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
247 Episodes
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Are Russia, China, and Donald Trump's America global disruptors, and what can the EU do about it? And how to live in a world full of anxiety where drones fly over our heads, we feel economic pressure, and the wars are nearby. Join me as I speak with Paweł Świeboda, Senior Visiting Fellow and Co-Director of the Brussels Economic Security Forum at the European Policy Centre. He was Deputy Head and Head of Research of the European Political Strategy Centre at the European Commission. He is a member of the European Commission’s Expert Group on the Economic and Societal Impact of Research and Innovation. Our interview took place at the Europe Future Forum in Warsaw. 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 MAGA propaganda represent in American politics? And what does Superman represent? To unpack these political symbols, I speak with Nicholas Cull, Professor of Communication at the University of Southern California, a pioneer scholar and educator in the field of public diplomacy and a historian of the role of mass communication in foreign policy. Does he believe that President Donald Trump acts like a wannabe dictator and has weakened America’s position on the global stage? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
1Washington has sent warships, submarines, and thousands of Marines into the Caribbean, raising questions about America’s intentions toward Venezuela. The Trump administration says it is targeting narco-terrorists linked to Nicolás Maduro’s regime – but how accurate is that picture, and what does it mean for regional stability and security? There was already an attack on an alleged drug trafficker's boat that killed 11 people. The State Secretary, Marco Rubio, explained that the strike was ordered personally by President Donald Trump. And while it would have been possible to stop the boat, the decision was made to destroy it, which raises questions about the legality of such an attack. To unpack the situation, I speak with Wilder Alejandro Sánchez, president of Second Floor Strategies in Washington, D.C., and an analyst specializing in defense, security, and geopolitics across the Americas and beyond. How likely is direct US military action against Venezuela? 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 my podcast, The Global Agora, Niklas Harring, Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of Gothenburg, discusses the complex relationship between public concern over climate change and actual support for climate policies. While surveys consistently show that Europeans overwhelmingly view climate change as a serious threat and support ambitious climate goals, there remains a striking gap between this concern and acceptance of concrete measures such as carbon pricing or the removal of fossil fuel subsidies. Harring explains why fairness perceptions and political leadership are key to bridging this gap, how public experiences of climate impacts shape attitudes, and why hope and effective communication are essential for sustaining climate action in democratic societies. And what does he think about Greta Thunberg, and about the effect of the Donald Trump administration's actions on fighting climate change? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
A very different kind of meeting took place between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. It was a stark contrast to their previous encounter at the end of February, which many described as an ambush. What has changed in the past six months on both the Ukrainian and American sides? And what do these changes mean for the future of the Russian war, peace negotiations, and the security of Europe? I discussed these and other questions with Julia Kazdobina, the head of the Ukrainian Foundation for Security Studies. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
Vanda Felbab-Brown is a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and we discuss how the fentanyl crisis has become the most lethal drug epidemic in United States history. She examines the factors contributing to it, including the high potency of synthetic opioids and the role of criminal organizations in their distribution. Vanda also offers her insights into a recent decline in fentanyl-related deaths in the US and shares her concerns about the potential for a similar crisis to take hold elsewhere. So, does she see any signs that Europe could face a fentanyl epidemic similar to that in North America? Listen to our conversations. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
When President Donald Trump says jump, every Republican asks: How high? But is he weaker than he appears? Trump plays the hegemon, and many are afraid of him, from his party to the media, law firms, and universities. But at one moment, he will be a lame duck, and he is old. I discussed the current state of the GOP and the Democratic Party with Steven Greene, a Professor of Political Science at North Carolina State University. 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 there a real risk of coordinated aggression by China and Russia that could lead to simultaneous attacks on Taiwan and NATO countries? Both the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte have mentioned this scenario. So, should we be seriously worried about something that could resemble a global war? I spoke with Mick Ryan, a military strategist and retired Australian Army Major General, to find out. 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 everything a distraction from the Epstein files? But when Donald Trump accuses Barack Obama of treason, what's next? Can the current US President try to arrest and prosecute his predecessor? And how would America and its institutions react to it? "At this point, we can't rule anything out," Professor of Public Policy at the University of Michigan Donald Moynihan told me. 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 Norwegian newspaper The Barents Observer is taking the Russian General Prosecutor’s Office to court for declaring the media outlet a so-called undesirable organization. "I think that the Russian authorities are very, very afraid of independent media. We publish in Russian, so we do have an audience inside the country," said Barents Observer publisher Atle Staalesen to me. I met him in 2014 when I visited Kirkenes, the Norwegian town on the border with Russia. We talked about how The Barents Observer stands up to pressure from Russian officials – and also about how concerned Norway is about a potential Russian attack. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
Phillips P. O'Brien is the Head of the School of International Relations and Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of St Andrews. Does he think that what we're seeing from the Trump administration could amount to a kind of deliberate strategy – to restrict funding and weapons for Ukraine, in the belief that Kyiv will interpret this as a signal that it must eventually capitulate? How effective is Donald Trump in helping Vladimir Putin? And why is Professor O'Brien also highly critical of European leaders? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
Vladimir Putin recently announced that Russia plans to cut military spending starting next year. This statement came after the Minister of Economic Development, Maxim Reshetnikov, warned that the country’s economy is teetering on the brink of recession. Yet Putin also declared: Wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, that’s ours. So, regardless of his words about the economy, is he preparing for a forever war? And can his regime survive without war? I discussed this – and much more – with Volodymyr Dubovyk, an Associate Professor in the Department of International Relations at Odesa I. Mechnikov National University. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
Cas Mudde is a Dutch political scientist – or, as he prefers to call himself, a politicologist – one of the foremost scholars on the far right in Western democracies and a professor at the University of Georgia. After a few phone discussions, I finally met him in person at the GLOBSEC conference in Prague. We talked about Donald Trump's America, why he is optimistic about US democracy, though not really that optimistic, and also about what, if anything, politicians like Viktor Orbán, Robert Fico, Jarosław Kaczyński, and Andrej Babiš can actually change. 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 NATO summit takes place on June 24-25 in The Hague. How should the North Atlantic Treaty Organization deal with American President Donald Trump? Can NATO work in a mode of pleasing and not provoking him? How should the Alliance spend 5 percent of GDP on defense? And what to do with Russia? At the GLOBSEC conference in Prague, I spoke with Ben Hodges, a former commanding general, United States Army Europe. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
Can Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party lose next year’s election? What might he do to prevent that? How nervous is Orbán about Péter Magyar's Tisza Party, which is currently leading in the polls? And with the potential win of Andrej Babiš in the Czech elections and with recent Karol Nawrocki's victory in Poland's presidential race, could we be witnessing a more illiberal V4? I discussed all this and more with Zsuzsanna Végh, an analyst at the German Marshall Fund. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un recently suffered a public embarrassment. He wanted to show off his new destroyer, but it was damaged. „The destroyer program of North Korea has suffered a setback. But Kim Jong-un has no intention of stopping the development of it,“ Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a Professor of International Relations at King's College London, told me. According to him, it is obvious that the Russian ruler, Vladimir Putin, is helping the DPRK in the military field. And the US and its allies, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and Australia, now have to reckon with the fact that if North Korea gets involved in any conflict in the Pacific, Russia can also be part of it. Does it mean that World War three can start in the Indo-Pacific? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
I don't think Larry Diamond needs much of an introduction – but here we go. He is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University. For decades, his research has focused on democratic trends and conditions around the world, as well as on policies and reforms to defend and advance democracy. In February, Larry wrote an article titled: Trump's America Is in a Free Fall – Not a Slippery Slope – to Tyranny. So I wanted to hear directly from him: How does he assess what Donald Trump and his people are doing? How can we resist the recession of democracy in the US and around the world? Are there any reasons for optimism? And is he staying in Trump’s America? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
How to negotiate with the Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, and does he feel empowered by his American counterpart, Donald Trump? „One very big misperception of the world and the US, especially President Trump, about the Russians is that they are very powerful. And this is very wrong,“ Leonid Litra told me. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the New Europe Center in Kyiv and a Visiting Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. We looked at the American diplomatic negotiating tactics regarding the Ukraine war, how Kyiv assesses the situation, what Russia thinks about it, and where Europe is. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak
Gabrielius Landsbergis served as Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from December 2020 until November 2024. Interestingly, 20 years ago, I also interviewed his grandfather, Vytautas Landsbergis. But we live in a very different world now – one in which the Baltic countries, including Lithuania, have closed their airspace to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who felt compelled to visit Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. So, what does Mr. Landsbergis think about such a visit? What does Russian aggression against Ukraine mean for Lithuania? How worried is he that Lithuania could become the target of a Russian attack? And would Lithuanians fight if they were attacked by 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
What should we expect from the new German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, in terms of foreign, security, and defense policy? Is he prepared to face US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin? Would Germany defend its allies in the event of a Russian attack, especially in a scenario where US support is uncertain? I discussed these questions – and more – with defense analyst Rafael Loss from the European Council on Foreign Relations. 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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