World Focus from Brussels

Today 29 March, is the fourth anniversary of World Focus from Brussels. Looking back the world has changed dramatically since the first episode went on line 29 March 2021. However, one thing has not changed. The President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko is still in power and has only tightened his grip, brutally repressing Belarusians and holding elections that are neither free or fair. Those who...

Leaders of the European Union meet in Brussels on 20 March to discuss security and defence, following the introduction of a White Paper on European Defence - Readiness 2030. Many allied military leaders are also meeting today in Northwood HQ in the UK. In Germany the incoming new Chancellor, Friedrich Merz is wasting no time to implement his plans on boosting defence. In this episode I interview R...

Greenlanders voted for a parliament on 11 March. This tiny nation living on the largest island in the world has been pushed into the global spotlight following Donald Trump's repeated comments that he wants to make the country a part of the United States.  Greenland was a colony of Denmark for 300 years, currently has self-rule but is still part of the Kingdom of Denmark. In this episode I in...

Drones have become increasingly important on the battlefields of the Russia-Ukraine war, as three years have recently passed from Russia's full-scale invasion. In this episode I interview Ole Kværnø, a retired Danish Brigadier General now the director of the Danish Centre for Defence Robotics and Autonomy. He says we are witnessing a military revolution, adding that innovation, matched with m...

In war zones of the world Artificial Intelligence already guides drones, is used in target selection, intelligence and surveillance, just to name a few examples. But how can AI affect decisions by political and military leaders to use military force in the first place?  In this episode I continue to focus on the conference "Military AI and the Resort to Force" in Copenhagen on 27 Februar...

Military Artificial Intelligence is already shaping the character of modern warfare, for example in the battlefields of Ukraine and Gaza. The episode focuses on this new arms race and key challenges we face. I attended “Military AI and the Resort to Force,” a conference organized by Centre for Military Studies, Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen on 27 February. Multiple spea...

Allied leaders from Europe and Canada, have been in Kyiv today, 24 of February, demonstrating support for Ukraine at a Summit with President Volodymyr Zelensky. Three years have passed since the full scale invasion of Russia into this sovereign state in the heart of Europe. At the same time the US Trump administration seems to be embracing Russia, the aggressor, and President Donald Trump has call...

Russia’s war on Ukraine has left death and destruction in its trail, as we approach three years from Russia’s full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022.  This is very much a “hot-war.” However, around the world multiple frozen and often forgotten conflicts are also impacting people’s daily lives, without getting into the global headlines. One of these conflicts evolves around Abkhazia in the South-C...

The Munich Security Conference started today 14 February in Germany, two days after US President Donald Trump pushed for peace in Ukraine by talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a 90 minutes phone call.  In Brussels US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth told NATO Allies and Partners supporting Ukraine, that it is unrealistic to return to the prewar borders from 2014 between Ukraine and Ru...

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer, met with Mr. Mark Rutte Secretary General of NATO in Brussel  on the 3 of February. They discussed defence spending and ongoing support for Ukraine, as we are approaching three years from Russia’s full scale invasion into Ukraine. The two leaders also participated in an informal meeting with leaders of the European Union member states, in...

Russia’s war on Ukraine rages on and soon three years have passed since the full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022.  Experts on Russia gathered in Brussels on 27 January at a conference headlined: “Russia and Europe in Wartime.” In this episode I interview one of the speakers,   Félix Krawatzek, Senior Researcher at the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS), in Berlin. He says...

Donald J. Trump is back in the White House, after being sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on 20th of January.  In his inaugural address Trump said that America will “be respected again all over the world."  Leaders of other NATO Allies and the European Union have been bracing themselves for a second Trump presidency and how that will affect transatlantic relations. President...

On 17 January, Admiral Rob Bauer from the Netherlands finished his term as Chair of the NATO Military Committee, after serving for three and a half years as NATO’s senior military official.  His successor is Admiral Cavo Dragone from Italy.  This episode focuses on Admiral Bauer’s time in this important post. He was  the senior military spokesperson for the Alliance on all military matters and the...

Massive seismic activity has led to the evacuation of close to 4000 inhabitants from the fishing town of Grindavík, on the south coast of the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland.   I speak to my fellow Icelander, geophysicist Ari Trausti Guðmundsson, who explains the immense forces at work. Geoscientists still think it is likely that an eruption might start, close to or even in Grindavík itself. Alread...

France plays a major role in Europe as one of the leading nations of the European Union,  plus being a founding member of NATO and a key Ally.  Nevertheless French governments have often been critical of the Alliance through the years. French President Emmanuel Macron has focused on strengthening the influence and status of France on the global stage, while also emphasizing the importance of Europ...

Major conflicts are raging in different parts of the world. The war in Ukraine continues and since early October, a war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, following Hamas terrorist attack on Israel - adding a new chapter to the violent and complicated history of that region. Leaders of the European Union member states met in Brussels late last week to discuss these two conflicts and other pressing...

Targeting LGBTIQ+  people is one tool that the Kremlin and other foreign threat actors use to manipulate the information space, in order to sow discord and weaken democracy, aiming to achieve their own political and even military objectives. The most prominent anti-LGBTIQ+ disinformation narrative, asserts that the West is trying to destroy everything that is good, normal, and moral by actively pu...

US President Joe Biden  met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 18 October, in a high-stake visit to Israel, trying to break the latest cycle of violence in the region or at least prevent the current conflict from escalating even further. On 7 October the Hamas organization launched a horrific terrorist attack on Israel across the border from it’s bases in Gaza. Israel has retaliated with massive...

NATO ministers of defence meet  in Brussels today 11 October and tomorrow to discuss the war in Ukraine as almost 600 days have passed since the full-scale invasion by Russia on 24 February last year.  Volodymyr Zelensky President of Ukraine was welcomed to NATO's headquarters this morning by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, In this episode I speak to top Danish defence and miltary expert...

China’s military – the People’s Liberation Army – aims to be world class by mid century, equal to the United States military. The PLA has already added massive capabilities, such as enlarging the navy and is also preparing for intelligentized warfare through developing and analyzing AI – Artificial Intelligence.  Brigadier General Ole Kværnø, was a contributor to a conference on 2 October organize...

The Global Organized Crime Index 2023 reveals a widening gap between organized crime and our collective resilience efforts. A new edition of the index has been launched by Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime and the results highlight the urgent need for informed, practical strategies to combat organized crime globally. The index profiles all 193 member states of the United Nati...

Brussels has a very lively art gallery scene and a thriving market for art that is internationally recognized. This week, from 21 to 24 September, 70 galleries and jewellers take part in the annual Brussels Art Square in the Sablon neighbourhood. World Focus from Brussels visits one of art dealers taking part, Jonathan Kugel, in his gallery in the heart of Sablon. We discuss the importance of Brus...

Slovaks go to the polls on 30 September to select a new parliament. The election campaign takes place in a volatile political environment where disinformation has been rampant and rivals fight bitterly. The elections are also closely watched because the results might decide whether Slovakia changes course in it’s support for Ukraine, which until now has been robust. On the other hand, Former Prime...

Ukraine is united in fending off the full-scale invasion by Russia and liberate all occupied territories. In this episode I interview Oleksiy Goncharenko a member of the Ukrainian parliament who took up arms along with his colleagues following the invasion on 24. February 2022. He represents Odesa, the biggest city in the south of Ukraine, on the coast of the Black Sea  and a key hub for exports....

Sports is a huge global business, one example is English football where billionaires and oil-rich countries have been making big investments.  In this episode  I speak with Kaspars  Gorkšs , former professional footballer from Latvia,  In addition to playing for domestic clubs and his national team, Kaspars had a successful 10 years career in England, joining clubs such as Queens Park Rangers and...