Foreign Policy Research Institute A Nation Must Think Before it Acts Understanding Berlin’s Security Environment

Understanding Berlin’s Security Environment

  • February 13, 2026

Welcome back to the Ties That Bind, a project of the Foreign Policy Research Institute examining the past, present, and future of NATO and the transatlantic relationship. This season we examine how Western European NATO members like Germany are shifting their defense policies, pursuing rearmament, and what lies ahead for the future of European security.

This week we are pleased to feature a conversation with FPRI President Aaron Stein and Roland Theis, a Member of the German Bundestag (CDU/CSU) who sits on the Defense and European Affairs Committees. The two discuss shifts in German defense policy, the erosion of transatlantic trust, and a way forward on rebuilding a strong US-European ties. You can read a transcript of their conversation here.

The third season of the Ties That Bind is generously supported by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

 

Understanding Berlin’s Security Environment by FPRI Eurasia Program

Season 3, Episode 1 | In conversation with Roland Theis, Member of the German Bundestag

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