CER Podcast: Unpacking Europe: The geopolitics of the war in the Middle East

On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, director Charles Grant sat down with Luigi Scazzieri, senior policy analyst at the European Institute of Security Studies and a non-resident associate fellow at the CER, to discuss the recent NATO summit of 25-26 June. They spoke about what was agreed at the summit and whether Trump has turned out to be less disruptive to NATO than expected.

On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, director Charles Grant sat down with Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commentator for the Financial Times to discuss the geopolitics of the war in the Middle East. Their converstion, recorded on 23rd June conversation, focused on the geopolitical shifts in the region rather than the details of the fighting.

On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, senior research fellow Elisabetta Cornago sits down with CER associate fellow Anton Spisak to discuss his recent insight ‘A perfect storm: Britain's trade malaise, weak growth and a new geopolitical moment’. They consider what has contributed to the stagnation of Britain’s trade since 2020, and how this continues to affect economic growth in the UK.

On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, deputy director Ian Bond sits down with Mykola Bielieskov policy analyst at the National Institute for Strategic Studies & Senior Analyst at Come Back Alive and Olesya Khromeychuk director of the Ukrainian Institute London, to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and the coalition of the willing and the influence of the US on negotiations. They consider the prospects for peace and the future of stability of Ukraine.

On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, director Charles Grant sits down with visiting fellow in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, Sophia Gaston, to discuss the UK-EU summit set to take place on May 19. They consider the geopolitical and domestic context, and what will or won’t be on the negotiating table. Produced by Octavia Hughes

On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, research fellow Aslak Berg sits down with Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge, Meredith Crowley, to discuss President Trump's latest tariff announcements. They set out the impact on transatlantic relations, what a US-China decoupling would look like in practice, and the broader implications for the world trading system. Produced by Octavia Hughes

After the recent visit of the EU's College of Commissioners to New Delhi, CER's Anunita Chandrasekar speaks to Tara Varma, who is currently a visiting fellow at Brookings Institution's Centre for the US and Europe, and Amaia Sánchez-Cacicedo, senior fellow covering Asia and India at Institut Montaigne, to consider the trajectory of EU-India relations. Produced by Octavia Hughes

Following the Trump administration's controversial comments and actions on Ukraine, tariffs and much else, CER director Charles Grant sits down with the director of Foreign and Defense Policy at the American Enterprise Institute, Kori Schake, to discuss what America’s hostility to the rules-based international order means for transatlantic relations. Produced by Octavia Hughes

Three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the CER's deputy director Ian Bond talks to head of the GLOBSEC Kyiv Office Iuliia Osmolovska about the mood in the country, Ukrainian reactions to US-Russian negotiations, and the role of the EU and European countries in Ukraine. Produced by Octavia Hughes

On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, senior research fellow Zselyke Csaky sits down with chief economist Sander Tordoir to discuss President Trump's tariffs and the second China shock. Sander explains which countries and industries Trump is targeting and sets out a series of recommendations to protect Germany’s automotive and engineering sectors from Beijing’s industrial policies. Sander Tordoir and Brad Setser’s recommendations to the German government can be read in full here: https://www.cer.eu/publications/archive/policy-brief/2025/how-german-industry-can-survive-second-china-shock Produced by Octavia Hughes