*** Please support us to keep bringing you in-depth coverage. Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope In this episode we look towards China from the perspective of its encounters with the West and Europe. Our guest is Jacek Hajduk, a Cracow-based (Poland) writer and classical philologist. His recent book “The Journal of the Rat Year” (in Polish: Dziennik Roku Szczura”) has been recently published in Poland. The book offers an in-depth historical look into the Chinese-European relations and shows us that a meaningful and patient discovering China’s and Europe’s history will tell us a lot about ourselves and our today challenges. Follow our guest on Twitter: @jahajduk More about the book [in Polish]: https://www.kew.org.pl/produkt/rok-szczura/ Check out the latest issue of New Eastern Europe: https://bit.ly/3SPvdon Read online: "Putin’s mobilisation. Too little, too late" by Agnieszka Bryc, New Eastern Europe 26 Sept 2022: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/09/26/putin-mobilization-russia-war-ukraine/ Check us out at: www.talkeasterneurope.eu
*** Please support us to keep bringing you in-depth coverage. Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope In this episode, Aga and Maciek sit down not with one but two guests, diving deep into the history of Russian/Soviet disinformation and memory politics, and linking it to the most recent events, including the partial mobilization in Russia and sham referenda in the occupied territories of Ukraine. The voices of our guests will seem familiar to our regular listeners, as Aga and Maciek were joined by Prof. Agnieszka Legucka of the Polish Institute of International Affairs and Dr. Maria Domańska of the Centre for Eastern Studies. The inspiration for our discussion was a recently published volume "Disinformation, Narratives and Memory Politics in Russia and Belarus", to which both of our guests contributed. Additional materials: "Disinformation, Narratives and Memory Politics in Russia and Belarus" - https://www.routledge.com/Disinformation-Narratives-and-Memory-Politics-in-Russia-and-Belarus/Legucka-Kupiecki/p/book/9781032251103 "Forward, into the past! Russia’s politics of memory in the service of ‘eternal’ authoritarianism" - https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/osw-report/2021-11-22/forward-past "The Set-up" by Vladimir Volkoff, https://archive.org/details/setup00volk/mode/2up Follow our guests: Prof. Legucka - https://www.pism.pl/analysts/Agnieszka_Legucka_en ; @ALegucka on Twitter Dr. Domańska - https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/eksperci/maria-domanska ; @MDomanskaOSW on Twitter Our guests' previous episodes: Episode 34 "Pandemic, power and Putin forever" with Prof. Legucka - https://talkeasterneurope.eu/episodes/episode-34-pandemic-power-and-putin-forever-856 Episode 71 "Putin's test of the West" with Prof. Legucka - https://talkeasterneurope.eu/episodes/episode-71-putins-test-of-the-west-434 Episode 87 "Russian memory politics" with Dr. Domańska - https://talkeasterneurope.eu/episodes/episode-87-russian-memory-politics-762
*** Please support us to keep bringing you in-depth coverage. Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope This week Maciek and Aga open the episode with a discussion on the latest news regarding Ukraine’s gains in the Kharkiv region, pushing back the Russian forces that have been occupying land there for the last several months. Later, Adam interviews Marie Dumoulin from the European Council on Foreign Relations. They talk about the debate around the EU-wide visa ban for Russian tourists, examine EU sanctions and how European states are working with Russian groups abroad. The debate on a visa ban is not a settled one as there are arguments for both sides. We offer several resources below for you to learn more about the context of this debate, including another point of view in contrast to the guest speaker on today’s podcast. “Why banning Russians from Europe is the right thing to do”, by Vladyslav Faraponov. New Eastern Europe 31 August 2022: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/08/31/why-banning-russians-from-europe-is-the-right-thing-to-do/ “The imperial mentality of unapologetic Russian oppositionists”, by Tomasz Kamusella. New Eastern Europe 26 August 2022: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/08/26/the-imperial-mentality-of-unapologetic-russian-oppositionists/ More about the Guest: Marie Dumoulin is the director of the Wider Europe programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Prior to joining ECFR, Dumoulin worked as a French career diplomat. She held a number of positions in French diplomatic missions abroad, e.g. in Turkmenistan, Algeria, Germany, and was seconded to the German Foreign Ministry during the German OSCE Chairmanship. Check us out online at: www.talkeasterneurope.eu Don’t forget to give us a Five-Star rating!
*** Please support us to keep bringing you in-depth coverage. Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope In the first part of the episode, the trio of co-hosts briefly exchange summer reflections and what they were following recently in the region after not seeing each other for a while. The core part overviews the situation over the Crimean Peninsula and of Crimean Tatars. Crimea has been recently at the heart of a debate over the war due to reported Ukraine’s strikes on Russian infrastructure in Crimea in mid-August. It was also toward the end of August when the Second Crimea Platform took place. It is a Ukraine-initiated tool to keep the issue of Crimea high on the international agenda. Guest: Nedim Useinow, a member of the Coordination Council of the World Congress of Crimean Tatars in Poland. He also represents the Department of European Islam Studies at the University of Warsaw. "The mission of journalists is to reveal the truth", https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/07/14/the-mission-of-journalists-is-to-reveal-the-truth/ "The Crimea Platform as a new approach to a seven-year-old problem", https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/08/24/the-crimea-platform-as-a-new-approach-to-a-seven-year-old-problem/ "The Crimean Platform: possible light in the hybrid tunnel", https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/08/23/the-crimean-platform-possible-light-in-the-hybrid-tunnel/
*** Please support us to keep bringing you in-depth coverage. Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope In this episode we turn towards Georgia, to discuss the current developments in the country and the implications of the recent decision of the European Council not to grant Georgia EU candidate status just yet. Aga delves into these topics together with Grigol Julukhidze, Director and Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Council - an independent, non-profit think tank based in Tbilisi. They talk about the never-ending internal political crisis in the country, the importance of Euro-Atlantic integration for the Georgian population and the ever more present influence of Russian propaganda and disinformation. You can follow Grigol and his work on https://foreignpolicycouncil.com/ and on Twitter @grigoljulukhidz . Recent NEE articles on Georgia: “From emperors to refugees: Russian emigration to Armenia and Georgia” - https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/07/14/from-emperors-to-refugees-russian-emigration-to-armenia-and-georgia/ “Georgia has work to do before it is considered an EU candidate country” - https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/06/30/georgia-has-work-to-do-before-it-is-considered-an-eu-candidate-country/ Check out our previous episodes: Episode 96: Georgia’s government distancing from Ukraine - https://talkeasterneurope.eu/episodes/episode-96-georgias-government-distancing-from-ukraine-893 Episode 78: Another hot summer in Georgia - https://talkeasterneurope.eu/episodes/episode-78-another-hot-summer-in-georgia-981
*** Please support us to keep bringing you in-depth coverage. Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope In this episode, we look at the Western Balkans. After somewhat disappointing the EU-Western Balkans Summit in June 2022, the European Commission announced the opening of the accession negotiations with the two candidate countries Albania and North Macedonia on July 19. Gentjan Skara, the Head of the Department of Law at the Bedër University College in Triana, joined us to provide his view on critical factors that led to the opening of negotiations. He also shared his assessment of what tasks lie ahead of Albania before the country could become a Member of the European Union. Visit us online: www.talkeasterneurope.eu
*** Please support us to keep bringing you in-depth coverage. Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope In this episode of Talk Eastern Europe, Adam sits down with Nina Rozhanovskaya a coordinator and academic liaison at the Kennan Institute of the Wilson Centre. Nina and Adam explore understanding Russian support for the war in Ukraine and a focus on opposition to the war among Russians inside and outside the country. They discuss the growing internal repressions and the consequences for speaking out against this war. Read the most recent publication on this topic: “Disloyalty is punishable: Russians hide their true feelings about the war” By: Maria Domańska, New Eastern Europe 17 June 2022: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/06/17/disloyalty-is-punishable-russians-hide-their-true-feelings-about-the-war/ Visit us online: www.talkeasterneurope.eu
*** Please support us to keep bringing you in-depth coverage. Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/search?q=talk+eastern+europe In this episode Aga sits down with Pavel Havlíček, a Research Fellow at the Prague-based Association for International Affairs (AMO) and expert on Eastern Europe, to discuss the priorities of the recently inaugurated Czech presidency of the Council of the European Union and how these will be impacted by the historic decision to grant Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova EU candidate status. Aga and Pavel also talk about Czechia’s involvement in the development of the Eastern Partnership and ponder on the possible future scenarios for the initiative, now that two of its members have become part of the EU’s enlargement policy. Additional materials: “Ukraine’s membership of the EU is a long way off, but we must start preparing right now” - https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/06/22/ukraines-membership-of-the-eu-is-a-long-way-off-but-we-must-start-preparing-right-now/ “Czech presidency can revive the faltering Eastern Partnership” - https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/12/27/czech-presidency-can-revive-the-faltering-eastern-partnership/ You can follow Pavel and his work on Twitter (@Pavel_Havlicek_), Facebook (Pavel Paulie Havlíček) and LinkedIn (Pavel Havlicek). Visit us online at: https://www.talkeasterneurope.eu
*** Please support us to keep bringing you in-depth coverage. Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/search?q=talk+eastern+europe The last European Union Council meeting brought a historic decision to grant Ukraine and Moldova the status of the EU candidate status. In this episode Maciek and Aga share their first reactions to the EU’s decision as well as Maciek asks Maksym Kyiak, the Kyiv-based expert on international relations, about his assessment of EU Council decision. In addition Maksym provides us with an update of the general situation in Ukraine as the war continues without any prospects for rapid de-escalation. Watch the documentary movie on the city of Bucha in Ukraine, mentioned in the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=-RXf6REnoSs Read the latest analysis and commentary on the war and the region by visiting: www.neweasterneurope.eu
*** Please support us to keep bringing you in-depth coverage. Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope *** In this episode Adam sits down with Anton Naychuk, Director of the Kyiv-based NGO Civil Diplomacy Fund. Anton gives our listeners an update on where the fighting is now taking place in Ukraine. He discusses the current Russian strategy and the needs of Ukraine for heavy weapons now – before it is too late. Anton also describes the economic effects of the war and why and how Russian actions are leading to a possible global food crisis. Read the latest analysis and commentary on the war and the region by visiting: www.neweasterneurope.eu Listen also to Episode 101: EU Candidate status for Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia? https://talkeasterneurope.eu/episode/episode-101-eu-candidate-status-for-ukraine-moldova-and-georgia-732