RevDem Podcast

In this wide-ranging conversation occasioned by the release of his The Dream of Europe. Travels in the Twenty-First Century, Geert Mak discusses with Ferenc Laczo why he chose to write a sequel to In Europe. Travels Through the Twentieth Century; how interconnections have led to new tensions; how the European and the democrat in him have quarreled; how he traces undercurrents in society; and how important it is to understand the sources of despair.

In conversation with RevDem editor Robert Nemeth, Dean Starkman, senior editor at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, talks about the Pandora Papers and how tax avoidance and secrecy endangers democracy.

Our assistant editor, Bence Bari interviews László Kontler, the research affiliate of the CEU Democracy Institute about the DI History Working Group project “History as Democracy”.

Our assistant editor, Bence Bari interviews László Kontler, the research affiliate of the CEU Democracy Institute about the DI History Working Group project “History as Democracy”.

As part of a special symposium on the past and present of Christian democracy held on September 24, 2021, just ahead of this year’s German elections, the Review of Democracy has interviewed Kati Marton about her forthcoming book The Chancellor. The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel (Simon & Schuster, 2021). This new book, which will appear in fifteen languages in the near future, draws on years of research and direct access to key individuals to paint a human portrait of the first female chancellor of the Federal Republic. The conversation conducted by Ferenc Laczó focuses on Kati Marton’s motivation to paint a human portrait of Angela Merkel who has been known to be rather fiercely protective about her privacy; on Merkel’s personality traits and how they have impacted the style and substance of her political leadership; the tensions between Merkel’s commitment to liberal and democratic values and the demands of Realpolitik that have defined her sixteen years in office; die Kanzlerin’s signature achievements, notable failures and her legacy; and how her time in charge of Germany has transformed our image of a competent and effective political leader, not least in gender terms.

Our editor Kasia Krzyżanowska (EUI, CEU) talks with Samantha Rose Hill, professor at the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research, about her recently published biography of Hannah Arendt.

Our editor Kasia Krzyżanowska interviews Dr Elise Hugueny-Léger, Senior Lecturer in French at the University of St Andrews about the French writer Annie Ernaux.