Culture
“Connections can only be made when we meet. That’s why we should talk more with each other and not about each other,” says Ingo Wolf. From 2005 to 2010, he served as Minister of the Interior and Minister of Sports for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. During his 17 years as a parliamentarian, he also visited numerous U.S. states. Today, he is actively involved with Amerika Haus NRW, which fosters transatlantic relationships, and he takes time for conversations with students from the USA.
In July, Ingo Wolf met with a group of students at the “House of History” in Bonn, who were in Germany as part of the Germany-Plus program. This program is funded by the German Foreign Office and organized by the PAD with support from the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG).
In the informal gathering, the students learned about the responsibilities of a state minister in Germany’s federal system and how the powers of the police in Germany differ from those in American states. They also had ample time to ask the seasoned politician questions ranging from energy security in the face of climate change, which industrial societies must address, to global challenges posed by war and terrorism. “To protect freedom, we need a strong state that also sets boundaries,” Ingo Wolf explained his views. He also advised the students to maintain a critical distance when dealing with news on social networks: “Before forming an opinion, you should always check the facts and understand the context.” Regarding unexpected calls from supposed family members in distress, known in Germany as the “grandparent scam” to swindle cash and valuables, he recommended “healthy skepticism.”
Ingo Wolf also provided insight into his personal career path. “I came into politics rather by chance,” he says. The holder of a doctorate in law began his career in the early 1990s as Deputy City Director and Chief District Director – and thus also Chief of Police – in Euskirchen. Over those ten years, he encountered numerous issues of municipal administration that would later preoccupy him as Minister of the Interior in North Rhine-Westphalia, from questions of internal security to disaster management. Even then, he experienced the pressures that come with the responsibility of serving society: “Politicians who take their office seriously are essentially always on duty, evenings and weekends included, available 24/7,” he says. This makes him all the more annoyed by the many stereotypes that circulate about this profession.
