In this episode, Brendan and Charelle sit down with Assem Dandashly and Gergana Noutcheva to discuss the legitimacy of the EU as an external democracy promoter in its southern and eastern neighbourhood while internally it is dealing with a rule of law crisis in member states such as Poland, Hungary, Austria. Has this internal crisis affected the way the EU is perceived? Has it hindered its legitimacy as an international player? Join them as they unpack these questions!

Food on paintings and glued hands on the highway – you probably have heard of these kinds of protest during the past few months, when reports about the “Last Generation” protest movement went viral. Their protests continue and the opinions on them differ. In this episode, Chiara gives you a background about the origins of the “Last Generation” movement and their latest actions. Critiques will be discussed as well as if their protest actions contribute positively to raising awareness to the climate crisis.

Link to sources: https://linktr.ee/lastgenerationep

Europe day! Europe day?  What does it even mean? In this episode Brendan and Charelle talk about the significance of Europe Day and the difficulties of forming a Common European Identity. In doing so they are joined by Dr. Aline Sierp, an expert in memory studies, who outlines what studying memory entails and the difficulties that are faced when trying to create a common European memory, and in the process a common European Identity. So if this intrigues you, give it a listen!

Secondary  Sources:

- Short explanations of key terms by leading memory scholars.

- Memory Studies Association

- The Memory Cloud

- Sierp, Aline (2023). Europeanising Memory: The European Union’s Politics of Memory. In Maria Mälksoo (Ed.) Handbook on the Politics of Memory. Edward Elgar Publishing

- Sierp, Aline (2020). EU Memory Politics and Europe’s Forgotten Colonial Past. Interventions, 22(6), 386-702

- Films:

o Schindler’s List, 1993 by Stefen Spielberg

o Shoa, 1985, by Claude Lanzmann

o Waltz with Bashir, 2008, by Ari Folman

o The Act of Killing, 2012, by Joshua Oppenheimer

Asia’s oldest democracy has had a long history of ethnic conflict and corruption at the highest levels of the state. In response to the harshest economic crisis their country has ever experienced, Lankans took to the street last year, launching a protest movement called ‘Aragalaya’ (Sinhala for ‘struggle’). In a headline-grabbing turn of events, the protesters managed to oust the ruling Rajapaksa family, with the hope for system change. But one year later, the epilogue is bittersweet. In this last episode of the MD’s series on Sri Lanka, Jonathan explores the political aspect of the crisis. They tell the story of the Aragalaya with the help of anecdotes from activist Father Rohan Silva, chairman of the Centre for Society and Religion; and they discuss what’s next for Lankan democracy with Dr. Asanga Welikala, senior lecturer at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Law.
Link to sources: https://linktr.ee/lkpodcast3

Leen and Hadrian take a deep dive into the world and politics of the 2017 Academy Award nominee Call Me By Your Name (Dir. Luca Guadagnino). Starting from its refreshingly naturalistic cinematography, to exploring the controversies surrounding its plot, cast, and social/ethical responsibility. Everything all the way up to a profile of the most overlooked character in the film, passing through countless other cinematic examples, reflections, debates and experiences.

Link to sources:

Revisiting Call Me By Your Name.

One of the greatest scenes ever animated.

André Aciman: The Meaning and Message of 'Call Me By Your Name'

Why Call Me By Your Name's Other Love Story Matters, Too.

In today’s episode Brendan and Charelle wrestle with the concept of strategic autonomy, also referred to as strategic sovereignty and possibly other names. You might have seen the term circulating online in light of Macron’s recent visit to China. But what does it actually mean to be strategically autonomous? Join them as they talk to Dr. Sophie Vanhoonacker, an expert in European external relations, to unpack this concept. 

Secondary  Sources:

What do a crystal piano owned by Miranda Kerr, a painting by Picasso and the Wolf of Wall Street have in common? They were all paid with money from Malaysian citizens. Of course, without them knowing.

Link to all mentioned sources:

Starting from Canne's Grand Prix winner and Oscar-nominated “Close” (2022, Lukas Dhont), Hadrian and Leen will explore the general themes emerging from Dhont's sophomore feature, tying into the general themes of today's social climate. This film stole viewers’ hearts because it centers on children, children facing problems all too mature for them. Sadly, this reflects our current reality today, one where politicians are using these young minds as scapegoats for their anti-LGBTQ legislation all over the world. This new form of discrimination, along with recent developments in politics, and how the film ties into all of this, will be the center of this episode's discussion.

Link to sources: https://linktr.ee/mdpodcast

Last week, the French government passed a very controversial pensions reform, against the opinion of 70% of the French people and trade unions. They did so using article 49.3 of the Constitution, allowing them to skip a vote in Parliament. The French have been protesting against this reform and the way it was forced through, culminating on Thursday 23 March. Jonathan was on the scene in Paris with their friend Thalia and interviewed people from different backgrounds on their thoughts on the reform and the future of the 5th Republic.

For a better understanding of French politics, you might be interested in Jonathan's episode from last year, "The Fifth Republic explained: the 2022 French elections".

Link to sources: https://linktr.ee/mdfrenchprotest

"Europe will be forged in crisis, and will be the sum of the solutions adopted for those crises", these were the words of Jean Monnet. But what is a crisis, and how does Europe act when it is confronted by one? Join Brendan and Charelle as they have a conversation with two CERiM experts, Dr. Esther Versluis and Johan Adriaensen PhD, who will lead them through crisis management 101.

Secondary  Sources: