Sophia Besch

YouTube video by Carnegie Endowment The New Geopolitics of Subsea Cables

Subsea cables carry 95% of the world’s data but are largely invisible in global policy debates. @ibkardon.bsky.social, Jane Munga, and @sophiabesch.bsky.social discuss the geopolitics, economics, and risks surrounding undersea data infrastructure on #TheWorldUnpacked: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJIq...

YouTube video by UK in a Changing Europe UKICE Lunch Hour: European Security after the NATO summit

🎯discussion on European security today @sophiabesch.bsky.social w/ unvarnished truth on the 🇺🇸 view of Europe @nathalietocci.bsky.social novel/provocative points & @georginaewright.bsky.social's advice: every ally needs its own PA strategy for more defense spending

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Izb...

same. endless toxic relationship material.

I’m fine. I've always preferred marriage analogies.

UKICE Lunch Hour: European security after the NATO summit - UK in a changing Europe Join us online the week after the NATO summit to hear our experts analyse the prospects for defence and security policy in the UK and the EU.

On Tuesday, global leaders will converge on the Hague for the NATO summit

Join our online panel as they discuss the summit and whether UK & EU defence policy is fit for purpose

With @nathalietocci.bsky.social, @sophiabesch.bsky.social & @georginaewright.bsky.social

After years framing the transatlantic defense relationship in parental terms ("kicking the teen out of the basement") none of you get to complain about "daddy" now.

I very much enjoyed taking part in this event on Gaullist strategic thinking and current debates over European strategic autonomy at the French embassy with the great Julian Jackson and the terrific Léonie Allard, @sophiabesch.bsky.social @michaelshurkin.bsky.social and Aaron MacLean (1/2)

How must Europe reorganize its conventional defense? The objective should not be to compensate like-for-like the role that the United States is currently playing in European defense.

New piece out for @brookings.edu this week: www.brookings.edu/articles/how...

Should Europeans develop an independent nuclear deterrent? The biggest challenge today is shaping developments so that Europe does not fall into a "deterrence gap" as a result of U.S. repositioning.

No easy way out on Europe’s nuclear dilemmas, yet plenty to do, @claudmajor.bsky.social & I conclude. Are we too hopeful & unambitious? Tell us! Thanks to @constelz.bsky.social @brookings.edu for the initiative & opportunity. Look also at the great papers by @sophiabesch.bsky.social & Thomas Wright.

UKICE Lunch Hour: European security after the NATO summit - UK in a changing Europe Join us online the week after the NATO summit to hear our experts analyse the prospects for defence and security policy in the UK and the EU.

Next week's NATO summit comes at a critical moment

Join our online panel as they discuss the summit and whether UK & EU defence policy is fit for purpose

With @nathalietocci.bsky.social, @sophiabesch.bsky.social, @georginaewright.bsky.social & @anandmenon.bsky.social

ukandeu.ac.uk/events/ukice...

Kritik ohne Konsequenzen: Überfällige Schritte für eine friedenspolitische Rolle Deutschlands im Israel-Gaza Krieg - PRIF BLOG Die Kritik am israelischen Vorgehen in Gaza wird plötzlich auch in der deutschen Politik deutlich. Doch fehlt bislang ein wirklicher Politikwechsel. Stärkerer diplomatischer Druck auf Israel, regional...

Es ist gut, dass die deutsche Politik plötzlich deutliche Worte zur israelischen Kriegsführung in Gaza findet. Diesen Worten müssen Taten folgen. Die bisherige deutsche Politik ist das Gegenteil einer interessengeleiteten Außenpolitik. Mit drei @prif.org-Kolleginnen:👉 blog.prif.org/2025/05/28/k...

Europe Needs a New Way to Cooperate How to fill the gaps created by the EU and NATO’s shortcomings.

“The two main alliances of European states, the European Union and NATO, are too often paralyzed,” write @sophiabesch.bsky.social and @richardyoungs.bsky.social. To prepare for a new, more challenging era, Europe must embrace a different regional order.

Finally, SAFE - the €150bn loan initiative for defence - is not mentioned in the SDP itself, but in the agenda for future EU-UK relations.

The SDP as such will enable the UK to participate in EU common procurement, whereas a future, deeper agreement will be required for UK defence industry.

Thank you!

Europe Needs a New Way to Cooperate How to fill the gaps created by the EU and NATO’s shortcomings.

Great piece from @sophiabesch.bsky.social and @richardyoungs.bsky.social on the limitations of coalitions of the willing and the need for a new—institutionalized yet flexible—format for intra-European cooperation.

bit.ly/3RSsqwg

Merz Brings Germany Back to the Table The new chancellor has moved quickly to fix years of foreign policy dysfunction in Berlin.

What does yesterday's drama mean for Merz's chancellery? What to expect on Ukraine, USA, EU, China, Defense? Can he deliver on Zeitenwende? New piece for @foreignpolicy.com with @lianafix.bsky.social
- Gift link: foreignpolicy.com/2025/05/07/f...

Europe Needs a New Way to Cooperate How to fill the gaps created by the EU and NATO’s shortcomings.

This is an ambitious and interesting proposal for a new order of cooperation in Europe, especially on security and defense, from @sophiabesch.bsky.social and Richard Young.

Thank you!!

Brilliant piece by @sophiabesch.bsky.social and @richardyoungs.bsky.social - sums up basically everything about the tectonic shifts and cooperation in the European security order.

Europe Needs a New Way to Cooperate How to fill the gaps created by the EU and NATO’s shortcomings.

New @foreignaffairs.com piece out now with @richardyoungs.bsky.social
Coalitions of the willing are no silver bullet, nor is EU reform. Increasing defense budgets is not enough. This is not the time to muddle through, its the time for a new regional order.
www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/euro...

Germany’s Reaction to Trump Is Another Paradigm Shift With its second Zeitenwende, Berlin could become a global counterweight to Washington.

For Germany, President Trump’s upheaval of the global order isn’t just a betrayal of trust. It’s a “brutal, multipronged assault,” writes @sophiabesch.bsky.social. How is Germany's new government responding?

More in our series on Trump 2.0’s first 100 days: carnegieendowment.org/emissary/202...

This was great - have a listen!

New paper: lessons learned and what should come next for Europeans seeking to protect their subsea cables. For @lawfaremedia.org with @erikbrown.bsky.social

Europe’s Undersea Opportunity With threats to subsea cables increasing, European countries need to step up to secure their interests.

With threats to subsea cables increasing, European countries need to step up to secure their interests, write @SophiaBesch.bsky.social and @erikbrown.bsky.social.
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/euro...

Very interesting exchange between @sophiabesch.bsky.social and @oliverstuenkel.bsky.social about Latin America and the Trump adm..

One of the arguments is that Latin America (for now) is opting for laying low and not confronting #Trump.

Can #Europe learn from Latin America's history with the U.S.?

Germany's Rearmament, With Sophia Besch | The President’s Inbox Sophia Besch, a senior fellow in the Europe Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Germany’s ambitious rearmament plans amidst deepening…

This dialogue unpacks how Berlin’s rearmament plans, spurred by the Zeitenwende promise, could reshape European defense—but warns that tensions within the EU and new transatlantic dynamics may test unity and strain alliances.

With @sophiabesch.bsky.social

buff.ly/KTmpP3U

Latin America and Trump 2.0: Deportations, Trade Wars, and China's Rising Influence In President Donald Trump’s second term, Latin America has taken center stage in U.S. foreign policy—but not without controversy. From aggressive deportation...

President Trump’s style may be familiar in Latin America, but his tactics are causing alarm throughout the region.

@oliverstuenkel.bsky.social explained what Latin America can expect from the U.S. with @sophiabesch.bsky.social on The World Unpacked:

YouTube video by Carnegie Explains Gaza Ceasefire in Limbo: What's Next for U.S. Policy

From advocating for the “resettlement” of Palestinians from Gaza to negotiating directly with Hamas, the Trump administration has upended U.S. policy in the region, says @zaha-hassan.bsky.social.

Zaha’s conversation with @sophiabesch.bsky.social: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoP3...

France risks missing deficit target because of Trump’s trade war, economy minister says PARIS —The trade war with the United States might prevent France from bringing down its sky-high budget deficit, French Economy and Finance Minister Eric Lombard said on Friday. “Tax revenues…

Here we go: France is already signaling it won’t stick to EU fiscal rules because of the trade war.

And with the Commission already bending over backwards to invent flexibility for defense spending, it’s going to be a real challenge to push back on this one. 1/2

www.politico.eu/article/fran...