Security & Defense United States
Podcast April 2, 2026 • 11:35 am ET

So, what was President Biden’s grand strategy?

By the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Host Matthew Kroenig is joined by Rebecca Lissner, a senior fellow for US Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, to discuss President Joe Biden’s grand strategy while in office.

Did his administration have a grand strategy, and does President Donald Trump have one in his second term? Rebecca most recently served as deputy assistant to the president and principal deputy national security advisor to the vice president in the Biden-Harris administration. Note: This conversation was recorded before the start of the war with Iran.

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About the podcast

Host Matthew Kroenig, vice president and senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, sits down with senior US and allied officials and leading experts to explore the strategies shaping today’s most pressing global security challenges. Inspired by General Brent Scowcroft, who famously asked his team “So what’s the strategy?” the series dives into how leaders think about power, policy, and the decisions shaping the future of international security. Watch and listen wherever you get your podcasts.

So What’s the Strategy Podcast

The strategies behind the world’s toughest security challenges, explained by the leaders shaping them.

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The Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security works to develop sustainable, nonpartisan strategies to address the most important security challenges facing the United States and the world.

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Image: Water fountain in front of the White House in Washington, DC. Photo via Storyblocks