Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes

With Trump´s inauguration in 2017 and his claims about NATO and the transatlantic relationship, Europe began to realize that it needed to take better care of its own security. With the official election result looming, host Mark Leonard talks to ECFR’s heads of offices from Berlin, Paris, Madrid, and Warsaw – Jana Puglierin, Tara Varma, Jose Ignacio Torreblanca and Piotr Buras – as well as Jeremy Shapiro, ECFR´s research director and in-house US expert: How much impact does the future US president have on the very concept of European sovereignty? Will the idea and initiatives to build more strategic autonomy in Europe be put back to bed with Joe Biden in the White House? Or does Europe have to forge its own agenda?Further reading:• Topic page US elections and their impact on Europe and the world: https://buff.ly/3jQeFdV • “Independence play: Europe’s pursuit of strategic autonomy” by Ulrike Franke & Tara Varma: https://buff.ly/3jXaCwJ • "An American chasm" The Rachman Review with Jeremy Shapiro: https://buff.ly/2JG7QiUThis podcast was recorded on 5 November 2020.Bookshelf:• “These truths: a history of the United States” by Jill Lepore h• “We the People: a history of the United States” by Bidna, David et.al • “Yoga” by Emmanuel Carrère • “The tribalization of Europe: a defence of our liberal values” by Marlene Wind • Transcript Of John McCain's concession speech • TV show “Emily in Paris” • TV show “Patria” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How will and can Europeans react in the event of a post-election chaos in the US? The election day is fast approaching yet the outcome still remains highly debatable and unpredictable. And, it is rather likely that also after November 3rd, no clear winner can be announced. How should Europe respond in this time of uncertainty? What impact will the prolonged power struggle have on the transatlantic relationship? ECFR’s research director Jeremy Shapiro takes over this week and is joined by ECFR´s senior director for strategic partnerships Anna Kuchenbecker, the Polish MEP Radek Sikorski, ECFR´s deputy director Vessela Tcherneva and Pierre Vimont, French ambassador to the US.Further reading: The world must prepare for a contested US election, by Timothy Garton Ash: https://buff.ly/3jKwPOe This podcast was recorded on 23 October 2020.Bookshelf:• “Cynical Theories: How activist scholarship made everything about race, gender, and identity—and why this harms everybody” by Helen Pluckrose & James Lindsay • “The Crimean war: A history” by Orlando Figes • "The United States and Central Europe: Tasks for a second century together” by Daniel Fried et. Al • “The plot against America” by Philip Roth Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

European countries are increasingly coming under threat of economic coercion from great powers, as outlined in the latest ECFR’s policy brief. But what do we mean by economic coercion? What and who is currently threatening EU’s sovereignty, and what is likely to threaten it in the future?In this week’s episode, host Mark Leonard is joined by Elizabeth Rosenberg, Senior Fellow and Director of the Energy, Economics, and Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, Jean Pisani-Ferry, ECFR Council Member and a senior fellow at Brussels-based think-tank Bruegel and Jonathan Hackenbroich, ECFR policy fellow for economic statecraft and the head of ECFR’s Task Force for Protecting Europe from Economic Coercion to discuss how Europe could build up higher economic resilience. How can the Union best redress market distortions caused by sanctions, export controls and other forms of economic coercion? And can deterrence actually work?Further readings:• "A New Arsenal for Competition: Coercive Economic Measures in the U.S.-China Relationship" by Elizabeth Rosenberg, Peter Harrell and Ashley Feng: https://buff.ly/3mdQAiT• "Trump’s International Economic Legacy, by Jean Pisani-Ferry: https://buff.ly/31B0nrw• "Defending Europe’s Economic Sovereignty: new ways to resist economic coercion" by Jonathan Hackenbroich, with Janka Oertel, Philipp Sandner, and Pawel Zerka: https://t.co/R7G02XnyYU This podcast was recorded on 22 October 2020.Bookshelf: • "How Global Currencies Work: Past, Present, and Future" by Barry Eichengreen, Arnaud Mehl, and Livia Chitu• "De Gaulle" by Julian Jackson• "Maoism: a global history" by Julia Lowell• "National Power and the Structure of Foreign Trade" by Albert O. Hirschman• "Redefining A Philosophy for World Governance" by Tingyang Zao Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Europe’s digital transformation and sovereignty has become a question of existential importance. But what does it actually mean to be digital sovereign? Host Mark Leonard is joined by Marietje Schaake, President of the CyberPeace Institute and International Policy Director at the Cyber Policy Center at Stanford University as well as ECFR’s Jose Ignacio Torreblanca and Jeremy Shapiro. Together they analyse where we do see progress in developing digital sovereignty on EU level and where challenges still remain. What are some of the ideas for how the EU could develop digital sovereignty? And why does Europe have to even take two steps ahead and go above and beyond being a “regulatory superpower”? Further read: - “Europe’s digital sovereignty: From rulemaker to superpower in the age of US-China rivalry” by Carla Hobbs (ed.) https://buff.ly/30eSI1P - “Weakened democracy is another harm caused by Big Tech” by Marietje Schaake in Financial Times https://buff.ly/2T23y6I This podcast was recorded on 15 October 2020. Bookshelf: “Central bank digital currencies: foundational principles and core features” Report No.1 by Bank for International Settlements 2020 “Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism” by Anne Applebaum José I. Torreblanca interviewing Anne Applebaum in El Mundo [in Spanish] “Which Side of History?: How Technology Is Reshaping Democracy and Our Lives Kindle Edition” by James P. Steyer (ed.) “The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World” by Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The covid-19 pandemic has shaken the EU’s conception of order and exposed a gap between European aspirations and actions. Firstly, Europeans are confronted with the fact that raw power, not rules, is the main factor determining today’s global dynamics. Secondly, global politics are now centred rather in Asia than Europe; the Sino-American rivalry has shifted attention away from European issues.In this week’s podcast, Mark Leonard stars as guest – not host – to discuss with policy fellow Ulrike Franke und head of ECFR’s Berlin office Jana Puglierin these “twin shocks”. What are possible ways to deal with these new geopolitical realities shock and what does this mean for the transatlantic relationship? To what extent will the US elections be a game-changer? Should Europe reinvent its geopolitical approach? And in which ways can Germany help Europe to redefine its strategy in this deeply changed scenario?Further reading: “Geopolitical Europe in times of covid-19 ” by Mark Leonard: https://www.europesfutures.eu/vault/geopolitical-europe-in-times-of-covid-19This podcast was recorded on 7 October 2020.Bookshelf:-"Possible Minds: 25 Ways of Looking at AI” by John Brockman -"Zeitenwende", Special Edition of the Munich Security Report on German Foreign and Security Policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The contested Nagorno-Karabakh region is at the heart of a decades-long armed standoff between neighbours Armenia and Azerbaijan. The heavy clashes seen last week prompted fears that the dispute could spark yet again another war in the region. Host Mark Leonard is joined by Nicu Popescu, head of ECFR’s Wider Europe programme, ECFR’s Turkey expert Asli Aydıntaşbaş and Sophia Pugsley, Caucasus Regional Manager at International Alert. They explain the background to this conflict, why it flared up again and talk about the situation on the ground. What kind of roles do Turkey and Russia play in the recent fights? Should the EU interfere, and if yes, how? Further reading: "A hill here, a village there: Nagorno-Karabakh and the salami-slicing wars", by Nicu Popescu: https://buff.ly/3joH77wThis podcast was recorded on 30 September 2020.Bookshelf: “The story of a new name” by Elena Ferrante - “Envisioning peace: An analysis of grassroots views on the Nagorny Karabakh conflict” by Larisa Sotieva et al. - “Parts of a Circle: History of the Karabakh conflict“ a film by Conciliation Resources: https://vimeo.com/407942633 - “Biography of an empire. Governing Ottomans in an age of revolution” by Christine Philliou - “ Osman’s Dream: The history of the Ottoman Empire” by Caroline Finkel - “The Churchill Complex: rise and fall of the special relationship” by Ian Buruma Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the eastern Mediterranean, a scramble is under way between countries in the region for access to recently discovered gas fields, often overlapping with wider battle lines across the Middle East, historical tensions and far-back-reaching sentiments. Following up on last week’s conversation with spokesperson and close senior advisor to President Erdogan Ibrahim Kalin, this week’s episode analyses the crisis from a Greek, French, and Turkish perspective. Host Mark Leonard is joined by ECFR´s Turkey expert Asli Aydıntaşbaş, the head of ECFR’s Paris Office Tara Varma and ECFR Council Member, professor at the University of Athens and President of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) Loukas Tsoukalis. Together, they discuss what led to the escalation and which different aspects are important to understand the crisis. Is Ankara adopting an assertive approach or is it playing a “stabilising role”? And what are the intentions behind President Macron´s call for a Pax Mediterranea? Can Europe’s find a common approach and voice on this conflict and in the mediation process?Read more about the Eastern Mediterranean issue here: https://buff.ly/3ciG99URe-watch the conversation with Ibrahim Kalin here: https://buff.ly/3mNNfrZThis podcast was recorded on 23 September 2020.Bookshelf:• “My Brilliant Friend” and "The lying life of adults" by Elena Ferrante • "Necropolitics” by Achille Mbembe • “How my mother and I became Chinese propaganda” by Jiayang Fan in The New Yorker• "Turkey’s labyrinthine relationship with the West: Seeking a way forward” by Marc Pierinipicture: © picture alliance / AA | Turkish National Defense Ministry - Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ursula von der Leyen’s first State of the European Union speech was as long as it was broad in topics and calls for action. Host Mark Leonard is joined by Alexander Stubb, ECFR Board Member, Director of the European University Institute’s School of Transnational Governance and Former Prime Minister of Finland and Carlos Moedas Trustee at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and former European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation. Together they break down the speech and analyse its various parts, from climate to health policy, from digital sovereignty to Europe’s place in the world. What did the Commission President promise and envision? And did she point out some black sheep?This podcast was recorded on 16 September 2020.Bookshelf:• “Governance in the new global disorder: Politics for a post-sovereign society” by Daniel Innerarity • “The virus in the age of madness" by Bernard-Henri Lévy • “Has China won? The Chinese challenge to American primacy” by Kishore Mahbubani • "Negotiating flexibility in the European Union" by Alexander Stubb • "Taming Sino-American rivalry" by Feng Zhang & Richard Ned Lebow Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Although US President Donald Trump’s efforts to undermine the election are shameless, they are still more subtle than the outright election rigging that one finds in places like Belarus. Like other authoritarian leaders, Trump is deploying a new anti-democratic politics that has yet to be fully comprehended. Together with Asli Aydintasbas, Jeremy Shapiro and Andrew Wilson, Mark Leonard depicts seven dirty tricks that Trump seems to be borrowing from e.g. Russian President Vladimir Putin or Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Further reading: "Trump's dirty trick" by Mark Leonard: https://buff.ly/2EYW4xG This podcast was recorded on 9 September 2020.Bookshelf:- “Circe” and “The song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller - “The eternal city: A history of Rome” by Ferdinand Addis - “Democracy for sale” by Peter GeogheganPicture (c) Gage Skidmore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode, we feature one of the focus sessions from our Annual Council Meeting this June. Policy Fellow Ulrike Franke moderated this online panel discussion featuring Marietje Schaake, International Director of Policy at Stanford University's Cyber Policy Centre and former Member of the European Parliament, and Carlos Moedas Trustee at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and former European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, European Commission. Is the European Union indeed a “regulatory superpower” for digitalisation and the tech market? Does the EU draw on its AI potential to the fullest? Where should Europe position itself in the US-China rivalry? The session was recorded on 29 June 2020.Further reading: -Europe’s digital sovereignty: From rulemaker to superpower in the age of US-China rivalry by Carla Hobbs (ed.): https://buff.ly/30eSI1P-Not smart enough: The poverty of European military thinking on artificial intelligence by Ulrike Franke: https://buff.ly/2Es0QApBookshelf:ECFR’s August Reading List:https://buff.ly/30aJOSM Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.