Common Ground Berlin

Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson hosts a special “town hall” in collaboration with the Checkpoint Charlie Foundation to commemorate the 60th anniversary of a speech that lasted less than 10 minutes and shook the world.

Joining her in the studio and via Zoom to discuss why the speech still matters were:

Johanna Ruediger, head of social media strategy at Deutsche Welle, the German network that provides journalistic and cultural content in 32 languages around the globe. 

Rachel Tausendfreund, co-host of “Transatlantic Takeaway” and a senior fellow with the German Marshall Fund’s geostrategy team, specializing in U.S.-German relations, the European Union.

Rick Allen, a Robert F. Kennedy biographer and media and technology executive who has been a speechwriter, fundraiser, and campaign manager for a host of U.S. presidential and Senate candidates. He also served as a Deputy Assistant to President Clinton and helped create AmeriCorps. 

We also hear from students and graduates from around Berlin!

This episode was produced by Dina Elsayed

Millions of immigrants living in Germany should find it easier to become German citizens as the Bundestag prepares to vote on the long-awaited measure overhauling “Einbuergerung.” But as it turns out, the legal change to Germany’s citizenship law is only half the battle. 

Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson explores the draft law and its obstacles with guests:

Rachel Loxton, editor at The Local Europe and host of its podcast, Germany in Focus

Zeynep Yanasmayan, head of the migration department at the German Centre for Integration and Migration Research

Julie Schaefer, German immigration lawyer based in Dusseldorf

Produced by Dina Elsayed.

The German capital has long been a startup capital in Europe. But the global financial shakeup and supply chain disruptions hit Berlin’s startup scene hard.

This year, with the market more or less expected to stabilize and supply chain problems easing, can Berlin’s startup scene make a comeback? Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson talks to Lukas Breitenbach, head of corporate communications at Berlin Partner and Aggi Cantrill, a tech reporter for Bloomberg News who covers Berlin’s startup scene.

Produced by Dina Elsayed. 

A conversation with Farnaz Fassihi of the New York Times and Azadeh Moshiri of the BBC News about the consequences of the “women, life, freedom” protests that exploded after Jina Masha Amini’s death and whether they can lead to lasting change.
Dina Elsayed produced this episode. 

In this episode of “Transatlantic Takeaway,” hosts Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Rachel Tausendfreund delve into how Germany is fodder for the GOP’s campaign strategy for the 2024 elections with guests Majda Ruge, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and Sudha David-Wilp, Senior Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund and director of its Berlin office.

Dina Elsayed produced this episode. 

What do host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and the Emmy-winning Anna Winger have in common? Find out the answer to that and many more questions in this episode about the Berlin-based creator of the Netflix blockbusters “Transatlantic” and “Unorthodox.” You’ll also hear about the stories behind the series and its colorful characters, including Dagobert the dog! (Recorded on April 18, 2023).

The episode is produced by Dina Elsayed

The “Transatlantic” music is by Mike Ladd

Excerpts from our recent live show at the Selina Hotel Mitte in central Berlin. Joining host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson on stage was Heinrich Stroessenreuther, who helped draft dozens of bicycle referendums across Germany and founded Changing Cities, German Zero and more recently KlimaUnion, a grassroots movement within the CDU and CSU parties seeking Germany’s transformation into the first climate-neutral industrial nation; Oliver Walker, a contemporary artist with exhibitions and residences in 11 countries who is with Netzwerk Fahrradfreundliches Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg and Josh Telson, who is an avid cyclist and standup comedian and filmmaker who co-hosts a monthly, storytelling open-mic show called “Four Eyes.” 

This episode was produced by Dina Elsayed and the live show was recorded by Josh Telson.

Berlin’s new mayor is widely expected to be conservative Kai Wegner. He would be the first Christian Democrat to hold the post in two decades and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), who would be junior partners in Wegner’s government, vow that they and the CDU will get a lot done. 

But is that even possible? And can this new government regain the trust of Berlin voters? Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson discusses with moderator Alfonso Pantisano of the SPD Landesverband and political scientist Viola Neu of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, which is associated with, but independent from, the CDU.

Dina Elsayed produced this episode. 

Last month before the Bundestag, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hammered home the need for a defense-capable Europe. His speech marked the anniversary of his groundbreaking pledge to deliver a “Zeitenwende,” or sea change, ending Germany’s long-standing, military-averse policies. But have Scholz and his government delivered? And what impact is it having on the Russian war in Ukraine? Hosts Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Rachel Tausendfreund discuss with the German Marshall Fund’s Guido Goldman Distinguished Scholar for Geostrategy Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff and Jana Puglierin, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and head of its Berlin office. 

Dina Elsayed produced this episode.

Germany’s colonial history isn’t something many Germans like to talk about – Some argue they weren’t as “bad” as other European colonialists or that focusing on German colonialism draws attention away from the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis during World War II. But critics of German silence over its colonial past argue those narratives ignore the impact Germany had on the places it colonized and perpetuate German racist attitudes to this day.

Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Senior Producer Dina Elsayed probe German colonialism and its modern-day consequences with cultural activist and journalist Nadja Ofuatey Alazard; MP and cultural policy spokesman Helge Lindh (SPD), and Hermann Parzinger, historian and president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. 

Dina Elsayed produced this episode.

The music is 'Delicates' by Blue Dot Studios.