#98 Shashank Joshi: Why America Attacks Europe and Appeases Russia - And Why It’s Only Getting Worse

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This is a conversation with Shashank Joshi, the chief Defence Editor at the Economist and one of the best geopolitical and defence analysts out there.

We discuss one thing in this conversation - the new United States National Security Strategy - that was publicly announced in December 2025, that is in many ways completely unprecedented and that has triggered an immense wave of attention, backlash and worry among U.S. allies as well much more positive reaction from U.S. adversaries like Russia.

We talk about why that is - what is actually included in the strategy and what makes it such a big departure from the previous decades of US foreign policy and why it is such a big deal. How to read it between the lines in not just what it says but how it says it or what it doesn't say - and what it tells us about the foreign policy priorities of this US administration.

About why this document is bad news for Europe and why it should genuinely be concerned or about the reports that there is another version of this document - a not public one - that is significantly worse for Europe and why it might not be just rumours. What it means for the rest of the world - for China, Taiwan, Asia, Latin America, Middle East and what this document tells us about what the next years will look like - and much more.