Europe’s Civilizational Erasure, Trump's Foreign Policy & Soft Power With Pablo Rasmussen

On December 4th, the Trump administration released its National Security Strategy—a document that warns of Europe's "civilizational erasure." In the leaked longer version, it proposes a "Core 5" with China and Russia while excluding Europe entirely, and declares "the days of the United States propping up the entire world order like Atlas are over."

What does this mean for Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa? How does Trump's pay-to-play diplomacy reshape global relations? And what's really happening in the Ukraine peace negotiations?

Pablo Rasmussen, Director at Brzezinski Global Strategies and former Peace Corps advisor, joins me to break down the strategy, the stakes, and what it means for partners, public and private, navigating this fractured landscape.

IN THIS EPISODE:

TRUMP'S NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY
Europe: "Civilizational erasure" and the leaked MEGA agenda
The Core 5 proposal: US, China, Russia, India, Japan—excluding Europe
Latin America: The "Trump Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine
Asia-Pacific: Economic competition without strategic confrontation
Africa: From development aid to extractive investment paradigm

TRUMP'S TRANSACTIONAL FOREIGN POLICY
Pay-to-play dynamics reshaping US relations
$200 billion in tariff collections—who really pays?
How allies and adversaries navigate the new reality

UKRAINE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS
Where negotiations stand right now
What Ukraine needs for recovery and reconstruction
Security guarantees, frozen assets, and the road ahead

COMMERCIAL ADVISORY & SOFT POWER
Why geostrategic advisory matters for CEOs today
Brzezinski Global Strategies' approach to transatlantic risk
The gutting of American soft power—Peace Corps, USAID, democracy promotion
Long-term implications: Is Europe left to dry?

Pablo Rasmussen is a Director at Brzezinski Global Strategies, where he advises firms on geopolitical strategy. Prior to joining the firm, Pablo served in the Biden-Harris Administration as an advisor to the Deputy Director of the Peace Corps, where he supported enterprise strategy, global operations across 61 country posts, and portfolios including inter-agency cooperation and diplomacy.

Before his service in the Administration, Pablo worked at Albright Stonebridge Group. He advised Fortune 500 companies, foundations, and NGOs on trans-Atlantic affairs, EU policy, green transition strategies, and investment risk across 25+ markets.

Pablo currently co-leads a working group on Diplomacy for the NextGen Initiative at Foreign Policy for America and has contributed opinion pieces to outlets including Euractiv, The Brussels Times, and Harvard Political Review. He publishes his own Substack, The Adret, covering everything from culture to national security.

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And happy holidays to all!