Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes

The little-known but long-running conflict in Western Sahara made it into the headlines in Europe recently, when Morocco weaponised migration in Ceuta to advance its territorial claim. Listen as host Julien Barnes-Dacey, director of the MENA programme at ECFR discusses the issue with Irene Fernandez-Molina, senior lecturer in International Relations at the University of Exeter and expert on frozen conflicts, Jose Ignacio Torreblanca, senior policy fellow and head of ECFR´s Madrid office, as well as Jacob Mundy, visiting fellow at ECFR and an associate professor in Peace and Conflict Studies and Middle Eastern, and Islamic Studies programs at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. Together they try to find out what the Western Sahara conflict is all about, and how the most recent developments between Morocco and Spain will influence this conflict.Picture: UN Photo/Martine Perret (CC BY-NC-ND) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last Sunday, Belarus intercepted and diverted a commercial flight between two EU capitals to arrest a dissident. This, alongside the stagnation of the Belarusian economy, the continuing protests and Lukashenka’s illegitimate rule, fuels popular discontent in the country and worries the European Union. Katia Glod, non-resident fellow with the Russia programme of the US-based Center for European Policy Analysis, Linas Linkevičius, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and former Minister of Defence of Lithuania as well as ECFR Council member, and ECFR visiting fellow Pavel Slunkin who previously worked for the Foreign Ministry of Belarus and our host for this week’s episode ECFR deputy director Vessela Tcherneva recap the recent developments and explore the broader context of the crisis: What will be the impact of the EU and US measures against Belarus? What is Russia’s role in this? And what should be next steps also ahead of the EU-US summit on 15 June?  This podcast was recorded on 27 May 2021. Further reading: After the Pratasevich arrest: Four key steps for the EU on Belarus by Joanna Hosa & Pavel Slunkin, https://ecfr.eu/article/after-the-pratasevich-arrest-four-key-steps-for-the-eu-on-belarus/ Bookshelf: A promised land by Barack Obama, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/12/books/review/barack-obama-a-promised-land.html The politics book: Big ideas simply explained by Kate Johnsen, Sam Atkinson & Rebecca Warren, https://www.frostmagazine.com/2013/03/the-politics-book-review/ Airport by Arthur Hailey, https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/arthur-hailey-3/airport/Image: Andrey Kukharenko CC2.0 https://www.flickr.com/photos/192897193@N02/51199553335/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Catastrophe and disaster have been a frequent phenomenon throughout the history of mankind, coming in different forms. So how is it then that, despite being far more scientifically educated on the origins of disasters, we do not seem to be getting any better at dealing with them? To find out, host Mark Leonard talks to Niall Ferguson, author of the book “Doom: The politics of catastrophe” and senior fellow at both the Hoover Institution at Stanford University as well as the Center for European Studies at Harvard University. Together, they address why some societies and states respond to catastrophe so much better than others. And why do some fall apart, most hold together, and a few emerge stronger?This podcast was recorded on 16 May 2021.Further reading:- "Doom: The politics of catastrophe" by Niall Ferguson: https://buff.ly/3fy2DWA Bookshelf:- "America in the world: A history of U.S. diplomacy and foreign policy" by Robert B. Zoellick- "The road less traveled: The secret battle to end the Great War, 1916-1917" by Philip D. Zelikow Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

China’s formalised, seemingly nonchalant, attitude towards the Western Balkans masks a surprising nimbleness and strategic intent. In the past decade, the country has become the most prominent third actor in this part of the European Union’s neighbourhood. To find out why, host Mark Leonard talks to Majda Ruge, senior policy fellow in ECFR´s Wider Europe programme with a focus on the Western Balkans, Vladimir Shopov, visiting fellow with ECFR´s Asia programme, as well as Vessela Tcherneva, deputy director of ECFR and head of ECFR’s Sofia office. Together, they discuss why it is important to take a closer look at Chinese engagement in the region, how much influence China already has in the Western Balkans and how European policymakers should react. This podcast was recorded on 12 May 2021. Further reading: Decade of patience: How China became a power in the Western Balkans by Vladimir Shopov, https://ecfr.eu/publication/decade-of-patience-how-china-became-a-power-in-the-western-balkans/ Bookshelf: War: How Conflict Shaped Us by Margaret MacMillan, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/06/books/review/war-margaret-macmillan.html The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations by Daniel Yergin, https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/a-global-energy-study-that-misses-some-climate-change-realities/2020/09/24/1addeb3e-f2b3-11ea-bc45-e5d48ab44b9f_story.html The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State by Elizabeth C. Economy, https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2019/01/15/book-review-the-third-revolution-xi-jinping-and-the-new-chinese-state-by-elizabeth-economy/ Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe by Niall Ferguson, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/may/07/doom-by-niall-ferguson-review-how-to-make-sense-of-catastrophePhoto: REUTERS/Djordje Kojadinovic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The EU is India's largest trading partner; India, in turn, is only the EU’s tenth largest trading partner. And despite the two often having expressed an interest in closer trade and political relations, there has been no visible progress made in the last years. Ahead of the EU-India Leaders Summit on 8 May 2021, host Mark Leonard talks to Fréderic Grare, senior policy fellow with ECFR’s Asia Programme, Raja Mohan, director of the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore and columnist of the Indian Express, as well as Manisha Reuter, ECFR´s Asia programme coordinator. How does the covid-19 pandemic impact India´s geopolitics and foreign policy? How has the rise of China influenced EU-India relations so far? And what are the prospects of a closer EU-India relationship following the upcoming Summit? This podcast was recorded on 5 May 2021. Further reading: “The EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy: A chance for a clear message to China and Europe’s allies” by Fréderic Grare: https://buff.ly/3sKTjmO “Friends in deed: How the EU and the Quad can promote security in the Indo-Pacific” by Manish Reuter https://buff.ly/33ud7Ax Bookshelf - “Globalists: the end of empire and the birth of neoliberalism” by Quinn Slobodian - “India's power elite” by Sanjaya Baru - “India's China challenge: A journey through China's rise and what it means for India” by Ananth Krishnan“The Covid Consensus: The new politics of global inequality” by Toby Green https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/the-covid-consensus/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While Germany’s long-ruling centre-right parties continue to offer more of the same, the Greens have recently emerged as a serious contender in the run-up to September’s federal elections. Rather than demanding that Germans give up their lifestyles, the Greens are promising to make Germany a better version of itself. But how will this affect German foreign policy? Host Mark Leonard talks to Franziska Brantner, spokesperson for European Policy and Parliamentary Secretary of Bündnis90/Die Grünen’s parliamentary group as well as Janka Oertel, head of ECFR´s Asia programme to discuss what Germany’s future with a Green government would look like. This podcast was recorded on 29 April 2021.Further reading: •“Germany’s Green Velvet Revolution?” by Mark Leonard: https://buff.ly/2RcOTb6 Bookshelf:•“Green Recovery Tracker": https://www.greenrecoverytracker.org/ •“Heimat Europa?” by Martin Ramb & Holger Zaborowski, • “China’s FinTech: the end of the wild west” by Viviana Zhu Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our system is not fit to deal with the challenges of the 21st century. This has been laid bare not just by the covid-19 pandemic, but also by the increasing power competition between the US and China, and the blockage and weaponisation of the multilateral system and the current crisis of democracy. Could a new “concert of powers” possibly be the solution? This week, host Mark Leonard talks to Charles Kupchan, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and professor of international affairs at Georgetown University; Leslie Vinjamuri, Director of the US and the Americas programme and Dean of the Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership in International Affairs at Chatham House; as well as Nicu Popescu, senior policy fellow and director of ECFR´s Wider Europe programme. In this episode, they discuss the idea of a “global concert of powers” to promote stability in a multipolar world. How would such a format be formed and who would be involved? And how does the future of the liberal order look after two centuries of Western domination? This podcast was recorded on 20 April 2021.Further reading:• “The new concert of powers. How to prevent catastrophe and promote stability in a multipolar world” by Richard N. Haass & Charles A. Kupchan in Foreign Affairs: https://buff.ly/2OYR5Co • "The liberal order begins at home. How democratic revival can reboot the international system" by Robin Niblett and Leslie Vinjamuri in Foreign Affairs: https://buff.ly/3sMLKfrBookshelf:• “Kill switch: The rise of the modern senate and the crippling of American democracy” by Adam Jentleson• “Mountains beyond mountains: The quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a man who would cure the world” by Tracy Kidder• “Why an internationalist foreign policy needs a stronger domestic foundation” by Charles Kupchan & Peter Trubowitz• “The heart is a lonely hunter” by Carson McCullers• “The bean trees” by Barbara Kingsolver Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Diplomacy and war have both been part of human history, but neither are stagnant concepts. Different conceptions of the global order influence policy decisions daily, while the notions of war equally shape nation-states and our lives. To get a deeper understanding of how both ideas impact geopolitics, host Mark Leonard talks to Margaret MacMillan, professor of history at the University of Toronto and author of the book “War: How Conflict Shaped Us”, Robert Cooper, distinguished British and European diplomat and author of “The Ambassadors: Thinking about Diplomacy from Machiavelli to Modern Times” and Gideon Rachman, British journalist and chief foreign affairs columnist for the Financial Times. What are different models for thinking about global order? How do ideas about war shape what statesmen and -women do?This podcast was recorded on 14 April 2021.Bookshelf:• “The ambassadors: Thinking about diplomacy from Machiavelli to modern times ” by Robert Cooper• “War: How Conflict Shaped Us” by Margaret MacMillan• “Zero-Sum World: Politics, Power and Prosperity After the Crash” by Gideon Rachman• “Britain alone” by Philip Stephens• “The Greek Revolution: A Critical Dictionary” by Paschalis M. Kitromilides & Constantinos Tsoukalas• “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas• “Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain” by Sathnam Sanghera• “Ioannis A. Kapodistrias, the European diplomat and statesman of the 19th century” by Helen E. Koukkou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Now that the world is entering a new phase of fighting the covid-19 pandemic, there is a renewed chance for working better together - and the European Union could do much to set these frameworks. But how can Europe adapt its strategies for multilateralism in this competitive world and what would they look like? Moreover, with other big players like China making their intentions to shape the global community unmistakably known, what reactions can Europe expect from a new-found agenda for multilateralism? This week’s host Susi Dennison tries to find answers to these questions with the help of Anthony Dworkin, ECFR research director and senior policy fellow, and Janka Oertel, ECFR’s Asia programme director and senior policy fellow. Together, they take a closer look at the potential for further global cooperation, the role Europe could play and future challenges the multilateral world will face.This podcast was recorded on 8 April 2021.Further reading:· “Built to order: How Europe can rebuild multilateralism after covid-19” by Anthony Dworkin: https://buff.ly/3fu4ehF· “Climate superpowers: How the EU and China can compete and cooperate for a green future” Janka Oertel, Jennifer Tollmann and Byford Tsang: https://buff.ly/2JHm437Bookshelf:· “The bleak house” by Charles Dickens· “Summer” by Ali Smith· “China reveals co-operation with EU on green investment standards” by Selena Yi and Robin Yu· “Economic policy for a pandemic age: How the world must prepare” by Monica de Bolle, Maurice Obstfeld and Adam S. Posen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite the asymmetry in their size, population, and military prowess, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been engaged in a decade-long rivalry. This confrontation is not only feeding regional instability but is also deepening Europe’s divisions, making it more difficult for the European Union and its member states to develop a cohesive policy on the Mediterranean. This week, host Mark Leonard talks to Asli Aydıntaşbaş, ECFR´s Turkey expert, Cinzia Bianco, visiting fellow working on the Arabian Peninsula and Gulf region, as well as Julien Barnes-Dacey, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at ECFR. Together, they examine the origins of the rivalry, its impacts on the EU, as well as the arenas the rivalry outplays. Finally, they try to answer a most critical question: How can the EU prevent the Turkey-UAE rivalry from destabilising European security and foreign policy?This podcast was recorded on 31 March 2021. Further reading: • “Useful enemies: How the Turkey-UAE rivalry is remaking the Middle East” by Asli Aydıntaşbaş & Cinzia Bianco: https://buff.ly/3tuyQUd • “Mutual reassurance: Why Europe should support talks between Egypt and Turkey” by Matteo Colombo: https://buff.ly/35Fo43U• “Israel-UAE peace deal: Flipping the regional order of the Middle East” by Cinzia Bianco & Hugh Lovatt: https://buff.ly/3dnAQar Bookshelf: • “The Sympathizer” by Viet Thanh Nguyen, • “Desert Kingdoms to Global Powers: The Rise of the Arab Gulf” by Rory Miller• “The Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life” by Tom Reiss• “The Ambassadors thinking about Diplomacy from Machiavelli to Modern Times” by Robert CooperPicture (c) REUTERS/Umit Bektas Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.