There are certain events that are so important they signify a word now rarely used: possibility. The victory of the opposition Tisza party in Hungary over the long-ruling illiberal Fidesz party embodies the idea of possibility — a possible new and better future, a possible reconciliation with the EU, a possible end to corruption, and so many other possibilities.

As the Tisza party headed by Péter Magyar takes office, we wanted to establish how the victory was achieved: not as an abstract question, but as a reality of Hungarians who objected to Orban’s illiberal democracy and joined forces to fight it to victory. Eva Cartwright and Flora Hevesi, two such activists, join a dynamic and heartfelt conversation that explores what living in the Hungary of Fidesz really meant, in cities and villages, and how victory was finally achieved.

This episode was recorded 7 May 2026

Chapters

• Recognising the signs of democratic erosion
• Hungary’s experience of democracy
• The shift from Fidesz to Tisza
• Complexities of political activism

Mentions

• Full Circle event - 19th May 2026

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• Eva Cartwright LinkedIn
• Flora Hevesi LinkedIn
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen 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 all eyes remain on Iran, the US and the Strait of Hormuz, the global repercussions of the Iran war are becoming ever more evident. Food is an issue slowly hitting many parts: fertilisers are by products of fossil fuels, and the blocked Strait will constrain sowing seasons around the world. As regards the fuels themselves, many airlines are cutting flights as jet fuel supply is becoming a real problem.

Asia has been particularly hard hit by the war, with some 20% of its needs imported from the Gulf states. Europe imports far less, but the global shortage of oil and LNG has sent prices skyrocketing, while stocks are rapidly diminishing. At the same time, these economic hits are also pushing states in Asia and the EU to rethink their geostrategic interests in a collapsing world order, seeking to balance an ever more unpredictable - and vindictive - US with China and potentially other new alliances.

Shihoko Goto is the Vice President of Programs and Director of the Asia Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), and a fascinating expert on all things Asia. Rebecca Christie is Senior Fellow at Bruegel and an expert with great insights into the economic aspects of the EU. They join Ilana Bet-El in this great conversation really unpacks these and many other implications of the war in Iran - in Europe, Asia and across the globe.

This episode was recorded on 22 April 2026

Chapters

• Impact of the war on Asia's economies
• What are the geostrategic shifts in Asia and Europe?
• The role of the US in global energy dynamics
• Asia-Europe cooperation in an instable world
• China's long game in global politics

Mentions

• The Sound of Economics - Rebecca’s podcast
• ZhōngHuá Mundus - Bruegel’s podcast on China economy
• Iran Energy and Indo-Pacific Realignment - FPRI
• The Forces of Scarcity Hitting Asia May Soon Spread Across the World - The NewYork Times

Follow

• Shihoko Goto LinkedIn & Foreign Policy Research Institute webpage
• Rebecca Christie LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Bluesky, Bruegel page
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen 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

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The regional war that started on 28 February 2026 with US and Israeli airstrikes against Iran has engulfed Lebanon, Israel and the Gulf states. Meting out destruction, death and disillusion on all sides, 40 days of conflict stopped with US President Trump threatening to wipe out Iranian civilisation — to the horror of many around the world — and a fragile ceasefire agreed on April 7th, with negotiations to follow.

Conventional wisdom has it that everyone lost, though the Iranian regime remains in place — so it has, in its way, won. But maybe not. The Iranian proxies — sometimes known as the Shia Crescent or else the Axis of Resistance — have been crucial to Iran’s ambition as a regional power and to the justification of the post-1979 revolutionary state. But the Crescent has been severely crippled, and possibly broken, leaving the regime in dire need to fight for its survival — both internally, as with the protests that broke out in January and were brutally repressed, and externally, with the current war.

In a magnificent survey of Iran, its proxies and the states afflicted, Prof Lina Khatib of both the Harvard Belfer Center and Chatham House explains the logic of the proxies to those in power in Iran and the deep need of the Iranian regime to fight — for its survival. These are historic shifts: violent, destructive and painful. But they may be necessary to create a new, more peaceful Middle East.

A sharp, insightful and very fascinating conversation.

This episode was recorded on 9 April 2026

Chapters

• Implications of the US-Iran ceasefire
• Debunking Iran’s “dark” ideology and its enemies
• The degradation of Iran’s proxy model (Hezbollah, Hamas, Iraqi militia, Houthis)
• The evolution of Iran’s influence on its neighbours (Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Israel)
• The end of the status quo in the Middle East

Mentions

• Lina’s article “The degradation of Iran’s Proxy Model” Harvard Kennedy School
• “Israel to open direct talks with Lebanon but not halt attacks on Hezbollah” The Washington Post
• Lina’s article “Syria’s Lessons for Regime Change in Iran” Foreign Policy

Follow

• Lina Khatib LinkedIn & website
• Chatham House mailing list (research, comment and events)
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen 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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In week three of the war started by US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran, the main outcome appears to be destruction: of buildings and gas fields and military hardware; of the world energy market; of US credibility. The conflict has spread to Lebanon courtesy of Hezbollah, and Israel is being hit by missiles from there and Iran. The Gulf states, living under attack too, are seeing their economic model of a luxury bubble financed by high spenders dwindle away. The Straits of Hormuz, the crucial waterway through which energy, fertilisers and much else travels, is now closed. And while still shooting its ballistic missiles and many drones, Iran is being pummelled daily while seeing its ranks of leadership picked off faster than appointments are possible.

So what do the Iranian people make of the war? What are their horizons, and options? In absolute fact it is difficult to tell as the Ayatollahs keep the internet closed and for many contact to the outside world is difficult. But information is getting out, and as ever it is far more nuanced and complex than the simple narratives of for or against the regime that have been supplied so far.

Iran historian Dr Liora Hendelman-Baavur of Tel Aviv University and Maneli Mirkhan, strategist and Iran expert bring fascinating insights into the thinking and possibilities of the Iranian people, as well as many other analyses of how this war came about, and why it is difficult to predict how it ends.

This episode was recorded on 19 March 2026

Chapters

• An expected war between Israel and Iran?
• Public sentiment and reactions in Iran and Israel
• Regional Dynamics: Iran and the Gulf States
• What comes next with the war?

Mentions

• Dorna website
• Liora’s book Creating the Modern Iranian Woman: Popular Culture Between Two Revolutions

Follow

• Liora Hendelman-Baavur LinkedIn & Tel-Aviv University page
• Maneli Mirkhan LinkedIn & website
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen 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!) License code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJT

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The Islamic revolution that swept Iran in 1979 changed not only that state but also the region, and the world. The current war in and Iran can still be understood as a direct outcome of that event.

The humiliation of the US in 1979 made it implacably opposed to Iran. The alignment of most of the Gulf states with the US and their increasing ties with Israel also created a complex balance. On the other hand, Iran's spread of influence through its "Shia Crescent" in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, with offshoots in Yemen and Gaza, made it a formidable and threatening presence.

It is upon this background that the US-Israeli strikes commenced on February 28, engulfing the whole region in destruction and disorder.

Dina Esfandiary, Middle East lead at Bloomberg Economics, is an excellent guide to this complex reality. With clarity and depths of knowledge, this is the conversation we all need now.

This episode was recorded on 5 March 2026

Chapters

• Iran's response and regional implications
• Historical context of Gulf-Iran rivalry
• Iran's military capabilities and regional concerns
• What motived the US to strike Iran?
• The plight of the Iranian people

Mentions

• [Dina’s articles - Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/authors/AV0Rw29Q1B0/dina-esfandiary](https://www.bloomberg.com/authors/AV0Rw29Q1B0/dina-esfandiary)

Follow

• Dina Esfandiary LinkedIn & X/Twitter
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen 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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Gisèle Pelicot’s memoir has just been published, and the Jeffrey Epstein files continue to become public. While the admirable Ms Pelicot has become a modern heroine, the two stories have forced a strong focus upon a core common reality: women remain the ultimate objects, to be subjugated by men.

Ms Pelicot, the survivor of multiple rapes while rendered unconscious by her husband, recovered her own agency by refusing to remain anonymous, and by demanding that shame shift to the other side, to the perpetrators, to the men who raped her. The survivors of the Epstein abuse have not been so lucky: attention has been largely upon the powerful and famous men involved in this long running story of rape and abuse of minors, of young underage women.

Many women, and men, feel deep outrage about both these appalling events, but it isn’t always easy to talk about them. However, Katrin Bennhold of the New York Times and Elisa Braun of Euractiv, both senior investigative reporters and experienced journalists, explain so much about how these stories are reported, and express measures of disgust that enhance our own deep-felt emotions in the face of these criminal misogynistic abuses.

A fascinating, flowing and necessary discussion.

This episode was recorded on 19 February 2026

Chapters

• Contrasting stories: Pelicot vs. Epstein
• Civil courage and accountability
• When Justice is denied
• Investigative journalism: trust and trauma
• Conspiracy theories and institutional trust

Mentions

• The World newsletter - The New York Times
• The Rapporteur newsletter - Euractiv
• Gisèle Pelicot’s book
• Congressional hearing on Epstein files
• Grooming girls in Rotherham by Katrin Bennhold
• Epstein files 101 with Matt Goldstein
• Marina Hyde on the Epstein files

Follow

• Katrin Bennhold LinkedIn
• Elisa Braun LinkedIn
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen 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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Iran is at a boiling point. In January mass protests broke out across the country and many thousands of people were wounded and killed — by their own government. US President Trump appeared to egg the protesters on, though no tangible aid or succour materialised. On the other hand the US has now moved an aircraft carrier and a number of destroyers close to Iran in a military threat which remains unclear in its aims.

The immediate reason for the demonstrations was money: the Iranian economy is dire, and sliding still further into the abyss. But the context is broader and more complex: an autocratic and dictatorial regime that cares only for itself and its survival; and a regime unwilling to engage with the world efforts to curb its nuclear ambitions, and the resulting heavy sanctions burden.

To untangle these and many other threads, and to gain a sense of the broader Iranian position — and the evolving regional interests — Ilana Bet-El welcomes back Iran specialist Roxane Farmanfarmaian, Senior Associate Fellow at ELN, for a deep and fascinating examination of Iran at a crossroads.

This episode was recorded on 5 February 2026

Chapters

• Understanding the Iranian protests
• The role of the Revolutionary Guards
• Economic factors and aspirations of the Iranian people
• How the Iranian regime functions

Mentions

• New York Times opinion “In Counting the Dead in Iran, a Picture of Ferocity”
• Military.com “US Forces Headed to the Middle East as Tensions with Iran Rise"
• ELN “Europe and the end of New START Treaty”

Follow

• Dr. Roxane Farmanfarmaian LinkedIn and articles on European Leadership Network website
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen 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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The world is at a point of extreme discomfort, even pain. The first year of the second Trump administration was brutal, undermining the structures of democracy within the US and actively seeking to destroy the post WWII global order everywhere else. In the global south the cuts to US aid are clearly biting but also allowing a strong presence of.China and Russia. In Iran and Ukraine people feel abandoned by the US, as do the Kurds in Syria. And in Europe, historically the US’ strongest ally, there is a sense of betrayal: of trust, of shared values, of allied promises.

Donald Trump poses a problem in himself: he is publicly rude about his allies — as people, as states — and he ignores protocol. He demands adulation, even when it is not due. He makes respect difficult, not least when he threatens to invade an allied state or demands territories as a matter of pure ownership. He denies dignity, not an easy prospect in international affairs and diplomacy.

Almut Möller is Director for European and Global Affairs at EPC and Signe Biering is a former senior Danish diplomat And an expert on moderation and facilitation. Their combined experience and wonderful insights allow for a deep and fascinating reflection on how Europe is placed and feeling in this time of extraordinary change, and what it needs to seek going forward — as people, as states, as Europeans, as allies.

This episode was recorded on 22 January 2026

Chapters

• Cultural perspectives in Europe
• Why dignity in diplomacy is important
• Navigating modern diplomacy
• The changing landscape of European alliances

Mentions

• Mark Carney’s Davos speech
• Bart de Wever at Davos

Follow

• Signe Biering website & LinkedIn
• Almut Möller LinkedIn & ECP website
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen 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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2026 undoubtedly started with a spectacular show by the US in Venezuela; the question is -- what is it a show of?? Force, for sure. Planes, drones and soldiers all invaded Venezuela in a meticulously planned operation that focused on abducting President Maduro and his wife to the US, to stand drug charges. But beyond force, this was also a show of deep disregard for the world order and for international law. Moreover, in the passing days it has become clear it is a show of disregard for the people of Venezuela: if there existed a flimsy excuse for removing the leader of another country by force it was that Maduro was clearly not the legally elected president of Venezuela as the last election was completely corrupted and that the opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez won by a wide margin. But the Trump Administration has made clear they have no interest in helping him, or indeed 2025 Nobel Prize winner María Machado, in taking office.

Ultimately, it is a show of force for greed: for the energy resources of Venezuela.

This attack seems to reflect a brutal world of might is right such as existed in the pre-Westphalian era. An emperor wants a resource or a land or obedience, and uses force to get it. Will this now be the case in other states in Latin America, or in Greenland? Will the world order survive this attack? Will NATO? To understand this better, Rachel Ellehuus, Director General of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) joins Ilana Bet-El in a sober, deep and fascinating discussion on these and many other issues.

This episode was recorded on 8 January 2026

Chapters

• Inside NATO: what does a defence adviser actually do?
• Venezuela: what US intervention signals (and what it breaks)
• The US and the world: Middle East, Africa, Ukraine, Russia
• Negotiating with states: diplomacy vs deal-making
• Are concerns over Greenland justified?

Mentions

• Interview with former NATO DSACEUR
• RUSI website

Follow

• Rachel Ellehuus LinkedIn
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen 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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Tittle: Africa all around

There is a renowned inclination to view and discuss Africa largely in terms of failure and disaster. The horrendous civil war in Sudan, the coups in the Sahel, the never ending wars in the DRC, are excellent examples. More broadly, in the West the continent tends to be seen as a long project of democratisation, whilst to Russia and China it is largely a huge pit of natural resources and a useful instrument of anti west disorder.

But Africa is a vast continent of 54 states, with a population of over 1.5 billion people. The differences between the north and the south are vast as are those between the east and the west — and it has vast potentials for production and investment. To understand both the issues and the potentials there can be no better guide than Amaka Anku, Head of the Africa Practice at the Eurasia Group. In a sharp, passionate and humorous discussion with Ilana Bet-El she takes us through a whistle stop tour of the continent past, present and potential futures. Bottom line: African states post colonialism are young, but they need to move on towards a positive narrative of their states.

This episode was recorded on 11 December 2025

Chapters

• What are the key investors in Africa?
• Why Africa struggle for effective governance?
• Colonial legal and democracy industrialisation
• Population growth and economic challenges
• Zoom on the Sahel region and the return of coups
• Why Russia and China are back in African countries?

Mentions

• Eurasia Group
• Africa political map
• BBC “Benin coup plot leader hiding in Togo”

Follow

• Amaka Anku LinkedIn, Eurasia group
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Watch 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.