RevDem Podcast

January 2022 marked two years since the novel coronavirus ‘COVID-19’ emerged in Wuhan, China. In this latest podcast for the RevDem Rule of Law section, Oliver Garner interviews Dr Joelle Grogan (Senior Lecturer in Law at Middlesex University, London and co-investigator in the Horizon 2020 RECONNECT project) about the legacy of the pandemic for the Rule of Law, democracy, and other constitutional values around the world.

In 2021, six opposition parties decided to select a prime ministerial candidate through a joint primary, to nominate a single candidate in every electoral district, and to run a common electoral list for the proportional part of the electoral system. One of the most influential Hungarian political scientists, Zsolt Enyedi, discusses with Daniel Rona, political scientist, director of the 21 research center, and former advisor to the Momentum Movement, the key questions related to the cooperation between the opposition parties before the April elections.

In this striking, in-depth conversation, Suzanne Schneider (Brooklyn Institute for Social Research) discusses the modernity of new forms of jihad; shows how the Islamic State’s organizational structure, understanding of the law, and spectacular violence reflect broader contemporary trends; explains why nihilism and apocalypticism can be viewed as responses to liberal triumphalism; and argues that democratic states – much like Santa Claus – have to deliver for belief in them to remain credible.

In this conversation, RevDem editor Michał Matlak speaks with Michael Ignatieff about his recent book On Consolation: Finding Solace in Dark Times (Macmillan, 2021), a series of portraits of writers, artists, and musicians searching for consolation. Ignatieff shows how, throughout history, people in very difficult life situations have looked to arts, philosophy, and religion to regain hope. The book reconstructs the moments when these figures found the courage to face their fate and find hope. One of the arguments in On Consolation is that we can revive these traditions of consolation and they can still help us. In this conversation, Igatieff and Matlak discuss the role of religion in the modern world, whether conservative liberalism is possible today, the cancel culture, the (im)possibility of European integration, and much more.

Our editor Oliver Garner (Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law) interviews Tom Theuns, Assistant Professor of Political Theory and European Politics at the Institute of Political Science at the University of Leiden and principal investigator in the Dutch Research Council project “Protecting Democracy in Europe”. They talk about the possibility and justification of a mass-exodus of democratically minded Member States via Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union and the founding of an EU 2.0 in response to Member States becoming autocratic. Oliver and Tom not only touch upon the political feasibility of such a mass withdrawal, but also its legal problems, democratic legitimacy, and alternative solutions.

In this conversation, hosted by RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Roosevelt Montás* discusses his recent book Rescuing Socrates: How the Great Books Changed My Life and Why They Matter for a New Generation; why liberal education for citizens is vital in today’s world; how he moved on from his youthful crush on deconstruction and postmodernism and discovered the enduring importance of self-reflections by Plato, Saint Augustine, Sigmund Freud and Mahatma Gandhi; the key concepts behind Columbia University’s Core Curriculum; and how the Columbia’s liberal arts program may be adapted to different cultures around the world.

Dirk Moses in conversation with Ferenc Laczo on the Diplomacy of Genocide and the Deeply Sinister Ambition of Permanent Security.

Our editors Laszlo Bruszt, Oliver Garner, Kasia Krzyżanowska, Ferenc Laczo, and Michal Matlak discuss their favorite RevDem content, as well as the year's highlights and the most significant developments of the year.

Dirk Moses in conversation with Ferenc Laczo on the language of transgression and the Genocide Convention in context.

In this episode, Michal Matlak interviews Alberto Alemanno in the aftermath of the publication of the first batch of recommendations coming from the Conference on the Future of Europe Citizens’ Panel. This initiative provides an opportunity for a highly diverse group of randomly selected ‘ordinary’ European citizens to voice their wishes with EU-level decisionmakers on how to change the European Union. They discuss what representativeness – if any – this group of citizens has, how the recommendations are facilitated and drafted, and what impact this might have on the future of Europe.