Transatlantic relations

And so I think Americans post-Trump will want Ukraine to come out ahead, to succeed in the war, not to be defeated.

And I also think things like NATO and the Transatlantic Alliance, which used to be baked into both political parties and had been really since the late 1940s, I think that will return.

And so the U.S. would want to be a partner to Europe and will put to the side the culture war stuff that Trump had embraced.

Now, that's not an easy job for Marco Rubio because he is one of the expositors of that culture war approach.

Jim, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for European and NATO policy under President Obama.

and with more than three decades of experience in defence and foreign policy, focused on Europe and the Transatlantic Alliance.

He is now an adjunct senior fellow at the Centre for New American Security and co-host of the Brussels Sprouts podcast.

Something I must go and listen to.

I found that interesting because this means that this is actually been in writing for over a month now.

And this also says, from General Secretariat of the Council to Corporate Second, Working Party and Transatlantic Relations, says delegations will find attached the draft EU Canada joint statement as received from Canada.

So what that means is this was actually worked on by Canadian officials.

And this was sent to this council and this committee by the General Secretariat of the Council on September 22nd, 2026.

And news reports the Pentagon is working on a new intelligence agency to better wage economic warfare against China and other U.S. rivals and rumors that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un had died.

Joining us today to discuss all this and more are Dr. Patrick Cronin, the Asia Pacific Security Chair at the Hudson Institute Think Tank, former Pentagon Europe Chief Jim Townsend, who is now with the Center for a New American Security, and a co-host of the Brussels Sprouts podcast, A Must for Anybody Interested in the Transatlantic Alliance, and former Pentagon Comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim, who counts the Center for Strategic and International Studies among his many affiliations.

And Michael Herson, the president of American Defense International, is off this week.

Before we get started, a quick word from today's sponsor, L3Harris.

We've also had, just the last few days, the controversy about the Nobel Peace Prize award this year to the South African former judge of the International Criminal Court, Navi Pillai, condemned by the US President Donald Trump, who described it as an indelible stain on Norway.

You know, so here we have a human rights issue dividing members of NATO and one of many issues which puts the Transatlantic Alliance under strain in ways that will have very real consequences of business.

But I think it just really highlights the fact that it is values that are at the core of a number of different fault lines geopolitically.

So the practice of business and human rights is experiencing some seriously heavy weather right now, isn't it?

Is the transatlantic relationship between the United States and the European members of NATO in danger of breaking down? Even the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom? And if these relationships break down, what are the implications for financial markets? Joining me today is Brent Johnson, co-host of Transatlantic Takeaway.

And I look forward to discussing and debating this outstanding, important topic with him today.

in many years past that would have been silly to even discuss this um but at this point i think you uh you know you don't have any choice but to at least consider the idea considering all the things that have happened in the last few years i think we're probably going to agree on a few things and probably disagree on a few but i'm looking forward to talking to you about it today john Well, fantastic, because

And I respect your viewpoints presented today, and I'm pleased that we could have this discussion.

Absolutely.

Well, I've now had some time to think about my discussion with Brent, and I have to say he made some very important points regarding not just the dire situation you could argue with the European economy and the questionable situation with the transatlantic relationship, but also regarding how that might evolve in ways that are perhaps less rosy than I think might be possible, if not necessarily likely.

And I have to say, when you get into grand historical events like this, there is tremendous uncertainty.

And so my understanding of Brent's position is that the US is in fact inclined to actively take advantage of Europe's weaknesses to make it even more dependent on U.S. energy and to make it agree to U.S. trade policy pressure, be it tariffs or or whatever else.

And we also believe that there are some critical alliances for us in the world.

We're very, very strong believers in the NATO, Transatlantic Alliance system and partnerships with countries in East Asia.

And we also believe that Israel is an extremely important ally for America and is a country that is a country, a society, a source of innovation, as this year has shown, has dramatically become one of our closest military allies.

What our two armed forces were doing side by side, it's easy to forget this, but the joint operation targeting Iran and occasionally some of the proxies in the region, is the closest the US has fought with any other ally in a very long time.

The Ukrainian presidency conveyed that adherence to principled conduct remained a matter of real consequence for Europe going forward.

The Merzelinsky talks also addressed the diplomatic path toward an enduring peace, with both sides committing to stay in close contact with partners across Europe and the Transatlantic Alliance.

The Ukrainian presidency reported that MERS indicated Germany was taking steps to arrange a new gathering of the Coalition of the Willing, a group focused on coordinating support and potential post-war security assurances for Ukraine.

The two leaders also agreed to a meeting of national security advisors in the E3 Ukraine format, bringing together Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.