Episode 22: A new era of transatlantic affairs and the evolution of political culture

Dr Benjamin Rhode, Research Fellow for Transatlantic Affairs and Editor of IISS Strategic Comments, joins Dr Kori Schake for this episode of Sounds Strategic.Transatlantic relations have long been considered a relatively stable area of international diplomacy. However, the realities of the Trump administration in the US and Brexit in the UK have brought new volatility to transatlantic affairs. Dr Schake and Dr Rhode discuss the effects of this new instability in the relationships that have traditionally formed the foundation of the liberal world order. They also explore the emerging crisis in the US administration over President Trump’s call with President Zelensky of Ukraine and the rationality behind French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent overtures to Russia. Dr Rhode also highlights the importance of political culture as a means of understanding and predicting public reactions to domestic and foreign policy. Dr Schake and Dr Rhode agree that historical context often informs how national policy is formed and implemented, but also that popular perceptions around political issues, and even other nations, can change rapidly.Reading recommendations:George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, (London: Secker and Warburg, 1949)Data Visualisation:Charles Joseph Minard, “Figurative chart of the successive losses in men by the French army in the Russian campaign 1812-1813.”, Tableaux graphiques et cartes figuratives (Paris, 1869), p.28Date of recording: 30 September 2019Sounds Strategic is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.Theme music: ‘Safety in Numbers’ by We Were Promised Jetpacks.

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