The Future of Alliances in a Changing World

Hybrid

Leslie Vinjamuri speaks with Ambassador Julianne Smith about how US alliances are navigating new pressures and what this means for the future of global partnerships.

Photograph of participating NATO leadership at The Hague Summit

Jan

Ben Stansall / Pool AFP

Speakers

Julianne Smith
Leslie Vinjamuri

Date and Time

Jan 13: 12:00 - 1:00 pm CST

Doors Open: 11:45 AM

Location

Chicago Council Conference Center, 130 E Randolph Street; or via YouTube

Who Can Attend

For All

REGISTRATION

This event is open to the public.

About This Event

From renewed US threats over Greenland and rising Arctic tensions to instability in Venezuela and the wider Western Hemisphere, America’s alliances are facing new pressures. Recent actions have unsettled allies and raised urgent questions about US leadership, new and potentially unprecedented challenges to the NATO alliance, and the future of the rules-based order. Ambassador Julianne Smith, former US permanent representative to NATO and Council Distinguished Nonresident Fellow, is a national security expert with over two decades of experience in US and European defense policy and transatlantic relations. Ambassador Smith will join Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri for a conversation on how recent actions are testing US alliances and what they signal about the future of transatlantic security.

About the Speakers

Julianne Smith

Distinguished Nonresident Fellow in Defense and Security, Chicago Council on Global Affairs

Ambassador Julianne Smith, who served as the former US permanent representative to NATO, is a national security expert with over two decades of experience in US and European defense policy and transatlantic relations. She's held leadership positions at the White House, Department of Defense, and Department of State. Smith joined the Council in 2025 as a distinguished fellow in defense and security.

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.

America at 250: The Arc of Global Influence This content is part of the Council’s America at 250 initiative, a series of high-level dialogues, expert perspectives, public and private programs, and a signature conference focused on the critical questions that will define America’s future.

Learn more