Peace Matters - A Podcast on Contemporary Geopolitics and International Relations

The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine entered its 3rd year and an end still seems to be far away. While the destruction of infrastructure is ongoing, millions of people were forced to flee, the population is traumatized and, on the battlefield, there seems to be a stalemate. Yet, the EU - countries are still voicing their support for Ukraine. However, in the US the narrative is slowly shifting towards the necessity of entering negotiations in light of US elections later this year. On the other hand, the sanctions regime is still upheld and, at least in the short-term, the expected results have not materialized. How could an end to the war look like? Who could be negotiating considering Russia still didn`t abandon its maximalist demands. What role has the so-called global South and how is the economic relationship between Russia and China developing? What does the destruction and the loss of population mean in the long-term for Ukrainian economy and what role does the EU-perspective man in this context? With the global shift of attention towards the war of Israel against Hamas in Gaza, is peace still possible in Ukraine?

Der zweite Jahrestag der sogenannten „Zeitenwende“, die Rückkehr eines konventionellen Krieges auf europäischen Boden und die damit verbundenen humanitären Folgen, Millionen Flüchtlinge, eine traumatisierte Bevölkerung stellen die Außenpolitik europäischer Staaten und die humanitäre Hilfe im Allgemeinen vor große Herausforderungen. Dazu kommen Kriege im Jemen, im Sudan, in Äthiopien, in Syrien, der Krieg gegen die Hamas in Gaza aber auch die Folgen der Klimakrise, Migration sowie Cyberkriminalität und Gesundheit. Während sich die humanitäre Hilfe schon seit längerem mit der Wechselwirkung von Entwicklung, humanitärer Hilfe und Frieden beschäftigt, hat sich der Diskurs in der europäischen, aber auch österreichischen Außenpolitik zunehmend auf das Militärische verschoben. Insbesondere das neutrale Österreich, das als EU-Mitgliedsland der Gemeinsamen Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik verpflichtet ist, versucht seine außenpolitische Rolle zu revitalisieren und sich auch mit nicht-militärischen Mitteln an der Stärkung Europas Sicherheit zu beteiligen. Die Humanitäre Hilfe ist ein Teilbereich in welchem Österreich aktiv sein kann, die Vermittlerrolle in Konflikten wäre ein weiterer. Wie hat sich die österreichische Außenpolitik in den letzten zwei Jahren verändert? Was bedeuten die zunehmenden Krisen für die Bedeutung der humanitären Hilfe und welche Rollen kommen Frauen in der Außenpolitik, aber auch in der Projektgestaltung im humanitären oder entwicklungspolitischen Bereich zu?

Lukas Wank ist Geschäftsführer der AG Globale Verantwortung, des Dachverbands von österreichischen Nichtregierungsorganisationen, die in der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit, entwicklungspolitischen Inlandsarbeit und Bildung, Humanitären Hilfe sowie international in der sozialen, wirtschaftlichen und ökologischen Entwicklung tätig sind.

The episode was recorded on 29 January 2024.

Angela Kane assumed the position of Vice President of the IIP in 2016. She holds a number of other functions: Visiting Professor and Member of the Strategic Committee at the Paris School of International Affairs (SciencesPo), Visiting Professor at the Tsinghua University Schwarzman Scholars in Beijing, and Chair of the United Nations University Council. She is also a Senior Fellow at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation. Kane has served in many positions during her career at the United Nations. Until mid-2015, she served as the United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. Between May 2008 and 2012, she was Under-Secretary-General for Management. She served twice in the Department for Political Affairs, as Assistant Secretary-General and previously as Director. She supported several special political missions in Iraq, Nepal and the Middle East, and established the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala. Her field experience includes Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), a special assignment to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and multi-year postings in Indonesia and Thailand.

Ralph Janik teaches international law at Sigmund Freud Private University Vienna, the University of Vienna, Andrassy University Budapest, and Universität der Bundeswehr München. His research focuses on armed conflicts, human rights, and the interplay of international law and international relations. He studied law and political science at the University of Vienna and the Universidad Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), followed by an LL.M. in European and International Law at the University of Amsterdam.

Moderation:

Marylia Hushcha, Researcher and Project Manager at the IIP

The episode was recorded on 28 November 2023 in cooperation with Ponto.

Georgia has long been one of the most eager EU-aspirant countries in the European Neighborhood. It has, however, faced a significant setback as a result of an authoritarian turn under its current government – led by the Georgian Dream party. Putting forward twelve conditions related to democracy and the rule of law for the country, the EU only granted Georgia a membership “perspective” in 2022, even while Moldova and Ukraine received official candidate status. The European Commission (and subsequently the European Council) did eventually grant Georgia candidate status in 2023. However, progress on deoligarchization, political depolarization, media freedom, and rule of law matters remains

The episode was recorded on 28 November 2023 in cooperation with Ponto.

A new power balance is emerging in the South Caucasus – especially visible after the Second Karabakh War – whereby Turkey and Russia are simultaneously competing and cooperating in the region. Turkey is Azerbaijan’s staunchest ally and has assisted it militarily in its war effort. Russia, on the other hand, spearheads the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), in which Armenia is a member. However, Moscow has been ambiguous about its support for Yerevan in the conflict with Baku, refusing to back Yerevan militarily in the Second Karabakh War in 2020 and the subsequent Azerbaijani offensives in 2021-2023. With the exodus of Karabakh Armenians in September after Baku’s complete takeover of the territory, Russia’s peacekeeping force stationed in the region has been rendered meaningless. But will Russian forces leave the

The episode was recorded on 28 November 2023 in cooperation with Ponto

Azerbaijan took full control over the Nagorno-Karabakh region this

Aufgezeichnet am 9. November 2023

Der 12. Dezember ist der internationale Tag der Neutralität. Die

The episode was recorded on 20 October 2023 in cooperation with Ponto.

The state-sanctioned falsification of the 2020 presidential elections in Belarus triggered mass protests across the country, resulting in an unprecedented crackdown by the police and the security apparatus on members of the opposition, protestors, civil society, and independent media. Since then, Belarus has remained largely isolated from the outside world, which was further exacerbated by the current regime’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In this episode, we discuss the nature of authoritarianism – or indeed, totalitarianism – in Belarus, the fate of Belarusians who joined the protests in 2020 and faced state repression as a result, and the role of media (both state-run and independent) in daily life in Belarus. We also speak about what an end to the Ukraine war would mean for Belarus and how Belarusian identity can be preserved despite the ongoing cultural assimilation efforts directed by Russia.

Guests:Aliaksei Kazharski is a researcher and lecturer at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University (Czech Republic). He received his Ph.D. from Comenius University in Bratislava (Slovakia) in 2015. Kazharski’s research interests have included Central and Eastern Europe, regionalism, identity in international relations, critical approaches to security and terrorism studies. He is the author of two monographs: Eurasian Integration and the Russian World. Regionalism as an Identitary Enterprise (2019) and Central Europe Thirty Years after the Fall of Communism. A Return to the Margin? (International Studies Association Global International Section’s 2022 Book Award). Scopus Author ID: 57188974382 ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9782-7746Artyom Shraibman is a Belarusian political analyst and founder of Sense Analytics consultancy. He is also a non-resident scholar of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a contributor to Belarusian independent online media Zerkalo.io, where he hosts bi-weekly Youtube show. His research interests include Belarusian domestic politics, media freedom and the broader human rights situation in the country, as well as Belarus-EU and Belarus-Russia relations. He worked as a political correspondent for the BelaPAN news agency from 2013 to 2014, political editor for TUT.BY from 2014 to 2019 and political advisor to the U.N. in Belarus in 2016

Aufgezeichnet am 27. September 2023 in Kooperation mit Ponto

In dieser Episode sprechen wir über „Space Race“, also die Domäne des Weltraums für die irdische Kriegsführung und militärische

Recorded on 3 October 2023 in cooperation with Ponto. In recent years, we are more and more witnessing the mainstreaming of