ELFpodcast

What are the main Iranian actors and their options in the conflict with Israel? Are negotiations possible? What is the legitimacy of the regime and the potential for change from within the Iranian society? And can Eastern Europe serve as an inspiration for the Iranian reformists? Leszek Jazdzewski talks with Dr. Walter Posch, a trained orientalist who works as a Middle East expert at the Institute for Peacekeeping and Conflict Management at the National Defense Academy in Vienna.

What is the role of human rights advocacy in a full-scale Russian war in Ukraine? What part do Europeans play in this struggle? And how to fight the growing sense of indifference? Leszek Jazdzewski (Fundacja Liberte!) talks with Oleksandra Matviichuk, a human rights defender who works on issues in Ukraine and the OSCE region. She heads the human rights organization Center for Civil Liberties, which was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.

Could the AFD party come to power in Germany? What would it mean for the German democracy and Europe? Why is the current historical narrative of the Bundesrepublik becoming useless? And what will be the identity of Germany in the future? Leszek Jazdzewski (Fundacja Liberte!) talks with Klaus Bachmann, Professor of Political Science at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (SWPS) in Warsaw, Poland.

What does the forthcoming presidential election in Poland mean for Europe? What are the main issues and divisions between the candidates that occur in the ongoing campaign? And how will the election result influence the current government and its policy? Leszek Jazdzewski talks with Adam Jasser, the Deputy Director at TVP World.

Why are students protesting in Serbia? What are the social and political reasons for the upheaval? What is the state of the Serbian democracy? Is the European Union choosing interests over values? And should we fear the recent geopolitical tensions in the Balkans? Leszek Jazdzewski (Fundacja Liberte!) talks with Ivan Vejvoda, Permanent fellow at the IWM. Ivan is the head of Europe’s Futures program and a host of Vienna Coffee House Conversations.

Why were the presidential elections in Romania annulled? Who was behind the TikTok campaign of Călin Georgescu? And what is the state of democracy in Romania ahead of the repeated elections? Leszek Jazdzewski (Fundacja Liberte!) talks with Georgiana Gheorghe, the Executive Director of APADOR-CH, a leading human rights organization based in Bucharest, Romania.

What should we know about Europe’s defense industry? What capabilities does Europe need to develop to deter the Russian aggression? What are the consequences of the German debt brake reform? And is a common European defense single market possible? Leszek Jazdzewski (Fundacja Liberte!) talks with Guntram B. Wolff, a Senior fellow at Bruegel.

Is Donald Trump\'s presidency the beginning of a new era in the global world order? What is there to know about economic disruption and globalization in this context? And is the European Union overreacting in its response to the recent events or rather attempting to \'make Europe great again\'? Leszek Jazdzewski talks with Matthew Kaminski, POLITICO\'s Editor-at-Large.

What does Donald Trump understand about politics that others don’t? What is the impact of Trump\'s presidency on Europe (and the Polish political scene in particular)? And what should we expect from the forthcoming Polish presidential elections? Leszek Jazdzewski (Fundacja Liberte!) talks with Andrzej Bobiński, the Managing Director of Polityka Insight. 

What is the outcome of the parliamentary elections in Georgia? What should we know about the authoritarian evolution of the Georgian Dream ruling party? What was the role of the Russian war in Ukraine on the politics in Georgia? What is the way forward? And what should the European Union do about these recent developments?