Professor Masala studied Political Science, German and Romance Philology. He received his doctorate in 1996. After a substitute professorship at the Geschwister-Scholl-Institute of the Ludwig- Maximilians University in Munich in 2003, he moved to the NATO Defense College in Rome at the beginning of 2004, where he worked in the research department, first as Research Advisor and from 2006 as Deputy Director. In March 2007, he was appointed as Professor of International Politics (since 2025 redesignated as a Professorship for Security and Defence Policy) at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich, which he accepted on July 1, 2007. Furthermore, he is the director of the Center for Intelligence and Security Studies, director of the Metis Institute for Strategy and Foresight and project director of the Center for Crisis Early Warning at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich. Professor Masala is co-editor of the Zeitschrift für Internationale Beziehungen as well as SIRIUS – Zeitschrift für Strategische Analysen and has been co-host of the podcast Sicherheitshalber since 2018. He served as a permanent expert for the Enquete Kommission des Deutschen Bundestags zum Afghanistaneinsatz and was a member of the Wissenschaftsjahr 2024 board of trustees at the Bundesministerium für Forschung und Bildung. Professor Masala is a member of the scientific advisory board of the Bundesakademie für Sicherheitspolitik and was appointed a full member of the Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften in May 2024. He was elected to the Board of the Hermann Ehlers Stiftung in October 2024 and has been a member of the Zentralkomitee der deutschen Katholiken since May 2025. In 2022, his book Weltunordnung. Die globalen Krisen und die Illusion des Westens was published by C.H. Beck; the eighth edition will appear in 2026. His second book, Bedingt Abwehrbereit – Deutschlands Schwäche in der Zeitenwende (C.H. Beck), was released in 2023. In 2024, the title Warum die Welt keinen Frieden findet followed (C.H. Beck); the third edition is currently available. His most recent work, Wenn Russland gewinnt. Ein Szenario, published in March 2025 (C.H. Beck), has since been translated into eighteen languages and is now available in its 14th edition. Prof. Masala received the Lichtenberg-Medaille in Gold from the Niedersächsischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen in 2023 for his academic work and science communication. In October 2023, he was also awarded the Rohde Preis of the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich for his scientific work.
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Episode 460
Carlo Masala
Why Europe Must Prepare to Go It Alone | Carlo Masala
Professor Masala studied Political Science, German and Romance Philology. He received his doctorate in 1996. After a substitute professorship at the Geschwister-Scholl-Institute of the Ludwig- Maximilians University in Munich in 2003, he moved to the NATO Defense College in Rome at the beginning of 2004, where he worked in the research department, first as Research Advisor and from 2006 as Deputy Director. In March 2007, he was appointed as Professor of International Politics (since 2025 redesignated as a Professorship for Security and Defence Policy) at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich, which he accepted on July 1, 2007. Furthermore, he is the director of the Center for Intelligence and Security Studies, director of the Metis Institute for Strategy and Foresight and project director of the Center for Crisis Early Warning at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich. Professor Masala is co-editor of the Zeitschrift für Internationale Beziehungen as well as SIRIUS – Zeitschrift für Strategische Analysen and has been co-host of the podcast Sicherheitshalber since 2018. He served as a permanent expert for the Enquete Kommission des Deutschen Bundestags zum Afghanistaneinsatz and was a member of the Wissenschaftsjahr 2024 board of trustees at the Bundesministerium für Forschung und Bildung. Professor Masala is a member of the scientific advisory board of the Bundesakademie für Sicherheitspolitik and was appointed a full member of the Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften in May 2024. He was elected to the Board of the Hermann Ehlers Stiftung in October 2024 and has been a member of the Zentralkomitee der deutschen Katholiken since May 2025. In 2022, his book Weltunordnung. Die globalen Krisen und die Illusion des Westens was published by C.H. Beck; the eighth edition will appear in 2026. His second book, Bedingt Abwehrbereit – Deutschlands Schwäche in der Zeitenwende (C.H. Beck), was released in 2023. In 2024, the title Warum die Welt keinen Frieden findet followed (C.H. Beck); the third edition is currently available. His most recent work, Wenn Russland gewinnt. Ein Szenario, published in March 2025 (C.H. Beck), has since been translated into eighteen languages and is now available in its 14th edition. Prof. Masala received the Lichtenberg-Medaille in Gold from the Niedersächsischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen in 2023 for his academic work and science communication. In October 2023, he was also awarded the Rohde Preis of the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich for his scientific work.
In Episode 460 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Professor of International Politics at the Bundeswehr University Munich, Carlo Masala, whose book “If Russia Wins,” makes the case for European national rearmament and the urgent need to deter near-term Russian threats against NATO member countries in the absence of American leadership.
Masala and Kofinas spend the first hour of their conversation detailing the scenario Calro puts forward in his book—a limited Russian incursion into the Estonian city of Narva. They explore why Carlo thinks that Russia might attempt such an operation, the similarities to and differences from the approach Russia took in Ukraine in 2014, whether NATO’s Article 5 commitment would hold in such a scenario, and whether the gradual erosion and eventual destruction of the NATO alliance is the ultimate goal of the Russian Federation, irrespective of who is in office.
The second hour is devoted to a conversation about:
(1) The deeper crisis of identity and purpose afflicting Western democracies.
(2) Europe’s defense challenges in the face of a declining American commitment to NATO
(3) The material and financial constraints European nations face in strengthening their deterrence
(4) The advantages and disadvantages of Russia’s conventional and unconventional forces
They discuss the immigration debate, culture wars, the failure of democratic leadership in the context of European politics, and what ordinary citizens can do to defend democratic systems in the face of threats, both external and internal.
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Professor Masala studied Political Science, German and Romance Philology. He received his
doctorate in 1996. After a substitute professorship at the Geschwister-Scholl-Institute of the Ludwig-
Maximilians University in Munich in 2003, he moved to the NATO Defense College in Rome at the
beginning of 2004, where he worked in the research department, first as Research Advisor and from
2006 as Deputy Director.
In March 2007, he was appointed as Professor of International Politics (since 2025 redesignated as a
Professorship for Security and Defence Policy) at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in
Munich, which he accepted on July 1, 2007. Furthermore, he is the director of the Center for
Intelligence and Security Studies, director of the Metis Institute for Strategy and Foresight and project
director of the Center for Crisis Early Warning at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in
Munich.
Professor Masala is co-editor of the Zeitschrift für Internationale Beziehungen as well as SIRIUS –
Zeitschrift für Strategische Analysen and has been co-host of the podcast Sicherheitshalber since
2018. He served as a permanent expert for the Enquete Kommission des Deutschen Bundestags zum
Afghanistaneinsatz and was a member of the Wissenschaftsjahr 2024 board of trustees at the
Bundesministerium für Forschung und Bildung. Professor Masala is a member of the scientific
advisory board of the Bundesakademie für Sicherheitspolitik and was appointed a full member of the
Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften in May 2024. He was elected to the Board of the Hermann
Ehlers Stiftung in October 2024 and has been a member of the Zentralkomitee der deutschen
Katholiken since May 2025.
In 2022, his book Weltunordnung. Die globalen Krisen und die Illusion des Westens was published by
C.H. Beck; the eighth edition will appear in 2026. His second book, Bedingt Abwehrbereit –
Deutschlands Schwäche in der Zeitenwende (C.H. Beck), was released in 2023. In 2024, the title
Warum die Welt keinen Frieden findet followed (C.H. Beck); the third edition is currently available.
His most recent work, Wenn Russland gewinnt. Ein Szenario, published in March 2025 (C.H. Beck),
has since been translated into eighteen languages and is now available in its 14th edition.
Prof. Masala received the Lichtenberg-Medaille in Gold from the Niedersächsischen Akademie der
Wissenschaften zu Göttingen in 2023 for his academic work and science communication. In October
2023, he was also awarded the Rohde Preis of the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich
for his scientific work.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
