The American Academy in Berlin mourns the passing of former US president George H.W. Bush, a longtime friend and inspirational leader. President Bush was last at the American Academy in 2008, when he received the Henry A. Kissinger Prize. 

Kissinger said on the occasion of Bush’s passing: “President Bush’s leadership during the end of the Cold War was central to a peaceful transition. Germany owes its unification in large part to President Bush’s extraordinary diplomacy. And America owes him appreciation for a presidency of strong leadership and domestic reconciliation.”

Indeed, President Bush’s commitment to partnership and dialogue with allies and former foes alike laid the foundation for two decades of peaceful and effective cooperation within Europe and across the Atlantic after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Co-architect of the world order that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union, President Bush’s legacy will forever be entwined with a lasting commitment to the ideals that underlie the transatlantic partnership. It is these ideals that form the foundation for the work of the American Academy in Berlin.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to President Bush’s family, and share in their loss.