Navigating the Atlantic Season 2: New Episode with Ian Lesser on the Future of the Atlantic Alliance

We are pleased to share the first episode of Season 2 of Navigating the Atlantic, an euradio podcast series produced in partnership with our Chair of Transatlantic Trade and Economy (in cooperation with Microsoft). 

In this episode, journalist Lolla SAUTY-HOYER sits down with Ian LESSER, Distinguished Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) and Chair in Transatlantic Trade and Economy at the College of Europe, to reflect on one of the defining questions of today’s security debate: is the Atlantic Alliance still an alliance in any meaningful sense?

One and a half years after Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the foundations of the transatlantic relationship have been stress-tested like never before. From the unprecedented 5% GDP defence spending target agreed at the Hague NATO Summit to US strikes on Iran conducted without European consultation, the gap between Washington and Europe is widening.

The episode explores the deep crisis of trust within the Alliance, the reality of US unpredictability, and whether Europe is ready to back its rhetoric on strategic autonomy with action.

More broadly, it asks whether we are witnessing the end of the partnership established in 1945, or a painful but necessary transformation.

Curious to learn more? Listen to the full episode on euradio (Navigating the Atlantic | Beyond burden-sharing: What the Atlantic Alliance is really arguing about - Ian Lesser) and your favorite podcast platforms!