Can Europe Stand Without the US?

February 12, 2026

Podcast Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

Ahead of Munich, Georgina Wright and Sophia Besch explain how Europe is rearming and diversifying its alliances.

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About the Episode

Europe is rethinking its security as the US signals it may not always be a reliable partner. Ahead of the Munich Security Conference, countries are scrambling to rearm, diversify partnerships, and protect their interests. Can Europe stand on its own, or will it stay tied to the US? Georgina Wright from the German Marshall Fund and Sophia Besch from the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace break it down.

About the Experts

Sophia Besch

Senior Fellow, Europe Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Sophia Besch is a senior fellow in the Europe Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Her area of expertise is European defense policy. Dr. Besch also teaches as an adjunct lecturer at Johns Hopkins SAIS. Before joining Carnegie, Sophia was a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform (CER) in London and Berlin as well.

Georgina Wright

Senior Fellow, Special Adviser to the President, German Marshall Fund

Georgina Wright is a senior fellow and special adviser to the president at GMF. Before joining GMF, Wright was deputy director for international studies at Institut Montaigne, where she led research on EU foreign policy and economic security. She previously held positions at the Institute for Government, Chatham House, the European Commission, and NATO.

Leslie Vinjamuri

President & Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs

Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri joined the Council in 2025 as the president and chief executive officer, after previously serving as director of the US and the Americas program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, in London. She brings nearly 30 years of experience working at the intersection of international affairs, research, policy, and public engagement.

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