The Political Periscope

Sebastian Tomasz Plocharski, photographer, documentary filmmaker and volunteer who has been in Donbas evacuating civilians since the April 2022 speaks about his experience in the frontline zone, about people whom he helps and volunteers whith whom he has been working. The interview was recorded via online call, as Sebastian is still in Kramatorsk. The interview was conducted on 15th March 2023 onl...

Janusz Bugajski, senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation in Washington, D.C. speaks about the meaning of Joe Biden's visit to Poland and Ukraine, pro-Kremlin disinformation on Fox News, Chinese-American relations and American attitude towards the Three Seas Initiative. The interview was conducted on 24th February 2023 online by Piotr Mateusz Bobołowicz. Support the show ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of the Political Periscope you will listen to two speakers: Benedict Rogers co-funder and chief executive of the Hong Kong Watch, author of the book 'China Nexus: Thirty Years In and Around the Chinese Communist Party’s Tyranny' Jack Herndon, programme manager at the International Republican Institute, expert on China's influence in the world. They speak about the Wang Yi's, Minist...

Ilya Ponomarev, member of the executive council of the Congress of People's Deputies, former member of Russian parliament (2007-2016), a Russian oppositioner speaks about the congress which will take place in Poland, the need and the way to change the political system in Russia, who supports the so called "free Russians" and what will happen with Russia and Ukraine after the war and upcoming revol...

Fatima Tlis, Circassian activist living in exile in the United States speaks about the history of her people, its links to Polish people, about the Russian genocide committed on the nations who live inside this "prison of nations" and legal possibilities of decolonisation of the Russian Federation. The interview was conducted on 31st January 2023 in Brussels by Piotr Mateusz Bobolowicz. Support th...

Brian Glyn Williams, Full Professor of Islamic History at the University of Massachusetts, author of the book Counter Jihad, speaks about American support for Ukraine, differences in attitude towards this aid between Democrats and Republicans, Russian influences in the US, Donald Trump, Joe Biden and the perspective of decolonization of Russian Federation. This interview was conducted during the c...

Piotr Naimski, former Plenipotentiary of the Government of Poland for the strategic energy infrastructure speaks about the attitude of European countries towards energy security questions, green transformation and future perspectives of Polish and European energy sector. The interview was conducted in Warsaw on 20th January 2023 by Piotr Mateusz Bobołowicz. Support the show ★ Support this podcast...

Konrad Pawłowski, PhD hab., the head of the Balkan Team of the Institute of Central Europe in Lublin explains recent protests in North Kosovo, presents possible solutions and peace initiatives of the conflict and speaks about Serbian foreign policy and Russian influence in that country. The interview was conducted by Piotr Mateusz Bobołowicz on 16th January 2023 in Lublin. Support the show ★ Suppo...

Franak Viačorka, Senior Advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, assumes the possibility of Belarusian troops joining the war, speaks about relations between Belarusian nation and Ukrainians, political prisoners in Belarus and the possibility of change of the Lukashenka's regime. The interview was conducted online on 11th January 2023 by Piotr Mateusz Bobołowicz. Support the show ★ Support this podcas...

Emil Anton, doctor of theology and a journalist of Vatican News Suomi (Finland) speaks about the burial ceremony of the Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the late Pope's views on ecumenical dialogue and how he was viewed in Finland. The interview was conducted on 5th January 2022 online by Piotr Mateusz Bobołowicz.  Support the show ★ Support this podcast ★

Ruslan Deynychenko, one of the co-founders of the StopFake fact-checking initiative talks abut Russian disinformation against the Ukraine and the West, how Russian aggression on the 24th of February has changed the credibility of Russian propaganda and how to fight against it. The interview was conducted on 29th December by Piotr Mateusz Bobołowicz. Support the show ★ Support this podcast ★

Margareta Cederfelt, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Seucirty and Cooperation in Europe and a member of Swedish Parliament summerises two latests meetings of the OSCE PA and OSCE MC in Poland, speaks about the funtioning of the organisation in times of war and about the help that the members of the PA can bring - and bring - to Ukraine and expresses her hope for...

Peter Vesterbacka, Finnish enterpreneur, startup creator, initiator of the SLUSH Startup Event, former CMO of Rovio Entertainment Corporation, speaks about Finnish education system, the great success in the area of startups, leading to many unicorns emerging from this country and the Russian war against the Ukraine. This interview was conducted in Helsinki, 29th August 2022. Support the show ★ Sup...

Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iceland speaks about her countries help for Ukraine, ministerial council of the OSCE, Icelandic bank crisis in 2008, opening new embassy in Warsaw and respect towards fairytale creatures on Iceland. The interview was conducted by Piotr Mateusz Bobolowicz on 1st December 2022 in Warsaw. Support the show ★ Support this podcast...

Yuri Felshtinsky, Russo-American historian, author of such books as "Blowing up Russia", "World War III. Battle for Ukraine" and "From Derzhynski to Putin", which has been recently published in Poland explains why he considers the war already won by Ukraine, how Putin destroyed Russia and what Ukraine needs from the West to ultimately overpower Russia and end the war. The interview was conducted b...

Yevhenia Kravchuk, the Member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine from the Servant of the People Party, Member of the Ukrainian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation of the Security and Cooperation in Europe speaks about the role of the OSCE in the ongoing war, the attitude of the delegates of other countries and the absence of Russian delegation in light of potential suspensio...

Gregg Stebben, American journalist, co-author of the book "Does Putin have to die?" written with Ilya Ponomarev answer the question from his book's title, expresses his hopes for the future of Russian government, presents sentiments of Americans towards the Russian war in Ukraine  and comments on free speech and democracy issues. The interview was conducted on the 6th of November 2022 in Jabłonna,...

Balázs Orbán, the political director of the Prime Minister of Hungary speaks about strategic goals of Poland and Hungary, their differences and common points. The interview took place after the presentation of the Balázs Orbán's book "Multiplication table. About Hungarian strategic thinking" on the 4th of November in Warsaw, Poland. This interview was concluded by Piotr Mateusz Bobołowicz.  Suppor...

Bartosz Bojarczyk PhD, expert on the Islamic Republic of Iran from the Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin speaks about Polish-Iranian contacts, current situation around the protests in Iran and its perspectives for regime change. This interview was concluded on the 2nd of November by Piotr Mateusz Bobołowicz. Support the show ★ Support this podcast ★

Former President of the Republic of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, who in 2015 along with the President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda established the Three Seas Initiative talks about the initiative, its development prospects, possibility of the enlargement and its role within the European Union. This interview was concluded in Warsaw on the 24th of October 2022 by Piotr Mateusz Boboło...

Dimitrij Rupel, former minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Slovenia (1990-1993, 2000, 2000-2004, 2004-2008), former mayor of Ljubljana and former Slovenian ambassador to the US speaks about the war in Ukraine, conflicts around federalization in the European Union and the Three Seas Initiative.  This interview was concluded in Ljubljana on 11th October by Piotr Mateusz Bobołowicz . Suppo...

Besnik Bislimi, the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo in charge of European integration, development and dialogue talks about the perspective of euroatlantic integration of the Republic of Kosovo, current state of affairs with Serbia, relations with Poland and Kosovian position on the Russian war in Ukraine. The interview was conducted by Piotr Mateusz Bobołowicz in Prishtina,...

Stevo Pendarovski, the President of the Republic of North Macedonia talks about the relations with neighbouring countries, the difficult Macedonian road to euro-atlantic integration and North Macedonia's approach to the war in Ukraine. He warns about Putin's irrationality and comments on the position of Russia in the UN. This interview was concluded on 3rd of October 2022  in Skopje by Piotr Mateu...

Prof. Peter Jonathan Starr of the Fatih Sultan Mehmet University in Istanbul talks about islamism, Turkish mentality, history of the Ottoman Empire, Turkish language and Erdoğan's overturning of Atatürk's so called revolutions. This interview was concluded in Istanbul on 25th of September 2022  by Piotr Mateusz Bobołowicz. Support the show ★ Support this podcast ★

Lőrinc Nacsa, the Member of the Parliament of Hungary and the spokesperson of the Christian Democratic People's Party answers to the accusations of the lack of democracy in Hungary and explains Hungarian reasoning behind its attitude towards Russia and the EU's sanctions. This interview was concluded in Budapest on 16th of September 2022 by Piotr Mateusz Bobołowicz. Support the show ★ Support this...