The Focus13 Marras 2025

Can the West Still Lead?

In this episode of The Focus, Dr. John Bruni speaks with leading strategist Professor Andrew A. Michta about whether the West is in decline or on the cusp of renewal, exploring the fractures inside the transatlantic alliance, America’s fading primacy, Europe’s struggle for strategic agency, China’s growing economic fragility, and the deeper civilisational crisis undermining Western confidence. Drawing on Michta’s recent RealClearDefense essays, we discuss Europe’s defence readiness, U.S. strategic miscalculations, the risks of misreading history, and what the West must believe again to survive the 21st century. A sharp, sweeping conversation on power, purpose, and the future of the liberal order.

Show Notes:

Connect with Andrew

X: @andrewmichta

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-a-michta-39116934/

OpEds:

RealClearDefense—“The West Needs to Come Together” 27 October 2025 https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2025/10/27/the_west_needs_to_come_together_1143377.html

RealClearDefense—“The Next U.S. National Security Strategy Risks Misreading History Again” 22 September 2025 https://www.realcleardefense.com/2025/09/22/the_next_us_national_security_strategy_risks_misreading_history_again_1136224.html

Books by Andrew:

The Future of NATO: Regional Defense and Global Security
June 23, 2014 — University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The Limits of Alliance: The United States, NATO, and the EU in North and Central Europe
2006 — Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, Maryland.

The Soldier-Citizen: The Politics of the Polish Army after Communism
1997 — St. Martin’s Press, New York.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(100)

Strategy in the 21st Century

Can military superiority compensate for bad strategy? In this special episode of The Focus, Dr John Bruni speaks with Sir Lawrence Freedman—one of the world’s foremost authorities on strategy and war—...

24 Syys 56min

The Multicultural Myth

Australia is one of the world’s most ethnically diverse societies—but is it truly multicultural? In Episode 116 of The Focus, Dr John Bruni speaks with Associate Professor Salvatore Babones, political...

17 Syys 1h 8min

25 YEARS AFTER 9/11

On September 10, 2001, the United States stood at the height of its power. Twenty-five years later, what happened to the American moment? In this special 25th-anniversary episode of The Focus, Dr John...

10 Syys 1h 54min

RUSSIA’S REAL THREAT TO NATO: How Far Can Putin Go?

What if Russia’s most dangerous weapon isn’t the one that starts a war — but the one that keeps us permanently on the edge of one? From drones over European airports and sabotage to cyberattacks, disi...

3 Syys 1h 13min

INDIA’S IRAN DILEMMA: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia & the New Strategic Order

India has spent decades pursuing strategic autonomy. But what happens when the world around it begins choosing sides? In this episode of The Focus Podcast, Dr John Bruni is joined by LTGEN (Ret.) Ravi...

20 Elo 1h 16min

Seeing Around Corners - Why Strategic Surprises Keep Catching Us Off Guard

From pandemics and wars to artificial intelligence, geopolitical rivalry, and presidential candidates, the pace of change has never been faster. Yet governments, businesses and intelligence agencies c...

6 Elo 1h 43min

How Colombia defeated the FARC | Part 2

How did Colombia defeat the FARC—and what can other democracies learn from its experience? In Part 2 of my conversation with General Alberto José Mejía Ferrero, former Commander of the Colombian Armed...

24 Heinä 1h 15min

How Colombia Defeated the FARC

How does a democracy defeat one of the world's longest-running insurgencies? For more than fifty years, Colombia fought a brutal conflict against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)—a wa...

17 Heinä 1h 9min