The end of the Imperial Republic and the future of the trans-Atlantic alliance

On June 4, the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings hosted Camille Grand for the 20th annual Raymond Aron Lecture. In his remarks, Grand broke down scenarios and challenges for European security in light of a changing trans-Atlantic relationship which possibly marks the end of the “Imperial Republic,” as Raymond Aron branded the United States’ post-1945 foreign policy.

Following the address, Mara Karlin, visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and a professor of practice at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and Peter Rough, senior fellow and director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute, joined Grand for a discussion moderated by Constanze Stelzenmüller, director of the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings. Suzanne Maloney, vice president and director of Foreign Policy at Brookings, and Agnès von der Mühll, the French deputy chief of mission to the United States, will provide welcome remarks.

Grand is a distinguished policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), where he co-leads the Council’s European security initiative and an adjunct professor at the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po. Before joining ECFR, Grand worked as assistant secretary general for defense investment at NATO (2016-22) and has held senior positions in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as head for disarmament and multilateral affairs (2006-08), and the French Ministry of Defense, as deputy diplomatic adviser to the minister (2002-06), as well as various French and European think tanks.

The Raymond Aron lecture series, named after the renowned scholar of post-war France, annually features leading French and American personalities speaking on current issues affecting the trans-Atlantic relationship.