Plotting a through line: February 2026 geopolitics update

Is there a strategic through line or an explanatory logic behind the Trump Administration’s actions in Venezuela, Greenland and Iran?

What is the current state of the Transatlantic Alliance?

What are the implications of cross-theatre linkages for the idea that Europe and the Indo-Pacific are separate security arenas?

With rising tensions in the Middle East, what factors will most strongly influence whether tensions between the US and Iran escalate into a broader regional conflict?

Are there any potentially optimistic geopolitical signals that deserve amplification?

In this episode, Justin Burke speaks with Euan Graham and Gorana Grgić to discuss the through lines on the surprising geopolitical events that ushered in 2026, imagining a world without the US at its center.

Dr Gorana Grgić is Head of the Global Security team at the ETH Zurich’s Center for Security Studies and holds senior affiliations in Australia and the US. Her research interests include US and EU foreign policy and NATO.

Dr Euan Graham is an Expert Associate at the ANU National Security College. He has extensive experience as a commentator, policy analyst and former practitioner specializing in Indo-Pacific security.

Justin Burke is a Senior Policy Advisor at the ANU National Security College.

TRANSCRIPT

Show notes:

· NSC academic programs – find out more

· The Case for a Pacific Defense Pact: America Needs a New Asian Alliance to Counter China

· Asia After America | Foreign Affairs

We'd love to hear from you! Send in your questions, comments, and suggestions to NatSecPod@anu.edu.au. You can tweet us @NSC_ANU and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes.

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