Germany & European Neoidealism (with Dr. Benjamin Tallis)

Giselle, Iulia, and Dalibor are joined by Dr. Benjamin Tallis, Senior Research Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations, to discuss all things germane to Germany's "zeitenwende" and the concept of European "neoidealism" (a term coined by Tallis). Tallis outlines where zeitenwende stands today, a year after its announcement. Tallis notes that Germany has "moved at the speed of shame" by making impressive strides in changing its energy policy towards Russia, yet Germany still has a long way to go in mobilizing defense resources to aid Ukraine. Tallis also discusses Germany's view towards Central and Eastern European states, like Poland, which are leading support efforts for Ukraine - although historically have not been considered the "core" of Europe" - and the different threat perceptions of Russia within Europe informed by countries' historical experiences. He finishes by explaining "neoidealism," a term based on the legacy of European political leaders of the 1990s who understood and took seriously their region's historical experiences and advocated for values-based foreign policy, accordingly, and he considers how neoidealism is faring against countries advocating for "pragmatic" foreign policy.

Show notes: To Ukraine With Love: Essays on Russia's War and Europe's Future by Benjamin Tallis and "Don’t worry, Czech democracy will be fine" by Dalibor Rohac. Sign up for The Eastern Front's newsletter here and connect with us on Twitter here.