Is the shock of the US-Iran war helping Europe come together?

Is the shock of the US-Iran war helping Europe come together?

Author: Chatham House April 24, 2026 Duration: 34:41

EU expansion, energy shocks, and uneasy alliances: will the conflict in the Gulf – and other crises – force a more unified European strategy?
 
This week's episode comes from the Delphi Economic Forum in Greece, where host Bronwen Maddox is joined by Grégoire Roos, director of our Europe, Russia and Eurasia programmes.
 
As the fallout from the US-Israel war on Iran ripples through global markets, Europe finds itself under renewed pressure.
 
Recorded on location amid the activity and discussions of the forum, they explore how Europe is responding to an increasingly unpredictable United States, reconsidering its own economic and security priorities, and navigating its relationship with Russia. Is this a moment of fragmentation – or the beginning of a more coherent European stance?

Produced by Stephen Farrell.

 

Chatham House's latest:

Comment | A Taiwan crisis would cause far more global economic damage than Strait of Hormuz disruption

News release | Lord Robertson: UK's 'naïve belief' the US 'will always be there' has diminished its defence capabilities

Comment | Israel's accelerating de facto annexation of the West Bank has dangerous implications

Magazine issue | Spring issue of The World Today

Audio | The Climate Briefing podcast 🎧

Audio | Listen to Africa Aware podcast 🎧

Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you find your podcasts.


Hosted by Chatham House director Bronwen Maddox, Independent Thinking brings the institute’s private deliberations into the public ear. This isn’t a rehearsed lecture series, but a direct channel into candid, high-level discussions typically held behind closed doors. Maddox guides conversations with a carefully selected mix of leading policymakers, frontline journalists, and Chatham House’s own deep bench of experts, focusing on the international political issues that are shaping headlines and rewriting global strategies. The tone is analytical yet accessible, privileging substance and nuance over soundbites. Each episode feels like a privileged seat at a crucial roundtable, where complex topics-from shifting alliances and economic sanctions to climate diplomacy and conflict-are unpacked with clarity and intellectual rigor. Listeners gain a clearer understanding of the forces driving world events, hearing diverse perspectives clash and converge in real time. For anyone looking to move beyond the superficial news cycle and engage with the substantive arguments defining our geopolitics, this podcast offers an essential and thoughtful resource. It’s where informed opinion meets the pressing questions of our moment, fostering a deeper kind of political literacy.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Independent Thinking
Podcast Episodes
Has Trump made the presidency too powerful? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:08
The 2026 World Cup final in New Jersey may represent the pinnacle of soft power for the USA and a moment of global prestige for President Donald Trump. But at home, concerns are growing over his ever-expanding vision of…
NATO in Ankara: Is Europe ready for a Russian attack? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:37
This year's NATO summit brought together the leaders of all 32 member states in Ankara. President Donald Trump's return to the summit brought renewed controversy, with remarks on Greenland and Iran underscoring the geopo…
Can Andy Burnham save Labour? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:58
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves No.10 a decade since the Brexit referendum that began the UK's cycle of chaos, and Andy Burnham seems set to take over unopposed. Our experts discuss what the new regime will mean fo…
It isn't easy being green: The UK's net zero trilemma [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:18
Can Labour's prized plans to decarbonize power generation by 2050 withstand growing demands for extra defence spending – an acrimonious argument that has already claimed two senior defence ministers? Or pressure to prese…
Ebola in DR Congo: A 'catastrophic collision of disease and conflict' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:35
The major Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo's northeast is not just a public health emergency in an already impoverished and violence-beset region. Armed rebellion, fragile government and a collapse in p…
Could Britain really rejoin the EU? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:49
Almost exactly ten years since Britain's seismic vote to leave the EU, the debate reopens thanks to early skirmishes in the fight for leadership of the Labour Party and thus the prime ministership. Could a credible bid t…