War & Peace

By International Crisis GroupNews News Commentary

War & Peace episodes

June 15, 2020 Will Protests in the U.S. Bring the Systemic Change Needed?
Last week, for the very first time in Crisis Group's history, we published a statement on the events unfolding in the U.S. The murder of George Floyd, an unarmed African American man, triggered protests across the country against structural inequality. Similar protests have since erupted around the world as many countries reckon with their own histories of entrenched racial discrimination.
Dan Schneiderman, Crisis Group’s Head of Advocacy and Research for the U.S., joins Hugh and Olga to discuss the meaning of these recent events. They look at the militarisation of the police, the impact the protests will have on the U.S.'s global credibility, and their potential to bring about the systemic change being demanded.
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23 min
June 12, 2020 Episode 7: Getting the European air industry back off the ground
Caught in the crossfire of the COVID-19 and climate crises, will the European air industry take off again after months of grounding? We hear the views of Thomas Kropp, senior advisor to Lufthansa and EESC rapporteur on the waiving of airport slot rules during COVID-19, Saim Saeed, mobility reporter at Politico Europe, and Agathe Bounfour, who is in charge of transport policies at Climate Action Network France.
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11 min
June 01, 2020 How COVID-19 Makes Afghanistan’s War Still More Deadly
After two decades of conflict in Afghanistan, many hoped that a peace deal between the U.S. and the Taliban, signed on 29 February 2020, would mark the beginning of a peace process between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Instead, the peace process has stalled as the two sides struggle to agree on issues necessary to begin the negotiations. The Taliban has since steadily escalated violence against Afghan security forces, while the U.S. has resumed airstrikes.
In addition to the uptick in violence, Afghanistan’s minister of public health has warned that up to 25 million Afghans could eventually be infected with COVID-19, out of a population of about 36 million. Even with very limited testing, numbers continue to rise. At the same time, the public health crisis may pale compared to severe food insecurity, a shrinking economy, and yet more people who are unable to make money to put food on the table.
Crisis Group’s Senior Analyst for Afghanistan Andrew Watkins talks with Olga and Hugh about sentiment among Afghans suffering under these overlapping crises, which states could serve as neutral negotiators for the peace process, the role of the EU and its member states in Afghanistan’s future and what could happen if the U.S. withdraws its troops without an intra-Afghan peace deal.
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24 min
May 20, 2020 Episode 6: Shoring up businesses from Covid-19
In this episode, Belgian hotel owner and industry representative Marc Van Muylders illustrates the catastrophic impact of COVID-19 on the tourism and hotel sector, while Milena Angelova, EESC Vice-President for budget and secretary-general of the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA), explains how the EESC is putting its expertise at the service of businesses grappling with the crisis across Europe and Amandine Crespy, professor of political science at the Free University of Brussels and visiting professor at the European College in Bruges, outlines the EU's larger plans to help European businesses weather the storm.
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10 min
May 18, 2020 The OSCE's Role in a COVID-19 World
As COVID-19 cuts a deadly swathe across the globe, its political impact is only starting to be felt and could last long after the virus is contained. George Tsereteli, President of the Organization of Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly, joins Olga and Hugh to discuss how the 57-nation OSCE is coping in these unprecedented times, what action it is taking to mitigate the effects of the crisis and what the long-term consequences could be. They assess the threat to multilateralism in a post-pandemic world, how populations may be vulnerable in breakaway post-Soviet statelets, the challenges to governance in many democracies, and what it means that key elections are being postponed.
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26 min
May 04, 2020 The Russian and European Roles in Ending Ukraine’s War
What will it take to end the war in Ukraine?
A plan for what happens inside Ukraine is a prerequisite for peace in the six-year civil war. But that will not suffice if the conflict’s broader geostrategic underpinnings are not addressed, explains Olga, our host-turned-guest for this week’s episode. Russia’s intervention on its neighbour’s territory was largely driven by fears of Western encroachment in its sphere of influence. For NATO and EU member states, these actions pose a deep threat to European stability and security.
Olga and Hugh discuss what can be done to break the impasse and move toward a durable peace. Broader security concerns in both Europe and Russia must be taken into account. “You can’t fix Ukraine without fixing the rest of the problem”.
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27 min
April 20, 2020 Turkey in the Time of COVID-19
Turkey’s many paradoxes and its place on a global crossroads come into focus in a discussion about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council of Foreign Relations. She joins Olga and Hugh for this episode of War & Peace from her home in Istanbul to talk about a faltering economy, Ankara’s “lone wolf” foreign policy, some opportunities missed by the government, and overall, an often heart-warming popular response.
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23 min
April 06, 2020 Libya’s Battle for Tripoli
Libya has been in a near constant state of war since Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was toppled back in 2011, morphing into local conflicts between pro- and anti-Islamists. On 4 April last year, forces commanded by General Haftar laid siege to Tripoli, the home of the internationally recognised government. Fighting on the city’s outskirts has been terribly destructive. Meanwhile weapons continue to flow into the country from foreign backers.
The onset of COVID-19 has not broken the diplomatic paralysis that pervades the conflict. UN Security Council members are divided, NATO countries support different sides and the EU’s focus on migration has hampered its ability to develop any coordinated, effective response. The UN call for a global ceasefire to mobilise against the pandemic was followed by an upsurge of fighting around Tripoli.
Claudia Gazzini joins Hugh and Olga on War & Peace this week to discuss realities on the ground, the role of foreign powers and much more. Tune in now!
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25 min
April 03, 2020 Special episode - Make or break: Europe’s struggle with Coronavirus
Is the EU rising to the challenge of COVID-19? Can people expect the EU to help them weather the storm this time, or will they feel let down as they did with the other two major crises of this century? As the outbreak sweeps across Europe taking a huge human toll and sowing massive economic havoc, EESC President Luca Jahier looks at the EU’s response so far, pointing to bold actions that only yesterday would have been taboo. But there is an extra mile to go, he says, charting a course that he could help European leaders find a meeting ground.
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15 min
March 23, 2020 Getting EU-Turkey Relations Back on Track
One hour after 34 Turkish soldiers were killed in Idlib, Syria’s last rebel-held bastion, Turkey opened its borders to Greece, prompting thousands of migrants to head for the frontier in the hope of crossing into Europe.
Berkay Mandıracı, Crisis Group’s Turkey expert and our guest on War & Peace, sheds light on what triggered Ankara’s decision, what implications it could have on the fragile 2016 migration deal with the EU and what can be done at this critical moment to strengthen rapidly declining EU-Turkey relations.
One thing is clear: as the humanitarian situation on the Turkey-Greece border and in Idlib deteriorates and the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic grows, cooperation between the EU and Turkey is growing ever more urgent. Joint work to help refugees and migrants is the most promising place to restart it.
For more information, see Berkay’s recent commentary: Sharing the Burden: Revisiting the EU-Turkey Migration Deal
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23 min