This week, Bucharest hosted a new chapter of the Marshall Memorial Fellowship — the flagship transatlantic leadership program of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. For four intense days, a delegation of American and European leaders got an up-close, personal look at the challenges and opportunities facing Romania at this pivotal geopolitical moment. I had the honor of being selected by GMF Washington to design and lead this visit, building the program from the ground up and accompanying the group through every single event.
Since 1982, MMF has brought together 25-28 rising leaders each year, building a transatlantic network of more than 4,000 alumni across the U.S. and Europe. Every year, Bucharest is part of that story.
Our schedule included meetings at the highest institutional level: the Palace of Parliament (both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, including a roundtable with representatives from every political party), Cotroceni Presidential Palace, the High Court of Cassation and Justice, Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, the Ministry of Internal Affairs — alongside conversations with representatives of the Ministry of National Defense, civil society leaders, academia, and the New Strategy Center, Romania’s foremost security and foreign policy think tank.
Beyond the official agenda, the group also connected with Romania’s national identity firsthand — the People’s Salvation Cathedral, Bran Castle, Cantacuzino Castle — tying the country’s history and culture directly to the conversations about its strategic present and future.
The result? A firsthand, on-the-ground understanding of the issues shaping this region: hybrid warfare, disinformation and fake news, democratic resilience, the real state of play in Romania’s justice system and anti-corruption fight, Romania’s role on NATO’s Eastern Flank, and its growing importance as a bridge between the United States and Europe.
Here’s what struck me most: every single one of these meetings happened separately — none of our Romanian interlocutors knew what the others had said before them. And yet, not one perspective ever contradicted another. Every conversation built naturally on the one before it, regardless of political affiliation, institution, or profession. At a time of such sharp political division, I find that genuinely remarkable about our society.
Four intense days — flights and jetlag included — but I’m confident this will stay with these leaders long after they’ve left Romania, as a story they’ll carry home and share with their fellow Americans.
My deepest thanks to every institution and every person who made this visit possible — and I will keep looking forward to the next editions of this program.
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