Geopolitical Europe

What is grand strategy? Why does it matter? Does Europe actually have a grand strategy? And what are the challenging in crafting a grand strategy?

In this episode of the Geopolitical Europe podcast features a conversation with Marina Henke, Professor of International Relations at the Hertie School and Director of the Centre for International Security. A leading scholar on grand strategy, nuclear security and European security and defence policy, she unpacks the concept of grand strategy and discusses why it is so important for Europe.

Articles and books mentioned in the podcast episode:

* Marina E. Henke, Constructing Allied Cooperation: ​Diplomacy, Payments, and Power in Multilateral Military Coalitions. Cornell University Press, 2019.

* Marina E. Henke, Best Practices in Grand Strategy Design, Texas National Security Review 8 (2), Spring 2025, pp. 97-108.

* Marina E. Henke, Iren Marinova, and Till Knobloch, Europe goes its own way, Foreign Affairs, 29 June 2026.

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This very first episode of the Geopolitical Europe podcast is all about European strategic autonomy — a term that has been widely used in policy debates over the last decade (or even decades) and has most recently made a comeback. As there are still many myths around the term, this episode offers an overview about the most common misconceptions and debunks European strategic autonomy myths.

References mentioned in the show:

Briefing by the European Parliamentary Research Service, 2022: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_BRI(2022)733589

Eurobarometer Spring 2026: https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3752

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit geopoliticaleurope.substack.com

It’s back to school season - and this year, it means a big next step for Geopolitical Europe.

Over two years after its creation, Geopolitical Europe is also becoming a podcast - covering all things European power, grand strategy, and security and defence in a changing world.

Intro episode is dropping soon… stay tuned!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit geopoliticaleurope.substack.com