The West Under Pressure: Inside Munich 2026

Podcast Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast
The Observer’s Giles Whittell and ECFR’s Dr. Jana Puglierin unpack what this year’s Munich Security Conference revealed.
Marco Rubio at MSC Play Podcast
Alex Brandon / Pool AP
Subscribe to Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

About This Episode

Ukraine, China, and Iran are shaking up the world—but at the Munich Security Conference, the West seemed to be worrying about itself. Amid simmering transatlantic tensions, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio got a standing ovation, but was it real reassurance or just the same talking points, dressed up? The Observer’s Giles Whittell and ECFR’s Dr. Jana Puglierin break down the conference’s most revealing moments and what Europe is really thinking. 

About the Experts
Jana Puglierin
Head, Senior Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations
Jana Puglierin Headshot
Dr. Jana Puglierin is a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and head of its Berlin office since January 2020. She headed the Alfred von Oppenheim Centre for European Policy Studies at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) from December 2015 to December 2019 and was a research fellow with its Berlin Future Forum from September 2013 to November 2015.
Jana Puglierin Headshot
Giles Whittell
Deputy Editor-in-Chief, The Observer
Giles Whittell Headshot
Giles Whittell is an English author and journalist who has worked for the London Times as a correspondent in LA, Moscow, and Washington. He was the Times' chief leader-writer for three years before joining Tortoise Media in 2018. Along the way he has written a few books including Spitfire Women of World War II, Bridge of Spies, and a biography of snow.
Giles Whittell Headshot
Leslie Vinjamuri
President & Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Leslie Vinjamuri headshot
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.
Leslie Vinjamuri headshot
Issues Defense and Security US Foreign Policy
Regions Global Europe
Back to Podcast Listing

Related Content

A flag bearer holds the American flag as American forces march down a road Defense and Security
Jane Hahn / AP
Americans Prioritize Using US Troops Defensively
RESEARCH Public Opinion Survey

The public supports deploying US troops to defend allies, particularly in Europe, but most oppose using them for territorial expansion.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stands at a podium with a logo at the Pentagon. US Foreign Policy
Mark Schiefelbein / AP
The Trump Administration's New National Defense Strategy Expands the US 'Homeland'
ANALYSIS by Kathleen Hicks

The new strategy "suggests a very geographically grounded way of thinking about defense," former US Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks told the Council. She explains what it could mean for China, the war in Ukraine, and US alliances—and what comes next.

Rutte and Vance at MSC 2025 Defense and Security
Matthias Schrader / AP
Can Europe Stand Without the US?
Podcast Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

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