The Future of Transatlantic Relations: Rules, Rights, and the Rise of the Subnational – Insights from the Industrial Heartlands

In the final episode of our “Talking Progress” series, we push past the headlines of friction and trade disputes to uncover a resilient new framework for cooperation: subnational diplomacy. When national governments falter, it is our cities, states, and industrial regions that are stepping up to protect democratic values, spearhead green innovation, and drive local economic opportunity.

This episode brings you the crucial takeaways from the second panel of our closing conference, “Heartlands: Navigating Rearmament, Recarbonisation, and Realignment” (December 2025). Host Florian Ranft sits down with two renowned American policy experts and practitioners to discuss how local leaders can keep the transatlantic spirit alive from the ground up.

Featured Guests:

• Ambassador Nina Hachigian: Founder of ALLIES and former U.S. Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy.
• John C. Austin: Senior Fellow at the Eisenhower Institute (Gettysburg College) and the Brookings Institution.

Key talking points in this finale episode:

• The New Vanguard:With more than half the world’s population living in cities, local governments are the most trusted and capable actors to champion climate action and democratic resilience.
• A Global Economic Opportunity Order: How Europe and its democratic allies can build a robust, high-tech, and self-reliant economy without bowing to authoritarian models.
• Pragmatic Collaboration: Concrete themes for future city-to-city partnerships, from participatory budgeting and youth engagement to the safe, worker-friendly regulation of AI in local government.

This episode is narrated by Jan Kjell Lange.

This podcast is produced in the context of the Transatlantic Dialogue on the Industrial Heartlands: Shaping the Future project. A project by Das Progressive Zentrum and distinguished partners at The Progressive Policy Institute, Georgetown University’s BMW Center for German and European Studies and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and with the support of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action.