Brussels Sprouts

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.

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.