No relationship is without its difficulties and disagreements, not even between societies as close as the U.S. and Europe.  For almost as long as NATO has existed, Washington has wanted its European allies to contribute more to the common defense.

The European Union is playing a bigger role in fostering European defense investment and creating the capacity for the EU to take military action in crisis zones, such as the Mediterranean, Mali, or the Horn of Africa.  Some European leaders even call for a “European army,” as French president Emmanuel Macron did in November 2018.  President Trump saw that as an insult to the U.S. and to NATO.  German chancellor Angela Merkel, in contrast, in mid-November gave Macron’s idea an endorsement in principle, while acknowledging that it was far off.

In this episode of The Zeitgeist, AGI President Jeff Rathke talks with NATO expert and retired German Lieutenant General Heiner Brauss about the current dispute on NATO and its implications for the alliance and the transatlantic relationship. How far has NATO come on burdensharing?  What is the role of the European Union, how does NATO cooperate with the EU, and is there a danger that a growing European role would undermine NATO?

Host

Jeff Rathke, President, AGI

Guest

Heiner Brauss, former Assistant Secretary General for Defense Plans at NATO

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Support for this episode is provided in part by the Steven Muller New Initiatives Fund.