Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes

On Saturday morning, Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel, firing thousands of rockets, but also infiltrating cities, towns, and kibbutzim in the south of the country. It is the first time a hostile power has taken Israeli territory since the Yom Kippur war in 1973. This surprise offensive – which has already killed more than 800 Israelis and left over 400 Palestinians dead in Gaza after initial Israeli military reprisals – marks a significant turning point in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.In this special episode, Mark Leonard welcomes Israeli diplomat and strategist, Eran Etzion, who is a former head of policy planning at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former deputy head of the country’s National Security Council. They are joined by Julien Barnes-Dacey, director of ECFR’s Middle East and North Africa programme, and ECFR senior policy fellow Hugh Lovatt to discuss what is behind Israel’s intelligence failure and consider possible future scenarios. How did Hamas militants manage to infiltrate Israeli territory? What does this mean for the future of Abraham accords as well as prospects for Saudi-Israel normalisation? And for Netanyahu, and his hold on power? Finally, is there any role at all that Europeans can play in preventing a regional conflagration? This podcast was recorded on 9 October 2023. Bookshelf: How Europeans should respond to the Hamas offensive against Israel | Julien Barnes-Dacey, Hugh Lovatt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of Spain’s People’s Party, lost his second bid at leading the country’s government. All eyes are now on Pedro Sánchez, acting prime minister and leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, as he tries to gather enough support to hold his office for another term.Across the continent, Poland is preparing for the next parliamentary election on 15 October – and the rising far-right party Confederation is set to swing the balance between right-wing incumbents Law and Justice, and the liberal opposition.In this week’s episode, Mark Leonard welcomes senior policy fellows José Ignacio Torreblanca, head of ECFR Madrid, and Piotr Buras, head of ECFR Warsaw, to discuss how Spanish and Polish politics will affect Europe’s political map, the bloc’s support for Ukraine, the growing debate on enlargement, and next summer’s European elections. Are mainstream parties in Poland willing to form a government with Confederation?Whose support will Pedro Sánchez need to form a new government, and what happens if he too fails? What is causing voters to flock to right-wing parties in Poland but punish them in Spain? How are Poland’s pre-election debates on refugees and grain affecting European support for Ukraine?This podcast was recorded on 29 September 2023.Bookshelf: Free: Coming of Age at the End of History | Lea YpiChip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology | Chris MillerSpołeczeństwo populistów | Przemysław Sadura, Sławomir Sierakowski Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the past few months, the United States has been trying to broker a groundbreaking bilateral deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Iran, meanwhile, is forging an ever closer and ever more dangerous partnership with Russia. Finally, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt were invited to join the BRICS this summer – and are turning more and more towards the east. In short, the Middle Eastern order has shifted towards multipolarity. In this week’s episode, Mark Leonard welcomes Ellie Geranmayeh, senior policy fellow and deputy director of ECFR’s Middle East and North Africa programme, and Alistair Burt, pro-chancellor of Lancaster University and former UK minister of state for the Middle East and North Africa. Together, they discuss the power dynamics that are shaping the Middle East’s embrace of multipolarity. Who are the winners and losers in these power shifts? How are China and Russia exploiting them? And what can Europe do to pursue its own interests in a region that has become much more comfortable with hedging? This podcast was recorded on 12 September 2023. Bookshelf: A Year on from the Mahsa Amini Protests: Where Iran is headed and the Implications for Western Policy | Ellie Geranmayeh And then what?: inside stories of 21st-century diplomacy | Catherine Ashton Assad | Con Coughlin 1923 | Ned Boulting Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The podcast discusses the changing dynamics of China and its risks for Germany and Europe, explores the illusion of China as a partner in global climate change, analyzes the risk profile in the German China strategy, explores Germany's role in the evolving European stance towards China, and concludes with book recommendations.

Global freedom has been declining for 17 years. Authoritarian turns are increasing, and current events – such as the rise of populism and Russia’s war on Ukraine – are shaping the future of democracy across the globe. In this week’s episode, Mark Leonard welcomes the president of the Open Society Foundations (OSF), Mark Malloch-Brown – who previously served as UN deputy secretary-general under Kofi Annan – to discuss open societies and OSF’s role in promoting justice, democratic governance, and human rights worldwide. What are OSF’s next steps in the new global reality? How could changes in the organisation’s presence in Europe affect civil society on the continent, especially in places like Poland, Hungary, and Ukraine? And how crucial is 2024, a year of big elections in Europe and the United States, for defending the open society model?This podcast was recorded on 13 September 2023. Bookshelf:Open Society BarometerThe Wide World | Pierre Lemaitre Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

War has returned to the European continent, putting many previous divisions into perspective. This has caused European leaders to think afresh about their politics – and raised the question of the United Kingdom’s role in European foreign policy. Seven years after the Brexit referendum, the EU and the UK have finally resolved some of their differences through the Windsor Framework. The possibility of a reset between the UK and the EU on foreign policy could be on the horizon. In this year’s mini-series, Mark Leonard and Susi Dennison examine what a reimagined EU-UK relationship might look like. In this seventh episode, Mark and Susi welcome ECFR senior policy fellow, Nick Witney, who previously served as the first chief executive of the European Defence Agency, and ECFR distinguished policy fellow, Camille Grand, who is a former NATO assistant secretary general. How have Brexit and then the war in Ukraine affected UK-EU defence cooperation? What potential is there for future collaboration in defence, especially in the areas of industry, technology, and energy? And could NATO act as a vehicle for a different kind of defence relationship between the UK and EU member state s?This podcast was recorded on 20 July 2023. Bookshelf:What Just Happened?! by Marina HydeLeMay: The Life and Wars of General Curtis LeMay, by Warren KozakThe Bomber Mafia, by Malcolm Gladwell (Podcast) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

War has returned to the European continent, putting many previous divisions into perspective. This has caused European leaders to think afresh about their politics – and raised the question of the United Kingdom’s role in European foreign policy. Seven years after the Brexit referendum, the EU and the UK have finally resolved some of their differences through the Windsor Framework. The possibility of a reset between the UK and the EU on foreign policy could be on the horizon. In this year’s mini-series, Mark Leonard and Susi Dennison examine what a reimagined EU-UK relationship might look like. In this sixth episode, Mark and Susi welcome former permanent secretary in the UK’s Department for Exiting the European Union, Philip Rycroft, who prior to that held several roles in Westminster and Brussels, including in Leon Brittan’s cabinet. How is post-Brexit Britan approaching trade deals and regulatory alignment with third countries? How has Brexit affected the movement of people and labour across borders? What are the implications of the Northern Ireland Protocol for the UK’s relationship with the EU? And what challenges and opportunities does the UK face in the evolving global economy, particularly considering China’s influence?This podcast was recorded on 20 June 2023. Bookshelf:North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 23 August, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s private jet crashed, leading Russian state media to declare his death. The enigmatic circumstances surrounding the event raise crucial questions about the incident itself, but also about its potential ramifications, which could extend well beyond Russia. In this special episode, Mark Leonard welcomes the head of ECFR’s Africa programme, Theodore Murphy, senior policy fellow, Kadri Liik, and visiting fellows Pavel Slunkin and Kirill Shamiev to dissect the aftermath of the development.To what extent will the Wagner group be able to maintain its autonomy from the Kremlin following Prigozhin’s death? How might Prigozhin’s death affect the power dynamics within Russia’s security apparatus and intelligence agencies? And what could the implications be for the future of Wagner, both in Ukraine and in Africa? The podcast was recorded on Thursday 24 August 2023.Bookshelf:The Redline podcast – episode 95: The Death of the US Dollar?Russian archive about the Revolution and the Civil War Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

War has returned to the European continent, putting many previous divisions into perspective. This has caused European leaders to think afresh about their politics – and raised the question of the United Kingdom’s role in European foreign policy. Seven years after the Brexit referendum, the EU and the UK have finally resolved some of their differences through the Windsor Framework. The possibility of a reset between the UK and the EU on foreign policy could be on the horizon. In this year’s mini-series, Mark Leonard and Susi Dennison examine what a reimagined EU-UK relationship might look like. In this fifth episode, Mark and Susi welcome Britain’s former permanent representative to the EU, Ivan Rogers, who also served as David Cameron’s advisor for Europe and as principal private secretary to Tony Blair. How could the evolving geopolitical landscape, particularly the US-China relationship, influence security dynamics in the EU and the UK? What challenges and opportunities might a new UK government face when rethinking the country’s economic and financial relationship with the EU? In what areas is the UK and the EU’s cooperation on rule-making asymmetrical, and how does that affect their ability to collaborate on various policy matters?This podcast was recorded on 19 July 2023. Bookshelf:Revolutionary Spring: Fighting for a New World 1848-1849, by Christopher ClarkThe Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914, by Christopher Clark Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

War has returned to the European continent, putting many previous divisions into perspective. This has caused European leaders to think afresh about their politics – and raised the question of the United Kingdom’s role in European foreign policy. Seven years after the Brexit referendum, the EU and the UK have finally resolved some of their differences through the Windsor Framework. The possibility of a reset between the UK and the EU on foreign policy could be on the horizon. In this year’s mini-series, Mark Leonard and Susi Dennison examine what a reimagined EU-UK relationship might look like. In this fourth episode, Mark and Susi welcome Nick Butler, energy policy adviser at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, and the Faraday Institution, and previously senior policy advisor to former prime minister Gordon Brown and co-founder of the Centre for European Reform think tank. How does the EU-UK relationship sit in the context of global energy challenges and climate change? What areas of common interest exist between the UK and the EU in terms of energy storage, renewable energy development, and technological advancements? How can cooperation be strengthened on creating a more integrated and resilient energy market?This podcast was recorded on 19 July 2023. Bookshelf:The Long Journey of English: A Geographical History of the Language, Peter Trudgill Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.