The Global Agora

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.

On November 24th, at least 27 people, including women and children, died trying to cross the English Channel in a small boat. A Kurdish woman from northern Iraq Maryam Nuri Mohamed Amin has become the first victim of this tragedy to be named. “Her story is the same as everyone else – she was looking for a better life," said one of her relatives for the Guardian. Was this tragedy preventable? Why the UK and France blame each other what does is have to do with Brexit? I talked to Andrew Geddes, a Professor of Migration Studies and the Director of the Migration Policy Centre at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute. Why does he think that too much focus on disrupting smugglers' networks might be counterproductive? Listen to our conversation.

Presidential and legislative elections in Libya should take place on December 24th. While we read headlines about candidates such as Saif Gaddafi, the problems run deeper. At least according to Jalel Harchaoui who is a Senior Fellow at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime where he concentrates his work on North Africa. He emphasizes that the legal framework for the upcoming elections is weak and it may lead to various challenges, including violent clashes, that will undermine the concept of liberal democracy in Libya. We also talked about why people like Saif Gaddafi or Khalifa Haftar are running and why Europe seemingly doesn't care about the suffering of Libyans. Listen to our conversation.

On one hand this is a hybrid attack against the European Union from Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko with Russia's shadow looming over the situation. On the other hand, this is also a humanitarian crisis that shows that the EU asylum system hardly works. Thousands of migrants and refugees are stranded along the EU's borders with Belarus affecting Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Does it have a quick fix? I talked to Artur Gruszczak, Professor and Chair of National Security at the Faculty of International and Political Studies at Jagiellonian University in Krakow. And as he said some of his statements may sound controversial. Listen to our conversation.

Is this a make or break moment? As the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference better known as COP26 just started and will take place in Glasgow till November 12th, the question is if political leaders will use the event to effectively move forward when addressing the climate emergency. "This is a chance for all these countries to show leadership, this is the point where they have to stand up and be counted. I want more out of every country," COP26 President Alok Sharma said for Sky News. And according to political economist Alexander Gard-Murray this is a problem because we cannot be sure if politicians will step up. Gard-Murray 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. We debate what to expect from COP26, why he is hopeful but not confident and why he says that climate change delayism is perhaps even worse than climate change denial. And what does he think about Greta Thunberg? Listen to our conversation.