Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook (de)
Thursday, 05 Mar 2026
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook is a German-American political scientist and one of the most prominent transatlantic voices of today. She frequently appears on television (ARD, ZDF, CNN, BBC) and is a sought-after commentator for leading media outlets such as the Financial Times, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
She is a former Director of the German Council on Foreign Relations and a long-standing Research Director for several programs at the Harvard Kennedy School, including on the future of foreign policy and transatlantic relations. In her research, Cathryn focuses on transatlantic foreign and security policy, democratic and economic resilience, and the impact of technology on diplomatic and democratic processes. She previously worked as a strategy consultant at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, served on the Management Board of the European Policy Centre, and began her career as a television journalist at CNN.
In her book Der amerikanische Weckruf, she shows how American democracy is being deliberately undermined and warns that the same patterns are beginning to take hold in Europe.
