Glenn Diesen - Greater Eurasia Podcast Douglas Macgregor: Why NATO is Finished & the Ukraine War Was Lost
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Jan 23, 2026 
Douglas Macgregor, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and military strategist, shares his insights on NATO's fragility and the challenges faced in the Ukraine conflict. He discusses why he predicted NATO's decline during the Ukraine crisis, emphasizing its lack of battlefield cohesion and conflicting national agendas. Macgregor critiques Western leaders for their unrealistic expectations and highlights Ukraine's struggles with manpower and corruption. He warns that powerful interests in Washington limit any chance of a shift in U.S. foreign policy, drawing parallels to historical events.
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Money Keeps Permanent Hostility Alive
- Macgregor argues the Beltway and think-tank ecosystem resists major change because it's funded by interests benefiting from continuous hostility.
- He links Washington's policy inertia to protecting funding flows and established narratives about adversaries.
Trump's Europe View Without A Strategy
- Trump instinctively favored a Europe that could stand without the U.S., echoing Eisenhower's view of a Europe 'without us.'
- But Macgregor says Trump lacked a coherent strategy and was constrained by Beltway forces and advisors.
Changing U.S.–Europe Power Dynamics
- Europe expects the U.S. to resume hegemonic peace, but shifting global power and U.S. fatigue make that unrealistic.
- Macgregor likens the U.S.–Europe dynamic to a Roman empire using smaller European 'city-states' for broader aims.