Talk Eastern Europe

*** Support Talk Eastern Europe. Become a Patron at www.patreon.com/TalkEasternEurope In this special episode of Talk Eastern Europe, Adam and Maciek have a conversation with Maria Kobielska, a memory scholar and assistant professor at the Department of Anthropology of Literature and Cultural Research at the Jagiellonian Univeristy in Kraków Poland. She is also the co-founder of the Research Center for Memory Cultures at the University.This episode is being produced within the framework of the project titled “Contested Histories Onsite”, a project which aims to place Europeans in discussions and debates on multiple historical perspectives and to activate citizens in public involvement of memory-constructions. As part of the EU’s Europe for Citizens programme, the project’s aspiration is rooted in a shared conviction that raising critical questions about the past is fundamental for citizens to develop a critical attitude towards the narratives that are competing with each other in contemporary politics.For more information on the project visit:-Contested Histories Onsite: https://contestedhistories.org/onsite/-Memory Studies Association: https://www.memorystudiesassociation.org/contested-histories-onsite/-EuroClio: https://www.euroclio.eu/project/contested-histories/Visit the Warsaw Uprising Museum Online: https://www.1944.pl/en/article/the-warsaw-rising-museum,4516.html>>> Talk Eastern Europe is a member of the EuroPod network. Check it out here: https://www.bullemedia.eu/europod >>> Join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/talkeasterneurope

*** Support Talk Eastern Europe. Become a Patron at www.patreon.com/TalkEasternEurope In this special podcast episode of Talk Eastern Europe, Maciek and Adam are joined by Roman Washchuk, the former Canadian ambassador to Ukraine (2014-2019). They discuss the challenges Ukraine faces, look at the recent NATO summit and analyze Western support for Ukraine’s reforms. The conversation ends with a short reflection on the situation in Belarus.Check out the latest issue of New Eastern Europe on Ukraine now available at www.neweasterneurope.eu Read also:“Ukrainian NATO membership: Realistic or a diplomatic tool?” by: Maryna Parfenchuk, New Eastern Europe, June 25 2021, https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/06/25/ukrainian-nato-membership-realistic-or-a-diplomatic-tool/ >> In case you missed our online event titled: “All Quiet on the Eastern Flank? Reflections after the June 2021 NATO Summit” you can watch it online here: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/06/17/all-quiet-on-the-eastern-flank-reflections-after-the-june-2021-nato-summit/ Talk Eastern Europe is a member of the EuroPod network. Check it out here: https://www.bullemedia.eu/europod Join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/talkeasterneurope

*** Support Talk Eastern Europe. Become a Patron at www.patreon.com/TalkEasternEurope In this special episode produced ahead of the NATO Summit, Adam and Maciek take a look at the context of the event scheduled for June 14th 2021 – the first Summit with the participation of Joe Biden as US President. Later, Adam sits down with Alice Stollmeyer, the Founder and Executive Director of Defend Democracy - an independent, nonpartisan, transatlantic initiative aimed at defending democracy from internal, external and technological threats. They discuss issues on the Transatlantic agenda as well as the current and future challenges that face the Alliance.Please check out and support Alice’s organization: www.defenddemocracy.eu Other articles to check out:“We need to talk about Russia, again,” by: Wojciech Michnik. New Eastern Europe 19 May 2021. https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/05/19/we-need-to-talk-about-russia-again/ “Closing the window of opportunity for Russia?” By: Silvie Leštinská. New Eastern Europe 7 June 2021. https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/06/07/closing-the-window-of-opportunity-for-russia/ Production of this podcast episode is part of a wider project called “All Quiet on the Eastern Flank?” which is conducted by New Eastern Europe and supported by a grant from NATO Public Diplomacy. Learn more at: www.neweasterneurope.eu Talk Eastern Europe is a member of the EuroPod network. Check it out here: https://www.bullemedia.eu/europod Join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/talkeasterneurope

*** Support Talk Eastern Europe. Become a Patron at www.patreon.com/TalkEasternEurope This episode brings us back to Estonia with an interview with Kristina Kallas, a political scientist and the leader of Eesti 200 liberal political party. Ahead of the autumn local elections, political divisions are sharp in this northern Baltic state. However Kallas hopes her vision for a renewed political agenda can help change this trend. She also discusses the important situation with the Russian minority in the country and how it has evolved over the past 30 years. Read Kallas’s latest essay from the April-May issue of New Eastern Europe. “Russians in Estonia. We are not ‘them’, we are ‘us’”: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/04/11/russians-in-estonia-we-are-not-them-we-are-us/Talk Eastern Europe is a member of the EuroPod network. Check it out here: https://www.bullemedia.eu/europod Join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/talkeasterneurope

*** Support Talk Eastern Europe. Become a Patron at www.patreon.com/TalkEasternEurope In this special episode of Talk Eastern Europe, Maciek sits down with Dmytro Khutkyy an expert on digital democracy and open governance. They discuss how different countries approach digital democracy, what are some advantages and also pitfalls of digitizing our public sector. The main context for the conversation was the release of a recent online study called the “Digital Democracy Database”. This project is designed to identify and analyse cases of digital democracy aspiring to consolidate global democracy by discovering and sharing good practices of open participatory governance worldwide. It is intended as a source of data for scholars, policy analysts, civic activists, politicians, and other interested parties.Learn more about the Digital Democracy Database: https://europeandigital.org/digital-democracy-database Lear more about our guest, Dmytro Khutkyy: https://www.khutkyy.com/ Join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/talkeasterneurope Talk Eastern Europe is a member of the EuroPod network. Check it out here: https://www.bullemedia.eu/europod

*** Support Talk Eastern Europe. Become a Patron at www.patreon.com/TalkEasternEuropeIn this episode, we invite Romain Lequiniou from the French think tank “Euro Créative” and Lidia Gibadło from the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) to discuss the approaches of two of the most important players in Western Europe - Germany and France - towards the region of Eastern Europe. We discuss relations with Russia, Belarus, the Nagorno-Karabkh conflict, and possible upcoming political changes in both countries and what effect they may have on our region.Resources and previous episodes:“Ukraine in France” An interview with Christine Kohut, member of Portail de l’Ukraine. Interviewer: Clémence Lavialle. New Eastern Europe 12 May 2021: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/05/12/ukraine-in-france/ “France-Russia, a love-hate history” By: Cyrille Bret. New Eastern Europe Issue 1-2 (Jan-March) 2020. https://neweasterneurope.eu/2020/01/28/france-russia-a-love-hate-history/ Talk Eastern Europe Episode 65: Relations with Russia. To engage or not engage?: https://www.spreaker.com/user/talkeasterneurope/ep-65 Join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Groups/TalkEasternEuropeTalk Eastern Europe is a member of the EuroPod network. Check it out here: https://www.bullemedia.eu/europod

*** Support Talk Eastern Europe. Become a Patron at www.patreon.com/TalkEasternEurope In this episode we welcome back Agnieszka Legucka, a Polish analyst and expert on Russia. During Maciek’s interview with Agnieszka, the podcast discusses the security situation in the region, the Kremlin’s motives for massing troops around Ukraine and some of the internal factors which may also be driving the Kremlin’s decision-making. Further reading:“Russia’s military build-up on the border with Ukraine: intimidation, imminent escalation or both?” By: - Alisa Muzergues. New Eastern Europe 21 April 2021: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/04/21/russias-military-build-up-on-the-border-with-ukraine-intimidation-imminent-escalation-or-both/“What’s behind Moscow’s possible escalation in Donbas” by Piotr Andrusieczko. New Eastern Europe 11 April 2021: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/04/11/whats-behind-moscows-possible-escalation-in-donbas/“Russia’s police state showed its real face in latest protest crackdown” By: Giovanni Pigni. New Eastern Europe issue 3/2021. https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/04/11/russias-police-state-showed-its-real-face-in-latest-protest-crackdown/ >>> Check out “Tales from the Baltics” - the newest issue of New Eastern Europe. Get your copy here: https://bit.ly/3fZWpkdJoin us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Groups/TalkEasternEuropeTalk Eastern Europe is a member of the EuroPod network. Check it out here: https://www.bullemedia.eu/europod

*** Support Talk Eastern Europe. Become a Patron at www.patreon.com/TalkEasternEuropeThis episode of Talk Eastern Europe heads back to the Southern Caucasus following the serious clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia last year. The fighting came to an end with a Russian-negotiated peace agreement, providing Azerbaijan with some territorial gains and putting Russian peacekeeping troops on the ground in the region. In Armenia the agreement was seen as a humiliating defeat for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who was forced to accept the agreement and was heavily criticized in the country.This episode takes a look at the political developments that have taken place since the agreement was signed. Adam sits down with Armenian journalist Ani Avetisyan to get some insight on the current situation there as the country braces for pre-term elections on June 20th. Resources and context:“This conflict was always on the edge of Europe”, An interview with Thomas de Waal. New Eastern Europe issue 3/2021: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/04/11/this-conflict-was-always-on-the-edge-of-europe/“Pashinyan announces changes to electoral system before elections” by Ani Avetisyan, OC Media 25 March 2021: https://oc-media.org/pashinyan-announces-changes-to-electoral-system-before-elections/“Turkey, Russia and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict” By: Natalia Konarzewska. New Eastern Europe 1-2/2021: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/02/03/turkey-russia-and-the-nagorno-karabakh-conflict/Talk Eastern Europe Episode 55: Episode 55: Nagorno-Karabkh on fire (again) https://www.spreaker.com/user/talkeasterneurope/tee-55>>> Check out “Tales from the Baltics” - the newest issue of New Eastern Europe. Get your copy here: https://bit.ly/3fZWpkd Join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Groups/TalkEasternEurope Talk Eastern Europe is a member of the EuroPod network. Check it out here: https://www.bullemedia.eu/europod

*** Support this podcast! Become a Patron here: www.patreon.com/talkeasterneuropeThis episode of Talk Eastern Europe takes a look at the role of history and memory of the Holocaust and the Second World War which still haunts so many in this region and beyond. The context for the episode is the book titled Memory Monster written by Israeli author Yishai Sarid, which was recently published in Polish. During the intervier Maciek sits down with Sarid and they discuss the difficulties of dealing with memory in societies and the challenges facing Israelis and Poles today.Read Maciek’s review of Yishai Sarid’s book here: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/04/11/living-with-the-beast/Find the English version of the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Memory-Monster-Yishai-Sarid/dp/1632062712Published in Polish by the Jan Nowak-Jeziorański College of Eastern Europe here: http://www.kew.org.pl/produkt/potwor-pamieci/>>> Check out “Tales from the Baltics” - the newest issue of New Eastern Europe. Get your copy here: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/04/11/tales-from-the-baltics/Talk Eastern Europe featured in "The 50 best podcasts" by The New European. This is a huge honour, and we cannot thank our listeners and supporters enough!Read more here: https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/brexit-news/50-greatest-podcasts-7807108 Join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Groups/TalkEasternEurope Talk Eastern Europe is a member of the EuroPod network. Check it out here: https://www.bullemedia.eu/europod

*** Support this podcast! Become a Patron here: www.patreon.com/talkeasterneuropeIn this special episode of Talk Eastern Europe, Adam and Maciek sit down with Linas Linkevičius, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania. During the discussion, Linkevičius reflects on his time as foreign minister, Europe’s relations with Russia, the role of the Baltic states in the region, and what might be next for Belarus.This interview will also be available in the upcoming issue of New Eastern Europe which will have a special focus on the Baltic states - available early April. Learn more at: www.neweasterneurope.euTalk Eastern Europe featured in "The 50 best podcasts" by The New European. This is a huge honour, and we cannot thank our listeners and supporters enough!Read more here: https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/brexit-news/50-greatest-podcasts-7807108 Join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Groups/TalkEasternEurope>> Talk Eastern Europe is a member of the EuroPod network. Check it out here: https://www.bullemedia.eu/europod