October 01, 2021

AUKUS and the Future of Transatlantic Relations, with Thomas Wright and Benjamin Haddad

What is the significance of the recent AUKUS deal for transatlantic relations? Thomas Wright and Benjamin Haddad join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss the French reaction to the agreement, how it fits within broader trends of divergence between the U.S. and Europe, and how Europe might respond to a U.S. that is increasingly focused on the Indo-Pacific.

Thomas Wright is the director of the Center on the United States and Europe and a senior fellow in the Project on International Order and Strategy at the Brookings Institution. At Brookings, Wright works on U.S. foreign policy, great power competition, the European Union, Brexit, and economic interdependence. He is the author of two books, including the recently published "Aftershocks: Pandemic Politics and the End of the Old International Order.”

Benjamin Haddad is the senior director of the Europe Center at the Atlantic Council. He is an expert in European politics and transatlantic relations. His work has notably advocated for transatlantic unity in the face of Russian aggression, greater European responsibility, and investment on strategic matters. His recent book “Paradise Lost: Europe in the World of Trump” makes the case for greater European unity in a world of new challenges and threats.

  • Video
    • May 2, 2025
    Trump’s Top Official ‘Dead Weight’ Mike Waltz Set to Resign from the Administration

    Trump's now former national security advisor Mike Waltz has been seen as “dead weight” and Steve Witkoff should takeover his post, says Jim Townsend, adjunct senior fellow at ...

    By Jim Townsend

  • Commentary
    • May 1, 2025
    Sharper: Trump’s First 100 Days and Ukraine

    The first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term has dramatically reoriented the United States’ relationship with its global allies and adversaries. Nowhere has this...

    By Charles Horn

  • Podcast
    • April 30, 2025
    Ukraine Negotiates for Its Future

    There’s been a flurry of activity on the Ukraine front this week. Over the weekend, Donald Trump briefly met with Zelensky in Rome during ceremonies for Pope Francis’ funeral....

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend

  • Commentary
    • The Washington Quarterly
    • April 30, 2025
    A U.S. Strategy for Advancing EU Enlargement

    In 2014, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker famously declared a pause in the European Union’s enlargement. This pause is now over, after Russia’s 2022 invasion ...

    By Nicholas Lokker

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia