The View from Germany, Pt. I (with Franziska Brantner)

On March 25, 2022, roughly a month into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Franziska Brantner, German parliamentary state secretary for economic affairs and climate action, made a case for European sovereignty in a piece for the European Council on Foreign Affairs. In particular, Brantner called for EU investment in military capabilities, cyber security, energy independence, and economic reinforcement. On the first episode of a two-part series analyzing Germany's evolving role in the EU since the Russian invasion, The Eastern Front co-hosts Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia got a chance to speak with Brantner about her assessment of the EU's—and in particular, Germany's—progress just over one year later. Brantner also shares her thoughts on transatlantic cooperation at a time of war, the state of US-Germany relations, the role of the Visegrád in the EU, as well as the important difference between European strategic sovereignty and autonomy. Show notes: Sign up for The Eastern Front's bi-weekly newsletter here and follow us on Twitter here; "The True Value of European Sovereignty" by Franziska Brantner

Om Podcasten

Ensuring the balance of power in Europe has, since the inception of our republic, been a core security interest for the US. Today, and for the entire post-Cold War period, the challenges to the European peace have emerged along the line running roughly from the Baltic to the Black Sea. This is what we call the Eastern Front. Our goal in this podcast is to better inform the American people about what’s going on there. Join us, Iulia Joja and Dalibor Rohac every week on in our discussions on what’s next for “The Eastern Front.”