The Global Agora

Ukraine celebrates the 30 anniversary of its independence that was established on August 24, 1991. The country's sovereignty might be limited by the annexation of Crimea and  by the war Russia started in 2014. But the fact that Ukraine was able to keep its independence is not a small thing. This is according to Susan Stewart , Senior Fellow at Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik ( SWP ) - The G...

Russia has recently published a new National Security Strategy . What does it mean for the Russian Armed Forces? How were they changed by recent wars, reforms and modernization programs? How bad or good is the West in reading Russia's military intentions? I talked to Johan Norberg , Senior Military Analyst from the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI). What does he think about the risk of the Wes...

Will Tehran return to nuclear talks? What to expect from a new Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi? How differently will US President Joe Biden deal with Iran compared to President Donald Trump but also to President Barack Obama? And how to react to Iranian provocations and attacks? I talked to Barbara Slavin , director of the Future of Iran Initiative, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Coun...

In July, The Foreign Affairs Council adopted a decision setting up an EU military training mission in Mozambique (EUTM Mozambique). The aim of the mission is to train and support the Mozambican armed forces in protecting the civilian population and restoring safety and security in the Cabo Delgado province. The mandate of the mission will initially last two years. During this period, its strategic...

Japanese athletes are winning more medals and the country is getting more COVID-19 infected people. This is a current reality of the Tokyo Olympics. What is the media image of the Games in Japan? What do people think about the situation and will it affect the politics in the country as the parliamentary elections will take place in October? Political scientist Yuki Shiraito thinks that at this mom...

The Forbidden Stories consortium and Amnesty International had access to records of phone numbers selected by Israeli NSO Group clients in more than 50 countries since 2016. An unprecedented leak of more than 50,000 phone numbers shows how NSO's technology, commonly known as the Pegasus spyware, has been systematically abused for years. As The Forbidden Stories and Amnesty emphasize, potential tar...

It's the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack by Norwegian far-right extremist Anders Breivik. On July 22, 2011 he detonated a car bomb outside the prime minister's office in Oslo. The explosion killed eight people. Brevik than drove to Utøya island where he shoot 69 people who gathered at a Labour Party youth camp. His victims were mostly kids. Breivik ended up behind bars, perhaps indefinite...

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) just came out with a report Cyber Capabilities and National Power: A Net Assessment . The countries covered in this report are the US, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Israel, China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. The IISS has divided the 15 states into three tiers of cyber power. But taking...

Evil reigns in Poland and we want to fight it. That's reason enough, you don't need any other justification. Those are the words of Donald Tusk aimed at the ruling Law and Justice Party. Polish ex- Prime Minister and former President of the European Council will give up his role as president of the European People's Party to be able to fully engage in Polish affairs and to run the opposition Civic...

The Chinese Communist Party was founded in July 1921. What is the brightest and what about the darkest hour of the CPP, and why? Is the party ashamed of something? And how long will Xi Jinping rule the Party and the country? About the CCP’s past, present and future, I talked to Rory Truex . He is an Assistant Professor in Princeton's Department of Politics and School of Public and Intern...

Can Spain's divisions be settled? "It's best for Catalonia and for Spain and it's in accord with the Spanish Constitution. The government will work for understanding and not for confrontation." This is what Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez said when he announced a pardon for nine Catalan leaders serving prison sentences for their roles in Catalonia's 2017 independence referendum. But what does this m...

We, the Heads of State and Government of the 30 NATO Allies, have gathered in Brussels to reaffirm our unity, solidarity, and cohesion, and to open a new chapter in transatlantic relations, at a time when the security environment we face is increasingly complex. This is how the communiqué from the NATO summit that took place on June 14th starts. The document should direct the Alliance towards an u...

Speculations about his death were hugely exaggerated in the past, but it seems that the leader of Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram Abubakar Shekau is  really dead. What does it mean for the organization that it's known for its brutality? Will the possible collapse of Boko Haram strengthen a rival group The Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP)? And BTW, if Shekau is finally dead, wha...

American President Joe Biden will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their summit takes place in Geneva on June 16. But does this meeting make any sense? Will it make any difference? Should it make any difference? And what to expect from Biden and from Putin? My questions were answered by Tom Nichols , U.S. Naval War College professor, and an adjunct at the U.S. Air Force School of Strategic F...

How big is the shadow of the former US President Donald Trump over NATO? What can the Alliance expect from Joe Biden, his successor in the White House? What are the main threats and how should the transatlantic organization deal with Russia, China or climate change? The NATO summit takes place in Brussel on June 14 and the leaders of member states will discuss the future of the Alliance and the NA...

How successful is the Israeli air defense system Iron Dome? How does this military technology work? What are the limitations of the Iron Dome? And how much does the system create an atmosphere of false safety and what about related political implications? I have tried to find some answers to those questions with Franz-Stefan Gady . He is a Research Fellow for cyber, space and future conflict at&nb...

This is a special episode. As you know The Global Agora focuses on politics, international affairs, and security. But I have many interests and I decided to create a podcast about the worldwide phenomenon called Friends . Yes, Friends, the series. It is of course influenced by the recent Friends: The Reunion special. If you have not watched it already, my podcast may contain some mild spoilers. I...

The parliamentary elections in Moldova will take place in less than two months but compared to previous votes this time something is different. What is it? Former Foreign Minister of Moldova Nicu Popescu will explain. He is the director of the Wider Europe programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations and he will also explain why and how the European Union should strengthen the...

Does Belarusan dictator Alexander Lukashenko have any strategy or his only focus is to survive no matter what? Why was he willing to dramatically kidnap journalist Raman Pratasevich knowing that he had to expect at least some reaction from the West? And about Russia's reaction? I talked to Alena Kudzko , Director of the GLOBSEC Policy Institute in Bratislava. She is from Belarus and she explains w...

On February 1st, the Myanmar military took over the country. It was a surprise move from the Tatmadaw led by general Min Aung Hlaing. The military suspended the civilian government and de facto leader of the country and Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was imprisoned. The initial reaction of the public was muted but soon the demonstrations began. Junta has reacted with brutality, murders a...

According to the European Commission the Next Generation EU instrument is more than a recovery plan. It is a once in a lifetime chance to emerge stronger from the pandemic, transform our economies, and create opportunities and jobs for the Europe where we want to live. But is it really? How might the Next Generation EU fund change and strengthen the EU? And is European Union doing enough in fighti...

Hello and welcome to another episode of my podcast The Global Agora. My name is Andrej Matišák, and I work as the deputy head of foreign desk in Slovak daily Pravda. With more than 3.3 million deaths attributed to COVID-19, the coronavirus pandemic is one of the deadliest in history. While the vaccines have emerged as a safe and effective tool against the disease, we can also say that COVID-19 is...

Hello and welcome to another episode of my podcast The Global Agora. My name is Andrej Matišák, and I work as the deputy head of foreign desk in Slovak daily Pravda. The Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack hit critical US energy infrastructure. According to BBC News, the pipeline carries 2.5 million barrels a day, means 45% of the East Coast's supply of diesel, petrol and jet fuel. How much is thi...

Hello and welcome to another episode of my podcast The Global Agora. My name is Andrej Matišák, and I work as the deputy head of foreign desk in Slovak daily Pravda. The White House confirmed that it completed its policy review on North Korea and said that it will use a calibrated approach towards Kim Jong-un's regime. But what does it mean for Joe Biden's presidency? And what kind of approach wil...

Hello and welcome to another episode of my podcast The Global Agora. My name is Andrej Matišák, and I work as the deputy head of foreign desk in Slovak daily Pravda. A big election day just took place in the United Kingdom. We have seen local elections for 145 English local councils, election to the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Parliament and some other election races such as mayoral election...