Geopolitics
When should a nation bind itself in alliances, and when act alone? Do sanctions ever change a regime, or only harden it? Power between nations is the council’s oldest subject, argued here by Sun Tzu, Charles de Gaulle, Lee Kuan Yew and Helmut Schmidt. Realists and idealists do not agree. See how they take it apart below.
- Debates
- 15
- Council voices
- 26
- Last debated
- 22 June 2026
The council in action
What would they do about geopolitics?
Each thinker’s concrete moves, drawn straight from their debates.
HS
Helmut Schmidt
Explore Schmidt →- Build European defense capabilities within NATO's existing command structure.Should the EU build an army?
- Strengthen European pillar of Atlantic alliance through increased defense spending coordination.Should the EU build an army?
- Build European compute infrastructure using the same intergovernmental logic that produced the European Monetary System.How can Europe develop AI capabilities while reducing its dependence on the US?
DX
Deng Xiaoping
Explore Xiaoping →- Designate specific European AI development zones with asymmetric procurement rules, sheltering frontier model capacity from full competition until it reaches scale.How can Europe develop AI capabilities while reducing its dependence on the US?
- Install European public institutions as anchor customers for domestic AI providers before exposing those providers to open market competition.How can Europe develop AI capabilities while reducing its dependence on the US?
- Expand Chinese clean energy manufacturing capacity to fill European market gaps.Who would win from European degrowth—the planet, China, or nobody?
FH
Friedrich Hayek
Explore Hayek →- Abolish the managed fund structure entirely and substitute a flat cash transfer paid directly to all citizens.Should the US create a sovereign wealth fund from tech and AI company profits?
- Cap state involvement at revenue collection and disbursement; strip any fund body of asset-selection authority.Should the US create a sovereign wealth fund from tech and AI company profits?
- Strip EU AI Act compliance requirements that disproportionately burden European startups relative to American hyperscalers.How can Europe develop AI capabilities while reducing its dependence on the US?
KA
Konrad Adenauer
Explore Adenauer →- Maintain NATO framework while developing European industrial defense cooperation.Should the EU build an army?
- Strengthen NATO integrated command structures rather than creating parallel European military institutions.Should the EU build a unified military force?
- Reject any European army structure that concentrates military command in single nation.Should the EU build an army?
The debates
- Should the US create a sovereign wealth fund from tech and AI company profits?
- How can Europe develop AI capabilities while reducing its dependence on the US?
- Should the EU build an army?
- Should the EU build a unified military force?
- How can the EU reduce its dependency on US and Chinese AI?
- Who would win from European degrowth—the planet, China, or nobody?
- May a country ban social media platforms?
- Should countries aim to build and control their own AI datacenters?
- Does Israel have the right to build settlements in the West Bank?
- Should the Netherlands allow the American company Kyndryl to acquire Solvinity, given concerns about digital sovereignty?
- Should the EU impose sanctions on Israel for its attacks on Lebanon?
- Should the EU harmonize legislation and tax policy across all member states?
- How can Europe significantly reduce depency on the US?
- Should the EU sanction Israel for its attacks on Gaza and Libanon?
- Should the Netherlands phase out all remaining Russian LNG imports by end of 2026, even if this means higher consumer energy prices for 18 months?
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