The Mid-Atlantic Clubs and the founding of the MAC Bonn
The Mid-Atlantic Clubs
The idea behind the Mid-Atlantic club goes back to an initiative taken by distinguished Americans and Europeans. In Washington D.C., it was US Diplomat James R. Huntley, Ben Read, the first Director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Thomas Hughes, President of the Carnegie Endowment, who took the initiative.
London however was the location of the first International Secretariat as a result of the initial ideas and efforts of James Huntley and Walter E. Lessing, the latter defining in 1970 the term “mid” as follows:
"Mid-Atlantic Clubs have no preconceived ideological focus, but are devoted simply to a free exchange of serious points of view about the transatlantic connection. The adjective "Mid-Atlantic" refers to some mythical spot in the center of the Atlantic Ocean where certain vital interests of Europeans and North Americans may be presumed to meet and merge".
All Mid-Atlantic Clubs are autonomous but over the years, an international secretariat helped to coordinate activities. Currently, MAC Bonn is the primary facilitator of communication between the various clubs.
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The concept
After nearly forty years of activities, the basic idea of exploring the traditional format of a mid-day luncheon meeting with a prominent guest speaker, has proven to be correct. In follow-on discussions, there remains sufficient room for different views to be expressed. As a result, all participants gain a deeper understanding of the subject. Such an approach has meanwhile been transcending the Atlantic area and became effective in the Pacific region where a Mid Pacific Club has been organized in Tokyo.
During the Jubilee Luncheon in 1997, Lord Derek Ezra told the audience: "We are going through a period of momentous change and it is in such a period that MAC Clubs have a special role to play. Perhaps the most remarkable change has been in Western Europe. Never before in its long history have so many countries in Western Europe come together on a voluntary basis to share a large part of their sovereignty in the wider interest.... During this period of momentous debate and change affecting not only Western Europe but also the countries in Eastern Europe who are seeking to join the Union and countries further afield."
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The MAC Bonn e.V.
In June 1977, the Mid-Atlantik Bonn e.V. (MAC Bonn) was founded. Amongst the ten founding fathers, were three members of the Deutscher Bundestag, American and British Diplomats and representatives of international societies based in Bonn. The current board of directors can be seen here: The Committee
Activities
MAC Bonn offers its members an opportunity to regularly attend lunchtime lectures and other events designed to enable its members
deepen and broaden their understanding and knowledge of specific political and economic issues
participate in discussing these issues with competent experts
to establish personal contacts through the network of Mid-Atlantic Clubs and find point of contacts in the Atlantic and European region
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The MAC Bonn events
Throughout the year, the MAC Bonn organises a number of luncheons featuring a distinguished guest speaker who addresses a current topic for about 20 minutes followed by a candid discussion.
Statements are kept in confidence if requested by the speaker.
Following the speech of US-Embassador Daniel Coats in Bonn back in 2002, the conclusion was that "the work of the Mid-Atlantic Clubs will help to promote a constructive atmosphere by permitting two kinds of dialogue: firstly, a dialogue that defuses the present crisis; secondly, a dialogue reflecting the long-term common interest."
Once a year, the MAC Bonn, in cooperation with the Mayor of the City of Bonn, organises a special luncheon discussion. These 'City Hall Talks' take place in the historical 'Altes Rathaus', a place from where Presidents John F. Kennedy and Charles de Gaulle addressed the citizens of Bonn in the early 1960s. All events organised by the MAC Bonn are tailored in line with an overall concept agreed upon by the General Assembly of members which every December, sets out the program and its focal points for the coming year.
Mid-Atlantic dialogue at the Pulse of Change – paths and solutions in open debate for Peace and Progress, in Security and Prosperity through Sustainable Policies in Liberal Democracies.
