When asked to describe Europe in three words, Ivan Krastev repeated one word three times: "speed, speed, speed." Anne Applebaum offered "fragmentation," "imagination," and "the technology gap." Together, these terms capture much of what Europe is facing.

In the first episode of The Next Question, the Robert Bosch Academy's new podcast, Pradnya Bivalkar interviews political scientist Ivan Krastev and historian Anne Applebaum about the future of Europe in a world where the assumptions that guided it for a generation are no longer valid. 

Krastev argues that the European Union as we know it will not survive the world being built around it and that Europeans are still debating how best to play a game that has already ended. Applebaum argues that Europe should build on what it already possesses since independent courts and the rule of law were European inventions long before they became American ideals.

Ivan Krastev is a political scientist who chairs the Centre for Liberal Strategies in Sofia and holds the Albert Hirschman Permanent Fellowship at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna. He is a contributing editor at the Financial Times and is a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow of the Robert Bosch Academy.

His books include After Europe and, with Stephen Holmes, The Light that Failed, an account of how the post-1989 demand that the East imitate the West produced its own backlash; it won the Lionel Gelber Prize in 2020. He writes regularly on European politics for Foreign Affairs.

Anne Applebaum is a historian and a staff writer at The Atlantic and won the Pulitzer Prize in 2004 for Gulag: A History. At the SNF Agora Institute and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where she is a senior fellow, she co-directs Arena, a program on disinformation and twenty-first-century propaganda.

Her recent books, Twilight of Democracy and Autocracy, Inc., examine why authoritarian politics became attractive again in societies that assumed they were past it, and how today's autocracies cooperate across ideological lines. She received the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in 2024.

Pradnya Bivalkar is Senior Project Manager at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin and works with the Richard von Weizsäcker Fellows. Her areas of work include Identity Conflicts, Political Systems, Modern India, and the Global North-Global South Dynamic. She has hosted the Academy's podcast since January 2023, first as Think. Debate. Inspire. and now as The Next Question.

Further reading and references:

• Ivan Krastev, "How sustainable is Europe?", Sternstunde Philosophie, SRF Kultur https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhMg3fZ4iXM
• Anne Applebaum, "The European Moment", A Speech to Europe 2026, Judenplatz Vienna, 13 May 2026. Full text in English and German. https://www.iwm.at/news/a-speech-to-europe-2026-anne-applebaum-on-the-european-moment
• State election Saxony-Anhalt, 6 September 2026. Polling overview. https://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/sachsen-anhalt.htm
• Hungary's veto of the €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine, and the unanimity rule that made it possible. Orbán lost office at the election of 12 April 2026, which the Tisza Party won with a supermajority https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/03/31/to-survive-the-eu-needs-to-break-out-of-its-own-veto-trap
• Ivan Krastev, "Orbán's Fall and Europe's Rise: The Dawn of a Strange New European Consensus", Foreign Affairs, 19 May 2026 https://www.foreignaffairs.com/hungary/orbans-fall-and-europes-rise
• Savings and Investments Union, the European Commission agenda that absorbed the Capital Markets Union in March 2025 https://finance.ec.europa.eu/eu-and-world/savings-and-investments-union/factsheet-savings-and-investments-union_en
• EU enlargement policy and Ukraine's accession process https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/

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In this episode of "Think. Debate. Inspire.", Pradnya Bivalkar talks to Farhana Yamin about her thoughts and experiences at the recently concluded COP30 in Belém in Brazil.

References

COP: https://unfccc.int/process/bodies/supreme-bodies/conference-of-the-parties-cop;

COP30 : https://unfccc.int/cop30;

Global Mutirao: https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/cma2025_L24_adv.pdf;

TFFF: https://tfff.earth/;

TAFF: https://commission.europa.eu/topics/climate-action/eu-cop/eu-cop30_en;

COP 15 in Copenhagen: https://unfccc.int/event/cop-15;

G20 : https://www.bmz.de/de/service/lexikon/gruppe-der-20-g20-14454;

Ted Countdown : https://countdown.ted.com/;

G77 and China : https://www.un.org/en/desa/g77-and-china-meeting;

LDCs: https://www.bmz.de/de/service/lexikon/least-developed-countries-ldc-14638;

Pacific Island States : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_islands_in_the_Pacific_Ocean;

ILAC : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_Alliance_of_Latin_America_and_the_Caribbean;

OPEC : https://www.opec.org/;

Just Transition : https://www.bmz.de/en;

NDCs : https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/nationally-determined-contributions-ndcs;

CBAM: https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism_en;

IBSA : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBSA_Dialogue_Forum;

Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Alliance : https://fossilfueltreaty.org/;

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How can Europe ensure that digital transformation serves both resilience and justice? In this episode, Cathy Mulligan, Head of Cyber Resilience and Smart Automation at the RISE Research Institute of Sweden and former Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow, joins the Robert Bosch Academy’s Pradnya Bivalkar to discuss the chances and challenges for Europe on its journey of digital transformation, how technology can drive resilient, fair and sustainable transitions, and why public interest needs to be at the heart of digital policymaking.X

References

EU AI Act: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20230601STO93804/eu-ai-act-first-regulation-on-artificial-intelligence

EU Legislation on Digital, Media & Electronic Communications: https://competition-policy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/digital-media-electronic-communications/legislation_en

Draghi report on EU competitiveness: https://commission.europa.eu/topics/eu-competitiveness/draghi-report_en

Regime 28: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/14674-28th-regime-a-single-harmonized-set-of-rules-for-innovative-companies-throughout-the-EU/public-consultation_en

Estonia’s Digital Ecosystem: https://e-estonia.com/

Digital Sovereignty Movement: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/01/europe-digital-sovereignty/

Gaia-X: https://gaia-x.eu/about/

Common European Data Spaces: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/data-spaces

Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM): https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/EN/Areas/Telecommunications/Technology/Standardisation/RadioApplications/GSM/GSM_node.html

Google Announcement of Willow Chip Advancement: https://blog.google/technology/research/quantum-echoes-willow-verifiable-quantum-advantage/

New Nordics AI: https://www.newnordics.ai/

Artistic Intelligence: https://aiforgood.itu.int/about-us/artistic-intelligence/

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In this episode of "Think. Debate. Inspire.", Pradnya Bivalkar talks to Matthew Rascoff about the challenges and chances around introducing AI in classrooms.

Stanford Digital Education's work with low income high schools across the USA: https://digitaleducation.stanford.edu/projects/stanford-courses-title-i-high-school-students,

Open AI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenAI,

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Data_Protection_Regulation,

Natalia Gavrilița: https://www.robertboschacademy.de/en/fellow/natalia-gavrilita,

Bert Koenders: https://www.robertboschacademy.de/en/fellow/bert-koenders,

The Child Is the Teacher – A Life of Maria Montessori by Cristina Da Stefano: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/692497/the-child-is-the-teacher-by-cristina-de-stefano/A Life of Maria Montessori,

Maria Montessori: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Montessori,

Gymnasium is a secondary school in the German school system that prepares students for higher education at a university.

OKO Labs: https://www.okolabs.ai/,

Terence Tao: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_Tao,

Course Wharton and Open AI: https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-ai-in-education-leveraging-chatgpt-for-teaching,

Anthropic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropic,

Playlab: https://www.playlab.ai/,

MIT Study on Critical Thinking Skills: https://time.com/7295195/ai-chatgpt-google-learning-school/,

Large language model (LLM technology): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_language_model,

Cosmos Institute at Oxford: https://cosmos-institute.org/,

Cosmos Institute funded Workshop Labs: https://workshoplabs.ai/,

Mike Taubman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miketaubman/,

Mike Taubman’s newsletter AI Waypoints: https://substack.com/home/post/p-164391537,

Abitur: German high school diploma that qualifies students for university

Seahorse: Swimming Badge for Beginner Swimmers

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In this episode of "Think. Debate. Inspire.", Pradnya Bivalkar talks to David Donoghue about the interplay of climate and mobility, the journey of the global community from MDGs to SDGs and the Berlin Climate Mobility Forum.

References:

• Berlin Climate Mobility Forum

https://www.bosch-stiftung.de/en/events/berlin-climate-mobility-forum-2025-0

• Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Development_Goals

• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/page/sustainable-development-goals

• 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda

• Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_But_Differentiated_Responsibilities

• IFIs – International Financial Institutions

• IMF – International Monetary Fund

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Monetary_Fund

• New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants

https://www.unhcr.org/what-we-do/protect-human-rights/asylum-and-migration/new-york-declaration-refugees-and-migrants

• Global Compact for Migration

https://www.un.org/en/migration2022/global-compact-for-migration

• Global Compact on Refugees

https://www.unhcr.org/about-unhcr/overview/global-compact-refugees

• UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_High_Commissioner_for_Refugees

• IDPs – Internally displaced people

https://www.unhcr.org/about-unhcr/who-we-protect/internally-displaced-people

• ODA - Official development assistance

https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/official-development-assistance-oda.html

• Mary Robinson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Robinson

• Kim Stanley Robinson: The Ministry for the Future

https://www.amazon.de/Ministry-Future-Kim-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0316300136

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In this episode of "Think. Debate. Inspire." Pradnya Bivalkar talks to Bert Koenders about the political developments in Germany over the past few months, its implications for domestic, European politics and international relations. *NOTE: This episode was recorded before the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz openly criticized Israel for its actions in Gaza.*

References: 

Politikverdrossenheit: disenchantment with political class and established political parties

Snap elections called in Germany: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-scholz-paves-the-way-for-snap-elections/a-71018939;  

JD Vance at Munich Security Conference: https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/18/vance-speech-munich-full-text-read-transcript-europe/; 

Zeitenwende : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeitenwende_speech; 

SPD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Democratic_Party_of_Germany; 

CDU : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Democratic_Union_of_Germany; 

AfD : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_for_Germany; 

Friedrich Merz's speech about his foreign policy aspirations (in German) : https://koerber-stiftung.de/mediathek/friedrich-merz-zu-aussen-und-europapolitischen-prioritaeten-fuer-deutschland/; 

Debt brake revision : https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-bundestag-votes-in-favor-of-reforming-debt-brake/live-71956815; 

Brandmauer : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firewall_against_the_far-right_in_Germany; 

Highest election turnout in the 2025 federal elections : https://www.statista.com/statistics/753732/german-elections-voter-turnout/; https://www.dw.com/en/german-election-results-explained-in-graphics/a-71724186; 

Friedrich Merz criticizes Israel : https://www.dw.com/en/how-has-israel-reacted-to-criticism-from-chancellor-merz/a-72706010;  

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In this episode of "Think. Debate. Inspire." Pradnya Bivalkar talks to Bert Koenders, Mark Lowcock and Dapo Oyewole about the current state of the international order since President Trump took office. They also talk about the opportunities for the future of Europe-Africa relations in the light of these shifts in the international order.

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In this episode of Think. Debate. Inspire., Atje Drexler and Pradnya Bivalkar talk to Natalia Gavrilita about disinformation and Russian manipulation during elections, and how democracy is a constant work in progress that must be fought for.

*PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EPISODE WAS RECORDED BEFORE THE GERMAN FEDERAL ELECTIONS."

References: 

Moldova's accession to the EU: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accession_of_Moldova_to_the_European_Union#:~:text=The%20accession%20of%20Moldova%20to,future%20enlargement%20of%20the%20EU.&text=Following%20an%20application%20by%20Moldova,EU%20on%2022%20June%202022. 

Moldova Support Platform: https://gov.md/en/moldova-support-platform 

Russian intereference in Moldovan elections (Zeit Artikel): https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2024-10/natalia-gavrilita-moldau-praesidentschaftswahl-eu-referendum-russland 

Storm 1516, Doppelgänger, Matryoshka: https://www.dw.com/en/russian-disinformation-aims-to-manipulate-german-2025-election/a-71664788 

Support to Moldovan wine industry by the USAID: https://md.usembassy.gov/usaid-launches-a-new-50-million-rural-competitiveness-and-resilience-activity-rcra/ 

Stolpersteine: https://www.stolpersteine.eu/en/ 

Berliner Dom Choir: https://www.berlinerdom.de/en/music/our-musicians/berlin-state-and-cathedral-choir/ 

Marianna Mazzucato: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariana_Mazzucato 

Dani Rodrik: https://drodrik.scholar.harvard.edu/

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In this episode of "Think. Debate. Inspire." Atje Drexler and Pradnya Bivalkar talk to Naila Kabeer about different forms of inequalities, how gender driven inequalities make themselves visible at the intersection of climate change and how all of this contributes to conversations on democracy.

References: 

Beijing conference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Conference_on_Women,_1995 

Cairo Conference: https://www.unfpa.org/icpd 

The social summit: https://www.un.org/en/conferences/social-development/copenhagen1995 

Wealth distribution statistics: https://wir2022.wid.world/executive-summary/ 

United States 4 out of 10 can't afford a 400$ emergency expense: https://fortune.com/2023/05/23/inflation-economy-consumer-finances-americans-cant-cover-emergency-expense-federal-reserve/ 

Podcast with Kwasi: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/kwasi-prempeh-on-the-state-of-democracy/id1667573696?i=1000678614767 

10 richest men: https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/#4ea402f63d78 

10 richest women: https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/#4ea402f63d78 

Naila's piece in The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/women-are-seen-as-saviours-or-victims-in-climate-change-debates-why-this-is-a-problem-244529 

IG Metall: https://www.igmetall.de/ueber-uns/ig-metall--a-strong-community 

Ulrike Hermann: https://www.amazon.de/End-Capitalism-Climate-Protection-Incompatible/dp/1915590930 

Trump's first day in office: https://www.npr.org/2025/01/28/nx-s1-5276293/trump-executive-orders 

Triggerpunkte by Steffen Mau: https://www.suhrkamp.de/buch/triggerpunkte-t-9783518029848 

Negotiating with the Devil by Pierre Hazan: https://www.amazon.de/Negotiating-Devil-Inside-Conflict-Mediation/dp/1911723111

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Kwame Akyeampong talks about the challenges faced by children with migration histories in the German schooling system, about things that need to be addressed urgently for the schooling system to become more inclusive.

In this episode of "Think. Debate. Inspire.", Atje Drexler and Pradnya Bivalkar speak with Kwame Akyeampong about the challenges faced by children with migration histories in the German schooling system, about things that need to be addressed urgently for the schooling system to become more inclusive.

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