Connections

The future of the United States' role in NATO

By Evan Dawson,

Published September 23, 2025 at 2:47 PM EDT

Two men sit in front of microphones at a a table in a radio talk studio: a man at left has short brown hair and is wearing a navy cardigan sweater and light blue button-down shirt; a man at right has short dark hair and is wearing a white button-down shirt with a pink and blue plaid tie. — Randy Stone with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Russia appears to be testing the resolve of the West by breaching airspace of NATO members. Its recent drone action in Poland triggered Article 4.

But the Trump administration has fostered the weakest relationship with NATO than an American government has ever had. What is the future of NATO, and of the American role in NATO?

Our guest:

Randy Stone, director of the Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies at the University of Rochester

Connections

Evan Dawson

Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.

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Elissa Orlando

Elissa Orlando is a producer for “Connections with Evan Dawson.” She returns part-time to WXXI News after stepping back from a long career in public media and in translational science.

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Julie Williams

Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.

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