ECFR ON AIR

In this episode, we analyse who is really in charge of the Russian military and its nuclear weapons. The answer is far from simple. Does Putin have overwhelming control or does the military have a decisive say? What are the implications of civil-military relations on Russia's foreign policy, defense reform, and domestic politics? And who ultimately controls the Russia’s nuclear weapons? ECFR’s new podcast on Russia, “Under the Overcoat”, explores the deeper trends beneath the surface of daily politics. To investigate who controls the Russian military and security services, our host Kadri Liik is joined by Kirill Shamiev, ECFR visiting fellow, and Pavel Podvig, director of the Russian Nuclear Forces Project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The fourth episode of ECFR’s WOMENP mini-series, recorded during the 2023 Doha Forum, looks at the regional reverberations of the war in Gaza, particularly from the perspective of key Arab Gulf monarchies such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The podcast unpacks how these countries have reacted to the 7 October attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza, the prospects of ongoing normalisation deals and negotiations between Arab Gulf monarchies and Israel, domestic dynamics in these countries, and potential future scenarios. How is Qatar managing the new cycle of violence in Israel and Palestine, and what role has it played? How have different Gulf countries positioned themselves on the war in Gaza? What is the state of Saudi-Israeli negotiations following the 7 October attacks?In this episode, ECFR’s Cinzia Bianco speaks to Dania Thafer, executive director of the Gulf International Forum and lecturer at Georgetown University and Elham Fakhro, associate fellow at the Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House.This podcast was recorded on 11 December 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do Russian officials "coexist" with the war nearly two years after the invasion? How has the bureaucratic system adapted to the requirements of the war? Do officials who openly endorse the invasion or are deployed to work in occupied territories receive better roles or resources ? Does the relative efficiency of the Russian bureaucracy boost the Kremlin’s capacity to sustain the conflict?ECFR’s new podcast on Russia, “Under the Overcoat”, will explore the deeper trends beneath the surface of daily politics. To investigate the role of Russian bureaucrats, our host Kadri Liik is joined by ECFR visiting fellow Mikhail Komin and Russian political scientist Ekaterina Schulmann. Bookshelf: Legislation as a Political Process and Practical Political Science: A Guide to Contact with RealityNomenklatura by Voslenskiy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Russian Orthodox Church is supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine in its sermons, sending priests to the front, and collecting humanitarian aid for soldiers and the occupied Ukrainian territories. It is also involved in the administration of the occupied territories and in promoting propaganda narratives abroad. So why did the head of the Church, Patriarch Kirill, bet on Putin? How influential is the Church in Russian politics and society? What will happen to it after the war and will it survive Putin's regime? ECFR’s new podcast on Russia, “Under the Overcoat”, will explore the deeper trends beneath the surface of daily politics. To dive deeper into the role of the Russian Orthodox Church, our host Kadri Liik is joined by ECFR visiting fellow Ksenia Luchenko and Alexander Agadjanian, a senior research fellow at Yerevan State University. Bookshelf: Daniel Stein, Interpreter: A Novel | Ludmila Ulitskaya La Sainte Russie contre l’Occident Everyday Religiosity and the Politics of Belonging in Ukraine | Catherine Wanner Understanding World Christianity: Russia | Alexander S. Agadjanian (Author), Scott M. Kenworthy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 1 September, Russian high schools transitioned to new "patriotic" history textbooks authored by one of Russia's staunchest conservatives, former culture minister Vladimir Medinsky. How do these textbooks mirror the core tenets of the Russian regime's ideology? What stance do they take on figures like Stalin, the dissolution of the USSR, and Russia’s war in Ukraine? What narratives will Russian students be exposed to based on these textbooks? How has the Russian and Soviet history curriculum changed in the past?ECFR’s new podcast on Russia, “Under the Overcoat”, will explore the deeper trends beneath the surface of daily politics. For a closer look at history, our host Kadri Liik is joined by ECFR visiting fellows Ksenia Luchenko, Kirill Shamiev, and Mikhail Komin. Bookshelf: The House of Government: A Saga of the Russian RevolutionSoldiers and the Soviet State: Civil-Military Relations from Brezhnev to Gorbachev | Timothy J. ColtonEverything Was Forever, Until It Was No More: The Last Soviet GenerationAlexei Yurchak Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The third episode of ECFR’s WOMENP mini-series looks at domestic dynamics and the human rights situation in Iran a year after nationwide protests erupted following the death of a young woman, Mahsa Jina Amini, in police custody. The podcast unpacks how power dynamics between state and society have shifted since, and its implications on the country’s leadership. How have Iranians continued with acts of resistance and civil disobedience despite the large scale crackdown by authorities? How has the West has responded, and what more can European countries do to tangibly support activists and human rights defenders inside Iran?In this episode, ECFR's Ellie Geranmayeh speaks to Tara Sepehri Far, Iran and Kuwait researcher, Middle East and North Africa division, Human Rights Watch; Sussan Tahmasebi, executive director, FEMENA; and Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House. This podcast was recorded on 30 August 2023. Suggested reading by experts: The Protests Inside Iran’s Girls’ Schools by Azadeh Moaveni Iran’s Hijab-Industrial Complex by Kourosh Ziabari We-change.org, by multiple authors The Uncaged Sky by Kylie Moore-Gilbert Bureaucraft: Statemakers in Amman and Baghdad by José Ciro Martínez, Omar Sirri Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The global space economy is worth a whopping $469 billion, and growing fast. Commercial interests are proliferating; more and more countries are launching satellites into space. Some African leaders aspire for their continent to become a knowledge, technology, and manufacturing hub for this new space age and to leverage space technologies to advance economic development. They are looking for global partners to join them in this quest.In this episode of Europe Listens, ECFR’s Rafael Loss and Jana Puglierin welcome Ruvimbo Samanga, a space law and policy advisor at Access Partnership, a global tech advisory firm. How can Africans and Europeans benefit from cooperating on space access and technologies, and what pitfalls should they look out for? What is “space junk” and how might a clean-up effort work in practice? And how can the EU’s space law best promote responsible behaviour on Earth and in outer space?This podcast was recorded on 7 July 2023.Other episodes of this season:Episode 1: Overcoming the global digital divide with Jane Munga Episode 2: Combatting online disinformation with Flora Rebello ArduiniFurther reading:Why Africa needs to be in space by Val MunsamiSpace innovation in Zimbabwe and beyond: Interview with Ruvimbo SamangaAfrican space strategy for social, political and economic integration by the African UnionMultilateral space: A European space oddity by Rafael Loss and Silvia Samorè Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 8 January 2023, following a contentious national election, protestors attacked government buildings in Brazil’s capital. The riots were preceded by years of online disinformation, targeting lawmakers and the country’s electoral process. Striking parallels with the storming of the US Capitol two years prior underline the role that transnational networks play in pushing disinformation globally, and that of big tech standing idly by (at best).In this episode of Europe Listens, ECFR’s Rafael Loss and Jana Puglierin welcome Flora Rebello Arduini, campaign director, disinformation researcher, and big-tech watcher at Ekō, a global non-profit organisation advancing corporate accountability. How does online disinformation affect Brazilian politics? What role do social media giants play in spreading fake news? And how can companies, legislators, and civil society in Brazil and Europe stem the tide of AI-powered disinformation in the future?This podcast was recorded on 16 June 2023.Other episodes of this season:Episode 1: Overcoming the global digital divide with Jane Munga Episode 3: Governing outer space with Ruvimbo SamangaFurther reading:Stop the steal 2.0. How Meta is subverting Brazilian democracy by SumOfUs (now Ekō)Everyone saw Brazil violence coming. Except social media giants by Mark ScottGendered disinformation: 6 reasons why liberal democracies need to respond to this threat by Ellen JudsonDemocratic defence: How Italy can lead the fight against Russian disinformation by Gabriele Carrer, Teresa Coratella and Silvia Samorè Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Digital technologies are set to transform African economies. Yet, only 40 per cent of Africans accessed the internet in 2022 – well below the proportion in the world’s other regions. Technological as well as socio-economic factors drive this digital divide, and US-Chinese competition risks making it worse.To kick off the second season of Europe Listens, ECFR’s Rafael Loss and Jana Puglierin welcome Jane Munga, a fellow in the Africa Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former digital policy advisor to the government of Kenya. What are the most pressing priorities for African countries to overcome the global digital divide? How does Europe’s digital diplomacy compare to US and Chinese tech giants’ approaches? And what is Africa’s vision for “digital sovereignty”?This podcast was recorded on 8 August 2023.Other episodes of this season:Episode 2: Combatting online disinformation with Flora Rebello Arduini Episode 3: Governing outer space with Ruvimbo SamangaFurther reading:How the United States can effectively implement its new Digital Transformation with Africa initiative by Jane MungaHow Will U.S.-China Tech Decoupling Affect Africa’s Mobile Phone Market? By Jane Munga and Kyla DenwoodMeasuring digital development: Facts and figures 2022 by the International Telecommunication UnionThe geopolitics of technology: How the EU can become a global player by Julian Ringhof and José Ignacio Torreblanca Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second episode of ECFR’s WOMENP mini-series considers the geo-economic trends in the Middle East and emerging opportunities following recent developments, such as the detente between Iran and Saudi Arabia and the new government in Iraq almost one year after its formation. Does Iran seek and stand to benefit economically from the opening with the Arab world? How do broader dynamics, including the United States’ sanctions framework limit these prospects? In which areas would investments by the Gulf Cooperation Council in Iran benefit the Iranian people? Will Iraq be a testing ground for economic cooperation? In this episode, ECFR’s Ellie Geranmayeh speaks to Nadereh Chamlou, non-resident senior fellow, Atlantic Council and Sheikha Najla Al Qassimi, director of the Global Affairs Division, Dubai Public Policy Research Centre (B’huth). This podcast was recorded on 12 July 2023. Suggested reading by experts: Liberalism and Its Discontents by Francis Fukuyama A political economy of the Middle East by Alan Richards and John Waterbury On China by Henry Kissinger Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.