Brussels Sprouts

Assessing NATO’s Evolving Role

Over the past year, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has reinvigorated NATO, with the presence of major war on the European continent highlighting the alliance’s importance for collective defense. While NATO is not directly involved in the conflict, it has assumed a leading role in both coordinating aid to Ukraine and strengthening Europe’s deterrence posture. Benedetta Berti and David Cattler join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss how NATO is confronting this fundamentally altered security environment.
Benedetta Berti is the Head of Policy Planning in the office of the Secretary General of NATO. She is a foreign policy and security researcher, analyst, consultant, author, and lecturer.
David Cattler is NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence and Security. Prior to his appointment as Assistant Secretary General he was a senior national and defense intelligence official of the United States.

The View from Berlin: Transatlantic Relations in 2023

To continue our “New Year” series on Brussels Sprouts, we turn to the state of transatlantic relations going into 2023. The past year has demanded extensive coordination between the United States and Europe in responding to Russia’s war against Ukraine, acting as a stress test for the strength of the transatlantic relationship. So far, unity has largely held, though Germany’s recent hesitation to send tanks to Ukraine and persistent tensions in the economic domain continue to challenge the relationship. Wolfgang Ischinger and Sophia Besch join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Carisa Nietsche to discuss these recent developments in transatlantic relations from a German perspective.
Wolfgang Ischinger is the former chairman of the Munich Security Conference. He also previously served in the German government as State Secretary and Ambassador to the United States.
Sophia Besch is a fellow in the Europe Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Her area of expertise is European defense policy.

European Strategic Autonomy: Views from Paris, Berlin, and Warsaw

Over the past year, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has spurred Europe to devote greater attention to its defense capabilities. Yet rather than providing momentum to Europe’s stated ambitions of strategic autonomy, the war has instead seemed to underscore its continued dependence on the US and NATO for defense. In this seemingly paradoxical moment, what future may lie in store for European strategic autonomy? Liana Fix, Tara Varma, and Justyna Gotkowska join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss how Paris, Berlin, and Warsaw view the outlook for European strategic autonomy.
Liana Fix is a fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations. She is a historian and political scientist, with expertise in German and European foreign and security policy, European security, transatlantic relations, Russia, and Eastern Europe.
Justyna Gotkowska is the Deputy Director of the Centre for Eastern Studies based in Warsaw, Poland. Her work focuses on security and defense issues in Northern and Central Europe, including defense policies and armed forces’ developments in Germany as well as in the Nordic and Baltic states.
Tara Varma is a visiting fellow in the Center for the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution. She focuses on current French defense and security proposals in the European framework, as well as ongoing efforts to materialize European sovereignty in health, economics, climate, energy, and more traditional security fields.

The Outlook for Ukraine in 2023

In the latest installment of our “New Year” series, we take stock of where things stand in Ukraine as we head into 2023. Over the past couple of months, the lines of territorial control have remained mostly stable between Ukraine and Russia following Kyiv’s liberation of Kherson in November. However, many are now looking ahead to intensification of the fighting in the coming weeks. Lawrence Freedman and Mike Kofman join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss how the situation in Ukraine is likely to evolve during the second year of fighting.
 
Lawrence Freedman is an Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King's College London and the author of the recently published book Command: The Politics of Military Operations from Korea to Ukraine.
 
Mike Kofman is the Research Program Director in the Russia Studies Program at CNA as well as an Adjunct Senior Fellow at CNAS. His research focuses on Russia and the former Soviet Union, specializing in Russian armed forces, military thought, capabilities, and strategy.

What the New Congress Means for Transatlantic Relations

To continue our “New Year” series on Brussels Sprouts, we turn our attention to recent events in the United States Congress and their implications for the transatlantic relationship. The beginning of 2023 was marked by significant turmoil in the House of Representatives, as Republicans struggled for nearly a week to elect a new Speaker of the House. Questions about what to expect from this Congress are relevant not only to Americans but also to our allies, including those in Europe. Peter Baker and Sarah Binder join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to break down the short- and long-term implications of the events in Congress as well as how Europeans should view the situation in the U.S.
Peter Baker is the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, responsible for reporting on President Biden, the fifth president he has covered. He previously wrote about Presidents Donald J. Trump and Barack Obama for The New York Times, and Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush for The Washington Post.
Sarah Binder is a senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution and professor of political science at George Washington University, where she specializes in Congress and legislative politics.

What to Expect of Europe-China Relations in 2023

2022 brought about a number of developments in Europe-China relations. While there was continued convergence between European and U.S. policy on China, there are still areas of disagreement when it comes to Beijing. What should we expect for Europe’s relationship with China heading into 2023? Noah Barkin and Mikko Huotari join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Carisa Nietsche to discuss the state of Europe-China relations and the outlook for the year ahead.
 
Noah Barkin is a Managing Editor with Rhodium Group's China practice and a Senior Visiting Fellow in the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund.
 
Mikko Huotari is the Executive Director of MERICS. His research focuses on China’s foreign policy, China-Europe relations and global (economic) governance and competition.

The Case for Supporting Russian Civil Society, with Jamie Fly and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Since the invasion of Ukraine, the media environment inside Russia has become increasingly restricted. This represents the acceleration of the Putin regime’s crackdown on the information space over the past several years, including through the targeting of journalists, activists, and news outlets. In this atmosphere, pushing back against efforts by the Kremlin to control the narrative is both more important and more difficult than ever. Two organizations that are continuing to do this work are Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Current Time, which make use of online platforms and anticensorship tools to reach audiences inside Russia who are seeking reliable and trustworthy information. Jamie Fly, Andrey Shary, and Pavel Butorin join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss their work at RFE/RL and Current Time as well as the state of civil society in Russia more broadly.
▪ Jamie Fly is the President and Chief Executive Officer of RFE/RL.
▪ Andrey Shary is the director of RFE/RL's Russian Service, Radio Svoboda.
▪ Pavel Butorin is the Director of Current Time TV, a Russian language digital and TV network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with the Voice of America.

Turkey and Transatlantic Relations: Ankara’s views on Greece, Ukraine, NATO and more

In recent weeks, Turkey has been grabbing the headlines with a series of major moves. Just a few days ago, Turkish President Erdogan provoked anxiety in the U.S. and Europe by threatening to strike Athens with ballistic missiles, raising tensions with Greece. Meanwhile, Erdogan and Russian President Putin are reportedly discussing making Turkey a regional hub for Russian natural gas headed to Europe. All of this is occurring against the backdrop of Turkey’s increasingly contentious position within NATO, including its delays in approving membership bids by Finland and Sweden. How might these developments in Turkish foreign policy impact European security and transatlantic relations? Asli Aydintasbas and Steven Cook join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss Turkey’s role on the international stage.
-Asli Aydintasbas is a visiting fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution. Prior to joining the foreign policy community, she had a long career in journalism, during which she focused on Turkey, its domestic evolution, and foreign policy in an age of regional reshuffling and geopolitical competition.
-Steven Cook is the Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is an expert on Arab and Turkish politics as well as U.S.-Middle East policy.

Decoding Round 3 of the Trade and Technology Council

What were the key outcomes from the third meeting of the Trade and Technology Council? Tyson Barker and Frances Burwell join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Carisa Nietsche to discuss their top takeaways and what to look out for in the months ahead.
Tyson Barker is the head of Technology and Global Affairs at the German Council on Foreign Relations. He previously worked at Aspen Germany where, as deputy executive director and fellow, he was responsible for the institute’s digital and transatlantic programs.
Frances G. Burwell is a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council and a senior director at McLarty Associates. Her work focuses on the European Union and US-EU relations as well as a range of transatlantic economic, political, and defense issues.

Transatlantic tension? Views from Paris, Berlin, and Brussels

Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Washington for the first state visit of the Biden administration. This visit comes on the heels of many months of strong transatlantic cooperation in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine. More recently, however, there have been signs of new strains on the transatlantic relationship, in particular with respect to trade issues. There have also been accusations that the United States is attempting to profit from the energy crisis by selling LNG at high prices to Europe. How might these ongoing tensions affect transatlantic cooperation going forward? Liana Fix, Mathieu Droin, and David Kleimann join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss how Paris, Berlin, and Brussels view the status of transatlantic relations.
▪ Liana Fix is a fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations. She is a historian and political scientist, with expertise in German and European foreign and security policy, European security, transatlantic relations, Russia, and Eastern Europe.
▪ Mathieu Droin is a visiting fellow in the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where he focuses on transatlantic European security and defense. Prior to joining CSIS, Mathieu served as deputy head of the strategic affairs unit at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
▪ David Kleimann is a visiting fellow at Bruegel, where he focuses on the climate and trade policy nexus as well as legal and diplomatic challenges arising from transatlantic and international climate and trade cooperation. David is an expert on trade issues with 15 years of experience in law, policy, and institutions governing EU and international trade.