Why Allies Aren’t Following on Iran, With Kristi Govella and Constanze Stelzenmüller

We discuss: Why U.S. allies are refusing to join the Iran war, and what that signals about weakening alliance cohesion and growing strategic independence. How the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of global oil flows, is already reshaping the global economy and raising the stakes for every U.S. partner. Europe’s balancing act, publicly rejecting the war while quietly enabling U.S. operations through military bases. Japan’s pragmatic hedging, supporting the U.S. diplomatically while using constitutional limits to avoid direct military involvement. The cascading global risks of the conflict, from energy shocks and inflation to refugee flows and rising geopolitical instability. The long-term erosion of U.S. soft power, especially among younger generations in Europe and shifting public sentiment in Japan. Mentioned on the Episode: “ Vice President JD Vance Delivers Remarks at the Munich Security Conference ,” The White House “ Secretary of State Marco Rubio Delivers Remarks to the Munich Security Conference ,” U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein “ G7 Statement on Support to Partners in the Middle East ,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: Opinions expressed on The President’s Inbox are solely those of the host or guests, not of CFR, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.

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Why Allies Aren’t Following on Iran, With Kristi Govella and Constanze Stelzenmüller is an episode from The President's Inbox by Council on Foreign Relations.

This episode is 38:08 long.

This episode was published on Mar 25, 2026.

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