Women Leaders

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022 was partly staged through the border between Belarus and Ukraine. This is not by chance: despite gaining independence in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, since 1994 Belarus has been controlled by Alexander Lukashenko, a Russia-aligned dictator. As a result, it has remained a relatively unknown entity, alienated from the West while occupying a crucial geo-strategic stretch of land, between the Baltic states, Poland, Ukraine and Russia.

Prior to 1991, Belarus enjoyed a very brief year of independence between 1918-19. And yet, it had long been a group of people who knew they were distinct, with their own language and identity — much as is the case today. Yet the increasing connection between the state and its neighbour Russia, and more significantly the dependence of the authoritarian Lukashenko upon Putin for his political survival, means the danger of being consumed by Russia is very real. This is potentially Ukraine, but without a democratically elected head of state, a fiercely independent populace and a powerful military.

The US has recently taken an interest in Belarus, partly to buy its potash reserves and partly to annoy Canada and the European Union — which has never paid enough attention to Belarus, though it poses a significant threat to the eastern states. Katia Glod, Deputy Head of Foreign Policy at NEST is not only a native Belarusian but also a true expert on the state and its positions. In a must-listen conversation, she explains the complexities of the state as well as its entanglement with Russia and the war in Ukraine. A fascinating set of insights!

This episode was recorded on 8 October 2026

Chapters

• A short modern history of Belarus
• Lukashenko and the stolen election
• Belarus and the war in Ukraine
• Playing both sides: from Minsk to Trump

Mentions

• New Eurasian Strategies centre website
• Katia Glod’s article - The limits of Russian control: The case of Belarus
• Belarus–European Union border crisis
• Ryanair Flight 4978 (the forced landing in Minsk)
• EU sanctions on Belarus - Council of the EU
• Minsk agreements
• Belarus tests a new path back to the West - Kyiv Independent
• Trump promotes a “massive” Belarus potash deal - Euronews

Follow

• Katia Glod LinkedIn X/Twitter
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen to this episode on our YouTube channel
• Our partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook website

Credits

• Production: Florence Ferrando
• Music: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-rollLicense code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJT

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As the world seems to stumble from crisis to crisis, be it conflicts or economic woes or ethnic violence, it sometimes seems as if we are living through the 1930s again — but in a rogue AI version. Whilst specific crises can be analysed and rationalised, there is a constant sense of déjà vu, be it in the rise of fascism, the total disrespect for any kind of rules, and the adoration of power for itself.

Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, may have led the field in all three categories, and at the same time it has long pursued the goal of demolishing democracy, everywhere. More worrying is the rise of these inclinations in the US, undoubtedly fuelled by Russian interference but also entirely self imposed.

To understand the severity of the moment, as well as how we got here, there is no-one more qualified than Marci Shore, Chair in European Intellectual History at the University of Toronto. An expert in fascism, as well as a keen observer of reality, she helps put past and present in perspective in a conversation that covers a fascinating range, from Chekov through Sarah Palin and Ratko Mladic.

This episode was recorded on 24 September 2026

Chapters

• Diplomatic language and the return of political bluntness
• Trump and the rejection of rules
• Does history repeat? The 1930s, patterns, and what is new
• Post-truth politics and how the internet floods the zone
• American democracy and structural weaknesses with the rise of the new right
• Europe’s far right and the danger of normalising the abnormal

Mentions

• Marci Shore’s articles and essays
• Victor Klemperer – The Language of the Third Reich
• Sigmund Freud – Civilization and Its Discontents
• Mikhail Bulgakov – The White Guard
• Slavenka Drakulić – They Would Never Hurt a Fly
• Adam LeBor – The Last Days of Budapest

Follow

• Marci Shore Bluesky, X/Twitter
• Her course “European Intellectual History since Nietzsche” (Yale website & Youtube)
• Her curated selection of material in various languages about the war in Ukraine
• Her book “The Ukrainian Night”
• Her essay “With Shestov in Ukraine”, Liberties Journal of Culture and Politics
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen to this episode on our YouTube channel
• Our partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook website

Credits

• Production: Florence Ferrando
• Music: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-rollLicense code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJT

Contribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️

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The background to the disaster that was 9/11 has been researched exhaustively, while the security and geopolitical outcomes — notably in Afghanistan, Iraq, the whole Middle East and many other parts of the world — are evident, with many effects felt to this day. But the event itself has receded into the past, and for younger generations is but history. The reality of two planes flown maliciously into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in Manhattan, and the attempt to fly one into the Pentagon in Washington DC, is unknown to many, undoubtedly outside the USA.

Brenda Berkman, the first female firefighter in the New York Fire Department, or indeed in the US, was there: she was a first responder. In a narrative often harrowing she recounts the reality of the day, in what was left of the World Trade Centre — as indeed the many months afterwards when the debris was cleared. From devastating detail and trauma of the event to ensuring the place of women in remembering 9/11, Brenda Berkman offers a gripping testimony to a day that changed world history. An important conversation!

This episode was recorded on 11 September 2026

Chapters

• Brenda's journey to becoming the first female firefighter in NYC
• Brenda recounts her experience on 9-11
• Health impacts and long-term effects on responders
• Lessons learned and the future of women in firefighting
• Brenda's life after retirement and advocacy for women

Mentions

• YouTube- documentary Taking the Heat
• YouTube series - Pioneering Change as NYC’s First Female Firefighter
• Prints - Thirty-six Views of One World Trade Center
• 9/11 Memorial & Museum - Honouring Four Women of Ground Zero

Follow

• Brenda Berkman: website Instagram LinkedIn
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen to this episode on our YouTube channel
• Our partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook website

Credits

• Production: Florence Ferrando
• Music: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-rollLicense code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJT

Contribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️

Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcast

Watch now our episode on Youtube

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Women Leaders concludes its summer season of women authors

There is probably no more famous and pervasive female figure than Mary, mother of Christ. There are remarkably few known facts about this woman, but that has never stopped myths, ideas, imagery and music to evolve around her as a core element of the story of Christianity, and ultimately Western then global culture.

In this last episode of our summer season of women authors, we discuss the evolution and significance of Mary, Mother of God: The History of the Virgin Mary with its author, Professor Miri Rubin. One of the most noted historians of the medieval and early modern periods, she helps us discover the many roads the idea of Mary has travelled, as well as a broader discussion on the Middle Ages and ideas of religion. A great conversation ranging from the first century AD to the late Dolly Parton!

This episode was recorded on 27 August 2026

Chapters

• Miri Rubin's background and journey into medieval history
• Mary's centrality in Christian theology and practice
• Mary's role as a vessel in religious stories
• Mary in contemporary culture and popular media
• The relevance of medieval history and Mary today

Mentions

• Book - Mother of God: A History of the Virgin Mary: Amazon UK
• Book - The Middle Ages: A Very Short Introduction: Amazon UK
• Book - Charity and Community in Medieval Cambridge: Amazon UK
• The Annales Scholes
• Podcast - Our life in the classics with Mary Beard: Spotify
• Readings - Oxford University Press - Very Short Introductions
• Project - The European Qur’an

Follow

• Miri Rubin LinkedIn Queen Mary University of London
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen to this episode on our YouTube channel
• Our partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook website

Credits

• Production: Florence Ferrando
• Music: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-rollLicense code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJT

Contribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️

Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcast

Watch now our episode on Youtube

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The summer season of women authors is truly global, taking us this time to China.

The superpower image it now exudes overshadows realities in the near past, when poverty was rife and beyond the big cities hundreds of millions were in poverty and often illiterate. The outside world had little knowledge of this, and in the 1990s and early 2000s China was considered a safe source of babies for adoption while also doing a good deed. Tens of thousands of babies, mostly girls, were adopted by Western families, all assured these were abandoned due to the infamous “one child policy”. But reality turned out differently.

Barbara Demick, award-winning journalist and author, penned the incredible Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: China’s Stolen Children and the Story of Separated Twins. An author of a number of previous celebrated volumes on North Korea, Tibet and Bosnia, she brings vast experience as an observer of humanity to her reporting and writing.

In a fascinating conversation, we explore how her books were written, how she became involved with the story of the twins, and why China was and remains such a complex subject.

This episode was recorded on 21 July 2026

Chapters

• Reporting in conflict zones and repressive regimes
• The story behind 'Daughters of the Bamboo Grove'
• Changes in rural China over the past 15 years
• The evolution of China's laws and society
• Barbara’s research and writing process

Mentions

• Book - Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: UK Amazon US Amazon
• Book - Nothing To Envy: Real Lives In North Korea: UK Amazon US Amazon
• Book - Eat the Buddha: The Story of Modern Tibet Through the People of One Town UK Amazon US Amazon
• Book - Besieged: Life Under Fire on a Sarajevo Street: UK Amazon US Amazon
• Article - China’s one child policy, Britannica

Follow

• Barbara Demick Website Instagram LinkedIn Twitter/X
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen to this episode on our YouTube channel
• Our partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook website

Credits

• Production: Florence Ferrando
• Music: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll License code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJT

Contribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️

Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcast

Watch now our episode on Youtube

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Women Leaders continues its summer series with women authors.

Much has been written about the current horrors of Lebanon, but they really started long ago, in the civil war that raged between 1975-1990.

As part of our women authors summer season, we turn to a novel written about coming of age in that period — to the brutality of war alongside the attempts at keeping normality alive, of food and family and nostalgia, of young love and loss, of the harsh destruction of commonality amongst different ethnicities in the face of brutality.

Katherine Saad Feghali is the author of Glass Cedars, a roman à clef in which she recounts her love for Lebanon while observing its disintegration. A lyrical book that in many ways tells far more about the reality of Lebanon than any factual reporting. A touching and interesting conversation about destruction, PTSD and Lebanon!

This episode was recorded on 11 August 2026

Chapters

• The origins of Glass Cedars
• Turning personal tragedy into a mission
• The universal human experience of migration and conflict
• The role of women in Lebanon and the US
• The importance of human stories over political narratives

Mentions

• Book - Glass Cedars - Amazon US & Amazon UK
• Poem - Epic of Gilgamesh - Britannica
• Association - Education and Opportunities for Lebanon

Follow

• Katherine Saad Feghali LinkedIn Instagram
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen to this episode on our YouTube channel
• Our partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook website

Credits

• Production: Florence Ferrando
• Music: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll License code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJT

Contribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️

Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcast

Watch now our episode on Youtube

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Women Leaders is having a relaxing summer with women authors.

The Odyssey is a big summer hit, but it has been a hit for 3000 years: it is both a classic, and part of the classics, a broad field of study that Western culture has long been obsessed with. From legalities to laughter and from battles to bread, the ancient Greeks and Romans seem to have lived our lives then, while we seek out their lives now.

Mary Beard is undoubtedly the most prominent classicist of our times, and her new book, Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old reflects most clearly on our longstanding relationship with the classical period and its ongoing relevance. A strong woman leader, she has authored many books, including the important Women & Power: A Manifesto.

In a fun and fabulous conversation, Mary Beard discusses the significance of many issues past and present — and what she really thinks of The Odyssey, the film. Don’t miss it!

This episode was recorded on 4 August 2026

Chapters:

• What is a classicist?
• Use and abuse of classical culture in politics
• Origins of the silencing of women's voices
• Nolan’s Odyssey impact on female characters

Mentions

• The Booker Prizes
• Podcast - Instant Classics with Charlotte Higgins: YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts  Instagram
• Instant Classics - Podcast Book Club on the Odyssey
• Book - Women in Power, a Manifesto (2017), Audible
• Book - SPQR, a history of Ancient Rome (2015)
• Book - Talking Classics, The Shock of the Old (2026), Audible
• Book - Samuel Butler The Authoress of the Odyssey (1922)
• Book - H.R Trevor-Roper History & imagination (1981)
• The Odyssey movie

Follow

• Mary Beard Cambridge University, Instagram
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen to this episode on our YouTube channel
• Our partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook website

Credits

• Production: Florence Ferrando
• Music: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-rollLicense code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJT

Contribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️

Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcast

Watch now our episode on Youtube

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are living in a world of open conflicts existing alongside peaceful life: while life in many parts of Europe and the US are focused upon summer holidays, Ukrainian cities are being pounded by Russian missiles and their soldiers are fighting Russian ones in the Donbas, while missiles are flying across the Middle East and Iran. It is a contradictory and jarring reality, which the various instigators of the violence claim to be necessary, and inevitable — notably Vladimir Putin, President of Russia.

In first illegally annexing Crimea in 2014, then mounting a full-scale invasion in 2022, Putin claimed not only that Ukraine was not a legitimate state but rather a part of Russia — but also that it was necessary as part of Russia’s defence against an ever-expanding and threatening NATO. This narrative is rooted in a malignant Russian reading of the end of the Cold War, US and NATO intentions, and Russian dreams of world significance. It is also the subject of a new book by Rose Gottemoeller, former NATO Deputy Secretary General, and the guest of this episode.

From the current situation in Russia and Ukraine, to the intricacies that led to it, this is a great conversation on one of the most important periods of recent history.

This episode was recorded on 22 July 2026

Chapters:

• What is the START Treaty?
• Nuclear forces & deterrence rationale
• The impact of Ukraine conflict on Russia and global security
• Putin's leadership, decision-making, and strategic mindset
• The future of Russia-US relations and cooperation
• The importance of international cooperation and stability

Mentions

Book - Security Through Cooperation: Space, Nuclear Weapons, and US-Russia Relations After the Cold War

• UK website with a 20% discount code: RGOT20
• US website

Rose’s previous Women Leaders episodes:

• “A historic 2022 International Women’s Day” 8 March 2022
• “Back and big – Geopolitics with Rose Gottemoeller, an IWD special” 8 March 2024
• Putin’s options: an oligarch speaks outs - The Economist

Follow

• Rose Gottemoeller LinkedIn
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen to this episode on our YouTube channel
• Our partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook website

Credits

• Production:Florence Ferrando
• Music: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-rollLicense code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJT

Contribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The United States is celebrating the 250th anniversary of its founding on July 4th. Whilst the country is living through deep changes in its global perception, it is well to remember that as an entity it has always been different: the first declared republic, rejecting monarchy or any form of inherited rule in favour of government by the people and for the people. A nation created by a Declaration of Independence, governed by a balance of power between the legislative, executive and judicial branches. These have now become the obvious markings of democratic rule, but at the time they were a startling innovation. Or, as the US likes to think of itself, an exception.

The past two years have definitely seen many global examples of US exceptionalism, be it in Greenland, Venezuela or Iran, as well as internal radical changes related to immigrants, the structure of government and the role of religion. But it may be that many of these were foretold, not least in the last lines of the US national anthem:

“Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto - “In God is our trust”

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Laurel Rapp, Director of the US and North America Programme at Chatham House, is an excellent guide to the US experiment and exceptionalism. In a conversation that takes her back to her work in the State Department and her school days, the foundations and meaning of US identity and uniqueness are beautifully revealed - and explain a lot of today’s realities!

This episode was recorded on 1 July 2026

Chapters

• The US 250th Anniversary significance
• Understanding American exceptionalism
• The legacy of Manifest Destiny
• Contradictions and cultural wars over US history
• Is the American dream dead?
• What is it to be a US diplomat?

Mentions

• US Declaration of Independence
• US Constitution
• Chatman House US and North America programme
• Event (17 September 2026) US at 250: Separation vs. concentration of power – America’s enduring constitutional debate

Follow

• Laurel Rapp LinkedIn, Chatman House page
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen to this episode on our YouTube channel
• Our partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook website

Credits

• Production: Florence Ferrando
• Music: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-rollLicense code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJT

Contribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️

Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcast

Watch now our episode on Youtube

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The war in Iran, and the broader Middle East, is apparently over — at least according to US President Trump. A 14-point agreement between the US and Iran has been signed - in Versailles Palace, where the ill-fated agreement ending World War I was signed - largely giving Iran all it asked for. The world economy may eventually return to some semblance of normality as the Strait of Hormuz reopens, assuming it really does, but the region as a whole is far from at peace, and somewhat far from comprehending a deal that stablizes remarkably little. This is especially true to Lebanon: torn apart by its own sectarian violence and economic deterioration, it has become the core issue of dispute. For Iran, Hezbollah must remain intact and in control, with Iranian oversight of the whole country; for Israel, Hezbollah must be disarmed and removed from Lebanon’s southern border.

Neither Israel nor Lebanon are parties to the newly signed 14-point agreement, though both have now embarked upon some kind of talks sponsored by the US. That may not matter, as in the complex web of Lebanese politics, Hezbollah is more powerful than the government. However, it has been weakened dramatically by Israel, that is also pushing back on it while licking its wounds from what seems like a humiliating defeat.

Suzan Haidamous, Beirut-based correspondent for the Washington Post, is the perfect person to make some sense of Lebanon’s predicaments. In a great and wise conversation, she brings lived experience of Lebanon coupled with great insight and compassion.

Chapters:

• Understanding Lebanon and Syria today
• Reporting from the ground: experiences in Syria
• Hezbollah's role and influence in Lebanon
• The future of Lebanon and regional dynamics with Iran
• Is there still hope for peace in the Middle East?

Mentions

• 2024 beeper attack on Hezbollah
• 2024 walkie talkie attack on Hezbollah
• Susannah George - Washington post page
• Liz Sly - Washington post page
• UN Security Council resolution 1701
• UN News - Explainer: What is Security Council resolution 1701?
• Women Leaders - As missiles fly
• Suzan Haidamous article “An airstrike trapped a journalist”

Follow

• Suzan Haidamous Washington Post page LinkedIn
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen to this episode on our YouTube channel
• Our partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook website

Credits

• Production: Florence Ferrando
• Music: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-rollLicense code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJT

Contribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️

Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcast

Watch now our episode on Youtube

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.