According to current polls, less than 50 percent of Finns oppose the membership of their country in NATO. This is for the first time ever. Is it caused by Russian actions? I talked to Charly Salonius-Pasternak, a leading researcher in The Center on US Politics and Power at Finnish Institute of International Affairs. Does it mean that Finland will apply for NATO membership any time soon? And if it will, would it be a smooth and quick process? And what would Russia do? Listen to our conversation: Will Finland apply for NATO membership and how would it work?

What does French President Emmanuel Macron mean when he says that Europeans should work on proposals to build a new security and stability order in Europe? These words are somewhat similar to those the West hears from Kremlin. But is there any connection? I talked to Georgina Wright, a Senior Fellow and Director of Institut Montaigne’s Europe Program. We talked about Paris-Moscow relations, what will France do in case of Russian invasion against Ukraine but also about what kind of role can Russian issue play in the upcoming presidential election. Listen to our conversation: Russia crisis and European security: A view from France.

The world tennis number one Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia on January 16 and that means he is unable to defend his Australian Open title from the previous year. For now he also lost the chance to become the record Grand Slam holder. The Serbian tennis player is unvaccinated but he received a medical exemption to enter Australia. But in the end his visa was revoked twice and the federal court decided that he can be deported. What does it tell us about the immigration system in Australia? Were political calculations involved in Djokovic's case? This podcast was recorded on January 13,  just before the final decision related to subsequent deportation. I talked to Emily Foley, a PhD candidate at La Trobe University in Melbourne. Her research focuses on political parties and temporary migration. Does she think that Djokovic should support refugees in Australia? Listen to our conversation: Will Djokovic's case affect Australia's immigration system and politics?

The US-Russia bilateral meeting, NATO-Russia Council meeting and the OSCE talks. Can a flurry of diplomatic activities change something, or will Russia invade Ukraine? How much should we be concerned also about the possibility of bigger conflict between NATO and Russia? I talked to John Deni, Research Professor of Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental, and Multinational (JIIM) Security Studies at the U.S. Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute. Before joining the U.S. Army War College, Dr. Deni worked for 8 years as a political advisor for senior U.S. military commanders in Europe. He is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. This podcast was recorded on January 12 and Dr. Deni's views do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Government. Listen to our conversation: How to approach negotiations with Putin's Russia?

Are you afraid of a civil war in America? "I don't fear civil war so much, as I fear more of the riots, more of the kind of violence we saw on the Capitol." This is what Professor Emerita of Communication at Saint Louis University Diana Carlin told me. We discussed what happened on January 6th, 2021 when a mob of supporters of at that time President Donald Trump attacked the United States Capitol, why was Trump responsible for this assault and why words do matter but it seems that the facts don't. According to the Program on Extremism at George Washington University the number of federal cases against individuals involved in the Capitol Hill Siege stands so far at more than 700. Professor Carlin lives in Kansas which is a red state. How does she assess the current Republican Party? And why does she say that some Americans want to see the US that probably never existed? Listen to our conversation: 1/6 anniversary: Is the GOP Trump's party? Polarization, divisions and radicalization in America.

Every forecast is tricky but we are trying anyway. Marc Julienne is Head of China Research within the Centre for Asian Studies of the French Institute of International relations (IFRI) and we discussed what to expect from communist regime in Beijing in 2022 especially on the international scene. What will be the main trends in the US-China and in the EU-China relations? How much is Dr. Julienne concerned about Cross-Strait relations? And what might China do if Russia decides to attack Ukraine? Listen to our conversation: What's next for China's foreign policy in 2022?

On December 20 Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová traveled to military base Ādaži in Latvia. I also had a chance to visit NATO Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) multinational battalion that consists of a framework nation Canada and of Albania, Czech Republic, Iceland, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. The Slovak contingent is currently made of 135 soldiers. On the occasion of President Čaputová's visit, I talked to Toms Rostoks, an Associate Professor in International Relations at University of Latvia and Senior Researcher at the Centre for Security and Strategic Research at the National Defence Academy. We discussed what led to the creation of the eFP concept and why Russia should blame itself that the Alliance deployed four battalions to Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. What does Dr. Rostoks think about Moscow's demands that the US and NATO should limit their activities on the Alliance Eastern Flank? Should we talk to Kremlin about this? And how much is he concerned about the possibility of the Russian invasion against Ukraine? Listen to our conversation: What is the role of NATO battalions on the Easter Flank? To die heroically?

"You are entering this Panthéon because although you were born American there is no one more French than you". This is what President Emmanuel Macron said when he paid a tribute to Josephine Baker as she was inducted into France's Panthéon in Paris at the end of November. She becomes the first Black woman and just the sixth woman being immortalized there. Baker was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1906. In 20s and 30s, she took over France and Europe with her dance and music performances. After World War II broke out, Baker began to help the French resistance. We still don't know that much about this period of her life, but Professor of French History at Cardiff University Hanna Diamond wants to change this. I talked to her as she is working on a book about Baker's wartime activities. But we have also discussed Baker's celebrity life and how she was involved in the civil rights movement in America. Baker died in 1975 but would she today support Black Lives Matter? Listen to our conversation Black woman, star, spy, activist: What do we know about Josephine Baker? And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

After 16 years it's clear that the German Chancellor can be also... a man. Christian Democrat Angela Merkel is gone and Germany and the world have some questions. What to expect from the traffic light coalition led by Olaf Scholz that consists of his SPD, Greens and liberal FDP? Will Scholz be able to manage his government and what kind of role he could play on the European and global scene? In September, just before the elections in Germany, I talked to Alexander Clarkson who is a Lecturer in German, European and International Studies at King's College London. And he is again my guest, as we have tried to forecast what will be the domestic focus of Scholz's government, or what kind of foreign policy will Chancellor and the Green Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock pursue. Listen to our conversation.

The aim of the UK COP26 Presidency was to keep alive the hope of limiting the rise in global temperature to 1.5C, and the Glasgow Climate Pact does just that. Combined with increased ambition and action from countries, 1.5C remains in sight, but it will only be achieved if every country delivers on what they have pledged. This is what the Glasgow Climate Pact from 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference that took place in November said. Before COP26, I had a chance to talk to political economist Alexander Gard-Murray, who is a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Climate Solutions Lab and the Rhodes Center for International Economics and Finance at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. And he is again my guest. How does he assess COP26? Who were the heroes and villains of the COP26 according to him? And is humanity still on a self-destructive path? Listen to our conversation.