Wess Mitchell Interviewed on War on the Rocks Podcast
War on the Rocks | War on the Rocks founder Ryan Evans interviews Wess Mitchell about sequencing in U.S. strategy..........
Wess Mitchell
Dr. A. Wess Mitchell is a principal and co-founder at The Marathon Initiative, which he created in 2019 with Elbridge Colby. He previously served as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs under the first Trump administration. In this role, he was responsible for diplomatic relations with the 50 countries of Europe and Eurasia and played a principal role in formulating Europe strategy in support of the 2017 National Security Strategy and 2018 National Defense Strategy.
Mitchell is the author of four books, including Great Power Diplomacy: The Skill of Statecraft from Attila the Hun to Kissinger (Princeton Press, 2025), The Grand Strategy of the Habsburg Empire (Princeton Press, 2018), and Unquiet Frontier: Rising Rivals, Vulnerable Allies and the Crisis of American Power (Princeton Press, 2016 – co-authored with Jakub Grygiel). His articles and interviews have appeared in major publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, National Interest and National Review.
Prior to the State Department, Mitchell served as President and CEO of the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), which he co-founded in 2005 with Larry Hirsch. In 2020, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg appointed Mitchell to co-chair, with former German Minister of Defense Thomas de Maizière, the NATO 2030 Reflection Group, a ten-member consultative body charged with providing recommendations on the future of NATO.
\Mitchell is a Non-Resident Fellow in the Applied History Project at Harvard University Kennedy School of Government’s Belfer Center, a member of the International Security and Foreign Policy Grants Advisory Committee at the Smith Richardson Foundation, a member of the International Advisory Council at Cambridge University’s Centre for Geopolitics, and a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Mitchell holds a doctorate in political science from the Otto Suhr Institut für Politikwissenschaft at Freie Universität in Berlin, a master’s degree in German and European Studies from Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, and a bachelor’s degree in history from Texas Tech University. He received a 2020 prize from the Stanton Foundation for writing in Applied History (with Charles Ingrao) and the 2004 Hopper Award at Georgetown University. He is the recipient of the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary, and the Gold Medal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic. He is a sixth-generation Texan.
Work
The State Department Overhaul Is Long Overdue
Foreign Policy | The State Department is in urgent need of reform. Over the past three decades, it has expanded its remit into countless functions and causes that are well outside its core mission. This is not just an inefficient use of taxpayer resources.........
America is overextended. Here’s a better way forward.
Washington Post | “ The “simultaneity problem,” as it’s known in military circles, has been the most serious grand strategic challenge facing the United States for some time now.”........
Wess Mitchell Quoted in The New Yorker
The New Yorker | “I don’t share the fear of some Europeans that the United States is out to abandon them, but if that fear leads them to finally take defense more seriously, then maybe it’s not a bad thing. I’ve yet to see anything else that works.”........
The Return of Great-Power Diplomacy: How Strategic Dealmaking Can Fortify American Power
Foreign Affairs | After the end of the Cold War, the United States moved away from using negotiations to promote the national interest. .......
Strategic Sequencing, Revisited
The Marathon Initiative | The United States faces a growing risk of multi-front war against Russia, China and Iran. The optimal response to this danger would be a sequential strategy aimed at inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia in Ukraine on a faster timeline than China is prepared to move against Taiwan.........
CSDS Brussels: Roundtable
Centre for Security, Diplomacy, and Strategy | Dr. Mitchell spoke at the Brussels School of Governance about how great powers use diplomacy throughout history in a talk titled "Skillful Statecraft Across the Ages."....
How Biden Let Europe Slip Away
Wall Street Journal | On trade, defense and energy, Washington has failed to shore up the trans-Atlantic alliance.......
Wess Mitchell Interviewed in Asahi Shimbun
Asahi Shimbun | Wess Mitchell is interviewed by Kayoko Geji of Asahi Shimbun about the war in Ukraine and the future of security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific theaters.......
U.S. Strategy Should Be Europe First, Then Asia
Foreign Policy | Without a secure Europe, the United States risks becoming a hemispheric potentate on the margins of the world....
The Geopolitical Opportunity of Ukraine’s Kursk Offensive
Foreign Policy | Ukrainian offensives onto Russian soil, such as the one currently underway in the Kursk region, present an opportunity to end the war more quickly as part of a wider strategy of sequencing the United States’ geopolitical challenges.......
China’s “New” Diplomacy: Opportunities for American Statecraft
The Marathon Initiative | The People’s Republic of China has embarked on an ambitious diplomatic campaign to increase its influence in strategically-vital regions and burnish its credentials as a great power of global reach.…......
5 Rules for Superpowers Facing Multiple Conflicts
Foreign Policy | Ukraine, the Middle East, and Taiwan are part of an unstable frontier—and require a more principled U.S. strategy......
America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose
Foreign Policy | Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.....
27th Annual Economist Government Roundtable – Keynote Remarks
The Marathon Initiative | There are now major conflicts in two of the world’s three most important regions. We are in the early phases of what could become the world crisis of our time.…......
Ukraine, Taiwan, and the Dawn of Great Power Competition
Heritage Foundation | Wess Mitchell is interviewed by the Hudson Institute about the future of U.S. defense strategy.....
NATO’s Next Decade: Nine thinkers assess the alliance’s future ahead of a historic summit.
Foreign Policy | "NATO’s 2022 Strategic Concept took an important first step by recognizing China as a security challenge, but now the alliance needs to translate that into concrete actions.......
Western Europe Is Still Falling Short in NATO’s East
Foreign Affairs | Although the war has done a lot to get western Europe serious about defense, NATO remains bound by many of the same old self-created constraints......
Wess Mitchell Quoted in Bloomberg
Bloomberg | “There’s no question that Putin has been weakened,” Wess Mitchell, a former US assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia and cofounder of two think tanks, said in an interview........
Getting Strategic Deprioritization Right
The Marathon Initiative | Project prepared for the Office of Net Assessment, United States Department of Defense. Published with approval from the Office of Net Assessment.…......
A Drawn-Out Ukraine War Should Not Change U.S. Strategy
Foreign Policy | "Sequencing remains the best strategy for the United States to handle the two-front challenge from China and Russia. Helping Ukraine to defeat Russia by ejecting it from its territory is the best way to pursue such a strategy.".....
Why Biden’s China Reset Is a Bad Idea
Foreign Policy | "Now is not the time for the United States to pursue détente with China, as the Biden administration has been trying to do for several weeks now."....
‘The Twilight Struggle’ Review: Welcome to the New Cold War
Wall Street Journal | Today America once again finds itself at the onset of a new era of geopolitical rivalry, this time with a rising China and a vengeful Russia.......
Wess Mitchell Interviewed on WBUR
WBUR | "It's startling the change in public outlook in these countries," Wess Mitchell, former assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia, says. "And the calculation is that if they don't come into NATO, they're worried that they could be a tempting target."..........
The Case for Ukrainian Neutrality
Foreign Affairs | While neutrality would carry risks, it need not be a death sentence for Ukraine. It may, in fact, be the best possible outcome, given where things stand after more than three weeks of war..........
To Prevent China from Grabbing Taiwan, Stop Russia in Ukraine
The National Interest | The quickest way to motivate Xi Jinping to invade Taiwan would be to fail to deal decisively with Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine..............
Putin United the West—but Now Comes the Hard Part
Foreign Policy | Security will require painful trade-offs Western governments may not be ready to make.............
The U.S. Isn’t Going to Fight in Ukraine, But There’s Much More It Can Do to Help
Time Magazine | In Ukraine, we have an opportunity to return the favor but in aid to a brutally besieged people whose cause could not be more just............
Wess Mitchell Interviewed in Limes (Italy)
Limes | Former assistant secretary of state Wess Mitchell sits down with Italian geopolitical magazine, Limes...........
Wess Mitchell Interviewed in Echo24
Echo24 | nder Donald Trump, Wess Mitchell was the top official in Europe at the State Department. Today, he works in a think-tank that profiles itself on the turn to Asia. But now war has broken out in Europe in the terrain he knows........
Wess Mitchell Interviewed on Sveriges Radio
Sveriges Radio | The defense alliance has been tested, but after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, NATO countries have stood shoulder to shoulder. Wess Mitchell joins Sweden's national public radio........
For America, Putin’s Invasion Is a Strategic Opportunity
Foreign Policy | The impending Russian invasion of Ukraine offers an unexpected opportunity for the United States to deal decisively with Russia in a way that also advances U.S. strategic objectives in Asia........
Wess Mitchell Interviewed on Sky News
Sky News | Russia-Ukraine tensions have "the potential to escalate into a global security crisis... of the kind we haven't seen in many decades", says Dr. Wess Mitchell, former Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs........
Wess Mitchell Interviewed on Global Demons (FPRI)
Foreign Policy Research Institute | Wess Mitchell is interviewed by Robert Kaplan about Europe’s past, present, and future........
Wess Mitchell Interviewed by The Reagan Institute
The Reagan Institute | Roger Zakheim and Wess Mitchell discuss the recent Russian military buildup along Ukraine's border and the Biden Administration's response......
A Habsburg to Be Reckoned With: Two Books on Maria Theresa
The Wall Street Journal | When the young empress came suddenly to power, European rivals prepared for her quick defeat. They were mistaken......
Biden’s Climate Diplomacy Is a Gift to China
Foreign Policy | U.S. President Joe Biden’s climate diplomacy with China is rooted in the fantasy that Washington can turn Beijing into a constructive global partner simply by treating it like one.....
Mastering the Multi-Front Challenge: The Diplomatic Strategies of Metternich and Bismarck
The Marathon Initiative | This paper examines how the 19th Century European statesmen Klemens von Metternich and Otto von Bismarck dealt with the problem of multi-front competition in grand strategy.......
Wess Mitchell Quoted in The Economist
The Economist | "But such bilateral deals are bad news for nato," says Wess Mitchell, an American former state department official who co-chaired a reflection group for the alliance last year. The new pact “will be viewed in nato and especially by eastern members of the alliance as implicitly undermining Article Five,” he says.......
Wess Mitchell Quoted in Bloomberg
Bloomberg Quint | “For all of Biden’s rhetoric about not being Trump, once he gets into office the reality is we have to make decisions that our allies may not like, and that doesn’t go away just because he shows up and proclaims this nirvana moment,”......
A Strategy for Avoiding Two-Front War
The National Interest | The greatest risk facing the twenty-first-century United States, short of an outright nuclear attack, is a two-front war involving its strongest military rivals, .....
Biden Is Falling Into the Same Trap With Europe as Obama
Foreign Policy | In reality, U.S. ties with many European allies don’t need resuscitation. In fact, many of these relationships significantly improved under Trump following years of neglect under the Obama administration.....
Wess Mitchell testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on NATO 2030
House Foreign Affairs Committee | TMI Principal Wess Mitchell reflects on strengthening the transatlantic alliance in his testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee #NATO2030.......
The Curzonian imprint on Indian foreign policy
Hindustan Times | Lord Curzon’s conceptualisation of India’s neighbourhood and emphasis on frontiers and integration is still relevant and can serve as a template for both India and India-US partnership....
Wess Mitchell quoted in The Economist
The Economist | “We urgently need European nato to be able to handle more of the conventional deterrence burden in Europe,” says Wess Mitchell, a former American official who co-chaired a reflection group for Mr Stoltenberg last year, “so that in the event of a major crisis the United States can focus on China without calling into question the stability of the European theatre.”.......
Wess Mitchell quoted in Neue Zuericher Zeitung
Neue Zuericher Zeitung | "Die USA haben erst spät realisiert, dass wir uns in einer neuen Ära des Wettbewerbs unter den Grossmächten befinden," sagt Mitchell.
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Wess Mitchell Featured in Reservistenverband
Reservistenverband | „Das strategische Umfeld der NATO wird sich grundlegend von dem unterscheiden, was das Bündnis in den letzten drei Jahrzehnten gekannt hat“, sagte Mitchell in seinem Eingangsstatement.......
Panel: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung – Wess Mitchell
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung | Wess Mitchell is interviewed by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung alongside Thomas de Maizière about key recommendations from the NATO Reflection Group.....
Wess Mitchell Quoted in Bloomberg
Bloomberg | Biden’s team can no longer “treat success as not being Trump,” said Wess Mitchell, who served as assistant secretary of state for Europe in the Trump administration...
Wess Mitchell Interviewed in Small Wars Journal
Small Wars Journal | Wess Mitchell is interviewed by Bloomberg on U.S. alliances in Europe.....
Biden Team’s Embrace of Europe Falls Short on Content
Foreign Policy | U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s inaugural trip to Europe last week is being hailed as a soothing restoration of the trans-Atlantic alliance....
NATO: India’s Next Geopolitical Destination
Hindustan Times | When the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) leaders meet later this year, they will debate the recommendations from a group of experts (which I co-chaired) that advocates, among other things...
NATO Needs to Deal With China Head-On
Foreign Policy | The Western alliance is unprepared to counter the direct and growing challenge from Beijing....
Wess Mitchell quoted in Foreign Policy magazine
Foreign Policy | Five former officials from the Trump and George W. Bush administrations share their foreign-policy advice for the new team.....
NATO Must Adapt for a Dangerous New Era
Internationale Politik Quarterly | The North Atlantic Alliance has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make much-needed changes and reinvent itself as the central strategic platform for transatlantic cooperation...
Panel: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik e.V. – Wess Mitchell
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik e.V. | In March 2020, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg appointed a group of experts to support his work on a forward-looking “reflection process” to further strengthen the political dimension of the alliance. ...
Panel: Wilson Center – Wess Mitchell
Wilson Center | Former German Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Wess Mitchell in conversation with Dan Hamilton about their independent Reflection Group report "NATO 2030: United for a New Era."...
Wess Mitchell Quoted in The Wall Street Journal
Wall Street Journal | “China has become plank number one for the U.S. in our diplomatic conversations with Europeans,” said former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Wess Mitchell, who stepped down last year. “Our best ally in the effort to make China an issue is China’s own behavior.”...
Panel: Center for a New American Security – Wess Mitchell
CNAS | Wess Mitchell joins Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on a special, live episode of Brussels Sprouts to discuss the “NATO 2030” report’s findings on the future of the NATO Alliance...
Panel: Center for European Policy Analysis – Wess Mitchell
CEPA | Wess Mitchell joins a panel discussion hosted by CEPA about the NATO Reflection Group....
Under what conditions will we open to Russia
Limes Online | Wess Mitchell is interviewed by Limes Online about Western relations with Russia......
Wess Mitchell Quoted in Washington Post
Washington Post |
“Most Europeans know that beneath the headlines of European euphoria on Biden, the U.S. and Europe still have significant differences of interest that cannot be waved away,” said A. Wess Mitchell, a former assistant secretary of state for European Affairs. He cited long-standing U.S. opposition to a natural gas pipeline from Russia to Europe, the U.S. push for Europeans to spend more on defense and an uneven playing field in trade....
Wess Mitchell Interviewed in la Repubblica
la Repubblica | from our correspondent Alberto D'Argenio BRUSSELS - NATO is alive and well, but it has to adapt to new challenges.....
Wess Mitchell Quoted in The Wall Street Journal
Wall Street Journal | “The really big message is that NATO has to adapt itself for an era of great power competition that includes not only Russia, but also China,” said A. Wess Mitchell.
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Wess Mitchell Quoted in The New York Times
New York Times | “We intend to be candid about the challenges to NATO, with a tone of well-grounded optimism,’’ Mr. Mitchell said. The main message, he said, is that “NATO has to adapt itself for an era of strategic rivalry with Russia and China, for the return of a geopolitical competition that has a military dimension but also a political one.’’.....
NATO 2030: United for a New Era
NATO | At the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Meeting of Heads of State and Government in London in December 2019, Alliance leaders asked the NATO Secretary General...
Should U.S. Foreign Policy Focus on Great-Power Competition?
Foreign Affairs | In truth, the United States is gearing up for a new era—one marked not by unchallenged U.S. dominance but by a rising China and a vindictive Russia seeking to undermine U.S. leadership and refashion global politics in their favor....
Strategic Sequencing: How Great Powers Avoid Multi-Front War
The Marathon Initiative | This paper examines how four great powers in history have handled simultaneity…...
Wess Mitchell, Elbridge Colby Quoted in The Atlantic
The Atlantic | Elbridge Colby and Wess Mitchell are quoted in The Atlanticist on the future of Republican foreign policy.....
Wess Mitchell Featured in The Wall Street Journal (Book Review)
The Wall Street Journal | Zbigniew Brzezinski used to tell the story of how his mother would bake a cake every year to mark the birthday of the Habsburg emperor Franz Joseph....
Containing China Will Be Complicated
WSJ Opinion | The Covid-19 pandemic has convinced many that the U.S. must fundamentally change its policy toward China....
Central Europe’s China Reckoning
The American Interest | Central Europeans are about to find out what it means to be dependent on Xi Jinping. For years, capitals across Europe’s eastern frontier have welcomed Chinese investment, inking deals...
Emperor Joseph’s Solution to Coronavirus
The Wall Street Journal | As countries around the world frantically erect barriers against the spread of the novel coronavirus, it might be helpful to look at one of the most successful...
Covid-19 is a chance for the U.S. and Europe to unite on China
The Washington Post | The United States and Europe should use the covid-19 epidemic as an opportunity to form a more united front in dealing with China...
Conservatives and Geopolitical Change
National Review | What is the conservative to do,” Henry Kissinger asked in an essay in 1954, “in a revolutionary situation?” In a stable order, conservatism is in a sense...
The Age of Great-Power Competition
Foreign Affairs | U.S. foreign policy is, by most accounts, in disarray. Headlines—including in these pages—proclaim the death of global American leadership. Famous...
The Middle East in an Era of Great Power Competition, Hoover Institute
Hoover Institution | In 1920, a young Winston Churchill wrote a memorandum to the Cabinet outlining his concerns about British policy in the Middle East...
The Grand Strategy of the Habsburg Empire
Princeton University Press | The Habsburg Empire's grand strategy for outmaneuvering and outlasting stronger rivals in a complicated geopolitical world...
Rethinking Metternich, Standpoint Magazine
Standpoint Magazine | “The historian is not yet born,” the Austrian state chancellor Clemens Wenzel von Metternich complained in 1829, “who will describe the numerous events....
The Unquiet Frontier: Rising Rivals, Vulnerable Allies, and the Crisis of American Power
Princeton University Press | The Unquiet Frontier: Rising Rivals, Vulnerable Allies, and the Crisis of American Power. How America's vulnerable frontier allies—and American power—are being targeted by rival nations