The Global Agora

Bond. James Bond, Part 2. Yes, this is the second part of my conversation about James Bond's past, present and future with Martin D. Brown, Associate Professor of International History at Richmond University in London who is also a bondologist. The first part was published on October 19th. Bond was called a blunt instrument by his novelist father Ian Fleming. Would this blunt instrument be helpful in any international crisis? Dr. Brown answers this question and he adds that it is somehow weird that the UK government promotes Bond. Do you wanna know why? And do you wanna know what's perhaps next for the Bond franchise as Daniel Craig's era comes to end with the movie No Time To Die? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

Bond. James Bond. If you listen to my podcast The Global Agora regularly, you already know that I discuss a variety of things with various experts. And it's no time to die, it's time to debate the James Bond franchise. I have to admit that I am a big fan of 007 and I am happy to welcome Martin D. Brown, Associate Professor of International History at Richmond University in London. And he is also a bondologist. This is the first part of our conversation. We have discussed Dr. Brown's favourite Bond movie, but also what might be the best Bond movie. I have asked him how he uses 007 in his teaching and he explained if James Bond belongs to the Cold War propaganda. And we have had a debate about the last Bond movie No Time to Die, which is also the last movie of Daniel Craig's era as James Bond. This episode of my podcast also contains a few big spoilers related to No Time to Die. If you haven't seen the movie yet, I strongly recommend skipping our discussion from 14:00 till 21:40. Otherwise listen to our conversation. The second part will be published on October 26th, Tuesday. The second part will be published on October 22nd, Friday. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

Conservative MP Sir David Amess was murdered on October 15th. I tried to look at this case with the assistance of Shaun McDaid. He is a Senior Lecturer in the Division of Criminology, Politics and Sociology at the University of Huddersfield. Dr. McDaid's research primarily relates to political violence and its prevention and post-conflict transitions. We  talked more broadly about the threats and violence against politicians and also about the terrorisms and extremism in the postmodern world. Listen to our conversation.

,,The United States is very concerned by the People’s Republic of China’s provocative military activity near Taiwan, which is destabilising, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability,” US state department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. What is behind the record number of Chinese military planes entering Taiwan's air defense identification zone? China watcher, editor of the China Story blog and co-author of the column China Neican 内参 column Adam Ni identifies three reasons. How much is he worried about a possible conflict in the Taiwan Strait? What kind of dynamics does he see in the Taipei-Beijing-Washington triangle? And where is Europe in all of this? Listen to our conversation.

Is Brexit going badly? According to a recent YouGov poll, 53 percent of Britons think so. But does it mean that they want to rejoin the EU? I talked to Martin Farr, a Senior Lecturer in Contemporary British History at Newcastle University. We also discussed how to put the current fuel crisis in the UK into a historical perspective and what's next for the Labour Party under the leadership of Keir Starmer. And why does Dr. Farr think that Starmer and Tory PM Boris Johnson are basically in the wrong jobs? Listen to our conversation.

A new poll conducted by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) shows that EU citizens view Germany as a trustworthy, pro-European power and Angela Merkel’s approach of searching for compromises between competing interests is a major source of Berlin’s positive image. But, of course, there is a but. Merkel is leaving politics. What is the most positive and the most negative aspect of her political legacy? Will her legacy last beyond the parliamentary election that takes place on September 26th? And could French President Emmanuel Macron be jealous of Merkel? I talked to Jana Puglierin, a Senior Policy Fellow at ECFR and the head of ECFR’s office in Berlin. Listen to our conversation.

We're gonna have to spend years looking at this to really work out what the hell just happened with CDU/CSU. This is how Alexander Clarkson, Lecturer in German, European and International Studies at King's College London, sees the situation just before the election in Germany. Looking at the polls, it seems Social Democrats might get between 25-27 percent of votes, while Christian Democrat will only get between 20-23 percent. Dr. Clarkson explains why this is happening and what surprises him most. And does he think that outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel regrets something after decades in politics? Listen to our conversation.

When was the last time the Labour Party in Norway didn't win the parliamentary election? In 1924. And the series of victories didn't stop on September 13. While the Labour Party won only 26,3 percent of votes, which is historically one of the weakest results, they will still have 48 seats in the parliament and everybody expects that they will establish a governing coalition with the Socialist Left and the Center Party. And that would mean that all five Nordic countries will be run by the center-left governments. But does it really matter? I talked to Nicholas Aylott, an Associate Professor of Political Science at Södertörn University. His main academic interest is in comparative European politics, with a focus on political parties. Listen to our conversation.

Is Pope Francis happy with his job? And even if he is, he is also 84, which means he is not the youngest. Are there any indications that he may resign? About Francis' papacy, I talked to John Allen, the editor of Crux, and a senior Vatican analyst for CNN. He has written eleven books on the Vatican and Catholic affairs. Pope Francis is just visiting Slovakia and his trip will last more than three days while he spent only a couple of hours in Hungary. Why? Listen to our conversation.

A day that changed the world. This is how 9/11, 2001 is often described. And it's true. The world looked in disbelief when planes piloted by Al-Qaeda terrorists hit The World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Almost 3 000 people died and subsequently it affected the fate of millions. Colin Clarke is a New Yorker and he admits that the 20th anniversary of Al-Qaeda attacks is very emotional for him. But Dr. Clarke is also a Senior Research Fellow at The Soufan Center and Director of Policy and Research at The Soufan Group, where his research focuses on domestic and transnational terrorism, international security, and geopolitics. His most recent book is called After the Caliphate: The Islamic State and the Future Terrorist Diaspora. That's why we discussed successes and failures of the war on terror, the role of Osama bin Laden, if 9/11 was preventable or a scenario when Al-Qaeda attacks didn't happen. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak