Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes

How is Russia dealing with covid-19? What impact does the pandemic have on the other underlying political issues in Russia – such as the change of the constitution and Putin’s decision to essentially stay in power until 2036? Our ECFR experts also point out the strange absence of the Russian leader from the fight against corona – has covid-19 as well as the oil price crisis caused more turbulence and chaos in the country as he wants to admit? Host Mark Leonard, Gustav Gressel, Kadri Liik and Nicu Popescu come forward with analyses and predictions: if the EU doesn’t handle the crisis well, could Russia have been right in its Hobbsian view of the world? Check out our “Dive Deep into Russia” lecture series by the ECFR Wider Europe Programme!Bookshelf:- "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - "The Rise and Fall of 'Neutral' Sweden's Secret Reserve Option of Wartime Help from the West" by Robert Dalsjö- "Чужая и наша война - Сборник стихотворений и песен о военной операции Вооружённых Сил Российской Федерации против международных террористов в Сирийской Арабской Республике” by Сост. В.А. Силкин - "Why Russians don't get coronavirus” by Albatros - "Summertime" by JM Coetzee - "Discovering Judith Shklar sceptical liberalism of fear” by Samantha Ashenden & Andreas HessThis podcast was recorded on 8 April 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The EU members states have been caught up in a heated discussion on possible European ‘coronabonds’, a joint debt assistance by the Union to help those countries hit by the virus particularly hard. Soon enough, the discussion seemed to produce little of substance and rather to ignite previously existing divides between the member states in regard to a common fiscal policy and mutualisation of debt. In this unprecedented crisis, in which solidarity should be more than ever the Union’s raison d’être, what is the correct course of action? And, should a final solution not be met, what is at stake for Europe? Host Mark Leonard is joined by Guntram Wolff, Director of Bruegel, Jose Ignacio Torreblanca, and Jonathan Hackenbroich to break down the situation and a possible way forward. This podcast was recorded on 1 April 2020.Bookshelf:Love in the time of cholera by Gabriel Garcia MarquezRadical Uncertainty: Decision-making for an Unknowable Future by Mervyn King and John Kay Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week’s episode saw our experts dissecting the coronavirus’ implications for Europe. In today's episode, we’re breaking down how the crisis is unfolding in the rest of the world. From the Middle East to Russia and Asia, and all over across the Atlantic – what long-term effects could it have on these regions? And what does it mean for geopolitics, the global system and its institutions? Our Host Mark Leonard is joined by the ECFR heads of programme Julien Barnes-Dacey, Susi Dennison, Janka Oertel & Nicu Popescu to discuss how the virus is manifesting in these regions, and the implications it carries with it – and it doesn’t look too good. For all the gloominess this podcast will create, our experts recommend turning to poetry for some soul-healing. Recommendations below!Bookshelf:- "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S.Elliot - "Happy Everyday" by Benjamin Zephaniah - "MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed Bin Salman" by Ben Hubbard- "Sandworm" by Andy Greenberg- "The Pursuit of Power" by William H. McNeill- "Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy" by Cathy O'Neil - "The Psychology of Pandemics. Preparing for the Next Global Outbreak of Infectious Disease" by Steven Taylor - "The Coronavirus pandemic and the new world it is creating" by Josep BorrellThis podcast was recorded on 25 March 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recently declared a global pandemic, it is undeniable that the coronavirus will be a global political, social, financial and economic crisis - requiring actions that reach far beyond unilateral measures by single states. Within Europe, the virus seems to be calling into question the fundamentality of a shared European solidarity also due to rising dissatisfaction at the lack of a coordinated response. Whilst it is too early to tell, to what extent, it seems more and more certain that this crisis will have long-lasting consequences for the European project and life as we know it. Host Mark Leonard is joined by his fellow home office workers Jana Puglierin, Arturo Varvelli, Jose Ignacio Torreblanca and Pawel Zerka to dissect the European response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This podcast was recorded on 18 March 2020. Bookshelf:"We need to talk about Putin" by Mark Galeotti“The bethrothed” by Alessandro Manzoni“I burn Paris” by Bruno Jasienski“Europe and the virus: The battle of narratives” by Pawel ZerkaFurther reading: www.ecfr.eu/coronavirus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The European Union faces a multi-crisis situation at the moment. As the conflict in Idlib and the circumstances at the Greek-Turkish border has erupted, Europe seems to have troubles to respond to latest developments in the Syrian war and threats from Turkey.Host Mark Leonard is joined by ECFR co-chair and former Prime Minister of Sweden, Carl Bildt as well as by the ECFR experts Asli Aydintasbas and Julien Barnes-Dacey to discuss the reasoning behind Ankara’s recent moves and the EU’s reactions. How to avoid a 2015-like situation but without tossing its own values and human rights out off the window? And how to deal with the other seats of fire within the Union itself?This podcast was recorded on 12 March 2020.Further reading:- Syrian voices: Where next for European policy?https://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_syrian_voices_where_next_for_european_policyBookshelf:"The Anarchy" by William Dalrymple"Pax Sinica: implications for the India dawn" by Samir Saran & Akhil Deo"Black Lamb and Grey Falcon" by Rebecca West"Blame Europe, not just Turkey, for migration deal collapse" by Kati Piri on politico.eu"Beyond blackmail at the Greek-Turkish border" by Nathalie Tocci on politico.eu"Clash of Empires: Currencies and Power in a Multipolar World" by Charles Gave & Louis-Vincent Gave Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s podcast episode sees very special participation from Anu Bradford, law professor at Columbia and author of “The Brussels Effect: How the European Union Rules the World”. Bradford’s book focuses on the way the EU manages to continuously set standards and have a say in the global playing field by unilaterally regulating its powerful single market, and consequentially reinforcing its status as a global powerhouse. Joined by our usual Host Mark Leonard and Head of ECFR Berlin Jana Puglierin, and drawing on many examples from the digital economy to climate change, this episode explores how a global regulatory race to the top will be how the EU gets to have a say in the 21st century.Bookshelf:- The Brussels Effect by Anu Bradford - “The Great Reversal: How America Gave Up on Free Market ” by Thomas Philippon - “The World as It Is” by Ben Rhodes - “The Sanders Doctrine” in The Atlantic by Uri Friedman This podcast was recorded on 2 March 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Negotiations over the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021 – 2027 just have started. But as tensions and divergences between the EU member states are rising, a final agreement seems considerably far away for now. The European Union is subject to a series of unprecedented constraints, the most significant one being the UK’s departure and the withdrawal of the money it once granted. Still, the implications of the budget allocation are manifold and extremely far-reaching. It will affect major themes which stand at the very basis of the Union and its future role on the global stage, such as national sovereignty, climate and innovation. Our Director Mark Leonard is joined by ECFR co-chair and director of the Danish think tank EUROPA Lykke Friis, as well as ECFR experts Jonathan Hackenbroich and Pawel Zerka to dissect the ongoing status of the discussions. Inspired by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, here are some recommendations by our podcast crew on what to read during the long hours of MFF negotiations: Bookshelf:- “Den nya oredans tid” by Carl Bildt - “The three escapes by Hannah Arendt” by Ken Krimstein - "The books of Jacob“ by Olga Tokarczuk - “Exorbitant Privilege: The Rise and Fall of the Dollar and the Future of the International Monetary System” by Barry Eichengreen -- - "Håbets Europa” by Lykke Friis - "En kuffert i Berlin: Rejse i Angela Merkels Tyskland“ by Lykke FriisThis podcast was recorded on 25 February 2020.Picture (c) European Union Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The annual Munich Security Conference was themed "Westlessness" defining “a widespread feeling of uneasiness and restlessness in the face of increasing uncertainty about the enduring purpose of the West”. Is the West becoming less relevant in global affairs? Are the West’s international partnerships endangered? And if so, what will the world look like in the future? Our Director Mark Leonard is joined by an all-star ECFR cast including Janka Oertel, Ulrike Franke, Ellie Geranmayeh and Jeremy Shapiro, for a very special episode recorded straight from the MSC – and covering everything from 5G, China, Iran and the future of Europe’s transatlantic relationship.Further readingsLand of the lost: My trip to the Munich Security Conference by Jeremy ShapiroEurope, 5G, and Munich: The China challenge and American mission by Janka Oertel​Facing the West’s Demons: The 2020 Munich Security Conference by Mark LeonardWestlessness: Lessons from the Western Balkans by Majda RugeCharm defensive: Macron and the Germans at the Munich Security Conference by Jana PuglierinThis podcast was recorded on 15 February 2020.Picture (c) MSC/Becker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When US-President Donald Trump revealed his much-awaited plan for peace for Israel and Palestine it was set to solve one of the world's longest-running conflict. But this “deal of the century” was not met with the same enthusiasm in Palestine as it was seen on Trump’s and Netanyahu’s faces – to say the least. Host Mark Leonard and our MENA experts Hugh Lovatt and René Wildangel are analysing in depth the “Peace Plan” and show how little there is actually in it for the Palestinians. “The proposal clearly challenges the internationally agreed parameters,” said the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell. But what can and should Europe do beyond statements? Further read: From negotiation to imposition: Trump’s Israel-Palestine parameters by Hugh LovattBookshelf:"Drinking the Sea at Gaza: Days and Nights in a Land Under Siege" Amira Hass"The living mountain" by Nan Shepherd"My Struggle" by Karl Ove Knausgård"Embracing Europe’s Power" by Josep BorrellThis podcast was recorded on 12 February 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week the European Commission published its EU Toolbox on 5G Cyber Security, with the aim of aiding the Member States in evaluating the risks associated with future usage of 5G infrastructure and networks. This was a step forward given the polarising debate surrounding the role of Chinese telecommunications firms like Huawei and ZTE within a future 5G network in Europe. The decision, however, will ultimately be a national one taken by individual member states. Our Director Mark Leonard is joined by Asia Programme Director Janka Oertel and Project Director of Stiftung Neue Verantwortung Jan-Peter Kleinhans to discuss the significance and implications of the toolbox and what this might mean for the EU.Bookshelf:"The logic of strategic assets" by Jeffrey Ding and Allan Dafoe "The Path to Power" by Robert Caro "Clash of Empires: Currencies and Power in a Multipolar World" by Charles Gave and Louis Vincent Gave "All the Names" by Jose SaramagoThis podcast was recorded on 5 February 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.