Updated Program Details for March 5 PIAF
On March 5 at 7:00 PM, the Peterborough International Affairs Forum (PIAF) at the Mariposa Museum will focus on the present state of transatlantic partnerships and their importance in today’s global power structure.
Karl Kaiser, recently returned from the Munich Security Conference in Germany, will provide an overview of current developments before opening the floor to discussion.
“President Trump is distancing the US from the alliance,” Kaiser noted, “and has even threatened to attack Greenland, a NATO partner.”
A dual citizen and resident of Peterborough, Kaiser spent most of his professional career in Germany as an academic. He served as an advisor to Chancellors Willy Brandt and Helmut Schmidt and as director of the German Council on Foreign Relations, helping to strengthen transatlantic relations and open channels to Eastern Europe across the Iron Curtain.
After retiring in Germany in 2003, he returned to the Harvard Kennedy School, where he is now an Associate of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
Questions for consideration include:
The U.S. demands that Europe spend more on defense while punishing European attempts at independence on trade and diplomacy. Can an alliance survive when its leader issues contradictory demands?
If the Alliance were to collapse tomorrow, who would benefit most — and who would suffer most?
At the Munich Security Conference, an EU official speaking off the record commented: “we will cooperate as much as possible, but there is very little trust.” How might that erosion of trust alter the North Atlantic Alliance?
Can NATO survive as a military alliance and deterrent without the United States? If so, how?
Does the softening tone of Marco Rubio’s speech at this year’s Munich Security Conference, compared to JD Vance’s a year earlier, indicate a shift in the U.S. administration’s position on the U.S.–EU relationship?
Moderators for the discussion will be Dan Grosz of Peterborough and Jay Schechter of Dublin, both members of the PIAF Steering Committee.
PIAF sessions are held on the first Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM. They are open to the public, with advance registration available through Eventbrite. A $10 suggested donation per meeting or Mariposa Museum membership ($80–$100 annually) is encouraged.
A steering committee assists the moderators in selecting topics and guiding discussions. Members include Dan Grosz, Karl Kaiser, Tony Pascale, and Jay Schechter.
During the first half of 2026, meetings will be held on April 2 and May 7. Following a summer break, meetings will resume on September 3, October 1, November 5, and December 3.
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26 Main Street, Peterborough, NH 03458.
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