In this special final episode of Talk Eastern Europe in 2025, Alexandra and Adam sit down with Jasmin Mujanović on the margins of the Sarajevo Security Conference to discuss current security challenges faced in the region of the Western Balkans. The conversation looks at developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the ongoing protests in Serbia, and the broader geopolitical context shaping stability in the Western Balkans, including the roles of the EU, NATO, and key regional actors.

Jasmin Mujanović is a senior non-resident fellow at the Washington, DC-based New Lines Institute's Western Balkans Center and an expert on the region, security and transatlantic relations.

If you like the podcast, please consider supporting us: www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope

Thank you to all of our patrons and listeners for being with us in 2025. We will be back after a short break to bring all new episodes in 2026!

In this near-final episode of 2025, the three co-hosts of Talk Eastern Europe reflect on the key political, social and geopolitical developments that shaped the region over the past year. They discuss waves of protest across several countries, the resilience of civil society, and the evolving security environment and geopolitical shifts since the start of 2025, including the impact of the new US presidency. The conversation also looks ahead to 2026 and considers what listeners should be watching in the year to come.

The opening part concludes with a reflection on the success of Talk Eastern Europe in 2025, as the co-hosts share their favourite episodes and recommend past conversations worth revisiting.

In the second part of the episode, Nina speaks with Owen Hatherley, a British writer, journalist and cultural critic known for his work on architecture, urbanism and politics, particularly modernism and communism. Together, they explore the profound influence of Central European émigrés on British architecture, culture and literature in the mid-20th century, tracing how these figures reshaped Britain’s intellectual and cultural landscape during and after the Second World War.

These themes are explored in depth in Owen’s book The Alienation Effect: How Central European Émigrés Transformed the British Twentieth Century: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/311898/the-alienation-effect-by-hatherley-owen/9780241378205

Some figures and references mentioned in the interview:

• Otti Berger – Croatian designer
• Eugene (Evžen) Rosenberg
• Josef Herman – Polish-British painter
• Jankel Adler – Polish painter
• Jan Tschichold – German calligrapher and typographer
• Hans Schmoller – German and British graphic designer
• Romek Marber – Polish-born graphic designer behind Penguin’s ‘Marber Grid’
• Walter Neurath and Eva Neurath – founders of Thames & Hudson
• Berthold Lubetkin – architect associated with Soviet Bauhaus and Vkhutemas
• Ernő Goldfinger – Hungarian architect, designer of London’s Balfron Tower and Trellick Tower
• Karel Čapek – Czech author and his book Letters from England
• Bertolt Brecht – German theatre practitioner, and the author of the Alienation theory (Verfremdungseffekt)
• Otto Neurath – Austrian polymath
• Dua Lipa – British-Albanian pop singer, born to Kosovar Albanian parents

For Talk Eastern Europe Patrons, Owen Hatherley stayed on for an extended discussion on Polish milk bars and their cultural significance which can be heard here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/249-bonus-polish-146141039

Help us reach our goal of 75 podcast patrons! Join us at www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope.

Adam and Alexandra open this episode with the latest news from the region. They look at the importance of the mass protests in Bulgaria and later discuss Czechia’s new/old prime minister and balloons over Lithuania. They also briefly discuss the latest developments surrounding the peace process aimed at ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

For the main interview, Adam is joined by Georgian activist Mariam Japaridze to discuss a turbulent year of mass protests and growing authoritarianism after the Georgian Dream government halted the country’s EU integration in 2024. She describes the dramatic escalation of repression, from rigged elections to the use of violence and even chemical agents against demonstrators as uncovered recently by the BBC. Despite the challenges, she shares why activists remain determined and what international support Georgia urgently needs.  

Read more on the Bulgarian protests in this week’s Brief Eastern Europe: https://briefeasterneurope.eu/p/december-8-2025

Read "One year of Georgia’s unbreakable resistance, as told by its prisoners of conscience" https://neweasterneurope.eu/2025/12/05/one-year-of-georgias-unbreakable-resistance-as-told-by-its-prisoners-of-conscience/To learn more about the political prisoners in Georgia you can visit a site set up by the IliaUni Student Movement: https://politpatimrebi.ge/?lang=en

In this episode, Adam and Nina are together in Brussels recording the latest updates on the news from the region. The biggest discussion is around the diplomatic flurry over the last week and the remodelled 28-point peace plan between the US, Russia and Ukraine. Adam reflects on the current situation and discusses what might be next. They also discuss Viktor Orban’s visit to Moscow

Later, Nina sits down in Brussels with Peter Vermeersch, a professor of Politics and Eastern European Studies at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven, Belgium), and a writer of essays, reportage, and narrative non-fiction. They discuss his latest book Pollslag (Pulse) and, more broadly, the role of music as a form of resistance against authoritarianism beyond Belarus.

During the interview, Peter mentions several artists featured in this Spotify playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3YmjGTewBHutfgJWUOASiD?si=jcJ-lu-OSj6dr8csRAf8PA

Pollslag was initially written for a Belgian audience, and Peter is now planning to translate it into English. In the meantime, you can read his non-fiction story about his family to get a sense of his narrative style: https://petervermeersch.craft.me/hbzUOUDh9tgMxI

Peter is also part of the Forum on Central and Eastern Europe at the University of Leuven, which aims to bring insights from the region to Belgian audiences: https://fcee.be

The Forum also produces its own podcast, Studio Central Eastern Europe, offering brief and concise insights into new research on the region for English-speaking audiences: https://soc.kuleuven.be/lines/fcee/fcee-studio/studio-cee

Peter also works as a researcher–photographer. His photographs from Minsk (2016) can be found here: https://vsco.co/petervermeersch/journal/belarus

And read Adam’s op-ed on the Ukraine peace talks via Brief Eastern Europe: https://briefeasterneurope.eu/p/december-1-2025

For our Patrons, Peter stayed on to speak about visual art and Belarusian pro-democracy activism outside of Belarus. The bonus content can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-247-145134701

Alexandra and Nina open the episode with a rundown of the latest news, including ongoing American diplomacy vis a vis Russia and Ukraine, the closure of the Hungarian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a new ruling by the European Court of Justice related to same-sex marriage, the election results in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania’s positive progress toward EU membership.

Alexandra is then joined by Catherine Baker of the University of Hull for the main interview. Catherine is a specialist in post-Cold War history, international relations, and cultural studies researching national identity and popular music during and after the Yugoslav Wars. Together they discuss some of late Yugoslavia’s most famous artists, how their work evolved alongside the borders of the successor states, and how they have been remembered over time and today. Some of the artists and songs mentioned in the episode include:

• Neda Ukraden - Zora je (1985)
• Doris Dragović  Željo moja (1986)
• Severina - Dalmatinka (1993) 
• Ceca - Pustite me da ga vidim (1990)
• Alka Vuica - Laži me (1994)
• Lepa Brena - Luda za tobom (1996)
• Maja Blagdan - Sveta ljubav (1996)
• Zabranjeno pušenje - Jugo 45 (1999)
• Bijelo Dugme - 1st reunion tour (2005)
• Baby Lasagna - Rim Tim Tagi Dim (2024)

Catherine’s latest work focuses on the Eurovision Song Contest, which will be the subject of forthcoming bonus content exclusive to Talk Eastern Europe patrons. Listen online here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/246-bonus-144726903

This episode opens up with all three co-hosts, Adam, Nina and Alexandra, taking a look at a few headlines coming out of the region. They discuss the sabotage operation in Poland, the ongoing war in Ukraine in midst of an emerging corruption scandal, and the fall out of the EU’s new ban on multi-entry visas for Russian citizens.

For the main interview, Alexandra speaks with regional expert Nurbek Bekmurzaev about Kyrgyzstan’s unprecedented snap parliamentary elections taking place on November 30th. Nurbeck explains how the legacy of the 2020 unrest, whichbrought President Sadyr Japarov to power, continues to shape Kyrgyzstan’s political transformation. The conversation explores the new electoral rules, the changing nature of political competition, candidate filtering, and the likelihood of any protests or instability around the vote.

In our bonus section for Patrons only, Alexandra and Nurbek take a look at the recent C5+1 summit in Washington, exploring how the US under Donald Trump is reshaping its approach to Central Asia.

Listen to the bonus episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-245-144000977

Help us reach 75 Patrons by the end of 2025! Sign up for great benefits here: www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope

Check out the report by the Balkan Free Media Initiative - Tackling TikTokracy: A blueprint for fighting algorithmic manipulation in Europe. https://www.balkanfreemedia.org/tackling-tiktokcracy-in-the-balkans 

Read this week’s Brief Eastern Europe: https://www.briefeasterneurope.eu

This episode of Talk Eastern Europe, Adam and Alexandra begin with a roundup of key regional developments including Russia’s renewed strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and a major corruption scandal involving the state nuclear operator Energoatom. They also discuss Viktor Orbán’s trip to Washington and touch on shifting dynamics in the South Caucasus.

In the main interview, Alexandra speaks with Slovenian journalist Uroš Škerl Kramberger from Ostro about a recent tragic incident that has shaken Slovenia and reignited public debate over policing, minority rights, and Roma inclusion. Together, they explore the political response, the rise ofpopulist rhetoric ahead of next year’s elections, and what this says about Slovenia’s broader democratic trajectory.

Help us reach our goal of 70 Patrons by the end of 2025!

Join our community here:

www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope

In this week’s episode of Talk Eastern Europe, Adam, Alexandra, and Nina come together to discuss the ongoing Serbian protests and explore the latest European Union reports on the progress of candidate countries, including those from our region. They also unpack the latest developments surrounding the Czech government formation and discuss recent updates from Poland.

Later in the episode, Alexandra and Nina speak with Christopher Herwig, a photographer known for his remarkable project documenting hundreds of unique bus stops across the post-Soviet region. Christopher shares how his journey began and reflects on how these striking examples of urban architecture may represent glimpses of freedom of expression within the Soviet Union.

For our Patreon supporters, Christopher stays on to delve deeper into his fascination with Soviet metro stations and the stories behind their grand, distinctive designs.

Listen here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-243-143049188

Check out Christopher’s books:

Soviet Bus Stops 1a nd 2 and Soviet Metro Stations: https://www.herwigphoto.com/Soviet-Bus-Stops

And his newest book on Trucks and Tuks: https://www.herwigphoto.com/Trucks-and-Tuks

In this episode of Talk Eastern Europe co-hosts Adam Reichardt and Aleksandra Karpi discuss the latest developments across the region, from Lithuania’s border closure with Belarus to new US sanctions on Russian oil giants and Hungary’s political shifts ahead of next year’s elections. They also explore a recent sabotage plot uncovered in Romania and Poland.

The main interview, which was recorded recently live at the Sarajevo Security Conference, features Charles Kupchan, a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Kupchan shares his insights on the state of US foreign policy under Trump’s second term, the future of transatlantic relations and what the world can expect from America’s evolving role on the global stage.

We’d like to express our appreciation to the organizers of the Sarajevo Security Conference for assisting us in making this happen. Learn more about the event here: https://sarajevosecurityconference.com/

Further reading:

“NATO in times of crisis. Safeguarding the future of the Euro-Atlantic Alliance” by Wojciech Michnik, https://neweasterneurope.eu/2025/09/26/nato-in-times-of-crisis-safeguarding-the-future-of-the-euro-atlantic-alliance/

Check out a recent issue of New Eastern Europe dedicated tothis topic: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2025/05/06/issue-3-2025-negotiating-peace/

 //Additional financing for this podcast is provided by the Polish MFA: Public task financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland within the grant competition “Public Diplomacy 2024 – 2025 - the European dimension and countering disinformation". The opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the official positions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

In this week’s episode of Talk Eastern Europe, hosts Alexandra and Adam unpack another intense week of regional developments, from Donald Trump’s surprising outreach to Vladimir Putin and the potential Budapest summit, to leaks of Polish military documents and rising Russian sabotage activity. They also touch on coalition talks in Czechia and the Georgian government’s deepening crackdown on opposition voices.

Later, Adam sits down with Carlo Masala, a leading German political scientist and author of If Russia Wins, to discuss his new book imagining what might follow a Russian victory in Ukraine. Masala outlines why Europe must take the Russian threat seriously, how NATO could be tested in unexpected ways, and why helping Ukraine win is crucial for Europe’s own security.

Check out the book here: https://atlanticbooks.co.uk/book/if-russia-wins/

Further reading:

Kremlin’s drone surge in 2025 and its hybrid threat toUkraine and Europe: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2025/10/16/kremlins-drone-surge-in-2025-and-its-hybrid-threat-to-ukraine-and-europe/

Bonus episode:

Watch Alexandra’s full interview with Full interview with Ivona Šimunović, a youth worker from Croatia: https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-episode-141718094

/////Additional financing for this podcast is provided by the Polish MFA: Public task financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland within the grant competition “Public Diplomacy 2024 – 2025 - the European dimension and countering disinformation The opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the official positions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.