Decoding Geopolitics Podcast with Dominik Presl #98 Shashank Joshi: Why America Attacks Europe and Appeases Russia - And Why It’s Only Getting Worse
Dec 20, 2025
Shashank Joshi, Chief Defence Editor at The Economist, shares his sharp insights on the controversial 2025 U.S. National Security Strategy. He highlights its unprecedented critique of Europe and the implications of this shift for transatlantic relations. Joshi discusses the document's authorship, mixed internal priorities, and the striking absence of North Korea from the discourse. The conversation challenges listeners to consider how the strategy's aggressive tone towards allies could reshape global alliances and elevate tensions with adversaries like Russia.
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Europe Made The Main Target
- The NSS places unusually heavy emphasis on a broad critique of Europe rather than conventional burden-sharing complaints.
- That critique signals a deeper, ideological shift in US foreign-policy priorities under this administration.
Who Wrote The Strategy
- Michael Anton drafted much of the NSS with later edits by Mike Needham, and it bears hard-right signatures like Stephen Miller's on migration and culture.
- The document appears to lack broad interagency input, reflecting a partisan, ideologically driven authorship.
Great-Power Competition Reframed
- The NSS downplays Russia as a competitor and frames strategic stability in euphemistic terms that suggest pulling back from the Euro-Atlantic contest.
- It also commits to the status quo on Taiwan while softening a hardline tech-competition posture versus China.