The Iran crisis, Cyprus on alert, and Macron's nuclear pivot
On the last day of February the United States and Israel launched a major assault on Iran, killing the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and sounding alarm bells across the region. Those sirens also went off in Cyprus, which saw Iranian-made drones target Britain’s Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri, prompting a response from Greece and other European partners who deployed ships, jets, and air defense systems to Cyprus. The strikes on Iran also caught European leaders unprepared, and there are many questions - which we will dig into - about whether Europe can play a constructive role here, or whether Washington has relegated it to the role of spectator.
At the same time, in another major development this week, French President Emanuel Macron announced that France - one of only two nuclear powers in Europe - would boost its nuclear arsenal and extend deterrence to European allies - including Greece.
Laurence Norman, Max Bergmann, Nektaria Stamouli, Vassilis Nedos, and Eleni Ekmektsioglou, join Thanos Davelis this week as we look at the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, what this crisis means for Europe, Greece and Cyprus, while breaking down the significance of President Macron’s historic update of France’s nuclear strategy, including how it will impact Greece.
A little more info on our guests:
Laurence Norman is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal who has covered Iran, Europe, and this ongoing crisis.
Max Bergmann is the director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and the Stuart Center in Euro-Atlantic and Northern European Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Nektaria Stamouli is the deputy editor in chief of Kathimerini's English Edition and Politico's Eastern Mediterranean correspondent.
Vassilis Nedos is Kathimerini’s diplomatic and defense editor.
Eleni Ekmektsioglou is a Policy fellow with the British American Security Information Council where she leads a project on emerging technologies and the future of anti-submarine warfare, is a non-resident fellow with ELIAMEP, and a member of the IFRI nuclear strategy network.