Jeffrey Sommers, Professor of Political Economy and Public Policy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, joins Bogdan Radu and Anca Sinea of Babeș-Bolyai University to examine the effects of US foreign policy on Europe and the wider region. The conversation begins with the Trump administration's attempt to reshape the global order through tariffs, negotiations with Russia, and military interventions in Venezuela and Iran. Sommers explains the energy stakes of the war in Iran, including the idea of anchoring the dollar in US-produced LNG, and the consequences of depleted weapons stockpiles for Ukraine and US allies.
The discussion then turns to negotiations led by Donald Trump's close associates, transatlantic tensions, the redistribution of NATO responsibilities on the eastern flank, and Romania's role in logistics and arms production. Estonia's experience in Narva opens a discussion of resilience and relations with Russian-speaking communities. The final part addresses democratic backsliding, pressure on the press in the United States, class resentments mobilized by the political right, the future of EU funding for Romania, the dispute over Greenland, and the EU's capacity to act as a strategic actor.
Recorded in June 2026.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and guests
01:37 A year of US foreign policy: tariffs, Russia, Venezuela, Iran
07:14 The war in Iran and US objectives
09:34 From petrodollar to LNG: the stakes for the dollar's global role
12:09 Europe's response to the war in Iran
13:21 How the war in Iran shifts the balance in Ukraine
17:08 Transactional diplomacy: Witkoff, Kushner and the tech elite
20:15 Tariffs, NATO and transatlantic security on the eastern flank
24:35 Romania's strategic importance
25:36 The Baltic states, Kremlin warnings and language laws
28:31 What Romania can learn from the Baltic experience
33:33 Democratic backsliding: the press, social media and tribalism
39:13 Cynicism, inequality and democratic resilience in Romania
43:34 What worries Jeffrey Sommers: Russia, China, the US and EU funds
46:51 Venezuela and the disappearance of democratic justifications
49:43 Greenland, Cuba and transatlantic relations
52:17 The EU as a strategic actor: regional fragmentation or autonomy
#Geopolitics #USForeignPolicy #Iran #Russia #Ukraine #NATO #Romania #EuropeanUnion #Democracy #Podcast