Part 4 of 4 in the 2026 International Perspectives Series.

For 75 years, NATO has anchored U.S. and European security. It has shaped how America projects power, deters threats, and works with its allies. Now the alliance faces new pressures: Shifting threats, disputes over burden-sharing, and deeper questions about America’s global role are all in play. Policymakers must weigh different paths forward, each with real stakes for national security, economic influence, and world order.

We’ll look at why the balance between restraint and engagement matters, and what it could mean for America’s influence, security, and global partnerships in the years ahead.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Jeffrey A. Engel is the David Gergen Director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. A Senior Fellow of the John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies, and graduate of Cornell University, he additionally studied at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford University, and received his M.A. and Ph.D. in American history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, before serving as a John M. Olin Postdoctoral Fellow in International Security Studies at Yale University.

David J. Kramer serves as the Executive Director of the George W. Bush Institute. Prior to joining the Bush Institute, he taught at Florida International University’s Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs, where he also was Senior Fellow in the Václav Havel Program for Human Rights and Diplomacy and Director for European and Eurasian Affairs.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

Jess Koloini is the President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth.