The transatlantic alliance is facing its most serious test in decades. President Donald Trump’s aggressive push to assert control over Greenland—combined with mounting pressure tactics against U.S. allies—has accelerated a quiet but consequential shift in Europe’s strategic thinking.

In this episode, Ambassador Daniel Fried, Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council and a former senior U.S. diplomat deeply involved in NATO and European security policy, joins us to discuss how harsh rhetoric and failed coercion fractured long-standing assumptions about American leadership.

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After a blistering speech that lasted more than an hour, which centered around the US taking Greenland, President Donald announced that a deal had been made. Listen to an excerpt of his speech and hear Ambassador Kurt Volker, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO, explain what happened.

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Former Greenland finance minister Maliina Abelsen delivers a blunt warning about President Donald Trump’s renewed talk of “taking” Greenland. This episode examines how power politics, symbolism, and messaging are colliding with international law, alliance norms, and Arctic security—and why Greenlanders see the rhetoric as a threat, not protection.

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As U.S. military actions stretch from Venezuela to the North Atlantic, allies and adversaries are reassessing what American power now means. This episode, featuring retired General Ben Hodges and Ambassador Kurt Volker, examines the seizures, the rhetoric, and the growing concern in Europe that long-standing rules are giving way to something more dangerous—and more unpredictable.

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Retired General Ben Hodges, former Commander of U.S. Army Europe, says the U.S. military activity off Venezuela is repeating one of the most dangerous mistakes of Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan: no clear strategy, no defined end state, and questionable legality. And the consequences, he argues, extend far beyond any single operation, putting U.S. troops, alliances, and global credibility at risk.

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Former U.S. Army Europe commander General Ben Hodges delivers a blunt assessment of America’s shifting military posture and the risks it carries. He raises urgent questions about the legality of recent U.S. strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels, the absence of clear rules of engagement, and the strategic vacuum surrounding U.S. actions from the Western Hemisphere to Ukraine. He addresses these issues in Part One of Unchecked Force.

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This episode pulls back the curtain on daily life inside a country under siege. From a darkened apartment in Kyiv, Ukrainian Member of Parliament and mother Halyna Yanchenko describes nights without electricity, heat, water, or internet. Elevators stop. Food cannot be cooked. Homes go cold. This is not a war fought only on front lines or maps. It is a deliberate campaign aimed at civilians, families, and children, designed to exhaust, frighten, and break a society from the inside out. In her own words, Yanchenko explains what it means to raise children in darkness, and why Ukraine says this is not just war, but an attempt to erase civilian life itself.

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As Russia intensifies its campaign, Ukraine faces another threat from within: systemic corruption undermining its own war effort. In this episode, Kurt Volker, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Special Envoy to Ukraine, and Distinguished Fellow at CEPA explains how corruption is weakening Western support. It's also complicating battlefield decisions and giving Moscow strategic breathing room. A hard look at Ukraine’s internal battle and what must change for Kyiv to win the external one.

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