logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2024
23m 22s

Is Canada Free-Riding on Defense?

Foreign Policy
About this episode

As NATO members up their defense spending to better equip the security alliance in the face of Russian aggression, Canada is coming in from criticism for lagging behind. How is Ottawa planning to rejuvenate its defense sector, and how is it thinking about new threats from the north, in the Arctic? Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair sits down with Ravi Agrawal at FP’s Security Forum ahead of NATO’s annual summit. 

Suggested reading:

Jack Detsch: NATO Wants Everyone to Help Deter Russia

Robbie Gramer, Amy Mackinnon, and Jack Detsch: What to Watch for at NATO’s 75th Birthday Bash

Caroline de Gruyter: NATO’s New Leader Was Planning This the Whole Time

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Jul 2
Why Zbig Still Matters
Journalist Edward Luce is the author of a new biography on President Jimmy Carter’s national security advisor Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America’s Great Power Prophet. He joins FP Live to share how this grand strategist’s legacy still shapes foreign policy today. Theo ... Show More
47m 32s
Jun 27
How India Is Navigating the Trump Era
How does India view a shifting world order? Former national security advisor Shivshankar Menon sits down with Ravi Agrawal to discuss New Delhi’s vision in a period defined by geopolitical flux and several global conflicts. Menon is also the author of Choices: Inside the Making o ... Show More
19m 9s
Jun 25
Trump and the NATO Summit
FP Live host Ravi Agrawal is on the ground at the NATO summit in The Hague this week. He shares his take on how European leaders pledged to increase their defense spending in a bid to please U.S. President Donald Trump. But where is that money going to come from? Insider: A Debri ... Show More
6m 26s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
Too Old or Still Relevant? NATO at 75 with Ambassador Julianne Smith
The Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed 75 years ago to protect Europe and North America against Russian aggression – a mission that is once again top priority, as NATO supports Ukraine’s battle against President Vladimir Putin. Ahead of the NATO summit and anniversa ... Show More
46m 29s
Jun 20
What’s really behind Europe’s 5% defense push
As NATO leaders prepare to endorse a dramatic defense spending hike, Europe faces a reckoning: Where will the money come from — and will new tanks mean cuts to pensions? Host Sarah Wheaton speaks with Michelle Haas, a defense analyst at Ghent University and an associate fellow at ... Show More
45m 53s
Jun 25
NATO summit 2025: How Europe can secure its future
This week, Mark Leonard is joined by Camille Grand, former NATO assistant secretary general and ECFR distinguished policy fellow, for a 15-minute Emergency Room episode dissecting the high-stakes NATO summit in The Hague. Against a turbulent geopolitical backdrop, world leaders n ... Show More
11m 15s
Jul 2024
Finland’s President Alexander Stubb on NATO, Europe’s Security and its Relations with the Rest of the World
In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard is joined by Finnish President and former Crisis Group trustee Alexander Stubb to talk about next week’s NATO summit, European security and the war in Ukraine. They assess Finland’s role as one of NATO’s newest members, Europe’s defence ... Show More
47m 5s
Jun 25
The Nato summit - waving or drowning?
A behind the scenes look at the 2025 NATO Summit. The summit was billed as a turning point—Secretary General Mark Rutte even called it a “quantum leap” in collective defence. The Nato allies have now pledged to spend 5% of GDP on defence by 2035. But will that money come fast eno ... Show More
35m 22s
Oct 2024
Britain and Germany have a new defence pact. What will it mean for the Ukraine war?
The U.K. and Germany have signed a defense deal to bolster NATO and European security. But will it do anything to meet their immediate needs and alter the course of the war in Ukraine? Host Anne McElvoy talks to John Healey, the U.K. Defence Secretary — one of the most senior job ... Show More
23m 27s
Jul 2024
On the Eve of the Washington Summit: Shoring up NATO’s Vulnerable Flanks
On July 9-11, Washington will host the leaders of NATO’s 32 member states for a special anniversary summit, celebrating 75 years since the Alliance’s founding. But the NATO heads of state and government are unlikely to spend much time reminiscing. Their agenda will be full, spann ... Show More
36m 13s
Jun 24
Andrius Kubilius, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space: A new era of defence readiness
James Copnall, presenter of BBC Newsday, speaks to Andrius Kubilius, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space, about the need for Europe to be able to defend itself.In an interview recorded before the Nato summit on 24/25 June 2025, Mr Kubilius, a former Prime Minister of Lithuania, ... Show More
22m 59s
Feb 2025
Former British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace
For the past week, Donald Trump has publicly aligned the United States more with America's adversary, Vladimir Putin, than with its allies, Ukraine and the rest of the Europe. With the next German chancellor talking about having to seek security independence from the United State ... Show More
1 h