Nouvel tribune avec @sophiabesch.bsky.social pour @lefigaro.fr sur ce que les Européens peuvent attendre du sommet de l’OTAN à Ankara. « Le pacte de l’après-1945 dans lequel un hégémon bienveillant garantissait l’ordre européen […] a toujours été exceptionnel. » www.lefigaro.fr/vox/monde/a-...

«À Ankara, l’Europe souhaite davantage de prévisibilité, ce que les États-Unis ne sont pas prêts à lui donner»

TRIBUNE - Les Européens semblent avoir accepté l’idée que l’engagement américain évoluait, analysent les chercheuses Sophia Besch et Tara Varma. Au sommet de l’Otan à Ankara, les 7 et 8 juillet, ils e...

lefigaro.fr

Ravie de voir ce papier co-écrit avec @sophiabesch.bsky.social pour @carnegieendowment.org publié. Nous y explorons la question de la soutenabilité de la puissance américaine en Europe: militaire, économique, technologique et soft power : carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

Will American Power in Europe Run Out?

American power is entrenched in Europe. Yet the depth of this relationship has become a source of unease in Europe and Europeans are working to reduce their exposure to the vicissitudes of U.S. politi...

carnegieendowment.org

At this year’s NATO summit in Ankara, European leaders are building a stronger Europe-led alliance as America’s commitment shifts. @sophiabesch.bsky.social, @iacoskun.bsky.social, Nate Reynolds, and @stephenwertheim.bsky.social examine what’s shaping the summit. carnegieendowment.org/emissary/202...

Ahead of the Ankara Summit, NATO’s Mood Has Changed

European allies are less focused on appeasing Trump and more focused on smoothing the transition to a Europe-led alliance.

carnegieendowment.org

Call me lucky! Thrilled to announce that the wonderful @sophiabesch.bsky.social will join GMF's transatlantic security team as research director + managing director European+transatlantic defence. Sophia will be a key pillar in my team - together we will shape GMFs security & defense work!

German Marshall Fund@gmfus.bsky.social · 3mo ago

📣 GMF is pleased to welcome Dr. Sophia Besch as research director and managing director for transatlantic security, based in our Berlin office. Besch is a leading expert in transatlantic and European security, defense, and policy. 🔗 Learn more: https://bit.ly/495sFgz

„Strategischer Pessimusmus“ prägt Deutschlands Außenpolitik. Alternativen und wie wir unsere Interessen strategisch klug bei der Gestaltung einer neuen internationalen Ordnung vertreten können, hat FOCUS-Gastautorin @sophiabesch.bsky.social aufgeschrieben. www.focusplus.de/politik/wann...

Wann fängt Deutschland an, seine Macht in der Welt zu nutzen?

Unsere Außenpolitik ist von strategischem Pessimismus geprägt. Dabei müssten wir uns dringend an einer globalen Ordnung beteiligen. Noch sendet der Kanzler die falschen Signale. Eine Analyse.

focusplus.de

carnegieendowment.org/emissary/202... New piece out today: Europe cannot sit this one out.

"If Europe is as serious about preventing Ukraine’s defeat as it now appears to be, a coordinated long-term strategy will do more to help Kyiv...than its current practice of lurching from one aid package to another." Read the latest from @sophiabesch.bsky.social 🔽

Sophia Besch@sophiabesch.bsky.social · 6mo ago

New @foreignaffairs.com piece out today with Eric Ciaramella on the future of Fortress Ukraine. Gift link here: www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/fort...

New piece out this morning:

Foreign Affairs@foreignaffairs.com · 6mo ago

For Europe, “the price tag for underwriting Ukrainian rearmament will be steep,” write Eric Ciaramella and @sophiabesch.bsky.social. “But the alternative—a Ukrainian military perpetually in survival mode—would be far costlier.”

New @foreignaffairs.com piece out today with Eric Ciaramella on the future of Fortress Ukraine. Gift link here: www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/fort...

Fortress Ukraine

How a coalition of the willing can rearm Kyiv without Washington.

foreignaffairs.com

Leestip voor de zondag: @sophiabesch.bsky.social bespreekt in haar paper wat Europa kan doen om de afhankelijkheid van VS te beperken qua defensie, waarbij EU/NAVO vooral faciliterende rol heeft en verder alles in blokken wordt uitgevoerd. carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

Rebalancing the Transatlantic Defense-Industrial Relationship: Regional Pragmatism in Northeastern Europe

Facing acute threats, states in Northeastern Europe are pioneering a pragmatic model of defense-industrial cooperation that offers lessons for managing transatlantic dependencies in an era of uncertai...

carnegieendowment.org

Sobering analysis of transatlantic woes by @sophiabesch.bsky.social and @jyshapiro.bsky.social and some sage advice re alternatives. But, do European status-quo elites have the courage to face, let alone abandon, an abusive relationship?

"Europe’s biggest underpriced risk is financial dependence on the United States" I argue for @carnegieeurope.bsky.social. Great set of 'blind spots' with @cerianbond.bsky.social, @sophiabesch.bsky.social @dimitarh.bsky.social @jakubjanda.bsky.social @alanderminna.bsky.social and more

Taking the Pulse: What Issue Is Europe Ignoring at Its Peril in 2026?

2026 has started in crisis, as the actions of unpredictable leaders shape an increasingly volatile global environment. To shift from crisis response to strategic foresight, what under-the-radar issues...

carnegieendowment.org

🆕 | The debate on European nuclear deterrence has intensified, with NATO allies balancing three key aims. They will need to cooperate more deeply to craft a coherent strategy for confronting new threats, argue @sophiabesch.bsky.social & @jamiekwong.bsky.social. carnegieendowment.org/europe/strat...

Unpacking Europe's Deterrence Dilemmas

The debate on the future of European deterrence has intensified, as NATO allies seek to balance three key aims. Going forward, they will need to cooperate more deeply to craft a coherent strategy for ...

carnegieendowment.org

New from @sophiabesch.bsky.social and myself: internationalepolitik.de/de/wer-trump...

Wer Trump umarmt, braucht ein starkes Rückgrat

Die Europäer haben im vergangenen Jahr den Fokus darauf gelegt, dem US-Präsidenten zu schmeicheln.

internationalepolitik.de

It was great to sit down with @sophiabesch.bsky.social and @dannbaer to discuss the state of things. Watch this space as more will come!

Carnegie Europe@carnegieeurope.bsky.social · 9mo ago

🎧 | Is Europe Ready to Be Geopolitical? In this new #EuropeInsideOut episode, @sophiabesch.bsky.social, Dan Baer, & @rosabalfour.bsky.social tackle the key questions about the future of Europe. Listen now 👉 europe-inside-out.simplecast.com/episodes/is-...

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...

The New Geopolitics of Subsea Cables

YouTube video by Carnegie Endowment

youtube.com

🎯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...

UKICE Lunch Hour: European Security after the NATO summit

YouTube video by UK in a Changing Europe

youtube.com

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

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

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.

ukandeu.ac.uk

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)

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

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.

brookings.edu

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.

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.

brookings.edu

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...

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.

ukandeu.ac.uk

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...

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...

blog.prif.org

“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.

Europe Needs a New Way to Cooperate

How to fill the gaps created by the EU and NATO’s shortcomings.

foreignaffairs.com

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.

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

Europe Needs a New Way to Cooperate

How to fill the gaps created by the EU and NATO’s shortcomings.

foreignaffairs.com

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...

Merz Brings Germany Back to the Table

The new chancellor has moved quickly to fix years of foreign policy dysfunction in Berlin.

foreignpolicy.com

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.

Europe Needs a New Way to Cooperate

How to fill the gaps created by the EU and NATO’s shortcomings.

foreignaffairs.com