Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes

Recently, we have seen funding cuts to the WHO in the middle of the coronavirus crisis and national governments closing borders instead of calling for a G20 or G7 summit. On the positive side, we heard Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González in our ECFR Quarantimes session arguing that covid-19 could serve as a catalyst for multilateral solutions on global health. But do this week’s podcast guests agree? Mark Leonard is joined by Gunilla Carlsson, former Swedish Minister for international development cooperation, and ECFR Senior Policy Fellow Anthony Dworkin to discuss the future of multilateral institutions like the WHO and what role the EU could play when it comes to global health? Can Europe be the forerunner? ECFR Quarantimes Session with Arancha González: https://www.ecfr.eu/article/quarantimes_arancha_gonzalezThis podcast was recorded on 30 April 2020Bookshelf:- “And the band played on. Politics, people and the AIDS Epidemic” by Randy Shiltz- Collected works by Selma Lagerlöf- “The WHO v. coronavirus: why it can't handle the pandemic” by Stephen Buranyi, The Guardian - “WHO becomes battleground as Trump chooses pandemic confrontation over cooperation” by Colum Lynch, Foreign Policy - “EU limits on medical gear exports put poor countries and Europeans at risk” by Chad P. Bown, Peterson Institute for International Economics - “The Cosmopolitan Tradition: A Noble but Flawed Ideal” by Martha C. Nussbaum

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“We are at a moment of truth, which is to decide whether the European Union is a political project or just a market project. I think it’s a political project… We need financial transfers and solidarity, if only so that Europe holds on”, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with the Financial Times. In yesterday’s virtual EU Council Meeting, the EU tried to rise to this challenge. But did it succeed? Host Mark Leonard is joined by Henrik Enderlein, President at the Hertie School & Director of the Jacques Delors Centre think tank and Jana Puglierin, head of ECFR’s Berlin Office: what have been the expectations for and conclusion of the meeting? What happened to the swirling coronabonds discussion? And what’s Germany’s take on Macron’s vision and way forward for Europe?This podcast was recorded on 24 April 2020Bookshelf- "Macron, Merkel, and Europe's 'moment of truth'" by Tara Varma and Jonathan Hackenbroichhttps://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_merkron_no_more - "The Great Transformation" by Karl Polanyi,"The New Progressivism: A Grassroots Alternative to the Populism of our Times" by David Amiel & Ismael Emelien

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Word on the street suggests that technology will be the way out of the coronavirus crisis and the lockdowns in many European countries. This seems to be confirmed by a multitude of projects such as the EU’s Pan-European Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing (PEPP-PT), the aim of which is to make it possible to interrupt new chains of infection with the coronavirus. Through apps and data sharing, we will be able to track the spread of the virus, those infected and those who developed a degree of immunity to the disease and thus are allowed to return to participate normally in society. As good as it sounds, however, the issue comes with its own set of profound ethical questions regarding individual rights such as privacy and consent. Our Host Mark Leonard is joined by ECFR experts Ulrike Franke and Anthony Dworkin as well as independent researcher and broadcaster Stephanie Hare to break down the current discourse around tech in the age of corona and its implications.This podcast was recorded on 15 April 2020.Bookshelf“The age of surveillance capitalism” by Shoshana Zuboff“In the shadow of justice” by Katrina Forrester“Pale rider” by Laura Spinney“The mirror of yoga” by Richard Freeman

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How is Russia dealing with covid-19? What impact does the pandemic have on the other underlying political issues in Russia – such as the change of the constitution and Putin’s decision to essentially stay in power until 2036? Our ECFR experts also point out the strange absence of the Russian leader from the fight against corona – has covid-19 as well as the oil price crisis caused more turbulence and chaos in the country as he wants to admit? Host Mark Leonard, Gustav Gressel, Kadri Liik and Nicu Popescu come forward with analyses and predictions: if the EU doesn’t handle the crisis well, could Russia have been right in its Hobbsian view of the world? Check out our “Dive Deep into Russia” lecture series by the ECFR Wider Europe Programme!Bookshelf:- "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - "The Rise and Fall of 'Neutral' Sweden's Secret Reserve Option of Wartime Help from the West" by Robert Dalsjö- "Чужая и наша война - Сборник стихотворений и песен о военной операции Вооружённых Сил Российской Федерации против международных террористов в Сирийской Арабской Республике” by Сост. В.А. Силкин - "Why Russians don't get coronavirus” by Albatros - "Summertime" by JM Coetzee - "Discovering Judith Shklar sceptical liberalism of fear” by Samantha Ashenden & Andreas HessThis podcast was recorded on 8 April 2020.

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The EU members states have been caught up in a heated discussion on possible European ‘coronabonds’, a joint debt assistance by the Union to help those countries hit by the virus particularly hard. Soon enough, the discussion seemed to produce little of substance and rather to ignite previously existing divides between the member states in regard to a common fiscal policy and mutualisation of debt. In this unprecedented crisis, in which solidarity should be more than ever the Union’s raison d’être, what is the correct course of action? And, should a final solution not be met, what is at stake for Europe? Host Mark Leonard is joined by Guntram Wolff, Director of Bruegel, Jose Ignacio Torreblanca, and Jonathan Hackenbroich to break down the situation and a possible way forward. This podcast was recorded on 1 April 2020.Bookshelf:Love in the time of cholera by Gabriel Garcia MarquezRadical Uncertainty: Decision-making for an Unknowable Future by Mervyn King and John Kay

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Last week’s episode saw our experts dissecting the coronavirus’ implications for Europe. In today's episode, we’re breaking down how the crisis is unfolding in the rest of the world. From the Middle East to Russia and Asia, and all over across the Atlantic – what long-term effects could it have on these regions? And what does it mean for geopolitics, the global system and its institutions? Our Host Mark Leonard is joined by the ECFR heads of programme Julien Barnes-Dacey, Susi Dennison, Janka Oertel & Nicu Popescu to discuss how the virus is manifesting in these regions, and the implications it carries with it – and it doesn’t look too good. For all the gloominess this podcast will create, our experts recommend turning to poetry for some soul-healing. Recommendations below!Bookshelf:- "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S.Elliot - "Happy Everyday" by Benjamin Zephaniah - "MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed Bin Salman" by Ben Hubbard- "Sandworm" by Andy Greenberg- "The Pursuit of Power" by William H. McNeill- "Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy" by Cathy O'Neil - "The Psychology of Pandemics. Preparing for the Next Global Outbreak of Infectious Disease" by Steven Taylor - "The Coronavirus pandemic and the new world it is creating" by Josep BorrellThis podcast was recorded on 25 March 2020.

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Recently declared a global pandemic, it is undeniable that the coronavirus will be a global political, social, financial and economic crisis - requiring actions that reach far beyond unilateral measures by single states. Within Europe, the virus seems to be calling into question the fundamentality of a shared European solidarity also due to rising dissatisfaction at the lack of a coordinated response. Whilst it is too early to tell, to what extent, it seems more and more certain that this crisis will have long-lasting consequences for the European project and life as we know it. Host Mark Leonard is joined by his fellow home office workers Jana Puglierin, Arturo Varvelli, Jose Ignacio Torreblanca and Pawel Zerka to dissect the European response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This podcast was recorded on 18 March 2020. Bookshelf:"We need to talk about Putin" by Mark Galeotti“The bethrothed” by Alessandro Manzoni“I burn Paris” by Bruno Jasienski“Europe and the virus: The battle of narratives” by Pawel ZerkaFurther reading: www.ecfr.eu/coronavirus

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The European Union faces a multi-crisis situation at the moment. As the conflict in Idlib and the circumstances at the Greek-Turkish border has erupted, Europe seems to have troubles to respond to latest developments in the Syrian war and threats from Turkey.Host Mark Leonard is joined by ECFR co-chair and former Prime Minister of Sweden, Carl Bildt as well as by the ECFR experts Asli Aydintasbas and Julien Barnes-Dacey to discuss the reasoning behind Ankara’s recent moves and the EU’s reactions. How to avoid a 2015-like situation but without tossing its own values and human rights out off the window? And how to deal with the other seats of fire within the Union itself?This podcast was recorded on 12 March 2020.Further reading:- Syrian voices: Where next for European policy?https://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_syrian_voices_where_next_for_european_policyBookshelf:"The Anarchy" by William Dalrymple"Pax Sinica: implications for the India dawn" by Samir Saran & Akhil Deo"Black Lamb and Grey Falcon" by Rebecca West"Blame Europe, not just Turkey, for migration deal collapse" by Kati Piri on politico.eu"Beyond blackmail at the Greek-Turkish border" by Nathalie Tocci on politico.eu"Clash of Empires: Currencies and Power in a Multipolar World" by Charles Gave & Louis-Vincent Gave

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This week’s podcast episode sees very special participation from Anu Bradford, law professor at Columbia and author of “The Brussels Effect: How the European Union Rules the World”. Bradford’s book focuses on the way the EU manages to continuously set standards and have a say in the global playing field by unilaterally regulating its powerful single market, and consequentially reinforcing its status as a global powerhouse. Joined by our usual Host Mark Leonard and Head of ECFR Berlin Jana Puglierin, and drawing on many examples from the digital economy to climate change, this episode explores how a global regulatory race to the top will be how the EU gets to have a say in the 21st century.Bookshelf:- The Brussels Effect by Anu Bradford - “The Great Reversal: How America Gave Up on Free Market ” by Thomas Philippon - “The World as It Is” by Ben Rhodes - “The Sanders Doctrine” in The Atlantic by Uri Friedman This podcast was recorded on 2 March 2020.

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Negotiations over the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021 – 2027 just have started. But as tensions and divergences between the EU member states are rising, a final agreement seems considerably far away for now. The European Union is subject to a series of unprecedented constraints, the most significant one being the UK’s departure and the withdrawal of the money it once granted. Still, the implications of the budget allocation are manifold and extremely far-reaching. It will affect major themes which stand at the very basis of the Union and its future role on the global stage, such as national sovereignty, climate and innovation. Our Director Mark Leonard is joined by ECFR co-chair and director of the Danish think tank EUROPA Lykke Friis, as well as ECFR experts Jonathan Hackenbroich and Pawel Zerka to dissect the ongoing status of the discussions. Inspired by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, here are some recommendations by our podcast crew on what to read during the long hours of MFF negotiations: Bookshelf:- “Den nya oredans tid” by Carl Bildt - “The three escapes by Hannah Arendt” by Ken Krimstein - "The books of Jacob“ by Olga Tokarczuk - “Exorbitant Privilege: The Rise and Fall of the Dollar and the Future of the International Monetary System” by Barry Eichengreen -- - "Håbets Europa” by Lykke Friis - "En kuffert i Berlin: Rejse i Angela Merkels Tyskland“ by Lykke FriisThis podcast was recorded on 25 February 2020.Picture (c) European Union

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