EU Defence EXPOSED! Ukraine, Populism & What's Next | Piotr Maciej Kaczyński | TFP #89

Описание: 🇪🇺 Is Europe finally rising as a defence power?

As the war in Ukraine grinds on and populist politics reshape Europe, the EU faces a historic test: defend the continent, support Kyiv, and hold the line against Moscow — while staying united.
In this episode, Dr John Bruni speaks with EU analyst Piotr Maciej Kaczyński on Europe's defence transformation, Poland’s upcoming EU Presidency, and the populist forces reshaping Europe's future. 🔍⚔️

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Clarifications
The Austrian Empire (1804-1867), ruled by the Habsburg dynasty, evolved from the Holy Roman Empire (800-1806), where the Habsburg family dominated politics, providing almost every emperor from 1438 to 1806. In 1867, the Austrian Empire evolved into the Austro-Hungarian Empire as a direct consequence of Hungarian nationalist agitation. The Austro-Hungarian Empire came to an end at the conclusion of World War I in 1918. Overall, the Austrian/Austro-Hungarian Empire lasted 114 years.

The USSR came into being in 1922 and lasted until 1991, for a total of 69 years.

Yugoslavia, as with the Austrian Empire, had two phases. There was the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918-1941), which emerged from the collapse of the Austrian Empire. It lasted 22 years. After a period of time under German occupation (1941-1945), the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (modern Yugoslavia) was founded after World War II. Ruled by dictator Josip Broz Tito (Yugoslav leader from 1945 to 1980), Yugoslavia lasted till 1991. This phase of Yugoslavia lasted 46 years. In total, Yugoslavia lasted 68 years since its emergence.

In comparison, the European Economic Community (EEC) was founded by the Treaty of Rome in 1957, coming into existence the following year, 1958. It evolved into the European Union (EU) in 1993, after the Maastricht Treaty. The UK left the EU in 2016. At present, the European project for economic, currency and political integration has lasted 67 years.

Josef Stalin avoided a two-front war because most of the Soviet population and industry lay west of the Urals, directly threatened or occupied by Germany. Siberia was vast, inhospitable, and poorly connected, making large-scale troop movements impractical. Until Germany’s defeat in mid-1945, the Soviets could not divert major forces to fight Japan.

Connect with Piotr
LinkedIn:   / pkaczyn  

OpEds
“What to expect from Poland’s EU Council presidency in 2025” — by Real Instituto Elcano, 27/01/2025
“Europe after the elections: the centre holds out, but for how long?” — by Real Instituto Elcano, 20/11/2024
“Poland’s shifting positions on the future of the European Union: deepening and widening?” — by Casimir Pulaski Foundation, 30/10/2024

Books
The Ever Changing Union: An Introduction to the History, Institutions and Decision Making Processes of the European Union (2nd fully revised edition, ~2011) — co-authored.
Upgrading the EU’s Role as Global Actor: Institutions, Law and the Restructuring of European Diplomacy (~2011) — contribution among multiple authors.
Polish Council Presidency 2011: Ambitions and Limitations (~2011) — listed as one of his major works.

Image Credits
1.© European Union (1998–2025) / European Commission — “Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, Prime Minister of Spain, 26 June 2022” — used under free-use terms via Wikimedia Commons.
2. European Council / European Union (2021) via Wikimedia Commons
3. Public domain – “Major NATO affiliations in Europe.svg”, by Patrick (released into the public domain) via Wikimedia Commons.
4. © European Communities (1997) / EC, Photo: Christian Lambiotte — used under CC BY 4.0.
5. Public domain — Photo by U.S. Military, 2 March 1981, via Wikimedia Commons.
6. Credit: Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street (Crown copyright) — “Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, 16 September 2024” — via Wikimedia Commons.
7. “Meeting 1er mai 2012, Front National, Paris” by Blandine Le Cain, licensed under CC BY 2.0.
8. Photo: Lennart Preiss / Munich Security Conference, “J.D. Vance during his speech at MSC 2025, Munich, 14 February 2025” – licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
9. Public domain — Photo: U.S. Department of State employee, “Secretary Marco Rubio aboard Air Force Three”, 13 February 2025.