The Eurofile

Max and Donatienne recap Max’s recent Europe trip and discuss the EU’s lackluster approach to the Middle East one year after the October 7 attacks (05:36). Then, they turn to a conversation with Tom Nuttall, The Economist's chief Germany correspondent and head of the Berlin bureau, about the state of German politics (14:18).

Max and Donatienne discuss Ursula von der Leyen’s proposed College of Commissioners for her second term as Commission President (00:38). Then, they turn to a conversation with Simone Tagliapietra, senior fellow at Bruegel, about the state of Europe’s energy transition and the EU’s evolving climate policies (16:44).   Learn more:  Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts Power Plays: Europe’s Response to the Energy Crisis (csis.org)

Max and Donatienne discuss the formation of a new French government after Emmanuel Macron picked former chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as Prime Minister. Then, they briefly discuss two regional elections in East Germany and the outline of Ursula von der Leyen’s new European Commission. Finally, they turn to a conversation with Federico Steinberg, visiting fellow with the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program and senior analyst at Elcano, about the long-awaited Draghi report on the European Union’s competitiveness.   Learn more:  Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts Europe’s Fiscal Crossroads (csis.org) Power Plays: Europe’s Response to the Energy Crisis (csis.org) 

Max and Donatienne are joined by Sophia Besch, Tara Varma, and Liana Fix for a summer special conversation on the Washington, DC think tank scene from a European perspective.  Sophia Besch is a senior fellow in the Europe Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Her area of expertise is European defense policy. Tara Varma is a visiting fellow at the Center of the United States and Europe at Brookings. Her research focus includes current French security proposals in the European framework, as well as ongoing efforts to materialize European sovereignty in traditional and non-traditional security fields. Liana Fix is a fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). She is a historian and political scientist with expertise in German and European foreign and security policy, European security, transatlantic relations, Russia, Eastern Europe, and European China policy. Learn more:  Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts 

Max and Donatienne discuss Ursula von der Leyen being confirmed for a second term as Commission President, the turbulent start to Hungary’s presidency of the Council of the European Union, and President Biden’s decision not to run for reelection in November. Then, they turn to a conversation with Chris Johnstone, senior adviser and Japan Chair at CSIS, to discuss his recent report co-authored with Max Bergmann titled “Europe's Security Role in the Indo-Pacific: Making It Meaningful.”  Learn more:  Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts Europe's Security Role in the Indo-Pacific: Making It Meaningful 

Max and Donatienne recap the recent NATO summit in Washington, DC (00:48) and discuss the fallout from the French legislative elections (04:55). Then, they turn to a conversation with Camille Grand, Distinguished Policy Fellow at ECFR, to discuss the implications of the NATO summit on European security (16:26).   Learn more:  Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts Policy Brief: Defending Europe with less America 

Max and Donatienne discuss the recent nominations for top EU jobs, as Ursula von der Leyen stays in pole position to secure another five-year term as Commission president (00:44). Then, they turn to a conversation with Marcus Roberts, Chief of Public Data at YouGov, to preview the UK elections and discuss broader trends in European politics (13:57).   Learn more:  Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts New Report: Europe's Security Role in the Indo-Pacific: Making It Meaningful New Commentary: The United States Should Press the European Union to Act on Eurobonds for Ukraine

Max and Donatienne discuss the results from the European Parliament elections where the far-right made significant gains but failed to deliver a decisive blow to the incumbent centrist coalition (01:07). Then, they turn to a bold move by French President Emmanuel Macron to dissolve parliament and call snap elections after his liberal Renaissance party fared poorly in the EP election (07:50). Finally, they turn to a conversation with Lieutenant General Michiel van der Laan, the Director General of the EU Military Staff, for a conversation on the EU’s evolving role in defense policy and military affairs (15:33).   Learn more:  Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts 

Max and Donatienne discuss the latest polling figures for the European Parliament election (1:00) and Rishi Sunak’s decision to call an early election in the U.K. on July 4th (7:34). Then, they look ahead to President Biden’s state visit to France, in part to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day (12:16). Finally, they turn to a conversation with Dan Kelemen, who holds the McCourt Chair at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University and is a non-resident senior associate with the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program, to preview the European Parliament election (15:33).   Learn more:  Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts 

Max and Donatienne discuss the assassination attempt on Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico (0:53) and the announcement of a new Dutch government (0:53). Then, they turn to a conversation with Jude Blanchette, Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS, for a conversation about President Xi’s recent trip to Europe and the state of Sino-Russian ties (18:54).   Learn more:  Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts Pekingology | CSIS Podcasts