Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss the American military footprint in Europe. Why does the United States maintain such a large presence there? Are there other ways to accomplish our goals with a smaller physical presence there? And what outcomes would we see if the United States made major troop reductions on the continent? Grievances for Tony Blinken’s tone-deaf article in Foreign Affairs and toward Europe for its continued trade with Russia, while Zack expresses concern for New Zealand’s navy following the loss of one its newer warships. Attapeople to Cato’s Colin Grabow for a sensible proposal to enhance the U.S. shipbuilding industry; to the United States and South Korea for a creative cost-sharing agreement; and to the U.K. government for ceding control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Episode Reading

• Moritz S. Graefrath, “Power vacuums in international politics: a conceptual framework,” Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 1-18 (2023).
• Glenn McConnell, “What we know about the HMNZS Manawanui disaster,” Stuff, October 6, 2024.
• Junnosuke Kobara, “South Korea agrees to pay 8.3% more to host U.S. forces,” Nikkei, October 5, 2024.
• Colin Grabow, “US Maritime Policy Needs an Overhaul,” War on the Rocks, September 6, 2024.
• Robin Brooks, X, October 3, 2024.
• Mike Cherney, “US Tackles a Military Vulnerability in the Pacific: Supply Lines,” Wall Street Journal, September 25, 2024.
• Chicago Council on Global Affairs, “Majorities Support US Bases in Key Allied Nations,” October 4, 2023.
• Moritz S. Graefrath, “U.S. Troop Withdrawals from Europe Won’t Benefit Its Rivals,” War on the Rocks, September 30, 2024.
• Antony Blinken, “America’s Strategy of Renewal,” Foreign Affairs, November/December 2024.
• Alistair Smout, Michael Holden and Villen Anganan, “UK cedes Chagos Island sovereignty to Mauritius, retains Diego Garcia airbase,” Reuters, October 3, 2024

Image: U.S. Army HQ-101ABN by Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Tverberg, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons