Talk Eastern Europe

In this second part of the two-part special podcast, Talk Eastern Europe dissects the results of the European Parliamentary elections in the region of Central and Eastern Europe.On Lithuania: Maciek interviews Mariusz Antonowicz from Vilnius University's Institute of International Relations and Political Science;On Poland: Adam discusses the results with Daniel Tilles, editor in chief of Notes from Poland;On Bulgaria: Adam has a conversation with Radosveta Vassileva from University College London;Thank you to all of our listeners for your support and feedback. And please support the podcast by pledging via our Patreon page here: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=19190530& Resources:Part I of this special series via “In Between Europe”Five Key Takeaways from the European Elections in Poland – Daniel Tilles, Notes from Poland   Support the Notes from Poland crowdfunding campaign – click hereBulgaria’s dangerous flirtation with the far-right – by Radosveta Vassileva

After a short break, the Talk Eastern Europe podcast is back with a discussion on the current issue of New Eastern Europe which is dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Eastern Partnership policy of the European Union which includes the countries of Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Over the past 10 years there have been many successes but also many setbacks in this region and the issue takes a look at what lessons can be learnt and how the EU, especially following the upcoming parliamentary elections.There is also a short discussion on Central Europe 30 years after 1989 – a year of revolution and change.We encourage all listeners to consider supporting the podcast by donating to us via our patreon account. Even a monthly donation of $2 a month can go a long way (our first goal is to get $100).Please click here to start your donation: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=19190530&Resources:New Eastern Europe issue 3-4/2019: Eastern Partnership turns 10 http://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/05/02/issue-3-4-2019-eastern-partnership-turns-10/Persisting towards a Europe without dividing lines by Carl Bildt and Radosław Sikorski: http://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/05/02/persisting-towards-a-europe-without-dividing-lines/Resetting the Eastern Partnership by Mariusz Maszkiewicz: http://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/05/02/resetting-the-eastern-partnership/The Eastern Partnership at 10. What is there to celebrate? By James Nixey: http://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/05/02/the-eastern-partnership-at-10-what-is-there-to-celebrate/Music featured in the podcast licensed under the Creative Commons license 3.0:Opening theme: “Sum of My Fears” by Dazie Mae: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dazie_Mae/Last_Jazz_in_Paris/03-1518107-Dazie_Mae-Sum_of_My_Fears“CommonGround” by airtone http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/airtone/58703

In this episode hosts Adam Reichardt and Maciek Makulski sit down with Richard Giragosian, director of the regional studies center in Yerevan to talk about recent developments in Armenia. In April 2018 Armenians protested against the ruling regime which led to its resignation. As a result Nikol Pashinyan became the new prime minister and after elections in December 2018, he built a new ruling coalition which aims to change the course of Armenia.In the interview, Adam and Maciek discuss with Richard the context of the revolution, what is the outlook of Armenian politics as well as the geopolitical implications. Resources:“Protests force Armenian PM to resign, marking a new era for the country” New Eastern Europe 25 April 2018: http://neweasterneurope.eu/2018/04/25/protests-force-armenian-pm-resign-marking-new-era-country/“The ghosts of Armenia’s past” by Bartłomiej Krzysztan. New Eastern Europe issue 2/2019: http://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/03/04/the-ghosts-of-armenias-past/Regional Studies Center, a Yerevan-based think tank: https://regional-studies.org/Music featured in the podcast licensed under the Creative Commons license 3.0Opening theme: “Sum of My Fears” by Dazie Mae: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dazie_Mae/Last_Jazz_in_Paris/03-1518107-Dazie_Mae-Sum_of_My_FearsIAF Trolley (Kielokaz ID 154) by KieLoKaz: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/KieLoKaz/Walker_Traffic/IAF_Trolley_Kielokaz_ID_154 Support this podacst. Become a patron via Patreon: Become a Patron!

Our tenth episode of Talk Eastern Europe is dedicated to the results of the first round of the presidential election in Ukraine which took place on March 31st 2019 and saw comedian and showman Volodymyr Zelenskiy come in first place with over 30% of the vote; incumbent president Petro Poroshenko in second place with 15.95%; and Yulia Tymoshenko in third place with 13.4%.In this episode we first get input from Maksym Kyiak, Deputy Director of the Central European Institute based in Kyiv on how to understand the Zelenskiy phenomenon.Adam Reichardt then interviews Marcel Roethig – the director of the Kyiv office of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung where they discuss the wider social context in Ukraine and the events leading up to the first round, as well as what to expect in the second round.The second round of elections which will pit Petro Poroshenko against Volodymyr Zelenskiy will take place on April 21 2019.Resources:Ukraine presidential elections narrowed down from 39 to 2 contendersWho is Mr Ze?New Eastern Europe’s ongoing coverage of the election in Ukraine: http://neweasterneurope.eu/category/ukraine-elections-2019/Music featured in the podcast licensed under the Creative Commons license 3.0Opening theme: “Sum of My Fears” by Dazie Mae: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dazie_Mae/Last_Jazz_in_Paris/03-1518107-Dazie_Mae-Sum_of_My_Fears“Nothing But Luck” by Lee Rosevere: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Blue_Dot_RMX/Nothing_But_Luck

This episode of Talk Eastern Europe takes a closer look at the current developments in the Western Balkans, including the North Macedonian name agreement, the Kosovo-Serbia border swap negotiations and recent protests in Serbia and Montenegro. All of these developments have the possibility of making headway against the current status quo in the Western Balkans and bring these countries closer to the European Union.The episode features an interview with Valerie Hopkins, a journalist with the Financial Times covering the Western Balkans. You can follow her on Twitter here: @VALERIEin140Resources:“What could a Serbia-Kosovo border swap achieve?” By Florian Bieber, New Eastern Europe issue 2/2019: http://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/03/05/what-could-a-serbia-kosovo-border-swap-achieve/“Macedonia is turning the page”. Exclusive interview with Zoran Zaev, the prime minister of the Republic of Macedonia. New Eastern Europe Issue 2/2108: http://neweasterneurope.eu/2018/02/26/macedonia-turning-page/Music featured in the podcast licensed under the Creative Commons license 3.0Opening theme: “Sum of My Fears” by Dazie Mae: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dazie_Mae/Last_Jazz_in_Paris/03-1518107-Dazie_Mae-Sum_of_My_Fears“Going In Circles” by Lee Rosevere, http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_6/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_For_Podcasts_6_-_03_Going_In_Circles

This episode of Talk Eastern Europe features a conversation on fighting disinformation with Jakub Kalenský, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, Kalenský worked for the European Union’s East StratCom Task Force as the team lead for countering disinformation.In this episode, Adam Reichardt and Maciek Makulski discuss with Kalenský the differences between disinformation and misinformation, what the West is doing now to combat disinformation and the spread of fake news, and how Russian propaganda works – all ahead of the May EU parliament elections. Selected resources mentioned in the podcast:Disinfo Portal: https://disinfoportal.org/EUvsDisinformation: https://euvsdisinfo.eu/StopFake: https://www.stopfake.org/en/news/Detektor Media (UA) https://detector.media/ Music featured in the podcast licensed under the Creative Commons license 3.0Opening theme: “Sum of My Fears” by Dazie Mae: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dazie_Mae/Last_Jazz_in_Paris/03-1518107-Dazie_Mae-Sum_of_My_FearsPlease Listen Carefully by Jahzzar: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Please_Listen_Carefully 

In this episode, Maciek Makulski sits down with Oktawian Milewski – a Moldovan political analyst based in Warsaw.Moldova’s parliamentary elections were held on Sunday February 24th. The results are mixed and while it is unclear how the government will form, the elections certainly show that no major shifts in Moldovan politics will take place. However, there was one new development – the emergence of a new opposition party, ACUM, a coalition of forces that is a real opposition force and may play a role in shaping politics and geopolitics in the region.Resources“Old Moldova in new Europe”. Piotr Oleksy, New Eastern Europe Issue 1/2019: http://neweasterneurope.eu/2018/11/05/old-moldova-new-europe/Music featured in the podcast licensed under the Creative Commons license 3.0Opening theme: “Sum of My Fears” by Dazie Mae: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dazie_Mae/Last_Jazz_in_Paris/03-1518107-Dazie_Mae-Sum_of_My_Fears Also in the podcast:  “Introducing the Pre-roll” by Lee Rosevere: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_5/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_For_Podcasts_5_-_01_Introducing_the_Pre-roll

In this episode, Adam Reichardt sits down with Harvard University’s George Soroka to discuss the political, geopolitical and also spiritual implications of the granting of Autocephaly to the newly created Ukrainian Orthodox Church.George Soroka is a lecturer in the Department of Government at Harvard University, where he is also affiliated with the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, and the Institute for Quantitative Social Science.Resources:“A house divided. Orthodoxy in post-Maidan Ukraine” by George Soroka. Published in New Eastern Europe issue 3-4/2019“Poroshenko has achieved a second independence from Russia” by Taras Kuzio. New Eastern Europe 15 October 2018Ongoing coverage of Ukraine’s presidential election:  http://neweasterneurope.eu/category/ukraine-elections-2019/Music featured in the podcast:Opening theme: Sum of My Fears by Dazie Mae:  http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dazie_Mae/Last_Jazz_in_Paris/03-1518107-Dazie_Mae-Sum_of_My_FearsLiturgy of the Faithful / Ukrainian Orthodox chant

In this episode of the Talk Eastern Europe podcast, co-hosts Maciek Makulski and Adam Reichardt give a preview of the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine; discuss the tragic events in Gdańsk with the murder of the mayor Paweł Adamowicz; and go through the newest issue of New Eastern Europe magazine which focuses on public intellectuals and their role in Central and Eastern Europe today. Highlights1.30: Ukraine presidential elections preview7.00: Discussion of the murder of the Gdańsk Mayor Paweł Adamowicz14.00: Public intellectuals and the new issue of New Eastern Europe Show notes and linksUkraine elections coverage: http://neweasterneurope.eu/category/ukraine-elections-2019/“Local governments are the foundation of democracy” A conversation from 2016 with Paweł Adamowicz (the late mayor of Gdańsk): http://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/01/15/local-governments-are-the-foundation-of-democracy/“Pawel Adamowicz: Gdansk mayor and standard-bearer for civil rights and liberal values in Poland” Adam Reichardt’s obituary in The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/pawel-adamowicz-death-gdansk-poland-mayor-civil-rights-liberal-values-a8740886.htmlIssue 1/2019: Public intellectuals. What is their place, role and responsibility today? http://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/01/02/issue-1-2019-public-intellectuals-place-role-responsibility-today/“Where there is word, there is responsibility for mankind” .A conversation with Basil Kerski, director of the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk. http://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/01/02/word-responsibility-mankind/“The dramatic turn of political discourse in Romania” By Paul Gabriel Sandu: http://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/01/02/dramatic-turn-political-discourse-romania/ Music featured in the podcast licensed under the Creative Commons license 3.0Opening theme: Sum of My Fears by Dazie Mae: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dazie_Mae/Last_Jazz_in_Paris/03-1518107-Dazie_Mae-Sum_of_My_FearsRailroad's Whiskey Co by Jahzzar: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Home/Railroads_Whiskey_Co

This episode looks at Estonian politics as well as gives an idea about the situation related to the Russian minority in the Baltic States with a particular focus on Estonia where parliamentary elections will be held in March 2019. The background for our discussion will be a conversation between Filip Rudnik, a Polish journalist, and Kristina Kallas, leader of a new political party called Eesti 200. Highlights:04.25: Eesti 200 – what does it stand for?12.02: Discussion about EKRE and populism in Estonia20:57: Eesti 200 education proposals and how to deal with Russian minority issue Music featured in the podcast licensed under the Creative Commons license 3.0Opening theme: “Sum of My Fears” by Dazie Mae: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dazie_Mae/Last_Jazz_in_Paris/03-1518107-Dazie_Mae-Sum_of_My_FearsAlso in the podcast: “Thatched Villagers” by Kevin MacLeodhttp://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Thatched_Villagers/Thatched_Villagers