Brussels Sprouts

Germany's New Defense Agenda

On April 9th, Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany’s center-right Christian Democratic Union, secured a coalition agreement with the Social Democrats following his party’s victory in the federal elections. In early May, the Bundestag is expected to convene and elect him as the next Chancellor. One of the most significant initiatives of this new government is likely to be a historic overhaul of Germany’s defense posture.  
To discuss this and more, we’re pleased to welcome Claudia Major and Christian Mölling to discuss Germany's new government and defense strategy. 
Claudia Major is the Senior Vice President of Transatlantic Security at the German Marshall Fund
Christian Mölling is a Senior Advisor at the European Policy Centre  

The Hidden Past and Uncertain Future of the U.S. and Ukraine with Celeste Wallander

Under the Trump administration, U.S. support for Ukraine is no longer guaranteed. President Trump's pause on aid and intelligence to Ukraine in March may have been brief, but it sent a clear message to Europe and Ukraine that the U.S. may no longer be a reliable partner for Ukraine. A reduction or end to U.S. support for Ukraine could have a significant impact on the conflict dynamics in Ukraine and present a challenge for European allies as to whether they can step up and fill the gap.  
Celeste Wallander joins the podcast to provide a firsthand account of the evolution of U.S. assistance to Ukraine and to discuss how a united Europe can help Kyiv keep up the fight. 
Celeste Wallander was the assistant secretary of defense for International Security Affairs and is a adjunct senior fellow at CNAS. 

Europe's Trade War Woes

On April 2nd, President Trump imposed sweeping tariffs across the globe – with only a handful of countries left untouched. The EU was hit with tariffs of 20% and the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has promised a ‘united response’ and stated a willingness to retaliate. As the U.S.’s biggest trading partner, any actions taken by the EU in response to the tariffs could have a significant impact on both sides of the Atlantic.  
To help us understand where we go from here, we are pleased to welcome Dan Mullaney and Tobias Gehrke. 
Dan Mullaney is the former assistant U.S. trade representative for Europe and the Middle East and is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. 
Tobias Gehrke is a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations whose research covers geoeconomics and European Economic Strategy. 

Turkey’s Democratic Downturn

Turkish democracy has come under fresh assault as the Erdoğan government arrested the leader of Turkey's largest opposition party and the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, and issued arrest warrants for more than 100 others. Concurrent with Turkey’s domestic turmoil, Ankara is looking to play a more prominent geopolitical role, both in Syria and in Europe, especially as the US pulls back from the European theater. Soner Çağaptay and Aslı Aydıntasbas join Brussels Sprouts this week to discuss these developments. 
Aslı Aydıntaşbaş is a visiting fellow at the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings.  
Soner Çağaptay is the director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.  

How America Wages Economic Warfare with Eddie Fishman

The last two decades have marked a revolution in economic warfare. As the United States has increasingly sought to weaponize the global economy against its adversaries, the world has become fractured into competing blocks, resulting in an economic arms race among major powers. This is the argument made by Eddie Fishman in his new book, Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare. The book tells the story of how the US wielded its economic tools, ranging from sanctions, export controls, investment restrictions, and oil price caps, to address the pressing global security challenges stemming from Iran, Russia, and China. It’s the story of how the world economy became a new frontier of warfare. This week, we’re pleased to welcome Edward Fishman to discuss his new book and how it informs the issues facing us today. 
Edward Fishman is an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, senior research scholar for the Center for Global Energy Policy, and an adjunct professor of international and global affairs at Columbia University 

Will Trump Reshape the American Military

Last month, the Trump administration carried out a large-scale firing of senior military leaders, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chief of Naval operations, the vice chief of staff of the Air Force, and the top military lawyers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force. While expected, these moves were nonetheless largely unprecedented, upending longstanding bipartisan and civil-military norms around the continuity of military leadership across political transitions to a new administration.  Kori Schake and Erica Frantz join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on this week’s episode to shed light on what the Trump administration’s dismissals of military leaders might mean for the state of U.S. civil-military relations, the health of U.S. democracy, and the conduct of U.S. foreign policy,  
Kori Schake is a Senior Fellow and the Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute.   
Erica Frantz is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University and a co-author of The Origins of Elected Strongmen.   

Can Europe Fight Back with Shashank Joshi and Camille Grand

This week, the Trump administration announced the suspension of U.S. military aid and intelligence to Ukraine. Reports have emerged that Trump administration officials have held secret discussions with some of Zelensky's political opponents. On Thursday, Trump told reporters he would consider only defending those allies who spend enough on defense. These events, along with everything that has transpired since U.S. Secretary of Defense Hegseth gave his speech to NATO in February, have catalyzed an unprecedented European response as allies are no longer confident that the US will remain a reliable partner moving forward. Allies are ramping up their defense spending; in an emergency meeting in Brussels yesterday, the EU agreed to rearm Europe by mobilizing 800 billion euros in defense spending. This jump in spending is unprecedented for the EU, with 2024 spending hitting a previous record high of 326 billion to rearm. We're very pleased to have Shashank Joshi and Camille Grand on Brussels Sprouts to discuss what all this means.  
Shashank Joshi is the Economist’s Defense Editor. 
Camille Grand is a Distinguished Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.  

Germany's New Political Era

Last Sunday, Germany held parliamentary elections that are set to usher in a new political era for the country. The far-right Alternative for Germany had its best electoral result ever, capturing 20% of the vote and finishing as the second-largest party in the Bundestag. This domestic shift is taking place against the backdrop of massive turmoil within Europe and the transatlantic relationship, spurred by the Trump administration’s antagonism towards its allies and rapprochement with Russia.  
This episode of Brussels Sprouts, where we analyze Germany’s election results, features Jeff Rathke and James Angelos. 
James Angelos is Germany news editor at POLITICO, having been based in Berlin for over a decade. 
Jeff Rathke is the president of the American-German Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C. 

Can Ukraine and Europe Win Alone? with Gustav Gressel and Franz-Stefan Gady

The Trump administration began negotiations with Russian officials in  Saudi Arabia last week, and its exclusion of both Kyiv and its European backers from the table cast doubt on the viability of any potential settlement. At the same time, it is far from certain that the Ukrainians can continue their war efforts without the United States’ support, even if Europe steps up its support in the months ahead. 
This episode of Brussels Sprouts, recorded on the 3rd anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, is joined by Gustav Gressel and Franz-Stephan Gady.  
Franz-Stefan Gady is an Adjunct Senior Fellow with the Defense Program at CNAS and the founder of Gady Consulting. 
Gustav Gressel is an expert on Russia, Eastern Europe, and defense policy at the National Defense Academy in Vienna. 

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.