Can the West Still Lead?

In this episode of The Focus, Dr. John Bruni speaks with leading strategist Professor Andrew A. Michta about whether the West is in decline or on the cusp of renewal, exploring the fractures inside the transatlantic alliance, America’s fading primacy, Europe’s struggle for strategic agency, China’s growing economic fragility, and the deeper civilisational crisis undermining Western confidence. Drawing on Michta’s recent RealClearDefense essays, we discuss Europe’s defence readiness, U.S. strategic miscalculations, the risks of misreading history, and what the West must believe again to survive the 21st century. A sharp, sweeping conversation on power, purpose, and the future of the liberal order.

Show Notes:

Connect with Andrew

X: @andrewmichta

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-a-michta-39116934/

OpEds:

RealClearDefense—“The West Needs to Come Together” 27 October 2025 https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2025/10/27/the_west_needs_to_come_together_1143377.html

RealClearDefense—“The Next U.S. National Security Strategy Risks Misreading History Again” 22 September 2025 https://www.realcleardefense.com/2025/09/22/the_next_us_national_security_strategy_risks_misreading_history_again_1136224.html

Books by Andrew:

The Future of NATO: Regional Defense and Global Security
June 23, 2014 — University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The Limits of Alliance: The United States, NATO, and the EU in North and Central Europe
2006 — Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, Maryland.

The Soldier-Citizen: The Politics of the Polish Army after Communism
1997 — St. Martin’s Press, New York.

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