Diplomacy and International Politics

The following is an event write-up about the recent Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship (PETR) seminar on “France’s Global Role in a Changing World Order” co-moderated by Natalie Colbert, Executive Director of the Belfer Center, and Svenja Kirsch, Fellow with PETR, on April 19, 2023.

The United States president, Joe Biden, has made restoring alliances and partnerships a central feature of his foreign-policy agenda. As he arrives in Europe for the first overseas trip of his presidency, the time is ripe for the transatlantic relationship to advance an agenda of democratic resilience.

Strengthening policy co-ordination on Russia and China will be central to this agenda—although transatlantic partners are not expected to be in lockstep with him on every issue. Instead of lamenting where our approaches toward Moscow and Beijing may diverge, however, the US and its European partners should take advantage of renewed diplomatic engagement to make progress on defending democratic values at home and abroad.

On May 11, 2021, the Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship hosted a panel discussion on efforts to advance an anti-racist transatlantic agenda with three policymakers: Caroline Abadie, Member of the French National Assembly; Oona King, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Snap Inc and former Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom; and Desirée Cormier Smith, Senior Advisor in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. This discussion was moderated by Torrey Taussig, Research Director, and Erika Manouselis, Project Coordinator.

Strengthening transatlantic democracies requires even more focus and attention today because of the complex interdependence that exists between our countries and China, not in spite of it. Recognizing that we must safeguard liberal democracy from authoritarian influence is not a retroactive worldview, nor is it the basis of an anti-China agenda. Rather, a shared commitment to renewing our democracies is an enduring feature of the transatlantic relationship and should remain so in the years ahead. 

The new president’s vow to restore the trans-Atlantic alliance is welcome, but Europeans want a more balanced relationship, with more dialogue and less diktat.

Donald Trump’s second impeachment proceedings have begun. What is the future of the Republican Party now? Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook with first analysis [interview in German].

It's likely that, a couple of weeks ago, you'd never heard the name Ursula von der Leyen. President of the European Commission, the European Union's executive branch and most powerful institution, is not a job that enjoys the fame or the grandeur of a national leader. So if your name's appearing in the media, chances are, something's probably gone very wrong. 

Hate speech, racism, and a divided society. Former US President Donald Trump left behind many problems that a new human rights policy has to face. A conversation with the German-American political scientist Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook. [translated from German; interview in German]

Ambassador Nicholas Burns, Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO, talks to Becky Anderson about Joe Biden's foreign policy vision, and what would be a smart next move for the U.S.

Ambassador Nicholas Burns, former top official and ambassador at the State Department, joins Andrea Mitchell today ahead of President Biden's visit to the State Department where he plans to deliver a speech laying out his immediate foreign policy agenda. Amb. Burns says. "I think President Biden's visit to the State Department today is a powerful signal of his support for the United States building up its capacity in diplomacy which we didn't see under four years of Donald Trump."