We are now 721 days into the war in Gaza. According to Gaza health authorities, at least 65,000 people have been killed and over 166,000 wounded—with Israeli military data indicating that 83% of those killed are civilians. The New York Times headline on the day of shooting this podcast says it plainly: “Europe Talks Big on Gaza but Struggles to Act.”

In this episode of The Neomedieval Ledger, host Samuel Dempsey speaks with two of Europe’s most experienced foreign policy minds: Shada Islam, one of Brussels’ leading strategic thinkers on the EU’s global role, and Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, former EU Ambassador to Palestine.

We examine:

• Why the EU has been largely paralyzed on Gaza

• The wave of European recognition of Palestine and what it really means

• The EU’s unused economic and political leverage over Israel, including its Association Agreement and trade tools

• Why Europe rarely pressures the United States, Israel’s main arms supplier

• The debate over whether Israel’s actions meet the legal definition of genocide

• What real European leadership could look like

If you want clear, hard analysis on the EU’s role and failures—and where it could act if there was the will—this conversation is essential listening.

Shada Islam is a renowned Brussels strategist and founder of the New Horizons Project, named by Politico among the Top 20 Women Who Shape Brussels and ranked #5 EUInfluencer 2024, on influence on EU policy. 

Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff is a veteran EU diplomat and former EU Ambassador to Palestine, with decades of experience in various ambassadorial roles and in working on mediation at the European External Action Service.

In this episode of The New Medieval Ledger, host Samuel Dempsey speaks with leading European security analyst Maria Martisiute about what may already be war between Russia and NATO. From recent Russian drone incursions into Polish and Romanian airspace, to NATO’s reactive launch of Operation Eastern Sentry and the EU’s announcement of a Drone Wall by 2027, they examine whether Europe is responding with the urgency the moment demands. Maria warns that Europe has “not done its homework”—arguing that the continent’s lack of initiative, fragmented defense systems, and overreliance on the U.S. is creating dangerous vulnerabilities.Maria is a Policy Analyst at the European Policy Centre, specializing in defence, security, and foreign affairs. With over a decade of experience across NATO, the EU, national governments, and NGOs, she previously led reform efforts within NATO’s cooperative security trust funds and worked on defence sector reform with partners in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. She has also contributed to EU strategic infrastructure policy at the European Commission, supported crisis response efforts in Afghanistan and Ukraine, and promotes people-to-people diplomacyThe discussion also tackles the deeper strategic cracks in the transatlantic relationship: the presence of U.S. military observers at Russia’s Zapad 2025, the White House hosting Germany’s Kremlin-friendly AfD party, and the total absence of U.S. forces in NATO’s Eastern Sentry response. Maria and Samuel explore what it would take for Europe to stand on its own—arguing that Europe may need to spend 3–4x Russia’s defense budget to match its war economy. It's an important and timely discussion.

In this episode, I speak with Terrell Jermaine Starr—an independent American journalist based between Kyiv and Brooklyn. Terrell speaks Russian, Georgian, and is learning Ukrainian. With over 16 years of lived experience in Ukraine, he’s a leading voice on Ukraine–U.S. relations, democracy, and life in wartime Kyiv. He also runs the popular Substack, Terrell J-Star Official. Our conversation covers the recent Russian drone attacks and their impact on morale in Ukraine, what’s needed from the EU, U.S., and NATO to sustain Ukraine’s defense, the paradox of fighting for democracy abroad while it’s under attack at home, the links between the struggles of Palestinians and Ukrainians, and how race has been weaponized in narratives surrounding the killing of a Ukrainian refugee in North Carolina. It’s a candid and insightful discussion about war, democracy, solidarity, and the narratives that shape them.