Europe isn’t just at a crossroads—it’s standing on a tightrope, balancing history, ambition, and an uncertain future. As tensions flare and alliances are stress-tested, the stories shaping our continent are more urgent—and electrifying—than ever. In this dynamic conversation, historian and journalist Peter Apps, author of Deterring Armageddon: A Biography of NATO, and foreign correspondent Oliver Moody, author of Baltic: The Future of Europe, guide us through the frontlines of history and the fault lines of tomorrow.

At The Conduit, Moody and Apps, led in conversation by Sophia Gaston, UK Foreign Policy Lead at ASPI and a Senior Research Fellow specialising in the resilience of liberal democracies, weave together the grand narrative of NATO’s legacy with the pressing realities faced by the Baltic region, revealing the deep connections between power, diplomacy, and the everyday lives of those living on Europe’s frontlines.

This isn’t just a history lesson—it’s a live blueprint for Europe’s future. How do we defend democracy in an age of disinformation? Can small nations lead the way in resilience and innovation? And what can history teach us as we step into an unpredictable tomorrow?

This program is presented in collaboration with Pranvera Shema Smith, founder of On Front Line .

Event Schedule

6:00pm: Pre-event socialising and networking

A cash bar will be available for refreshments.

6:15pm: Event begins

7:30pm: Event ends

Speakers:

Oliver Moody has been the Berlin bureau chief for The Times since 2018, covering Germany and northern and central Europe. The same year he was named science and data commentator and young commentator of the year at the UK Comment Awards. He co-presents The New Germany podcast for the Körber-Stiftung, with Katja Hoyer, and was journalist in residence at the WZB Berlin social science centre in 2024. He lives in Berlin with his wife and their two young children.

Peter Apps is global affairs commentator at Reuters, a British Army reservist and executive director of pop-up think tank the Project for Study of the 21st Century (PS21). Peter has reported from across the world as Reuters political risk and global defence correspondent, and was appointed a Reuters columnist in 2016. He undertook reserve military training with both the British and U.S. armies and more recently as a UK specialist army reservist, providing advice, analysis and training and serving two full-time tours of duty during the Covid-19 pandemic and Ukraine war. He is the author of two successful Kindle Singles, Before Ebola (2014) and Churchill in the Trenches (2015).

Sophia Gaston is a London-based foreign policy expert specialising in the resilience and competitiveness of liberal democracies. She is the UK Foreign Policy Lead at ASPI and Founder of the AUKUS Industry Forum, bridging British defence, security, and technology sectors with government and academia. An Expert Associate at the National Security College (ANU) and Academic Fellow at the European Policy Centre, she focuses on China, Russia, economic security, and technological change in geopolitics. Previously, Sophia led foreign policy research at Policy Exchange and directed the British Foreign Policy Group. A frequent media commentator, she advises governments and organisations on geopolitical risk and strategy.