Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts LIVE: Transatlantic Turbulence and the Future Role of the U.S. in European Security

In Munich and Brussels last week, the Trump administration signaled a seismic shift in U.S. policy toward its European allies. Since World War II, the United States has been the primary security guarantor of Europe. Yet recent remarks from President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have questioned this status quo.
This week, Brussels Sprouts hosted a special live edition of the podcast, discussing what happens next in the U.S.-Europe relationship with Emma Ashford, senior fellow in the Reimagining U.S. Grand Strategy program at the Stimson Center, and Stephen Wertheim, senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Stephen Wertheim is a Senior Fellow with the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. His research focuses on the history of U.S. foreign policy and contemporary American strategy and diplomacy.
 
Emma Ashford is a Senior Fellow with the Reimagining U.S. Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center. Her research focuses on U.S. foreign policy, international security, and global energy markets.

Averting AI Armageddon with Colin Kahl and Jacob Stokes

In recent years, the previous bipolar nuclear order led by the United States and Russia has given way to a more volatile, tripolar one, as China has quantitatively and qualitatively built up its nuclear arsenal. At the same time, there have been significant breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, including for military applications. As a result of these two trends, it is now important to understand and think through the challenges at the AI nuclear nexus, including understanding what our adversaries, China and Russia, are doing in this space. To discuss this and more, Jacob Stokes and Colin Kahl join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend for a special episode of Brussels Sprouts celebrating the launch of a new CNAS report, Averting AI Armageddon: US-China-Russia Rivalry at the Nexus of Nuclear Weapons and Artificial Intelligence.
Colin Kahl is the Stephen C. Házy senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. During the Biden administration, he served as undersecretary of defense for policy.  
Jacob Stokes is a senior fellow and deputy director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at CNAS. 

Trump World Takes on Europe

The first few weeks of the second Trump administration have seen a flurry of executive orders, tariffs imposed (or threatened) on allies and adversaries alike, and bold statements about world affairs. Trump’s remarks about Greenland, including his refusal to rule out taking the Danish territory by force, have been some of his most provocative and Europe is reeling from this abrupt change in approach. On this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts, Steve Erlanger and Mij Rahman join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss Trump, tariffs, European defense spending, and Ukraine.
Steve Erlanger is the chief diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times, where he covers Europe and transatlantic relations.
Mij Rahman is the Managing Director for Europe at the Eurasia Group.
 
 

The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World with Hal Brands

For more than 100 years, the continent of Eurasia has played a central role in global geopolitics. In the 20th century, numerous authoritarian powers from Germany under Kaiser Wilhelm II to the Soviet Union aimed for primacy through control of this vast landmass and its resources. Today, command of Eurasia is once again essential to understanding a key geopolitical trend, the intensifying challenge of this axis of upheaval to the Western-led international order. On this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts, Hal Brands joins Andrea Kendall Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss all of this and the findings of his new book, The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World. 
 
Hal Brands is the Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is also a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. 

Trump's Vision for America and the World

On Monday, January 20th, Donald Trump took office as the 47th president of the United States. Now in his second term after a four-year hiatus, his inauguration heralds a new era for both the United States and the world. To look at Trump's vision both at home and abroad, Robert Kagan joins Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts.  
Robert Kagan is the Stephen & Barbara Friedman Senior Fellow with the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings and a contributing writer for The Atlantic.  

Canada, Trump, and the Post-Trudeau Era

In just a few days, Donald Trump returns to office with Canada in his sights. At the same time, it has been less than two weeks since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned. With an election expected in Canada the first half of the year - one that heralds a change of government - 2025 promises to be disruptive on both sides of the border. To take a broader look at the state of the Canada-US relationship Sandra Aubé and Garry Keller join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Elizabeth Anderson on this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts.  
Sandra Aubé is Vice President for Federal Affairs at TACT, a communications and government relations firm. She has extensive experience in Canadian federal politics, having served as Chief of Staff to Canada’s Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly and in the office of Prime Minister Trudeau. 
Garry Keller is a seasoned senior executive working with Canada’s political and business elite. He has served in several key roles in Canadian politics, including as Chief of Staff to Canada’s Foreign Minister, chief Parliamentary advisor to a Prime Minister and Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Opposition. 

What's to Come in 2025

As we welcome the new year, Brussels Sprouts is zooming out for a big picture view of what to expect in 2025. Top of mind is the impact of a second Trump presidency on U.S. foreign policy, as many worldwide grapple with tough questions about the future of Washington’s global leadership. Ukraine also faces a pivotal year in its war with Russia, as speculation about potential negotiations continues to increase despite the lack of a clear path to ending the conflict. Finally, 2025 is likely to see new tests of transatlantic cohesion, as Europe navigates uncertainty amid shifting U.S. priorities. To help us unpack all of this and other key issues shaping global geopolitics this year, Daniel Kurtz-Phelan and Benedikt Franke join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts.  
Daniel Kurtz-Phelan is Editor of Foreign Affairs and holds the Peter G. Peterson Chair at the Council on Foreign Relations.  
Benedikt Franke is Vice-Chairman and CEO of the Munich Security Conference.  

What Can Europe do in Syria?

After 54 years of brutal rule in Syria, the al-Assad family’s reign came to an end last week. Following 13 years of devastating civil war, which saw over a million refugees flee to Europe, and millions more internally displaced within Syria, the rebel victory brought both a sense of relief and celebration while also bringing a sense of trepidation and anxiety about what might come next. To analyze the events in Syria and discuss Europe's role in the formation of a new state, Asli Aydintasbas and Nathalie Tocci join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on this week's episode of Brussels Sprouts.  
Asli Aydintasbas is Visiting Fellow at the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution.  
Nathalie Tocci is the Director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali.  

Turmoil in Paris and Berlin Going into a Second Trump Term

Earlier this week, France’s government collapsed following a successful no-confidence vote from left-wing and far-right lawmakers. This political crisis comes on the heels of the collapse of Germany’s ruling coalition several weeks ago, leaving both of the European Union’s largest member states rudderless at a time when the bloc faces major challenges. Simultaneously, the EU is preparing for Donald Trump’s return to the White House next month and the possible consequences for the future of the war in Ukraine and threats to impose new tariffs. Finally, a brand-new European Commission has just taken office, only adding to all this uncertainty. To help us make sense of what we should expect in the months to come, Tara Varma and Liana Fix join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on this episode of Brussels Sprouts.   
Tara Varma is a visiting fellow with the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution.   
Liana Fix is a fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations.   

Trump and the War in Ukraine with Michael Kofman and Robert Lee

More than 1000 days into the War in Ukraine, questions about continued support for the Ukrainian effort and the prospect of a negotiated settlement in the months to come have become all the more important. Trump has refused to say that he wants Ukraine to win the war and has pledged to end the war immediately. To help us make sense of this, Mike Kofman and Rob Lee join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts.   
 Mike Kofman is a senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on the Russian military, Ukrainian armed forces, and Eurasian security issues.  
Rob Lee is a Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Eurasia Program and a leading expert on Russian military affairs.