The Grand Strategy Sessions Sumantra Maitra: The Promise of Germany and the "Europe" Question
Sep 22, 2025
Sumantra Maitra, a senior writer and director of research at The American Conservative, dives into the complex U.S.-Europe relationship. He discusses the concept of offshore balancing and the need for the U.S. to pivot its strategy towards maritime strength. Maitra critiques NATO and the EU's structural problems, emphasizing Germany's pivotal role in burden-sharing. He argues that America's foreign policy should prioritize domestic revitalization in manufacturing and education, challenging the notion that the U.S. must always maintain a favorable international perception.
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Unbalanced Multipolarity Is Emerging
- The world is moving toward an unbalanced multipolar order with several poles but a clear primus inter pares.
- The United States should act as an offshore balancer similar to Britain after the Napoleonic Wars.
Unipolarity Was Unsustainable
- Unipolarity rewarded sustained U.S. burdens but also enabled rivals to grow, making hegemony unsustainable.
- The U.S. must prioritize theaters and embrace offshore balancing to manage rising powers like China and regional threats like Russia.
Who The Main Global Rivals Are
- China is the principal peer rival with concentrated regional power and vast production capacity.
- Russia poses regional revanchism and nuclear risk, while the EU is a prospective trade rival rather than a unified military peer.