Politics

Trump demands that universities, including Columbia, where he has already succeeded, formally adopt and enforce the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which completely blurs the line between real dislike or hatred of Jews and criticism of Israeli state policy (for which there are currently many very valid reasons).

When talking about total defense, for whom and against what is it? What should the European total defense look like? Why cannot everyone be like Finland? And is total defense even possible in polarized societies? Leszek Jazdzewski talks with Helena Quis, who works in the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Europe Programme as an expert on European security and resilience, focusing on total defense and civil preparedness. 

How to deal with the weaponization of information? What is the future (if any) of independent journalism? What does public interest information mean and why should it be protected? Have we lost the shared understanding of the world? And, if that is the case, how can we restore it? Leszek Jazdzewski talks with Patrice Schneider, Chief Strategy Officer at the Media Development Investment Fund.

When the United States struggled with a recession in the early 1990s, James Carville, who was an adviser to Bill Clinton during the presidential campaign, coined a slogan that for decades became a hallmark of neoliberal thinking (or even a neoliberal worldview). The economy, stupid! was quoted in virtually every language, tailored to the circumstances of a given country, company, or even private matters.

Priorities. Practically every ministry, every coalition, even every group sitting at a table in a pub has a whole list of them. But so as not to sound too self-deprecating, this is not just a problem in the Czech Republic. For three and a half years, we have been hearing that defense is our European priority. I would very much like to agree with that.

How to interpret the results of the Dutch elections? What does the return of history to European affairs really mean? Is the EU a stage or an actor in the big drama of history? And what kind of Europe is emerging from Donald Trump\'s efforts to dismantle the American empire and the post-1945 world order? Leszek Jazdzewski talks with Luuk van Middelaar, the founding Director of Brussels Institute for Geopolitics.

As Europe stands at a crossroads, Central and Eastern Europe’s role remains too undervalued in policy discussions. Young liberals bring valuable perspectives and solutions, and want to be included in shaping the response to the current challenges affecting this strategic region.

Right-wing populism has been on the rise in Europe, and despite some exceptions, it doesn’t seem to be backing out. The group of people that seems to be most convinced by radical right-wing ideas is the youth - people aged 18 to 29. In the US, however, an unexpected change in this regard was initiated by Zohran Mamdani, currently mayor-elect of NYC. In the recent mayoral election 78% of people aged 18-29 voted for Mamdani, a democratic socialist.  

In Hungary, FIDESZ-KDNP has been ruling the country with a two-thirds constitutional majority since 2010, now for 15 years. Under Orbán’s regime, there is a particular focus on the country’s media landscape and the crisis of its credibility. It is no exaggeration to state that the public media is effectively under political control and has lost its legitimacy.

Are we witnessing the weakening of political parties? If that is the case, what are the effects of this phenomenon on democracy? Is there a market for centrist politics? Has the US turned populist? And what is the future for Argentina under President Javier Milei? Leszek Jazdzewski talks with Samuel Issacharoff, the Bonnie and Richard Reiss Professor of Constitutional Law at the NYU School of Law.