Britain Debrief with Ben Judah

Can Europe catch up in the EV race?

As the EU works to implement its new green industrial strategy, I spoke with Elettra Ardissino, Senior Europe Analyst at Greenmantle, to discuss how China’s dramatic surge in electric vehicle production is reshaping world markets. 

How is electrification changing the global car market? How did EU policies accidentally encourage more China-based EV manufacturing? Should Europe lower its targets for domestic manufacture of key green goods?

Thumbnail image is a modified version of a photo originally created by Julian Herzog, available at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Car2Go_Charging_Station_Stuttgart_2013_01.jpg.

Does Europe end or fade away?

Following the release of his book Homelands: A Personal History of Europe, I spoke with Timothy Garton Ash, Professor of European Studies in the University of Oxford, on his European journey, the limits of Europe, and the place of Britain, Russia and Ukraine.

Is migration changing the very essence of Europe? Could the European Union become the tool of right-wing populists? Is it possible for Britain to rejoin the European Union under a future Labour government?

The thumbnail was modified from a picture taken by Sue Ream. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BerlinWall-BrandenburgGate.jpg

Are we thinking about climate breakdown in the wrong way?

As we face the concurrent threats of pandemics, climate change, and other existential threats, I spoke with Dougald Hine, author of "At Work in the Ruins: Finding Our Place in the Time of Science, Climate Change, Pandemics and All Other Emergencies," to discuss how perceptions are changing in response to these challenges.

Did we become overly reliant on a science-based solutionist paradigm to conceptualise these crises? Is modernity itself in crisis? Are local activist groups like Extinction Rebellion able to take the lead on climate mitigation?

The thumbnail was modified from a picture taken by David Holt available at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London_November_23_2018_(19)_Extinction_Rebellion_Protest_Tower_Hill.jpg

What does it now mean to call yourself European?

  Who makes up this population of some 750 million, sprawled from Ireland to Ukraine, from Sweden to Turkey? Who has always called it home, and who has newly arrived from elsewhere? Who are the people who drive our long-distance lorries, steward our criss-crossing planes, lovingly craft our legacy wines, fish our depleted waters, and risk life itself in search of safety and a new start?   In a series of vivid, ambitious, darkly visceral but always empathetic portraits of other people’s lives, journalist Ben Judah invites us to meet them. Drawn from hours of painstaking interviews, these vital stories reveal a frenetic and vibrant continent which has been transformed by diversity, migration, the internet, climate change, Covid, war and the quest for freedom.   Laid dramatically bare, it may not always be a Europe we recognize – but this is Europe.   REVIEWS:   "Imagine Ballard and Houellebecq teaming up on a Grand Tour, and you will have some idea of just how vivid, urgent and unsettling this superbly written book is." ― Tom Holland   "Thrilling, first-hand tales that explore the danger and ambitions of life in Europe." ― The Financial Times   "Unflinching . . . a powerful piece of reportage." ― The Guardian   "Makes you expand the boundaries of your sympathies and your understanding. It’s an astonishing achievement." ― Evening Standard   "An extraordinary series of interviews" ― Rory Stewart ― The Rest Is Politics   "Brilliantly vivid." ― Daily Mail   "Illuminating . . . a bold literary and journalistic experiment. Judah knows how to tell a story and does so with panache." ― The Spectator   "Superb . . . a compelling read." ― The New European   "A hallucinatory tour de force . . . life affirming." ― The Jewish Chronicle   "Brilliantly told . . . highly readable" ― The Times   "Such an ambitious project it automatically deserves applause . . . reminds us that below every system and conflict there are human beings." ― Irish Times  

"A singular journalistic achievement." ― The Fence

What kind of diplomat is Rishi Sunak? Following Sunak’s first visit to DC since becoming PM, I spoke with Lucy Fisher, the Whitehall Editor of the Financial Times, on the biggest takeaways from Sunak’s first visit to DC and what it means for him domestically.

How does Sunak’s diplomacy differ from that of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss? Have Sunak’s diplomatic successes, like the Windsor Framework, impacted his popularity at home? Is a visit to DC as important for Britain as it is for other European countries?

Will Charles III be a radical king? As his coronation ceremony approaches, I spoke with Will Lloyd, Commissioning Editor and Writer at the New Statesman, to discuss his recent cover article about the King’s views and his relationship with the UK public at large.

Is Charles a modernizing figure for the monarchy? Why have Charles III’s philanthropic ventures gone largely unnoticed? Is it fair to say that Charles III even likes Britain?

Thumbnail modified from a photo taken by fergusburnett.com. Original available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/foreignoffice/52368400337.

Is the Windsor Framework a game-changer for UK-EU relations?

Following the announcement of the Windsor Framework by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, I spoke with Simon Hoare MP, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Committee in the UK Parliament, on how the Framework will impact UK-EU relations and the future of unionism.

How will the Stormont Brake operate as a part of the Framework? How likely is it for the UK parliament to pass it? Will Northern Ireland's political status within the union change due to the Framework?

How does Europe act in the world?

The European Union is an evolving actor on the world stage and now being reshaped by Russia’s war in Ukraine. To get a sense of how, I spoke with Baroness Catherine Ashton, the bloc’s first and former high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and Slater Family Distinguished Fellow at the Wilson Center about her new book And Then What? Stories Of 21st Century Diplomacy. 

Has the Commission become stronger relative to EU member states since she took office? Where is EU foreign policy headed? Did Brussels miss the long-term warning signs of war in Ukraine?

What are the geopolitics of the EU's trade?

Following Sweden's assumption of the EU Council Presidency, I spoke with Dr. Cecilia Malmström, who served as the European Commissioner for Trade and Home Affairs and Sweden's Minister for EU affairs, on the EU's geopolitics of European trade. Dr. Malmström is currently a nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute.

How has the EU Commission grown stronger during and since Malmström's tenure as commissioner? How will Biden's Inflation Reduction Act impact the EU? What is the future of EU-China trade relations? What are the risks for global trade if the WTO order breaks down?

Thumbnail modified from photo: Hans-Olof Utsi/imagebank.sweden.se

How will Ukraine, Putin, Xi and closer to home Silicon Valley and Ron DeSantis shape the future of liberal democracy?

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine approaches its first anniversary, I spoke with Dr. Francis Fukuyama, author of the End of History and the Last Man and the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies of Stanford University, about what these all mean for the future of liberal democracy.

How has technology like AI impacted democracies? Will the Republican Party's popularity recover under a potential DeSantis administration? Can Western liberal democracies face foreign authoritarian threats like those presented by Xi Jinping's China and Vladimir Putin's Russia?