Brussels Sprouts

Germany is currently at a critical juncture, balancing numerous challenges both at home and abroad. Just last weekend, populist parties including the far-right AfD scored substantial gains in two state elections in eastern Germany. Two major factors behind these results are the political salience of migration in the national debate, and discussions surrounding Germany’s support for Ukraine. While Berlin has reaffirmed its backing for Kyiv following its recent offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, long-term prospects for German support remain unclear. Simultaneously, the country is struggling with the issue of significant support for Russia-friendly political parties, and infighting among those in the governing coalition. To unpack all of these ongoing developments in German affairs, Daniela Schwarzer and Christopher Schuetze join Jim Townsend and Andrea Kendall-Taylor on this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts.

Daniela Schwarzer is a member of the executive board of the Bertelsmann Foundation, where she oversees work on Europe in the world and democracy and societal cohesion. Prior to this, she served as the Executive Director of the Open Society Foundations in Europe and Central Asia and the Director and CEO of the German Council on Foreign Relations. She is also an honorary professor at Freie Universität Berlin.

Christopher Schuetze is a reporter for the New York Times based in Berlin. There, he covers politics, society, and culture in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, along with the rise of populism and the far right in Germany.

The Russia-Ukraine war has recently entered a new phase with the Ukrainian military’s offensive in Kursk, marking one of the most significant battlefield developments in more than a year. Pushing steadily into Russia, the Ukrainian armed forces have reportedly seized more than 1,000 square kilometers of territory, capturing critical infrastructure and leading thousands of civilians to flee their homes. While this offensive seems to be placing new pressure on Moscow’s resources that could potentially even have repercussions for Russian political stability, there are nonetheless major questions about Ukraine’s ability to hold this territory as well as the implications for other areas of the battlefront. To help us understand the motivations for this bold move by Ukraine and what it could mean for the future of the conflict, Mike Kofman joins Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts.

As you might now from our last episode, At the NATO Public Forum in July, Brussels Sprouts roamed the halls of the Marriot Marquis hotel in DC interviewing Public Forum guests and attendees on the key issues that were being discussed both at the Forum, and next door at the historic 75th anniversary NATO Summit.

In our last episode we heard about the mood of the Summit, it’s successes and those areas where it fell short, and about the unsung deliverables-or important outcomes that didn’t get the attention they deserved.

In this episode we’ll hear from conference participants about the alliance’s readiness for a conflict with Russia and on the need to strengthen the European pillar within NATO.

Tune in for:

Steve Flanagan, adjunct senior fellow at the RAND Corporation

Damon Wilson, president and CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy

Beth Sanner, a resident distinguished fellow at GMF

Camille Grand, Distinguished Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

This week we’re bringing you something a little different. At the NATO Public Forum in July, Brussels Sprouts roamed the halls of the Marriot Marquis hotel in DC interviewing Public Forum guests and attendees on the key issues that were being discussed both at the Forum, and next door at the historic 75th anniversary NATO Summit.

In this episode we’ve pulled together some of the snippets of these interviews, focused particularly on the overall mood of the Summit. We discuss what people think the successes of the Summit are and where it fell short of expectations, and ask them to share their thoughts about key issues the Summit failed to address. We’ll be discussing the current situation in Ukraine, what a bridge to membership for Ukraine might look like, reflections on past NATO enlargement, the role of NATO in supporting freedom and democracy, the European industrial defense base, burden sharing, NATO partnerships and much more.

In this episode, you will hear from:

Damon Wilson, president and CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy

Max Bergman, director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and the Stuart Center in Euro-Atlantic and Northern European Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Luke Coffey, senior fellow at Hudson Institute

Steve Flanagan, adjunct senior fellow at the RAND Corporation

Liana Fix, fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Sophia Besch, senior fellow in the Europe Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Matt Kroenig, vice president and senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Dan Fried, former U.S. ambassador to Poland

and Mark Newton and Joanne Hamer from the UK Ministry of Defence.

Just a few weeks ago, leaders from across the globe gathered in Washington, D.C. for the historic 75th NATO summit. Over the course of the three-day event, allies engaged in discussions surrounding support for Ukraine, strengthening their defense and deterrence capabilities, and deepening NATO partnerships. On this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts, join us in listening to an edited event hosted on the margins of the NATO Washington Summit by the Center for a New American Security and the Truman Library Institute held at the National Archives Museum. This episode features remarks from Clifton Truman Daniel, along with a discussion of the past, present, and future of the NATO alliance with Mary Sarotte, Stephen Wertheim, and Adam Howard moderated by Steven Erlanger.  

Clifton Truman Daniel is the honorary chairman of the board of the Truman Library Institute and board secretary of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation.   

Steven Erlanger is the Chief Diplomatic Correspondent for The New York Times covering Europe. Most recently, his focus has been on NATO, United States foreign policy, Russia, and the war in Ukraine.  

Mary Sarotte is the Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Distinguished Professor of Historical Studies at the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Her book, Not One Inch (2021), analyzes how the tensions between the United States, NATO, and Russia have transformed geopolitics.  

Stephen Wertheim is a Senior Fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is a historian of U.S. foreign policy and analyzes contemporary problems in American strategy and diplomacy. 

Adam Howard is the Historian for the United States Department of State and the Director of the Department’s Office of the Historian.  

Last week, Washington, DC hosted the NATO summit – marking the historic 75th anniversary of the alliance. Despite the significant milestone, the mood was serious in DC with the war continuing to rage in Ukraine and increasing concern from European allies about the reliability of the United States as a partner in the long term. Though Ukraine emerged as the focus of many discussions, allies also strengthened language on China, emphasizing the challenges that Beijing poses to Euro-Atlantic security. Moreover, Iran and North Korea were also called out for their direct military support to Moscow. To unpack the discussions of the last week, and the challenges faced by NATO today, David Quarrey and Axel Wernhoff join Kate Johnston and Jim Townsend on the podcast today.  

David Quarrey is the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to NATO. Previously, he served as the Prime Minister’s adviser on International Affairs and Deputy National Security Advisor from 2019-2022, and the British Ambassador to Israel from 2015-2019.   

Axel Wernhoff is the Permanent Representative of Sweden to NATO. Prior to this, he served as the Ambassador of Sweden to Norway.   

From July 9th to 11th, NATO will hold its historic 75th-anniversary summit in Washington, DC. On the sidelines, CNAS and other think tanks will host the NATO Public Forum. Though the summit will in part be a celebration of the alliance’s enduring success, it also comes at a time when NATO is grappling with numerous challenges. The most pressing issue is of course Ukraine, as NATO members will need to continue to work together to provide Kyiv with support in its efforts to fight off Russia’s invasion. Beyond Ukraine, NATO must navigate the ongoing modernization of its defense and deterrence plans, the increasing risk of hybrid attacks from Russia, the transition to a new Secretary General, and much more. To offer a preview of the Summit and what we should expect, Douglas Lute and Kurt Volker join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts.   

Douglas Lute served six years in the White House during two administrations as well as in the role of U.S. Ambassador to NATO during the second Obama-Biden term.   

Kurt Volker previously served as U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations from 2017 to 2019 and as U.S. Ambassador to NATO from 2008-2009. 

Leadership dynamics in Europe are at a critical juncture. Following the recent European Parliament elections, both French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have seen their influence wane, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk have emerged stronger. At the same time, a new set of leaders is to set take the reins of the top jobs at the EU institutions in Brussels, adding to the current upheaval. Outside the European Union, the United Kingdom faces the prospect of a change to a Labour government following its upcoming elections, which could significantly reshape its role on the continent. Finally, the uncertainty surrounding U.S. leadership following this November’s election is creating doubts about the future of leadership in the transatlantic alliance more broadly. To explore these various developments and their implications, Sophie Pedder and Steven Erlanger join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts. 

Sophie Pedder is the Paris Bureau Chief for The Economist, where she writes about French politics and economics.   

Steven Erlanger is the Chief Diplomatic Correspondent in Europe for The New York Times, with extensive experience in covering transatlantic relations and European affairs from various posts across the globe.  

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the attempt of transatlantic partners to provide Kyiv with the weapons systems and ammunition it needs to keep up the fight for the long-haul has renewed focus on the importance of the defense industrial base. Particularly in Europe, the past two years have exposed numerous problems with the defense industry, including inadequate stocks and lengthy production timelines. Ukraine’s European backers have attempted to address these issues through new policies at the EU level, including common procurement and a new defense industrial strategy. However, funding shortfalls and ongoing debates about whether defense acquisitions should come from outside the European Union continue to pose obstacles. To discuss the urgency of making Europe’s defense industry fit for the demands of today’s security challenges, Sophia Besch and Christian Mölling join Nicholas Lokker and Jim Townsend on this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts.  

Sophia Besch is a fellow in the Europe Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and her area of expertise is European defense policy.    

Christian Mölling is deputy director of the Research Institute at the German Council on Foreign Relations, where he also heads the Center for Security and Defense.  

Last weekend, voters across the European Union went to the polls to select the next European Parliament. In the run-up to the elections, many observers were focused on the potential for large gains by the far-right, and those projections turned out to be largely accurate, with far-right parties now occupying roughly a quarter of the seats in Parliament. The performance of the far-right was particularly striking in the two largest EU member states of Germany and France, even causing French President Emmanuel Macron to call for snap elections this summer. At the same time, centrist parties look set to continue to control the European Parliament in the years ahead, having won enough seats to form a comfortable governing majority. Finally, as we look ahead to the coming weeks, all eyes will be on the contest for the European Union’s top jobs, as national leaders haggle over the next European Commission President, European Council President, and High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy. To address all of this, Klaus Welle and Susi Dennison join Nicholas Lokker and Jim Townsend on this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts.  

Klaus Welle is the former Secretary-General of the European Parliament, a role in which he served from 2009 to 2022. And Klaus now serves as the Chaiman of the Academic Council at the Martens Center.  

Susi Dennison is a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Her topics of focus include strategy, politics and cohesion in European foreign policy; climate and energy, migration, and the toolkit for Europe as a global actor.