The Global Agora

The hardest but also most inspiring year. Heading into the new year with hope. This is what Maria Avdeeva, a Ukrainian security expert, wrote on Bluesky just before the New Year.  Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she has been covering what's happening in her country. And she also has time to talk to me, so this is another round of our conversation. This time, we discussed what gives her hope for the future and what her biggest concerns are for 2025. Naturally, this led us to debate Donald Trump and his presidency. But we also discussed Slovak PM Robert Fico's visit to Moscow and Joe Biden's legacy regarding Ukraine. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

How much is Poland currently spending on defense? Can Warsaw afford it? Is Poland considering reinstating mandatory military service? And what is Poland’s primary defense objective amid Russia's war against Ukraine? About this and much more, I talked to Marek Świerczyński, head of the security and international affairs desk in Polityka Insight. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

What might be the main and most important political trends that will shape the year 2025? This was my first question for Professor Erik Jones, Director of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute. Erik joined my podcast to discuss predictions for the upcoming year, as well as to reflect on what happened in 2024. We covered topics such as elections around the world, the Russian war against Ukraine, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and more. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

This is not my first podcast about James Bond. When No Time to Die hit theaters in 2021, I had a two-part conversation with Martin D. Brown, bondologist, Professor of International History at Richmond American University in London, and co-author of the book The Bondian Cold War: The Transnational Legacy of a Cultural Icon. Martin is back on my podcast, so we are once again discussing everything Bond-related. What's next for 007 after Daniel Craig? Can we expect an announcement in 2025 about who the new Bond will be? How much does the most famous spy series reflect the reality of international affairs, and do we live in an era of Bond villains? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

Could Slovak politics have been "TikTok-ed" in a similar way to Romania, where the far-right candidate Calin Georgescu won the first round of the presidential election? Is Slovak PM Robert Fico pro-Russian? And why is his government relatively fragile only one year into its rule? My podcast guests usually discuss global events, but if you're interested in learning more about my country, Slovakia, this is the episode for you. I spoke with Slovak political scientist Pavol Baboš from the Department of Sociology at Comenius University in Bratislava. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

Jennifer Mercieca is a Professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at Texas A&M University and the author of the book Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump. So we talked about Trump.  Is he an existential threat to American democracy? Is he truly willing to use the Justice Department, the FBI, and other state institutions to target his opponents? Will the U.S. government resemble a form of oligarchy, and will the administration be led by figures like Elon Musk or Vice President JD Vance? Can the Democrats learn something from Trump about how to connect with voters? Listen to our conversation.  And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

Does Russia want far-right Calin Georgescu to become president of Romania? "My guess is Russia is satisfied even with the current level of disarray in Romania," Oana Popescu-Zamfir told me. She is the director of the GlobalFocus Center and we discussed the current political situation in her country between the parliamentary elections and the second round of the presidential race. Our debate took place on December 5th, afternoon. So, ahead of the decision by the Romanian Constitutional Court to annul the result of the first round of the presidential elections. The second round was originally planned for December 8th. How does Oana assess Georgescu's rise? What would it mean if he wins? Will he try to become a part of the Ukraine skeptic/pro-Russian bloc within NATO and the EU? And has Romania been TikToked? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

Does Vladimir Putin think he can not lose the war in Ukraine? Do the Russians believe this? I talked to political analyst Anton Barbashin, an editorial director of Riddle, a website about Russia I can only recommend. Anton just wrote an article titled Will Russia Use Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine? Do you want to know what are Russia's real red lines? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

Ukraine is losing the war after 1,000 days of the Russian large-scale invasion. Why are the defenders in such a situation? Due to the lack of personnel and weapons, or hesitation of its Western allies, or the relative strength of Russia? Or is it everything combined? I talked to the military analyst Gustav Gressel. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

Retired Brigadier General Rainer Meyer zum Felde has vast experience regarding transatlantic security. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University. From 2013 to 2017, he was the Senior Defence Advisor at the Permanent Delegation of Germany to NATO and the German Representative in the NATO Defence Policy and Planning Committee. He also served as Vice President of the Federal Academy for Security Studies in Berlin and worked in various national and international security and defense policy assignments. So how much is General Mayer zum Felde concerned about Russia attacking NATO if Vladimir Putin wins in Ukraine? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak