In the first in our mini-series on the events of 1989, host Mark Leonard is joined by very special guest Timothy Garton Ash, historian and Professor of European Studies at Oxford University. This series considers how 1989 and it's events will shape our world in the future. Was 1989 the greatest year in European history? How much of what is going on was a blip? Are we witnessing the decline of liberalism today? Ash provides insights into the course of our political history, but cautions on prescribing a course to our future. The neglect of solidarity, identity and community as part of the development of the European Union project has led to a hollowing out of European identity. Global challenges and populism put the future of the liberal democratic world into question, unless answers are found.This podcast was recorded on 31 October 2019.Bookshelf:The Light that Failed: A Reckoning, by Ivan Krastev and Stephen HolmesThe Power of the Powerless, by Václav Havel

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