The Global Agora

Does Belarusan dictator Alexander Lukashenko have any strategy or his only focus is to survive no matter what? Why was he willing to dramatically kidnap journalist Raman Pratasevich knowing that he had to expect at least some reaction from the West? And about Russia's reaction? I talked to Alena Kudzko, Director of the GLOBSEC Policy Institute in Bratislava. She is from Belarus and she explains what people in the country think about the hijacking of the Ryanair plane. Listen to our conversation.

On February 1st, the Myanmar military took over the country. It was a surprise move from the Tatmadaw led by general Min Aung Hlaing. The military suspended the civilian government and de facto leader of the country and Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was imprisoned. The initial reaction of the public was muted but soon the demonstrations began. Junta has reacted with brutality, murders and torture. According to the right groups, more than 800 people have been killed so far. What's next for Myanmar? How strong is the regime? Will the situation deteriorate even further? I talked to Hunter Marston. He is a PhD Candidate at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at Australian National University, and Non-Resident Fellow at Pacific Forum. Listen to our conversation.

According to the European Commission the Next Generation EU instrument is more than a recovery plan. It is a once in a lifetime chance to emerge stronger from the pandemic, transform our economies, and create opportunities and jobs for the Europe where we want to live. But is it really? How might the Next Generation EU fund change and strengthen the EU? And is European Union doing enough in fighting the coronacrisis in comparison to the US? I talked to Miguel Otero Iglesias about those issues. He is a Senior Analyst in International Political Economy at Elcano Royal Institute and professor at IE School of International Relations in Spain. Listen to our conversation.

Hello and welcome to another episode of my podcast The Global Agora. My name is Andrej Matišák, and I work as the deputy head of foreign desk in Slovak daily Pravda. With more than 3.3 million deaths attributed to COVID-19, the coronavirus pandemic is one of the deadliest in history. While the vaccines have emerged as a safe and effective tool against the disease, we can also say that COVID-19 is still trying to penetrate our defenses. We have seen various mutations of the coronavirus, the current focus is on the variant B.1.617 that was identified in India. What does it mean for the pandemic? How much should we be worried? I talked to Martin Michaelis, Professor of Molecular Medicine at the University of Kent. Listen to our conversation.

Hello and welcome to another episode of my podcast The Global Agora. My name is Andrej Matišák, and I work as the deputy head of foreign desk in Slovak daily Pravda. The Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack hit critical US energy infrastructure. According to BBC News, the pipeline carries 2.5 million barrels a day, means 45% of the East Coast's supply of diesel, petrol and jet fuel. How much is this the sign of the things that will come? American President Joe Biden said that the attack struck the jugular of America’s pipeline system. What do we know about DarkSide, the group behind the attack? Is there any connection to Russian state? I talked to Dr. Tim Stevens. He is a Senior Lecturer in Global Security and the head of the King's Cyber Security Research Group at King's  College, London. Listen to our conversation.

Hello and welcome to another episode of my podcast The Global Agora. My name is Andrej Matišák, and I work as the deputy head of foreign desk in Slovak daily Pravda. The White House confirmed that it completed its policy review on North Korea and said that it will use a calibrated approach towards Kim Jong-un's regime. But what does it mean for Joe Biden's presidency? And what kind of approach will Pyongyang use? I talked to Soo Kim about those issues. She is a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. Her research interests include the Korean Peninsula, Indo-Pacific strategy, decision making, propaganda, and the intelligence community. She served as an analyst in the CIA. Does she think that Kim Jong-un is totally in control? And what about his sister Kim Yo-jong? Listen to our conversation.

Hello and welcome to another episode of my podcast The Global Agora. My name is Andrej Matišák, and I work as the deputy head of foreign desk in Slovak daily Pravda. A big election day just took place in the United Kingdom. We have seen local elections for 145 English local councils, election to the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Parliament and some other election races such as mayoral election in London. What does it mean for the future of the UK? Did Scotland move towards another independence referendum? And are the Tory leader and British PM Boris Johnson and the Labour leader Keir Starmer satisfied or unsatisfied with the results? I talked to Robin Pettitt. He is a Senior Lecturer of comparative politics at Kingston University and an expert in the internal life of political parties.

Hello and welcome to another episode of my podcast The Global Agora. My name is Andrej Matišák, and I work as the deputy head of foreign desk in Slovak daily Pravda. This new episode is a bit longer than usual but I had a very interesting conversation about what might be next for Afghanistan and Taliban after the withdrawal of foreign troops. President Joe Biden's decision is criticized by many, including Afghans. It's easy to understand those concerns. So I talked to Vanda Felbab-Brown. She is a senior fellow in the Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings Institution, and she is the director of the Initiative on Nonstate Armed Actors. Let's find out what she thinks about the future of Afghanistan, about the future of the country she visited many times.

This time, my guest is a very well known political commentator David Frum. He is a staff writer at The Atlantic and from 2001 to 2002, he was a speechwriter for Republican President George W. Bush and he is the author of ten books, most recently Trumpocalypse: Restoring American Democracy. Check also his website davidfrum.com. It's 100 days of Joe Biden's Presidency. What went right and what wrong for the Democrat in the White House? What about the GOP? And what advice would David Frum give to President Biden? Listen to our conversation.

Hello and welcome to the third episode of my podcast The Global Agora. My name is Andrej Matišák, and I work as the deputy head of foreign desk in Slovak daily Pravda.

The election in Germany will take place on September 26 and the world will be watching who will succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel. Is the Chairman of CDU Armin Laschet a strong contender? Or will Annalena Baerbock replace Merkel and Germany will have the first Green Chancellor? And should the world be nervous about those changes? I talked to Eric Langenbacher, Teaching Professor in the Department of Government, Georgetown University. He is also a Senior Fellow at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) in Washington.