The Global Agora

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...

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. This new episode is a bit longer than usual but I had a very interesting conversation about what might be next for Afghanistan and Taliban after the withdrawal of foreign troops. President Joe Biden's decision is criticized by many, i...

This time, my guest is a very well known political commentator David Frum . He is a staff writer at The Atlantic and from 2001 to 2002, he was a speechwriter for Republican President George W. Bush and he is the author of ten books, most recently Trumpocalypse: Restoring American Democracy . Check also his website davidfrum.com . It's 100 days of Joe Biden's Presidency. What went right and what wr...

Hello and welcome to the third 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 election in Germany will take place on September 26 and the world will be watching who will succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel. Is the Chairman of CDU Armin Laschet a strong contender? Or will Annalena Baerbock replace Merkel and...

Hello and welcome to the second 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. What's next for the US-Central Europe relations with the Biden's administration? When will American President visit the region? Will Joe Biden go to Poland? Warsaw is for the US the most important security partner in the region. O...

Hello and welcome to the first episode of my new podcast the Global Agora. My name is Andrej Matišák , and I work as the deputy head of foreign desk in Slovak daily Pravda. My guest is Mark Galeotti . He is, as his Twitter bio says, an analyst of murky topics from Russian politics to global crime and his podcast is called in Moscow's shadows. Mark is an author of a number of books about Russia. Mo...