The bi-weekly podcast that gives you the view on geopolitical affairs from both sides of the Atlantic.... more
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Atlantic Anchors
By Kaj Leers and Joel Weickgenant
FAQs about Atlantic Anchors:
How many episodes does Atlantic Anchors have?
The podcast currently has 9 episodes available.
Atlantic Anchors episodes:
October 24, 2020The Back With A Vengeance Edition – Episode 9 It’s been a while, Anchors, and we know it. Covid-19 had a lot do with our unexpected hiatus – that, and some unexpected technical issues. But we’re back! In this episode we look at the havoc that Covid-19 has wrought in the USA and Europe, and how it has thrown international relations into chaos. And because so much has changed, we will be looking at the Atlantic relationship through a new prism. Is there any going back to the way things were, even if a new US president takes office? No. Europe needs to step up to the plate and do its proper part in the relationship....more June 24, 2020Transatlantic troubles create room to think: Episode 8 First we lead with the good: The Netherlands reported 0 deaths from COVID-19 on June 22, the day Kaj and Joel checked in to record the latest episode of Atlantic Anchors. Right now, we’ll take any good news, and that is very, very good news.The news isn’t so good for the Transatlantic relationship. If you’ve subscribed to our newsletter, you already know that on both sides of the Atlantic, foreign-policy thinkers are contemplating the passing of one vision of global society, and coming to grips with the world to come – a world taking shape faster than many of us thought it would.Crisis creates opportunity, and in this episode, Kaj and Joel announce a deep dive into the building blocks of international relations themselves. We hope you will join us on this stage of the journey. May these times of troubles also be times of invention....more June 09, 2020The Transatlantic Relationship Is On Hiatus: Episode 7 As both Europe and the United States continue to be hammered by the health and dire economic effects of the corona virus and the US is engulfed by social protest, Joel and Kaj discuss what this all means for the Transatlantic relationship we hold so dear. Will the relationship recover from all the enmity? Then, Kaj interviews Arjen de Wolff, a Dutchman with a very interesting past in international politics and diplomacy, who lives and works on the Caribbean island of Bonaire. Little does the world know that all those “rocks in the sea”, as De Wolff calls the islands, are crucial for the Transatlantic alliance… And of course, we celebrate Beer Time again!...more May 06, 2020Pandemics follow action: Episode 6 This week, geopolitical analyst Antonia Colibasanu joins the Anchors to give an Eastern European perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications for the broader Transatlantic community.
Colibasanu discusses the growing and devastating impact of the pandemic on economies in Europe, explains Serbia's posturing, and ponders the future of military preparedness post-COVID.
Be sure to stick around for the beer hour, when we'll take a trip through time and space, from monastic Belgium to the breweries of Michigan.
...more April 20, 2020Failures to communicate: Episode 5 Leaders the world over face a multifaceted crisis that affects every layer of society. In a situation where there is no pain-free exit, communication is crucial. Joel and Kaj discuss some of the layers of poor communication, including the ongoing saga of the Bonds of Wrath.
More exciting still, our first guest steps onto the deck this week. Kaj speaks with Chatham House research fellow Pepijn Bergsen, previously an economic policy advisor for the Dutch government. They discuss some quieter aspects of Transatlantic cooperation that you might have missed under all of the COVID sound and fury, as well as what it will take for the troubled relationship to see things through.
Finally, you won't want to miss the return of Beer Time. It's the pause we all need in these troubled times. Even the socially distanced must sometimes share a sip from afar.
...more April 07, 2020The Misery Is Mutual – Episode 4 The Coronavirus is also causing social distancing on the geo-political front. While some countries are effectively stopping exports of ventilators, masks and other medical equipment, Italy is in dire straits. Joel takes a deep dive into the mood in Italy - and it is not good. Not just because of the virus that's on a rampage, but also because other EU nation member states seem intent on not giving Italy the help it seeks. Kaj attempts to explain where the North-South divide is coming from.
Whatever solution the EU member states find for their problems, a restoration of national unity is necessary before there can be any talk of a meaningful restart of the trans-Alantic relationship with the United States.
...more March 23, 2020Can you go your own way? – Episode 3 The topic that is on everyone’s mind is fairly obvious, so we scuttled our plans for an engaging chat on Turkey’s politics and its place in the Transatlantic alliance. COVID-19 has sparked a global crisis with systemic implications.All deference from politicians, pundits and podcasters must go to medical experts at this time. But talking is therapeutic, and with that in mind, Kaj and Joel take this episode to chat about what life has been like on both sides of the Atlantic in the last couple of weeks. Nations are the essential building block of the global system — the actors in politics most closely capable of behaving like an individual. How are our nations handling the outset of this time of uncertainty? Is anyone capable of exerting a global or a regional role, or will our nations go at the crisis alone? We invite you to talk it out with us....more March 02, 2020Words have meaning – Episode 2 In the second episode of Atlantic Anchors, Kaj and Joel measure the toll of political fragmentation in Germany. The sudden February crisis within Germany’s powerful Christian Democratic Union party serves as Kaj’s guide as he explains the forces that are straining political parties — and political bodies of all kinds — all across the West.Joel in the meantime revisits the Munich Security Conference, which took place in mid-February. The gathering lets us look at how our leaders think about themselves and think about each other. In this case, they seemed to be walking on different planets. Joel dissects the language used by the different leaders to show just how different the topography of those two worlds is right now....more February 17, 2020China Wants A Menage A Trois – Episode 1 In this first episode of Atlantic Anchors, Joel Weickgenant and Kaj Leers look at the rifts between Europe and the United States caused by differences of opinion regarding China. The U.S. government doesn’t want European countries doing business with China, and Washington’s motives aren’t clearly understood. We focus on one story about ASML, a Dutch company that is the market leader in devices used to produce high-end computer chips. ASML’s troubles help us tell a broader story about the China-shaped wedge that is opening up between the United States and Europe. In short: The U.S. wants to prevent China from getting its hands on such technology. But why? Should Europe follow the American lead on this?For further reading, do head over to this excellent piece by Evan Osnos in The New Yorker, mentioned by Joel. For a succinct analysis of China’s ‘Made in China 2025‘ plan mentioned by Kaj, go here (.pdf). For the goods on how China set up a company that was supposed to compete directly with ASML, see here. For the European Union’s ‘toolbox’ for dealing with Huawei for member states, look no further (again, a .pdf). A view from Beijing: how the Chinese leadership sees no daylight between military and civil applications of technology. And lastly, a highly recommended article in The Atlantic on Chinese president Xi Jinping’s plans for 2049.And of course, there’s no way around it: Joel and Kaj also take a look at the U.S. elections, the Democratic primary and how European countries feel about the prospect of Donald Trump getting re-elected. To top it all off, we introduce our Beertime-segment, in which Joel and Kaj both introduce a beer from their respective sides of the Atlantic to U.S. and European audiences....more
FAQs about Atlantic Anchors:
How many episodes does Atlantic Anchors have?
The podcast currently has 9 episodes available.