The Global Agora

As Wikipedia says, Charles III, born Charles Philip Arthur George on November 14th, 1948 is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Last year, at the age of 73, he became the oldest person to accede to the British throne, also after having been the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales in British history. King Charles' coronation will take place on May 6th and he has really big shoes to fill. According to the YouGov poll from May 2022, so a few months before her death, Charles's mother, Queen Elizabeth II, has been admired by the British public. At that time 57 % of respondents claimed that she has done a very good job during her time on the throne and another 24% say she has done a fairly good job. But there are also other challenges King Charles faces. As the newspaper Guardian pointed out, on the eve of his coronation, a survey shows only three in 10 Britons think the monarchy is very important. The poll by the National Centre for Social Research shows public support for the monarchy has fallen to a historic low. A total of 45% of respondents said either it should be abolished, was not at all important, or not very important. So wearing the Supertunica for the coronation which weighs about 2kg and is made of cloth of gold-silk thread wrapped in thin pieces of gold or silver gilt metal won't be the biggest burden of King Charles III's reign. Dr. Tessa Dunlop is a British historian, writer, and broadcaster. Her latest book is titled Elizabeth and Philip: A Story of Young Love, Marriage and Monarchy. So it was no brainer to ask her to talk about the upcoming coronation of King Charles III. Why does she think that he will be a caretaker monarch? What to expect from the next royal generation represented by Prince Willian and Princess Kate? And how does she assess the story of Harry and Meghan? Read Dr. Dunlop's book and listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak⁠⁠⁠

French President Emmanuel Macron was elected for his second term one year ago, on April 24th, 2021. How strong or weak is he now? I talked to Georgina Wright, a Senior Fellow, and Director of Institut Montaigne's Europe Program. We discuss recent Macron's visit to China and its aftermath but also French domestic politics. Is Macron naive? And is there a danger that he is paving the way for a radical successor? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak⁠⁠ 

The National Hockey League has a war crimes problem. Because of this piece, in the Globe and Mail, I contacted Mark Kersten. He is a Senior Consultant of the Wayamo Foundation and an Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia. So what's wrong with the NHL and with its superstar Russian player Alexander Ovechkin who is also known as a big fan of President Vladimir Putin? The Russian invasion of Ukraine uncovered some ugly truths that, as Mark argues, we should at least start to debate about. Should the NHL suspend Ovechkin for his continued support of Putin? How should the hockey fans react? And should the Russian athletes attend the Olympic Games? I talked to Mark about these topics but also about if the International Criminal Court is building a solid case against Putin. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak⁠⁠ 

The Good Friday Agreement that ended the conflict in Northern Ireland turned 25 on April 10th. What were the main factors that contributed to its success? I talked to Shaun Mcdaid, a Senior Lecturer in Politics from the Department of Behavioural and Social Sciences at Huddersfield University. We discussed the history of the Troubles, terrorists from the Irish Republican Army, and their international connections including the Soviet one, but also what's next for Northern Ireland amid Brexit. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak⁠ 

From April 4th, Finland is officially the thirty-first member of NATO. What does it mean for the country, for the Alliance, and for Russia? What are the pros and possible cons of Finland's membership? And why is Sweden still out? I talked to Charly Salonius-Pasternak, a leading researcher in The Center on US Politics and Power at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. I also asked him what he thinks about the idea that Finnish PM Sanna Marin can become the next Secretary General of NATO. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak⁠ ⁠

Kacper Rerawek⁠ is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Research on Extremism (C-REX) at the University of Oslo. His book ⁠Brown-Red Cocktail? Extremist Foreign Fighters in the War in Ukraine was published last year and for The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) he just released a report A Year of Foreign Fighting for Ukraine: Catching Fish With Bare Hands? So who are they and how do foreign fighters contribute to the fight with Russia? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak⁠ ⁠

Fred Wellman served in the Army for 22 years as an aviator and public affairs officer and he left the Armed Forces as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was a Blackhawk helicopter pilot, and completed tours during Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. So, in his own words, he invaded Iraq twice. He also was a spokesman for General David Petraeus, and General Martin Dempsey. I have asked Fred for an interview as March 20 marked the 20th anniversary of the Iraq war. Fred is working on a book about his service in Iraq, and the impact of the war on him and the others in his life. He said to me that he could call his memoir: They all died. But he can also sleep at night at ease. We discussed his service, the damage the war caused, if somebody, e. g. ex-President George Bush, should be tried for the invasion, and many other topics. Listen to our conversation. And check also my previous episode about the Iraq war as I talked to Robert E. Kelley⁠ who had been an International Atomic Energy Agency (⁠IAEA⁠) inspector in Iraq in 1992–93 and he was there also in the final months before the 2003 invasion. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak⁠ ⁠

Some people claim that the American invasion of Iraq 20 years ago started what could be called the post-truth world. Robert E. Kelley had been an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspector in Iraq in 1992–93 and he was there also in the final months before the 2003 invasion. We talked about his experience, his work, and how his team had to deal with leaks to the press from the CIA that ended up being great big lies. Kelley is a Distinguished Associate Fellow at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Listen to our conversation and stay tuned as the next episode of my podcast will be also related to the 20th anniversary of the Iraq war as I talked to Fred Wellman who did tours in Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom and was also a spokesman for General David Petraeus and General Martin Dempsey in Iraq. And if enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak⁠ 

Did the probability of Russia attacking Norway decrease? Karsten Friis, a Senior Research Fellow from The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, thinks it does, but there are also a few buts. So we have discussed what is the biggest concern of Norway regarding Russia, also taking into account that Finland and Sweden are, hopefully, on their way to NATO. He explained how Norway is helping Ukraine and if Oslo could and should do more. We also talked about the militarization of the Arctic, and about NATO Secretary General and former Norwegian PM Jens Stoltenberg. And does Karsten like the famous TV series Occupied about the Russian occupation of Norway that was supported by the European Union? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak 

In December, The Society for the German Language named Zeitenwende the word of the year for 2022. But one year after the Russian large-scale invasion of Ukraine started, does the Zeitenwende also have a real political meaning? What is the role of Chancellor Olaf Scholz in this epochal tectonic shift as he described it by himself?  talked to Alexander Clarkson who is a Lecturer in German, European, and International Studies at King's College London. We also discussed if the EU unity towards Russia can last, Hungary, and the upcoming election in Slovakia that might lead to the government with pro-Putin forces. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak