Plotting a through line: February 2026 geopolitics update

About this episode

The episode discusses the geopolitical landscape of February 2026, focusing on the US's role in various global conflicts and alliances.

Is there a strategic through line or an explanatory logic behind the Trump Administration’s actions in Venezuela, Greenland and Iran? What is the current state of the Transatlantic Alliance? What are the implications of cross-theatre linkages for the idea that Europe and the Indo-Pacific are separate security arenas? With rising tensions in the Middle East, what factors will most strongly influence whether tensions between the US and Iran escalate into a broader regional conflict? Are there any potentially optimistic geopolitical signals that deserve amplification? In this episode, Justin Burke speaks with Euan Graham and Gorana Grgić to discuss the through lines on the surprising geopolitical events that ushered in 2026, imagining a world without the US at its center.   Dr Gorana Grgić is Head of the Global Security team at the ETH Zurich’s Center for Security Studies and holds senior affiliations in Australia and the US. Her research interests include US and EU foreign policy and NATO. Dr Euan Graham is an Expert Associate at the ANU National Security College. He has extensive experience as a commentator, policy analyst and former practitioner specializing in Indo-Pacific…

People in this episode

Host: Justin Burke

Guests: Euan Graham, Gorana Grgić

Topics covered

• geopolitics
• US foreign policy
• Transatlantic Alliance
• Middle East tensions
• Indo-Pacific security
• Venezuela
• Iran

Keywords

• Trump Administration
• Transatlantic Alliance
• geopolitical events
• US Iran tensions
• NATO
• foreign policy
• security arenas

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ETH Zurich’s Center for Security Studies, ANU National Security College

Places: Venezuela, Greenland, Iran, Europe, Indo-Pacific, Middle East

More episodes of The National Security Podcast

• Security, power and the perspectives we miss · June 11, 2026 · 45 min
• Beyond oil: what the Hormuz crisis means for Australia · May 28, 2026 · 36 min
• “The future is expensive” – managing cost-of-living while investing in security · May 14, 2026 · 40 min
• 2026 National Defence Strategy: evolution, not revolution · April 30, 2026 · 45 min
• Truth, trust and the algorithm: can democracy keep up? · April 16, 2026 · 38 min
• No worries? What Australians think about security, risk and resilience · April 2, 2026 · 45 min