The Global Agora

The analysis shows that Russia is escalating its efforts to destabilize European countries. While previous operations mainly focused on disinformation and cyberattacks, recent activities demonstrate a shift towards hybrid warfare, including physical sabotage and political assassinations. Another striking pattern is the shift in Russian operations towards Western Europe. These are the main findings...

Donald Trump's era is here. What might he do about Ukraine? Is Russian leader Vladimir Putin happy about him, and what about the US allies? Charly Salonius-Pasterak , a leading researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, has co-authored a report titled Four Lenses for Observing the Second Trump Administration: Reflecting Uncertainty. This presented a great opportunity to discuss...

The hardest but also most inspiring year. Heading into the new year with hope. This is what Maria Avdeeva , a Ukrainian security expert, wrote on Bluesky just before the New Year.  Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she has been covering what's happening in her country. And she also has time to talk to me, so this is another round of our conversation. This time, we discussed what...

How much is Poland currently spending on defense? Can Warsaw afford it? Is Poland considering reinstating mandatory military service? And what is Poland’s primary defense objective amid Russia's war against Ukraine? About this and much more, I talked to Marek Świerczyński , head of the security and international affairs desk in  Polityka Insight . Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what...

What might be the main and most important political trends that will shape the year 2025? This was my first question for Professor Erik Jones , Director of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute. Erik joined my podcast to discuss predictions for the upcoming year, as well as to reflect on what happened in 2024. We covered topics such as elections around...

This is not my first podcast about James Bond. When  No Time to Die  hit theaters in 2021, I had a two-part conversation with Martin D. Brown , bondologist, Professor of International History at Richmond American University in London, and co-author of the book  The Bondian Cold War : The Transnational Legacy of a Cultural Icon. Martin is back on my podcast, so we are once again discussing everythi...

Could Slovak politics have been " TikTok-ed " in a similar way to Romania, where the far-right candidate Calin Georgescu won the first round of the presidential election? Is Slovak PM Robert Fico pro-Russian? And why is his government relatively fragile only one year into its rule? My podcast guests usually discuss global events, but if you're interested in learning more about my country, Slovakia...

Jennifer Mercieca is a Professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at Texas A&M University and the author of the book Demagogue for President : The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump. So we talked about Trump.  Is he an existential threat to American democracy? Is he truly willing to use the Justice Department, the FBI, and other state institutions to target his opponents? Will...

Does Russia want far-right Calin Georgescu to become president of Romania? "My guess is Russia is satisfied even with the current level of disarray in Romania," Oana Popescu-Zamfir told me. She is the director of the GlobalFocus Center and we discussed the current political situation in her country between the parliamentary elections and the second round of the presidential race. Our debate took p...

Does Vladimir Putin think he can not lose the war in Ukraine? Do the Russians believe this? I talked to political analyst Anton Barbashin , an editorial director of Riddle , a website about Russia I can only recommend. Anton just wrote an article titled  Will Russia Use Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine? Do you want to know what are Russia's real red lines? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy wh...

Ukraine is losing the war after 1,000 days of the Russian large-scale invasion. Why are the defenders in such a situation? Due to the lack of personnel and weapons, or hesitation of its Western allies, or the relative strength of Russia? Or is it everything combined? I talked to the military analyst Gustav Gressel . Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi...

Retired Brigadier General Rainer Meyer zum Felde has vast experience regarding transatlantic security. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University. From 2013 to 2017, he was the Senior Defence Advisor at the Permanent Delegation of Germany to NATO and the German Representative in the NATO Defence Policy and Planning Committee. He also served as Vice Pres...

What is your biggest concern related to Donald Trump's second term? This was my question for a Professor of History Seth Cotlar from Willamette University in Oregon. And his answer was almost... Optimistic? Could it be less bad than it looks? Do you want to know and what are the caveats here? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https:/...

What can we expect from Donald Trump if he wins the presidential elections regarding foreign policy and Ukraine and Russia? Will he leave NATO? And why does it look like Trump wants to make America small like Viktor Orban's Hungary? I talked to a Russian and East European Studies Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Mitchell Orenstein . He is the author of the book The Lands in Between : Ru...

Will chaos follow the US presidential election? The Sonoma State Political Science Professor David McCuan cannot exclude this scenario. We discussed the polls, swing states, particular counties in swing states, Kamala Harris's campaign, Donald Trump's plans, and, of course, who might win the election. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠...

Can North Korea afford to send a large number of soldiers to Ukraine's battlefield to support Russia's aggression? Is Ukraine somehow a proxy war for Pyongyang? Does Kim Jong-un think or even believe it fights the West, the US? As there have been many discussions about how North Korea can help Russia fight Ukraine by sending its soldiers, I talked to the Editor at NK News and NK Pro Arius Derr . D...

Could Ukraine repeat the Kursk operation in Transnistria? What's the situation in Moldova before the presidential election that will take place on October 20? And why are politicians like Slovak PM Robert Fico talking about reestablishing standard relations with Russia? I talked to Denis Cenusa , an Associate Expert at the Eastern Europe Studies Centre in Vilnius. Listen to our conversation. And i...

The Americans have one month to decide who they will vote for. Will it be a Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump? As this is a spooky season, I asked Professor of Political Science from North Carolina State University Steven Greene which candidate is more concerned about a possible October surprise. We all know that the polls are tight, so we talked about why the Americas are willing...

Would Australia join NATO if it could? How is Canberra looking at what's going on in Beijing and Moscow? What is the primary objective of the AUKUS alliance, and how does it contribute to Australia's security interests? Bryce Wakefield explains it all in my podcast. He is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of International Affairs and a Visiting Fellow at the Australian Nation...

Kacper Rekawek is a Senior Research Fellow and Current and Emerging Threats Programme Lead at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism in the Hague. He just published the report Russian State Terrorism and State Sponsorship of Terrorism . But it seems the West doesn't have the stomach to say that Russia is a terrorist state. Why is it so despite Moscow's aggression against Ukraine an...

What keeps former Italian Prime Minister and current President of Jacques Delors Institute Enrico Letta awake at night when he thinks about the European economy? This was my first question for him and from there we went to a discussion about the European defense industry, EU competitiveness, demography, migration, austerity, and, of course, his report  Much more than a market . Our interview took...

What is Russia's most effective weapon in the war against Ukraine? You might be surprised by what  Philip Breedlove thinks about this. He is a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force who served as the commander of U.S. European Command, as well as the 17th Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) of NATO Allied Command Operations, from May 2013 until May 2016. We talked about ...

I don't think I need to introduce  Mark Galeotti whose new book Downfall: Prigozhin, Putin, and the New Fight for the Future of Russia was just published and he is also a fellow podcaster so listen to his show In Moscow's Shadows . Mark is the director of the consultancy firm Mayak Intelligence, an Honorary Professor at UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies, and a Senior Assoc...

Tom Nichols is a staff writer at The Atlantic and an author of the Atlantic Daily newsletter. He is also a Professor Emeritus of national-security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College, where he taught for 25 years. His books include The Death of Expertise and Our Own Worst Enemy: The Assault From Within on Modern Democracy . I am happy to have Tom back on my podcast to discuss what we can expect...

I can only recommend reading the report - Political Drivers of China’s Changing Nuclear Policy: Implications for U.S.-China Nuclear Relations and International Security - so I also wanted to talk to its author. Tong Zhao is a Senior Fellow with the Nuclear Policy Program and Carnegie China and I'm happy he agreed and what follows is our debate. Are you interested in knowing more about China&#3...