Talking Strategy S6E2: Europe's Security: Squeezed Between Russia and the US?
11 snips
Oct 7, 2025 
Dr. Fiona Hill, a leading voice on Russian affairs and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, shares her insights on European security dynamics. She discusses how Europe navigates a challenging position, squeezed between a hostile Russia and a competitive US. Hill contrasts the strategic perspectives of Trump and Putin, emphasizing their focus on competition rather than collaboration. She also highlights the importance of public engagement in defense strategies, advocating for increased European self-reliance amid budget constraints and evolving global challenges.
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Strategy Versus Practice
- Strategy in practice differs from academic strategy and often becomes a set of pragmatic priorities rather than a full blueprint.
- Fiona Hill warns that states must match ends with realistic means when turning strategic ideas into policy.
Politicization Of Expertise In The US
- Fiona Hill recounts rising politicization of expertise in the United States that limits the apolitical expert pipeline.
- She contrasts this with the UK's smaller, public-funded university ecosystem that supplies experts to government.
Shared Strategic Perspectives
- Neither Putin nor Trump follows a classical grand strategy, but both act from strategic perspectives shaped by competition and spheres of influence.
- Hill notes both leaders view global politics as Darwinian jostling for position rather than governed by stable rules.
