In this week’s #Forum2000online Chat, Vladimir Rouvinski, Director of the Laboratory of Politics and International Relations (PoInt) and Associate Professor (Department of Political Studies) at Icesi University in Cali, Colombia, joined Martin Ehl, a journalist and Chief Analyst at Hospodářské noviny (ihned.cz), to talk about the Russia-China relationship in the current context. Who makes the rules? Is there a natural alliance between Russia and China against the United States? What is China watching with special attention in the Ukraine?. In the interview, Mr. Rouvinski says that Russia will become much closer to China because there are only few other options left, but "It depends on China. China will be the actor that will be defining the rules of the game, the rules of coexistence between China and Russia. Not Russia". Mr. Rouvinski explains the complexity of the relations between both powers and also offers a brief analysis of their influence in Latin America and in the world.

According to Vladimir Rouvinski, you will learn that:

• Russia will become much closer to China because there are only few other options left, but China will be defining the rules of the game, the rules of coexistence between China and Russia, not Russia. 

The interview was recorded on March 30, 2022, and moderated by Martin Ehl, a journalist and Chief Analyst at Hospodářské noviny (ihned.cz).

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In this week’s #Forum2000online Chat, Bernardo Sorj, director of the Edelstein Center for Social Research and Democratic Platform Project, joined Jessica Ludwig, Senior Program Officer of the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy (ned.org), to talk about the ongoing crisis in Ukraine from a Brazilian perspective. In the interview, Dr. Sorj explains what are the perceptions and positions of the government, politicians, public intellectuals and citizens. The war has provoked discussion and a political divide that can be seen in the media and in public debate. Dr. Sorj says that President Bolsonaro "has clearly, always, a fatal attraction for authoritarian leaders, authoritarian social movements" and does not take a clear position, but, at the same time, the minister in charge of foreign relations takes a position against Russian invasion. This makes the government look erratic and contradictory. In addition, he states that "both part of the left and the extreme right, the position is, I wouldn’t say pro-Russian but anti-American”.

The interview was recorded on March 18, 2022, and moderated by Jessica Ludwig, Senior Program Officer of the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy (ned.org)

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In this week’s #Forum2000online Chat, Svitlana Zalishchuk, Foreign Policy Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine on European Integration and Advisor to the CEO of Naftogaz Group, joined Martin Ehl, a journalist and Chief Analyst at Hospodářské noviny (ihned.cz), to talk about the ongoing crisis resulting from Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This war of aggression launched by the Kremlin represents much more than an attack against an independent nation like Ukraine. It is a blow to Europe and to the entire global liberal order. In the interview, Ms. Zalishchuk recounts the current situation and then explains what measures have been taken by Europe and the world and what other actions are expected. Svitlana Zalishchuk states that the counteraction to the Russian aggression must be effective enough to stop the war and that it is necessary to "mobilize all our forces to make it painful for people around Putin”. Svitlana Zalishchuk says that "Putin was very clear in his messages, in his statements, that he directs this war, that he directs this massacre in Ukraine”.

The interview was recorded on March 3, 2022, and moderated by Martin Ehl, a journalist and Chief Analyst at Hospodářské noviny (ihned.cz).

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In this week’s #Forum2000online Chat, James Lamond, the Director of the Democratic Resilience Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), joined Martin Ehl, a journalist and author working for Czech Economic Daily Hospodářské noviny (ihned.cz), to talk about the impact that the ongoing security crisis resulting from Russian invasion in Ukraine will have on the future of NATO and transatlantic relations in general. For now, Western leaders seem to speak a common voice expressing condemnation of Russian aggression. In the interview, J. Lamond placed the recent developments in Eastern Europe in a broader picture of the challenges the transatlantic community will have to face in the nearest future.

The interview was recorded on February 22, 2022, and moderated by Martin Ehl, a journalist and author working for Czech Economic Daily Hospodářské noviny (ihned.cz).

In cooperation with U.S. Embassy Prague

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In this week’s #Forum2000online Chat, Charles Edel, the Australia Chair and a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joined Irena Kalhousová, the Head of the Herzl Center of Israel Studies at the Charles University and member of the Forum 2000 Program Council, to talk about the Summit for Democracy and other initiatives launched by Joe Biden’s administration, which show that Washington — after the experience of Trump’s presidency — is ready to take the leading role in promoting and defending democracy worldwide.

In this interview, you will learn that:

The interview was recorded on February 3, 2022, and moderated by Irena Kalhousová, the Head of the Herzl Center of Israel Studies at the Charles University in Prague and member of the Forum 2000 Program Council.

In cooperation with U.S. Embassy Prague

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Dr. Eduardo Magrani, the President of the National Institute for Data Protection in Brazil and an affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, joined us for this week’s #Forum2000online Chat to talk about Brazil's pioneering legislative attempts to regulate the virtual sphere, the challenges it poses for the lawmakers worldwide, as well as the broader context of what still has to be done to ensure that democracy and human rights are safe in the reality where the border between online and offline becomes more and more blurred.

In this interview, you will learn that:

• Democracies still miss adequate law regulations for the digital sphere.

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• Democratization in Africa still faces many challenges, but if certain conditions are met democracy will have a chance to sustain and thrive. 

Dr Fonteh Akum is the Executive Director of the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS). He is the former Head of the Lake Chad Basin program in the Dakar office of the ISS. He joined the ISS in 2017 as a senior researcher in the Peace and Security Research Programme in Pretoria, after which he moved to ISS Dakar as a senior researcher. Before joining the ISS, he worked for the United States Department of Defense, the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, and the Africa Program of the United Nations University for Peace.

The interview was recorded on October 27, 2021, and moderated by Ladislav Garassy, a political geographer based in Prague. 

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• We were supposed to expect the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, but the hasty execution of it was rather surprising.

• Parties will form either Jamaica coalition or a Traffic light coalition

• Protests were sparked by political and social demands in combination with grave shortages.

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