The Global Agora
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© Andrej Matisak
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This is the podcast about foreign policy, international relations, politics, security, defense... My name is Andrej Matišák. I'm a journalist and deputy head of the foreign desk in the Slovak daily Pravda. So far, this is mostly a small side project. Maybe it will grow. I'll see. Anyway, I hope that you will like it and you will support it by listening, sharing and subscribing. Of course, there are gazillions of projects like this, but I think that this is the only one from Slovakia. :-) If you enjoy what I do, please buy me coffee. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
276 Episodes
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Orsolya Ráczová is an analyst on Eurasia Group’s Europe team, covering Central and Eastern Europe. She is definitely the right person to speak with about the upcoming elections in Hungary, which will be held on April 12. Will Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his party, Fidesz, lose power after 16 years? Would he accept defeat if he loses? And would Orbán’s challenger, Péter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party, concede if his attempt to oust the current Hungarian government is unsuccessful? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
Robert Hamilton is the President of the Delphi Global Research Center. He served for 30 years in the US Army, retiring as a Colonel, and during his career, he was deployed to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Germany, Belarus, Georgia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. He is the author of the book China-Russia Relations: The Dance of the Dragon and the Bear and holds a PhD in International Relations as well as an MA in Russian Studies from the University of Virginia. With his experience in the Middle East and his expertise on Russia, Dr. Hamilton is an ideal guest to discuss two ongoing wars – in Ukraine and in Iran. Is this already a global conflict? And why does Bob say that the US has painted itself into a corner in Iran? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
What does the Iran war mean for Ukraine? And what are the Russians doing in Hungary? Julia Kazdobina is the head of the Ukrainian Foundation for Security Studies, so we talked about the ripple effects of the US-Israeli war against Iran on Ukraine's ability to defend itself, about the unique drone expertise Kyiv is bringing to the Gulf states and the US, about Russian political technologists who have arrived in Hungary ahead of the elections – and about why she thinks Europe needs to figure out what it actually wants before it sits down at any negotiating table with Vladimir Putin. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
Who is running Iran? And what can the Iran–Iraq War tell us about the current conflict? These were just two of the questions I asked Mateo Mohammad Farzaneh, a full professor and chair of the History Department at Northeastern Illinois University. We discussed his journey from Iran to the United States, what led him to study history, his perspective on the war against Iran launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, and why the regime in Tehran may be far more resilient than the West tends to assume. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
Michal Onderčo is a Full Professor of International Relations in the Department of Public Administration and Sociology at Erasmus University Rotterdam, and his most recent book is titled Europe's Nuclear Umbrella. The current global instability, ongoing wars, and the collapse of key arms control treaties provide a perfect – albeit grim – setup for our debate. We discussed who holds Europe's nuclear umbrella and what Europe can do about it, French nuclear plans, Russian nuclear threats, and we also fact-checked nuclear claims made by US President Donald Trump. And if you listen to my podcast The Global Agora regularly, you know that I’m not shy about asking apocalyptic questions. So – could the Iran war go nuclear? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
Is Operation Epic Fury a punitive campaign – or a regime change war? Why is it even called Epic Fury? Could Iran become Donald Trump’s Iraq or Afghanistan? And what advice would national security expert Jonathan Schroden give the President to avoid such a scenario? My guest is the Chief Research Officer within the Office of the President at the CNA Corporation, with over 20 years of experience in policy, strategy, and operations research and analysis. Jonathan's forthcoming book is titled US Counterterrorism Operations in Afghanistan: Jackpots, Dry Holes, and Collateral Damage. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
In this episode of The Global Agora, I speak with Monika Sus, a professor at the Institute of Political Studies at Polish Academy of Sciences and expert on European security and EU foreign policy. Together, we explore whether Europe is already at war with Russia, and why the distinction between “war” and “hybrid warfare” may no longer hold. We discuss Poland’s view of Russia as an existential threat, divisions within the European Union, the uncertain future of NATO, and whether Europe must begin seriously preparing for a security architecture that can function without the United States. And ultimately, we confront the most unsettling question of all: in today’s climate of strategic uncertainty, can Europe still rely on its closest ally? So, would American President Donald Trump fight for Gdansk? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
In this episode of The Global Agora, I speak once again with retired Australian Major General Mick Ryan. We have been having these conversations for over three years now. This time, we discuss Ukraine’s evolving strategy of cumulative attrition – targeting not only Russian troops, and Ukraine wants to destroy 50,000 Russians per month, but also oil revenues and political pressure points. We examine whether Kyiv has the means to sustain this approach, the mistakes made by all sides during four years of Russia’s full-scale invasion, and why – despite drones and AI transforming the battlefield – 90 percent of warfare remains an old story of leadership, training, mass, logistics, and political will. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
When I spoke with Minna Ålander in March last year, I asked her how far she thought American President Donald Trump could go in his hostility toward the European Union, on a scale from zero to ten, where ten represented the worst-case scenario. She said it would be around 8.5. Less than a year later, I asked her the same question again. “It’s probably 11,” she replied. Minna Ålander is an analyst at the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies (SCEEUS), a non-resident fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), and an associate fellow at Chatham House. We discuss whether it is time to bury the post–Cold War world order, and what that would mean for smaller countries such as Slovakia or Finland. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
The new UK Ambassador to Slovakia, Bilal Zahid, has Pakistani roots, has lived in Northern Ireland, and studied in Scotland. He explains why he chose a diplomatic career and why he focuses on the Central and Eastern European region. Most recently, he served as Minister-Counsellor at the UK Embassy in Kyiv, where he was also responsible for the embassy’s security and safety. How does he assess the situation in Ukraine, and what does he hope to achieve in Slovakia? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
Does US President Donald Trump have an endgame in Venezuela? Which Latin American leader should be most concerned about the Donroe Doctrine, and what could it mean in concrete terms for US foreign and security policy? And should Greenland and Canada really be worried as well? “I think Trump is trying to establish a sphere of influence in which the United States can do what it wants in the Western Hemisphere,” says Renata Keller, a history professor at the University of Nevada. She is an expert on modern Latin America, the Cold War, and the War on Drugs, and she recently published a book, The Fate of the Americas: The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Hemispheric Cold War. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
Tom Nichols considers Donald Trump's obsession with Greenland very dangerous. "I think that's his most dangerous fixation because if this turns violent or confrontational, it could blow up NATO. I think Putin and others will say it's time to start taking advantage," Tom told me when we spoke about the first year of Trump’s second presidency. He is a staff writer at The Atlantic and a contributor to The Atlantic Daily newsletter. He is also a Professor Emeritus of national security affairs at the US Naval War College. His books include The Death of Expertise and Our Own Worst Enemy: The Assault from Within on Modern Democracy. Tom thinks that Trump is an even bigger threat than we thought, but he is also optimistic. Why? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
What was the most complicated aspect of preparing for the American intervention in Venezuela? What does the selection process for such a special operation look like? Will American President Donald Trump repeat it elsewhere – for example, in Greenland? And if so, should Europeans start practicing his kidnapping? Military analyst Patrick Bury answered these questions and more. He served as an air assault infantry Captain in Afghanistan, an experience he detailed in his book Callsign Hades. He is currently a Senior Associate Professor in Security at the University of Bath, specialising in warfare and counterterrorism. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
What do the Venezuela operation and the January 6 attack on the Capitol, which happened five years ago, tell us about President Donald Trump? "The anniversary of January 6th and the insurrection and uprising that occurred that goes on when Congress comes back into session with the background of what just happened in Venezuela, I think completely captures the reckless endangerment of others by this president and how he acts," said David McCuan, a Political Science Professor at Sonoma State University. Does he think that the Venezuela raid will define Trump’s foreign policy legacy – and America’s and its allies’ place in the world? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
Elections in Hungary are not expected until April, but who is leading in the polls? Péter Magyar’s Tisza party or Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz? To better understand the situation, I spoke with Daniel Hegedüs, Regional Director for Central Europe at the German Marshall Fund. He writes and speaks extensively on populism and democratic backsliding in Central and Eastern Europe, and we discuss what Orbán may be willing to do to remain in power. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
Global Risks to the EU is a large-scale survey designed to quantify expert perceptions of conflict-related threats to European Union security. To explore what to watch for and what threatens the EU, I spoke with Erik Jones, Director of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute. We discuss the likelihood of various scenarios, identify what are the high, moderate and remote risks for the European Union, examine how these risks are connected to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but also what the EU faces internally. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
This episode of my podcast, The Global Agora, features an exclusive interview with former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. After leaving Brussels in October last year, he became Norway's Finance Minister, and he also wrote a book, On My Watch, reflecting on his 10 years at NATO. It was the perfect opportunity for another round of conversation, especially since I had the chance to interview him in the past. We discussed a range of topics, including Ukraine, whether Vladimir Putin's calculus can be changed, the impact of US President Donald Trump's policies on Europe, and I also asked him if NATO, under his watch, ever came dangerously close to war with Russia. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
"Although the National Security Strategy says very little about Russia, what it does say is really, really significant because it does not treat Russia as an adversary. But we’re talking about an attempt to break the European Union, to absolutely shatter this institution.” This is what Scott Lucas, Professor of International Politics at the Clinton Institute at University College Dublin, told me when commenting on the new National Security Strategy of the Trump administration. Scott is also Professor Emeritus of International Politics at the University of Birmingham and editor-in-chief of EA WorldView. Does he think that Europe is, at this moment, squeezed between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Elon Musk, and Xi Jinping – and if so, how should it respond? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
"Fighting corruption has strategic importance for Ukraine’s national security. I believe this because when it comes to corruption in areas critical to national defense and security, we very often see that this corruption is not random, that people are not just there to steal some money. They do it because it serves Russian interests," explains Olena Tregub, Secretary-General of NAKO – The Independent Anti-Corruption Commission. We discussed the current high-profile corruption cases in Ukraine linked to the energy and defense sectors, but I also asked Olena what she would say to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Is he too close to people who are too close to corruption? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
Alex Finley, a former officer in the CIA’s Directorate of Operations and author of the Victor Caro intelligence novels, unpacks a story that sounds like one of her satirical books – but may be anything but fictional. She reacts to allegations that a recent US peace plan for Ukraine was, at least in part, drafted in Moscow before being translated into English and circulated in Washington. “It very much looks like a Russian influence operation,” Alex told me. Do you want to hear what she thinks about the unusual influence of figures such as Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, her view of Donald Trump’s behavior toward Vladimir Putin, and what she believes the Kremlin ultimately wants from its relationship with Washington? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
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