Terry Stiasny, an insightful political journalist, joins Charles Hecker, an expert on international business in Russia, and Benedetta Berti Alberti, NATO's policy planning head. They discuss how European leaders, like Macron and Starmer, will strategically engage with Trump over defense issues, particularly regarding Ukraine. The trio also explores Russia-China ties amid warming U.S.-Russia relations, and they address the shift from traditional journalism to social media influencers covering Brazil's Carnival, raising questions about media quality and cultural representation.

Benedetta Berti from NATO discusses NATO's perspectives on the Indo-Pacific, transitioning from academia to policy-making, strategic competition among authoritarian countries, geopolitical alignment, the upcoming NATO Summit, and strengthening defense collaboration.