KEW talks

Disinformation, populism and other tools are used by Russia to destabilize Western democracies. Pola Cebulak, from Free University of Amsterdam, describes methods used by Moscow in its fight against the West. She remains optimistic, despite obvious weaknesses of democratic countries exploited by the authoritarian regime.    A project Protecting European Values. The podcast was co-funded by the Eur...

Belarusian' dictator can look for support in the Balkans. There is at least an affinity. It is based on historic, ethnic and cultural links, as Adam Balcer from the College of Eastern Europe explains. Russia is using the same links and affiliations, too. The EU enlargement seems to be the only way to diffuse the cooperation.  “We support the Belarusian Awakening’24” is a project co-financed by  So...

Russia and Belarus use BRICS to circumvent sanctions. In addition, countries such as Brazil don't really follow the conflict between the West, and Moscow and Minsk. Angelo Kramer from Wroclaw University underlines that Brazilians now little about Eastern Europe and don't really understand EU's arguments with regard to the region. Therefore, the West has to overcome the colonial narratives and chan...

It is difficult to maintain interest in Belarusian issues in Germany. Robert Sperfeld from Heinrich-Böll Foundation explains the phenomenon and the need to maintain support for Belarusian diaspora. The regime will change, one day, and Belarusians must know that they are welcome in the family of democratic, European countries.  “We support the Belarusian Awakening’24” is a project co-financed by  S...

It would be easy to understand why Poles or Germans support Ukraine and oppose Russia, or the other way around. Olena Babakova, a journalist, migration researcher and lecturer, presents a more complex view where one can criticize or oppose Ukraine while neither  supporting Russia. The reasons and nuances also vary from country to country, too. The podcast was produced as a part of the 6th German-P...

Russian aggression in Ukraine has a polarizing effect on the world.  Yulia Kazdobina,  a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Council, Ukrainian Prism, draws some comparisons with the Cold War, but the lessons from the past are limited. Also with regard to the Global South countries which require serious consideration and approach. She also talks about lessons in resilience which can and should be...

The moral argument of Ukraine facing an aggressive enemy seems not to be convincing any more, when speaking with Kyiv's  friends in the West. Ukraine has to adapt its messages, but also Western leaders have to improve their communication with their voters, as explains Stepan Rusyn, a coordinator of the German-Ukrainian Partnership Programme at the Transatlantic Dialogue Centre. The podcast was pro...

Peter Pellegrini emerged victorious in the second round of presidential elections in Slovakia. Yet, it's apparent that the true beneficiary is the populist Prime Minister, Robert Fico. A shift towards a more Russia-friendly political stance, coupled with Euroscepticism, has now gained solid ground. Tomáš Strážay of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association expresses concerns, but amidst the apprehensi...

What does "strategic communication" really mean? What is the current state of strategic communication in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland? Kristína Šefčíková from Prague Security Studies Institute and Adam Lelonek, International Republican Institute "The Beacon Project" discuss weaknesses and the best practices of strategic communication in the region. 

Andreas Metz, Director for Public Affairs at the German Eastern Business Association, highlights Germany's pivotal role in Europe's support for Ukraine. Emphasizing the necessity of collaboration with Poland in the realm of international relations, Metz suggests that Europe must be ready for the increasingly unpredictable nature of American support for Ukraine. Furthermore, he underscores the impo...

In their paper, Pavel Havlíček of the Association for International Affairs in Prague and Adam Balcer from the College of Eastern Europe argument that the Czech Republic and Poland have the potential to serve as a central political nexus for the entire region. In the podcast, Havlíček, the Czech expert, emphasizes the shared political positions between Prague and Warsaw, particularly on issues suc...

Agnieszka Bryc from Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń explain why Russia might be thinking that it is winning the war against the West. Ukraine is only a part of a broader strategy aimed at challenging the current world order. In addition, by supporting i.a., far right and populist tendencies, Kremlin is waging a cognitive warfare against the West.  The podcast was produced as a part of the...

The European Union has opted to commence accession talks with Ukraine. Iryna Solonenko, a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Liberal Modernity, underscores the challenging and intricate nature of these negotiations, emphasizing the presence of numerous difficult technical hurdles. She also highlights Ukraine's readiness to undertake essential reforms for full EU integration. At the same time, Solonen...

Speaking on the role of Russian-language independent journalism, Barbara von Ow-Freytag said that media outlets have to find a way to get through to people in Russia itself, with their audiences often having to resort VPNs or piggybacking through an available service in Russian territory. Independent outlets provide a window of objectivity in a media landscape which is dominated by Kremlin-backed...

Olha Nykorak, Human Security Coordinator at Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, presents the reciprocal benefits of Ukraine's integration into NATO. The deepening collaboration between the partners is evident in the transformation of the NATO-Ukraine Commission into the NATO-Ukraine Council. Furthermore, Ukraine's military is aligning itself with NATO standards, presenting a valuable contribution in exchange...

Hungary's Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, faces a formidable challenge as he navigates a complex situation he created. His reliance on European funds to sustain his political influence clashes with the EU's insistence on reforms that pose a direct threat to his government's stability. Compounding this, Orban's pro-Russian stances have eroded trust among his Western partners. The recent removal of La...

Alina Koushyk, serving as a Representative for National Revival in the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, underscores the shared goals of Belarusians and Ukrainians. Their struggles for freedom from Russian colonialism and commitment to European integration are intricately linked. Koushyk further outlines various potential future scenarios, emphasizing the active involvement of Western partne...

Several factors suggest that despite his illiberal rhetoric, the new Slovak Prime Minister, Robert Fico, may not significantly alter the country's policies. Slovakia is deeply integrated into both the EU and NATO, and PM Fico, being an experienced politician, recognizes the importance of Ukrainian independence. Tomáš Strážay of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association also emphasizes the significance...

Vit Dostal, the Executive Director of the Association for International Affairs, provides insight into the current political landscape in the Czech Republic. Although the government is facing unpopularity, it remains stable. Conversely, the populist ANO party is striving to garner support by emphasizing three key issues: immigration, the green deal, and sovereignty. It will be intriguing to observ...

Prof. Maria Wincławska from Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń comments on the recent parliamentary elections in Poland. There is a change, but how deep it will go? Poles participated in unprecedented numbers and clearly showed fatigue with illiberal, even autocratic rule of Law and Justice. But is there a real mandated to reform the state and rebuild a true liberal democracy? A project Prote...

The Black See plays a key role in the Russian aggression on Ukraine. Together with the Caucasus, it also has an important role for the EU and NATO. Despite its crucial position, as well as political and economic weight, the West has neglected the area, as argued by Wilfried Jilge, an expert on Eastern Europe, Ukraine and the Black Sea Region at the Center of International Peace Operations in Berli...

Russia is devastating Ukrainian economy. Garry Poluschkin, an economic advisor for the Ukrainian government in a project financed by the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, describes the current needs and the level of support Ukraine required at the moment. At the same time, the expert underlines that there are discussions about the post-war reconstruction and the reforms that...

The Russian invasion of Ukraine caught Germany completely unprepared. Berlin was entangled into a web of mutual economic and political relationships with Moscow. The attitude is slowly changing and the aid to Ukraine is flowing. Germany still has problems with breaking the appeasement attitude and see the aggressor for what it is, as explained by Franziska Davies, a historian of East European hist...

בני קבוצות ומיעוטים אתניים, דתיים ומגדריים שונים נפלו קורבן למדיניות הגזענית של הרייך השלישי. 21,000 מבני רומה וסינטי נרשמו בבירקנאו. עקב מחלות, רעב והשמדה מתוכננת, רק כל אדם שביעי מתוכם הצליח לצאת בחיים מן המחנה לאחר סיום המלחמה תמותה גבוהה במיוחד נרשמה גם בקרב כ-15,000 שבויי מלחמה סובייטים שהובאו למחנה. חלקם, בעיקר נציבים פוליטיים, לא נרשמו ונשלחו מיד למותם. רק מעטים מתוך 12,000 השבויים שנרשמו ב...

Members of various ethnic, religious or sexual groups and minorities were victims of the racist policies of the Third Reich. In Birkenau, 21,000 members of the Roma and related Sinti communities were registered. Disease, starvation and later their planned extermination meant that only one in seven of them made it out alive after the camp’s liquidation. An unusually high mortality rate was also rec...