Samantha Power, Wolfgang Schäuble, John McCain, Angela Merkel, James N. Mattis, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Jens Stoltenberg.

 

Contact:
Kristen Allen
Press Manager
+49 (0)30 80483 252

kra@americanacademy.de

BERLIN—June 19, 2024—The American Academy in Berlin’s board of trustees elected two new members at its spring 2024 board meeting, on May 21, 2024. The Academy extends a warm welcome to Emily Haber, former German Ambassador to the United States, and Christoph Schweizer, CEO of Boston Consulting Group.

Ambassador Emily Haber is a member of Macro Advisory Partner’s Global Advisory Board. She served as German Ambassador to the United States from 2018 to 2023. A career foreign-service officer, Haber was deployed directly prior to her ambassadorial post to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, serving as State Secretary overseeing security and migration at the height of the refugee crisis in Europe. In this capacity, she worked closely with the US administration on topics ranging from the fight against international terrorism to cybersecurity.

In 2009, Haber was appointed Political Director and, in 2011, State Secretary at the Foreign Office, the first woman to hold either post. Earlier in her career, she served at the German Embassy in Ankara. In Berlin, she has served as Deputy Head of the Cabinet and Parliamentary Liaison Division, as Director of the OSCE Division, and as Deputy Director-General for the Western Balkans. Haber also worked both in the Soviet Union Division at the German Foreign Office and at the German Embassy in Moscow, where she served as Head of the Economic Affairs Section and Head of the Political Affairs Department.

Christoph Schweizer has been the CEO of Boston Consulting Group since October 2021. Prior to this role, he served as BCG’s chairman for Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East. He has also served as a member of the firm’s Executive and Operating Committees since 2014.

Schweizer is a member of several leading organizations, including the Business Roundtable and the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council. For the past four years, INvolve People recognized Schweizer as a HERoes Advocate Executive Role Model for his work with Women@BCG related to the hiring, promotion, and retention of women. Throughout his career, Schweizer has worked with clients in healthcare and private equity, and across industries in major transformational programs such as digital and post-merger integrations. He is a passionate supporter of a wide range of social impact activities, in particular those related to sustainability and combatting climate change.

Sandra Peterson, chair of the American Academy in Berlin, said: “We are delighted to welcome Ambassador Emily Haber and Christoph Schweizer to our board of trustees. Their remarkable expertise and leadership in international relations and global business will be invaluable to the Academy as we continue to foster transatlantic dialogue and collaboration.”

Over the last two years, the Academy has welcomed four other accomplished trustees: Benno Dorer, philanthropist, global consumer and retail goods executive, and former Chairman and CEO at The Clorox Company; Johannes Huth, Partner and Chairman, EMEA, at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR); Carol Kahn-Strauss, philanthropist and Former Director of the Leo Baeck Institute; and Tess Lewis, writer, translator and Academy alumna.

 

For more on our board of trustees, visit our website. Photos are available for download here (Password: AAB_Board_of_Trustees_2024).  Credit: Courtesy of American Academy in Berlin

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The American Academy in Berlin is an institution of advanced scholarship and practice in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and public policy. Its flagship program is the Berlin Prize Fellowship, a semester-long residency awarded to scholars, artists, writers, composers, and journalists from the United States. Fellows are joined each semester by a number of Distinguished Visitors and guest lecturers, all of whom participate in the Academy’s dynamic public programming and engage with their German and European counterparts. Dedicated to sustaining and enhancing the long-term intellectual, cultural, and political ties between the United States and Germany, the Academy is funded entirely through tax-deductible donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners on both sides of the Atlantic.

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Press Manager:
Kristen Allen
kra@americanacademy.de
+49 (0)30 80483 252

BERLIN—UPDATED, July 2024—The American Academy in Berlin is pleased to announce the Berlin Prize recipients for the 2024-25 academic year. The Berlin Prize is awarded annually to US-based scholars, writers, composers, and artists who represent the highest standards of excellence in their fields, from the humanities and social sciences to journalism, public policy, fiction, the visual arts, and music composition. Chosen by an independent selection committee, the 2024-25 class of fellows will pursue a wide array of scholarly and artistic projects, each summarized in the PDF press announcement below.

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New York—The American Academy in Berlin’s 25th Anniversary Gala, on April 9, 2024, offered a rare occasion to gather in celebration of three luminaries and to reavow the shared transatlantic values that they and the Academy represent.

Honorees included philanthropist and Academy trustee Marina Kellen French, who has worked tirelessly to ensure the vitality and relevance of several revered cultural institutions on both sides of the Atlantic; visual artist, Academy trustee and alumna Julie Mehretu, whose work is internationally celebrated for its handling of profound themes of revolt, migration and exile; and former Italian Prime Minister and European Central Bank President Mario Draghi, whose leadership during the global financial crisis has been justly acclaimed for helping save the Eurozone.

More than 250 guests attended the black-tie fundraising event at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Proceeds will directly support the Academy’s core programming; advance its hallmark scholarship, creativity, and transatlantic engagement; and ensure a brilliant start to the next twenty-five years.

Daniel Benjamin, president of the American Academy in Berlin, said: “Our founders ardently believed in fostering a robust alliance of democratic nations, not only through political and military collaboration, but also through the unifying forces of learning and the arts. …This conviction is stronger than ever as we navigate contemporary global challenges, witnessing a strengthening of the US-German relationship and a powerful reaffirmation of the Atlantic Alliance—in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine, now in its third year. … Amidst the formidable challenges of our time, collaboration and exchange are imperative. It is our fervent belief that through dialogue and shared inquiry, we can surmount these challenges and forge a path towards a brighter future.”

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The American Academy in Berlin is an institution of advanced scholarship and practice in the social sciences, humanities, arts, and public policy. It was founded in Berlin in 1994 just after the Cold War ended by a group of prominent Americans and Germans, among them then-US Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, statesmen Henry Kissinger and Richard von Weizsäcker, and historian Fritz Stern. Its flagship program is the Berlin Prize Fellowship, a residency awarded each year to circa 24 scholars, artists, writers, public policy experts, composers, and journalists from the United States. The Academy hosted its first class of fellows in 1998, thus we celebrate our 25^th anniversary this 2023-24 academic year. Fellows spend a semester in the Academy’s residential community at the Hans Arnhold Center, a historic villa on the Wannsee. Here, the Academy also hosts a series of events with Distinguished Visitors, who engage with German leaders and the public on issues of shared concern, including global politics, international security, economics, technology, public health, and more.

Photos are available for download here (Password: aab1998).

For more information on who took part in this event, please visit our dedicated event page.

 

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Download Fact Sheet on the Academy’s history here. 

Press Contact:
Kristen Allen, Press Manager
American Academy in Berlin
+49 (0)30 80483 252
kra@americanacademy.de

BERLIN—November 30, 2023– The American Academy in Berlin mourns the passing of founding chairman Henry A. Kissinger. We offer heartfelt condolences to his wife, Nancy, his children, David and Elizabeth, and to his extended family and innumerable friends.

The American Academy’s debt to Dr. Kissinger is profound. Present at the institution’s founding, in 1994, he was instrumental in setting the Academy’s course over the following two decades. He mentored Academy founder Richard C. Holbrooke—who made no secret of his indebtedness to the former Secretary of State—and helped bring scores of the foremost political and intellectual figures to speak at the Academy.

In gratitude for his support and in recognition of his extraordinary place in the history of the last century, the Academy created the Henry A. Kissinger Prize, which since 2007 has been awarded to an outstanding European or American figure for their contribution to the transatlantic relationship. The prize counts among its recipients Helmut Schmidt, Helmut Kohl, George H.W. Bush, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, James A. Baker, III, Angela Merkel, Samantha Power, and, most recently, on November 10, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who called Kissinger “a great man, a passionate transatlanticist, and a very skilled diplomat.”

Dr. Kissinger generously gave of his guidance, intelligence, wisdom, and unfailing humor to our young institution. He will be greatly missed.

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Reflections on Dr. Kissinger’s life from the Academy’s president, chair, and trustees

 “Dr. Kissinger’s stewardship was essential in developing this institution and honing our mission to foster strong transatlantic bonds. As our sole remaining founder, his passing marks a handover to the next generations, for whom this mission remains more crucial than ever. Amid serious threats to peace and democracy, Dr. Kissinger’s legacy will endure as we work to deepen intellectual, cultural and political understanding. He was a towering figure of the last century,” said Daniel Benjamin, president of the American Academy.

“The American Academy is deeply grateful for Dr. Kissinger’s founding vision and decades of support. Now in our twenty-fifth year, the Academy owes a great deal of its success to his efforts and influence in fortifying the transatlantic relationship, even when no one could have foreseen just how important this would become today,” said Sandra Peterson, chair of the American Academy in Berlin.

“Henry Kissinger was a towering pillar in transatlantic relationships. Able to forgive the immense pain inflicted upon his family by German antisemitism, his insatiable desire to share political and cultural values based on deep-rooted mutual understanding led him to co-found the American Academy in Berlin, certainly among the most wonderful and lasting parts of his immense legacy. His energy and his wit, his insights and his smile will be greatly missed,” said Stefan von Holtzbrinck, vice chairman of the American Academy in Berlin.

“As a founding trustee of the American Academy in Berlin, Dr. Kissinger believed in its mission of promoting German-American understanding from its conception, and helped steward and grow our organization since 1996. His active role in awarding the Academy’s annual Henry A. Kissinger Prize reflected his desire to honor the statesmanship of others. His devotion to the country of his birth, despite being driven from it by the Nazis at age 17, never left him. He cared deeply about the US-German relationship. He will be sorely missed,” said Gahl Burt, chairman emerita of the American Academy in Berlin.

“What a wonderful miracle, this outstanding life. A German Jew, expelled from Fürth in the darkest of times, becoming a great American statesman, advisor to presidents, and negotiator of peace treaties. This same person stayed close to his German roots, kept his hometown accent on purpose, and lived for the    German-American friendship and our belonging together as free civilized nations. The American Academy in Berlin could not have chosen a better person as the pilot for bringing together our nations. He will stay with us in beloved memory,” said Dirk Ippen, trustee of the American Academy in Berlin.

“When the Academy was started by Holbrooke and my grandfather, Stephen Kellen, I remember how excited they both were to have Kissinger’s strong support and backing. Not only for Henry’s prestige value in helping grow the Academy into its success, but also the personal friendship that Henry had with Richard, and the personal connection that Henry had with my grandfather. In the later years, the roles seemed to reverse as the Academy was the platform through which Henry re-examined his own personal relationship with Germany, and maybe even rediscovered and redefined what it meant, as a successful American, to also be German. I had the privilege of working with Henry on the board of the Academy for nearly 20 years,” said Andrew Gundlach, trustee of the American Academy in Berlin.

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About Henry A. Kissinger

Born in Fürth, Germany, on May 27, 1923, Kissinger fled Nazi persecution with his family in 1938, first to London and eventually New York. He became an American citizen on June 19, 1943, the year he joined the US Army to return to Germany to fight against the Nazi regime.

From 1954 until 1969, Kissinger taught as a member of the Government Department at Harvard, where he also directed the acclaimed Harvard International Seminar. During this time, he served as an adviser to New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard M. Nixon. In Nixon’s administration, he served as National Security Advisor beginning on January 20, 1969, and continued in that position until 1975 under President Gerald Ford. On September 22, 1973, Kissinger was sworn in as the fifty-sixth Secretary of State, becoming the first person to simultaneously serve as both Secretary of State and National Security Adviser. He held the position of Secretary of State until the end of President Gerald Ford’s term in January 1977.

The recipient of the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize, Kissinger also received the 1977 Presidential Medal of Freedom and the 1986 Medal of Liberty. He is the author of more than 15 books and hundreds of articles and editorials on United States foreign policy, international affairs, diplomatic history, and the future of artificial intelligence, among other topics. In 1981, Kissinger founded Kissinger Associates, Inc., an international consulting firm that assists clients in identifying strategic partners and investment opportunities and advising them on government relations. He has also served on numerous government advisory bodies and as a director or trustee of private firms, research institutes, and NGOs.

In 1994, Kissinger was approached by then-ambassador to Germany Richard Holbrooke to become a chairman of the newly founded American Academy in Berlin, along with then-president of Germany Richard von Weizsäcker, both of whom were to represent the guiding idea behind the American Academy: the essential importance of the German-American relationship.

The idea behind the establishment of the American Academy in Berlin, Kissinger said from the outset, was the replacement of a US military presence in Berlin with an intellectual and cultural one. In many ways, Kissinger saw the American Academy as a bookend on a peacefully resolved Cold War, where American ideas and values would become a permanent presence in the German capital’s cultural and social landscape.

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Press Contact:
Kristen Allen, Press Coordinator
American Academy in Berlin
+49 (0)30 80483 252
kra@americanacademy.de

BERLIN–November 11, 2023–The American Academy in Berlin has awarded the 2023 Henry A. Kissinger Prize to Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The award ceremony took place on the evening of Friday, November 10, 2023. Laudations were delivered by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Speaker Emerita of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. The 2023 Henry A. Kissinger Prize was generously underwritten with lead and presenting sponsorship from Bloomberg Philanthropies and Mercedes-Benz Group AG; supporting sponsorship was provided by Bank of America, Bayer AG, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice LLC, and Microsoft Corporation. Additional funding was provided by Deutsche Bank AG, Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA, and Robert Bosch GmbH.

Jens Stoltenberg’s contributions to the Atlantic Alliance, Norway, and the international community are beyond number, having served as Prime Minister of Norway for nearly a decade, following two ministerial posts, and is now is his tenth year as Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is for this current position in particular that the American Academy recognizes the historic role Stoltenberg has played in rallying NATO members to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. In addition to his work for the defense of freedom in Ukraine, the Secretary General has demonstrated remarkable diplomatic skill and resolve during multiple rounds of NATO-membership enlargement. For his tireless efforts in sustaining and strengthening our community of democracies and advancing its core values, the American Academy is proud to award Jens Stoltenberg with the 2023 Henry A. Kissinger Prize.

The Henry A. Kissinger Prize was established to honor the founding chairman of the American Academy in Berlin. Previous recipients of the prize are: former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt (2007); forty-first president of the United States George H.W. Bush (2008); former president of Germany Richard von Weizsäcker (2009); business leader, philanthropist, and former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (2010); former German chancellor Helmut Kohl (2011); former US secretary of state George P. Shultz (2012); Munich Security Conference founder Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist (posthumous, 2013); former US secretary of state James A. Baker, III (2014); former president of Italy Giorgio Napolitano and former German foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher (2015); former US ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power (2016); former German minister of finance Wolfgang Schäuble (2018); US senator John McCain (2018); German chancellor Angela Merkel (2020); former US secretary of defense James N. Mattis (2021); and the president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier (2022).

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Pressemitteilung herunterladen (DE)

Read more about the 2023 Kissinger Prize, including full text of speeches, photos, and video of the ceremony.

Press Contact:
Kristen Allen, Press Coordinator
American Academy in Berlin
+49 (0)30 80483 252
kra@americanacademy.de