The New Era of Great-Power Competition and “America First”: Implications for Europe

This presentation examines the return of great power competition, focusing on the strategic rivalry among major powers such as the United States, China, and Russia, and how this shift is reshaping the international order. It explores the implications of an “America First” approach for U.S. foreign and defense policy, including questions of burden-sharing, alliance cohesion, and Washington’s expectations of its European partners. Against this backdrop, the talk analyzes the implications for Europe’s security, from deterrence and defense capabilities to political unity and strategic autonomy, as well as the broader future of transatlantic relations in an increasingly contested geopolitical environment.

The talk will be delivered by Richard Weitz, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Political-Military Analysis at the Hudson Institute. His research focuses on U.S. foreign and defense policy, as well as regional security developments in Europe, Eurasia, and East Asia. Prior to joining Hudson in 2005, he worked at several research institutions and at the U.S. Department of Defense. Dr. Weitz holds degrees from Harvard University, University of Oxford, and the London School of Economics. He has published widely on international security and is a frequent commentator in leading media outlets.

Guests will have the chance to ask questions in English and German during the Q/A portion of the talk.

See one of Mr. Weitz’s recent publications here: https://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-the-iran-war-impacts-us-china-relations

This talk is in cooperation with the Institute of Political Science at the FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg and is free of charge. Please register via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..