Wolfgang Pordzik: Why Germany’s Transatlantic Certainties Are Eroding

by February 2026

In this conversation with Jacob Heilbrunn, Wolfgang Pordzik, Former EVP – DH, reflects on Germany’s post-war democratic transformation, the erosion of transatlantic trust, and the uneasy return of strategic and historical dilemmas. From Adenauer’s Atlantic choice to today’s debates on defense, freedom, and responsibility, this exchange sheds light on Germany’s internal fractures and the future of Europe’s relationship with the United States.

Jacob Heilbrunn
Editor-at-large
Jacob Heilbrunn is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, editor of The National Interest and editor-at-large of The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune. His book, America Last: The Right's Century-Long Romance with Foreign Dictators, was published in 2024.