Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes

Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni is playing a central role in the country’s recent significant political developments. Her right-wing coalition government, which is inter alia focused on tightening immigration policies and promoting an Italian nationalist agenda, continues to draw national and international attention – as well as derision. But, despite her Eurosceptic stance, Meloni maintains a pragmatic approach in dealing with the European Union.

This week, Mark Leonard welcomes Lykke Friis, director of Think Tank Europa; Sylvie Kauffmann, editorial director at Le Monde; and Arturo Varvelli, head of ECFR’s Rome office and senior policy fellow, to discuss Meloni’s ideas to prevent the ‘decline’ of the West. How does she view the trajectory of Western civilisation, and Europe’s future global role? What does Meloni’s rise mean for European politics? Does Meloni truly envisage her political project fitting into prevailing Western ideologies? And how do France and Denmark view the current state of Italy?

This episode was recorded on 25 September 2024

Bookshelf:

Vaterländer by Sabin Tambrea

The Wizard of the Kremlin by Giuliano da Empoli

Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe by Serhii Plokhy

Meloni's speech at the Atlantic Council’s Global Citizen Awards ceremony in New York

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After a period of stalemate between Russia and Ukraine, direct military action has recommenced. Heightened tensions have led to discussions on Europe’s readiness for a ‘war economy’ and the United States is also reportedly considering lifting its ban on Ukraine’s use of American weapons to strike Russian territory; the Kremlin has responded with its usual bluster. But amid the rhetoric and battlefield manoeuvring, Ukraine’s leadership has also begun a tentative discussion regarding a diplomatic end to the war.

This week, Mark Leonard welcomes Jana Kobsova, ECFR visiting fellow and recently foreign policy advisor to Slovakian president Zuzana Caputová, and Nicu Popescu, former foreign minister of Moldova and distinguished policy fellow at ECFR, to discuss the domestic state of Ukraine, development of Europe’s war economy, and if and how the conflict could end. Have Ukraine or Russia’s aims – or red lines – changed? What role could Europe play in concluding the war? But how might the EU also prepare for potential further Russian aggression?

This episode was recorded on 16 September 2024

Bookshelf:

Faustian Bargain: The Soviet-German Partnership and the Origins of the Second World War, by Ian Ona Johnson

War and Punishment: The Story of Russian Oppression and Ukrainian Resistance, by Mikhail Zygar

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It has been a momentous few weeks in German and French politics. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) won its first state election – and achieved the German far-right’s best result since the second world war – in Thuringia with 33% of the vote; in Saxony, it came a close second to the Christian Democratic Union. In France, after weeks of uncertainty caused by a divided National Assembly, President Emmanuel Macron appointed Michel Barnier as the country’s prime minister.

This week, Mark Leonard welcomes Célia Belin, senior policy fellow and head of the ECFR Paris office, and Jana Puglierin, senior policy fellow and head of the ECFR Berlin office. Together, they discuss the current state of German and French politics, and the implications for the European Union and European politics overall. What do these election results mean for Germany, and the EU? How long will the ‘firewall’ against the AfD hold? And does France finally have a government again? 

This episode was recorded on 9 September 2024

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Russia is influential in international organisations: a permanent member of the UN Security Council, it also participates in geoeconomic groups such as the G20, and BRICS+. Regionally, Russia leads the Eurasian Economic Union, and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. But relations with Western organisations such as NATO and the EU are strained, and the G8 suspended Russia as a member following its invasion of Ukraine. 

This week, Mark Leonard welcomes Sasha Gabuev, an expert on China and Russia, and director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, and Mikhail Komin, ECFR visiting fellow, and expert on authoritarian regimes, and Russian elites and bureaucracy. They discuss Russia’s motives for joining these organisations, and the impact on the West. Which international institutions is Russia most excited about? Does its membership present a threat to the West? And how can these multinational unions benefit Moscow? 

This episode was recorded on 7 August 2024.

This podcast is part of Re:Order and was produced with support from Stiftung Mercator

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In the run-up to America’s presidential election, ECFR’s US programme has launched a new podcast, “Swamp Chronicles”. The mini-series delves into the crucial discussions and deeper issues shaping the election, and moves beyond the usual campaign headlines to explores its potential impact on US foreign policy – and on Europe. Swamp Chronicles is hosted by Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Jeremy Shapiro, ECFR’s director of research and head of the US programme.

In this week’s episode, Aslı Aydıntaşbaş and Jeremy Shapiro are joined by Robert Kagan, Stephen & Barbara Friedman Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, to examine the underlying forces shaping Donald Trump’s Republican Party ahead of the 2024 election. They discuss the historical origins of his ‘MAGA’ movement, the implications of a potential Trump victory for American and global democracy, and whether Trumpism can endure beyond Trump himself.

Subscribe and stay tuned: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/66d0759bf16c66f62d06e0a3

Music was recorded and produced by Kingston Lindner

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South-east Asia is a culturally and geographically diverse region, notable for its proximity and economic ties to China. Though the political structure of the region’s 11 countries varies from democracy to autocracy, many cooperate through organisations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and BRICS.

This week, Mark Leonard welcomes Lynn Kuok, the Lee Kuan Yew Chair in Southeast Asian Studies at the Brookings Institution, and senior fellow at the University of Cambridge, to discuss how such organisations are shaping regional politics. What impact is membership having on the foreign policy of member states? Why are certain south-east Asian countries attracted to specific organisations? And how might competition between China and the United States benefit the region?

This podcast is part of Re:Order and was produced with support from Stiftung Mercator.

This episode was recorded on 9 August 2024.

Bookshelf

Southeast Asia in the New International Era, by Robert Dayley

Southeast Asia: An Introductory History, by Milton Osborne

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In American foreign policy debates, prioritisers argue that the US should focus on deterring Chinese expansion, consequently shifting its resources away from Europe and towards the Indo-Pacific. But questions are also emerging about the US presence in the Middle East, as well as the country’s commitment to NATO – which the looming election has thrown into uncertainty.

This week, Mark Leonard welcomes Alex Velez-Green, former national security adviser to Republican senator Josh Hawley, and senior adviser at the Heritage Foundation, to discuss the prioritiser perspective. Is the American unipolar moment over? Can the US offer support to both Ukraine and Taiwan, simultaneously? And what should be the priorities for America’s grand strategy in foreign policy?  

This podcast is part of Re:Order and was produced with support from Stiftung Mercator. 

This episode was recorded on 29 July 2024. 

Bookshelf 

The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict, by Elbridge Colby 

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In recent years, China has overtaken the United States as the largest trading partner of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Not only has Beijing played a bigger role in the region’s economic order, it is also taking the lead in creating new institutions in Asia. China is known for BRICS or its eponymous Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. But more recently, free trade agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement are bolstering China’s challenge to existing institutional order. 

In this episode of the Re:Order summer series, Mark Leonard welcomes bestselling author and S.T. Lee chair in US-Asia relations at the Harvard Kennedy School Rana Mitter to discuss China’s positioning vis-à-vis the West. How does China engage with ASEAN? How are economic flows and institutions shaping the fast-changing region? Are their institutions shadow organisations of the West or trying to challenge the West?

This episode was recorded on 26 June 2024. 

This podcast is part of Re:Order and was produced with support from Stiftung Mercator. 

Bookshelf 

China steps out: Beijing’s Major Power Engagement with the Developing World, by Johsua Eisemann 

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The prisoner exchange between the West and Russia last week was the largest swap since the end of the cold war. At Turkey’s Ankara airport, Russia and Belarus released 16 detainees, while the United States, Poland, Germany, Slovenia, and Norway released 8.

In this week’s Europe in 30 Minutes special episode, deputy director of ECFR Vessela Tcherneva welcomes welcomes distinguished policy fellow Camille Grand, who leads ECFR's defence intitative, senior policy fellow Gustav Gressel, who focuses on Russia, eastern Europe, and defence policy, and senior policy fellow Kadri Liik, an expert on Russian domestic and foreign policy. Who are the winners and losers of this historic prisoner swap? What kinds of messages does this send domestically in the US, Russia, and Germany? And why did this take place in Turkey?

This episode was recorded on 5 August 2024.

Bookshelf

The Brothers Lionheart, by Astrid Lindgren

Perestroika, by Mikhail Gorbachev

The Idea of China, by Alicja Bachulska, Mark Leonard, and Janka Oertel

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Brazil is a middle-power powerhouse. The largest and most populous country in Latin America, this founding member of BRICS+ wields strong cultural, economic, and diplomatic influence among other middle powers and beyond. No assessment of non-Western powers would be complete without a trip to Brazil.

In this episode of our special Re:Order series, Mark Leonard welcomes bestselling author on Brazilian foreign policy, Matias Spektor, who is founder and professor at the School of International Relations at Fundação Getulio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro, to discuss Brazil’s role in the new global order. How does the country’s past inform its diplomatic morals and norms today? What international institutions are central to Brazil’s identity and to what extent are they a reaction or complementary to Western-led formats?

This podcast is part of Re:Order and was produced with support from Stiftung Mercator.

This episode was recorded on 24 July 2024.

Bookshelf

Nemesis: One Man and the Battle for Rio, by Misha Glenny

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