Announcing The Ties that Bind: NATO Allies in Action

• October 24, 2025

The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the second season of The Ties that Bind podcast. 

The Ties that Bind examines how NATO shapes the transatlantic relationship and its role in the global security landscape. The project features a limited podcast series, interviews, and analysis.

Our first season highlighted NATO’s history, organizational structure, operations, and heightened importance following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Our guests’ commentary illustrated why NATO, more than 75 years in, remains an integral security guarantor for the US, for Europe, and for those still awaiting membership.

The second season of The Ties that Bind will take a deeper look at how frontline member states contribute and collaborate within the alliance. 

Over the next few months, we will speak with experts from Poland, Romania, Latvia, Finland, and others about their contributions to the Alliance, both past and present. We will hear about their defense investments, how they are tackling disinformation campaigns, how they are adapting to changing economic realities, and how their societies are thinking and preparing for a potential conflict with Russia.  

Our first episode focuses on Poland, a security anchor for the Alliance, vital to protecting NATO’s Eastern Flank. We spoke with former Polish Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga, former Ambassador to NATO Tomasz Szatkowski, and Jakub Romaniuk, Programme Director at the Foundation Institute of Eastern Studies, about the challenges Poland has faced and what opportunities lie ahead as it looks to become a leading voice within the alliance and on the world stage.

Episode 1: For Our Freedom and Yours is now available. Subscribe below to be the first to know about future releases.

This project is a product of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, co-sponsored by the NATO Public Diplomacy Division.