Munich Security Conference Special with Elbridge Colby

Munich Security Conference Special with Elbridge Colby

This episode features a live recording of a conversation between ECFR director Mark Leonard and US undersecretary of war for policy, Elbridge Colby, which took place during the Munich Security Conference 2026.


Together, they discuss how ideas developed in think-tanks translate into government policy, and how the “America First” approach is shaping US national security priorities. Mark and Elbridge examine NATO’s evolution toward greater European responsibility, the challenge of turning higher defence spending into effective military capability, and the continued importance of nuclear deterrence.

They also discuss support for Ukraine, rising concerns about China’s military posture, efforts to counter Iran, and the strategic role of the US–Israel relationship, before looking ahead to the trade-offs and priorities likely to define American strategy in the coming years.


This podcast was recorded on February 13th 2026.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(630)

What the Iran war means for Europe’s energy

What the Iran war means for Europe’s energy

This week, Mark Leonard welcomes Szymon Kardaś, senior policy fellow in ECFR's European Power programme, to unpack how war in the Middle East is reshaping Europe’s energy landscape. While Europe is no...

2 Apr 31min

What the Iran war means for Ukraine

What the Iran war means for Ukraine

This week Mark Leonard welcomes Jana Kobzova, co-director of ECFR’s European Security programme and senior policy fellow, to discuss how the war in Iran is reshaping Ukraine’s war effort. What began a...

27 Mar 22min

Europe, Trump and the war in Iran

Europe, Trump and the war in Iran

Mark Leonard welcomes Piotr Buras, Carla Hobbs, Camille Lons, Jana Puglierin and Arturo Varvelli and to discuss how Europe is responding to the war in Iran.This week Mark Leonard records live from ECF...

20 Mar 21min

War in the Middle East

War in the Middle East

This week, Mark Leonard is joined by Aziz Alghashian, senior non-resident fellow at the Gulf International Forum, Eran Etzion, former Israeli diplomat and deputy head of Israel’s National Security Cou...

13 Mar 35min

India in a world of chaos

India in a world of chaos

This week Mark Leonard speaks to Raja Mohan, academic and foreign policy analyst, in a podcast episode recorded live from New Delhi during the Raisina Dialogue conference. Together they explore how In...

6 Mar 37min

Trump strikes Iran

Trump strikes Iran

In this emergency episode, Mark Leonard is joined by Ellie Geranmayeh, deputy director of ECFR’s Middle East and North Africa programme, Jeremy Shapiro, ECFR’s research director, and Cinzia Bianco, EC...

1 Mar 33min

How to defend Ukraine after a ceasefire

How to defend Ukraine after a ceasefire

As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth year, negotiations are finally entering a productive phase. Mark Leonard is joined by Jennifer Kavanagh, senior fellow and director of milit...

27 Feb 32min

Bretton Woods institutions in a new world order

Bretton Woods institutions in a new world order

This week Mark Leonard is joined by Mark Malloch-Brown. Mark is the former president of the Open Society Foundations, former head of the United Nations Development Programme, formerly UN secretary gen...

20 Feb 30min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
popradet
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
forklart
stopp-verden
rss-gukild-johaug
dine-penger-pengeradet
det-store-bildet
rss-ness
nokon-ma-ga
hanna-de-heldige
fotballpodden-2
aftenbla-bla
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-utenrikskomiteen-med-bogen-og-grasvik
rss-dannet-uten-piano
e24-podden
bt-dokumentar-2