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Stay up to date with this regular podcast on EU affairs. Sounds dry? Don't worry, we'll be sure to find something to wet your appetite.
Stay tuned, stay fresh, stay informed.
Stay tuned, stay fresh, stay informed.
49 Episodes
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In this episode of The Language of Power, Paul Taylor, Senior Visiting Fellow at the European Policy Centre, examines the brutal diplomacy facing Ukraine as it navigates mounting pressure for a ceasefire on terms heavily tilted towards Russia.
Paul is joined by Amanda Paul, Deputy Head of EPC’s Europe in the World Programme and lead of the Ukraine project, and Lev Zinchenko, Advocacy Programme Coordinator at Razom for Ukraine.
Together, they discuss Ukraine’s limited diplomatic room for manoeuvre as US President Donald Trump pushes peace proposals that risk undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty and long-term security; the tactics President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is using to resist unacceptable concessions while preserving vital Western support; Europe’s role — and shortcomings — in shaping the negotiations; and whether a ceasefire is likely in the coming weeks or if the war is set to grind on.
Recorded as Ukraine faces another winter of war, the episode explores how diplomacy, military pressure and domestic politics intersect at a moment of profound uncertainty for Kyiv — and for Europe.
What happens to liberal democracy when not only institutions, but also social and societal rights come under strain?
In a special edition of The Language of Power – recorded live at the margins of the EPC Annual Conference 2025 – Paul Taylor, Senior Visiting Fellow at the European Policy Centre, explores how threats to Europe’s democracy are evolving.
After examining global and EU-level democratic backsliding in previous episodes, this conversation turns to the erosion of employment protections, welfare rights, women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights, and the ways in which these pressures are reshaping European politics.
Paul is joined by:
• Laszlo Andor, former European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of FEPS
• Georgia Mourad Brooks, CEO of The Nine and founder of the Fempower Initiative
Together, they discuss whether liberal democracy is losing its social foundations, and what Europe can do to protect them.
In this episode of The Language of Power, Paul Taylor, Senior Visiting Fellow at the European Policy Centre, explores the dangers facing liberal democracy within the European Union and what can be done to counter them.
Last week, we examined the global assault on democracy – from socio-economic and technological forces driving public alienation to the rise of a new authoritarianism, with a few bright spots of democratic renewal. This episode turns the lens to Europe, where “illiberal democracy,” a term coined by Fareed Zakaria in 1997 and later embraced by Viktor Orbán, has spread from Hungary to Poland, Slovakia and EU-candidate Serbia. Elected governments have used majorities to weaken judicial independence, capture media, and roll back women’s and LGBTQ+ rights.
Joining Paul to discuss how these trends are reshaping European politics – and how liberal democracy can be defended – are distinguished Professor of Political Science Brigid Laffan and Liza Saris, Policy Analyst and Project Manager of the EPC’s Connecting Europe initiative.
This podcast is a part of the European Policy Centre's Europe in the World Programme.
In this episode of The Language of Power, Paul Taylor, Senior Visiting Fellow at the European Policy Centre, explores the global backsliding of liberal democracy and asks whether it is losing its anchor.
Once seen as the inevitable “end of history,” democratic progress has stalled and reversed in many countries, including the United States, which now faces internal democratic erosion and a growing embrace of strongman regimes abroad. Joining Paul to discuss these trends and their implications are Amanda Sloat, Professor of International Relations at IE University and former Senior Director for Europe at the U.S. National Security Council, and Richard Youngs, Senior Fellow at Carnegie Europe and co-founder of the European Democracy Hub. Together, they examine the drivers of democratic decline, the role of technology and AI, prospects for resilience, and lessons from the Global South on sustaining democratic norms.
In this week's episode, host Paul Taylor explores how Europe can harness disruptive technologies to modernise its defence capabilities amid rising geopolitical tensions.
Joined by Chris Kremidas-Courtney and Jonas Singer, the discussion dives into the challenges of integrating civilian innovations into military systems, critiques the outdated “dual-use” concept, and highlights what Europe, especially Germany, must change to stay ahead in defence innovation.
In this episode of Language of Power, Paul Taylor explores the tragic story of over 19,500 Ukrainian children abducted by Russia since the 2022 invasion, with only around 1,600 returned.
Featuring insights from Mykola Kuleba, founder of Save Ukraine, and Thordis Kolbrun Gylfadottir, a former Icelandic foreign minister who is the Council of Europe’s Special Envoy on the situation of the children of Ukraine, the discussion highlights the scale of the crisis, the international response — including ICC arrest warrants and Ukraine’s “Bring Kids Back” initiative — and the disturbing findings of a Yale report suggesting up to 35,000 children may have been taken, indoctrinated, and adopted under new identities.
The episode also examines Europe’s role in supporting affected children and the diplomatic efforts underway to bring them home.
This week’s episode of The Language of Power explores whether Washington and Europe are on different planets when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Just a day after President Trump unveiled a 20-point peace plan, securing Netanyahu’s backing while warning Hamas of annihilation, European countries led by France and the UK joined Saudi Arabia in recognising a Palestinian state. But will either move change realities on the ground, or simply highlight diverging transatlantic approaches?
Host Paul Taylor speaks with Aaron David Miller, a veteran US peace negotiator, and Silvia Colombo of the NATO Defence College, about the prospects of a ceasefire in Gaza, Europe’s divided role in the Middle East, and whether recognition of Palestine is meaningful diplomacy or symbolic virtue-signalling.
Listen in for insight on what’s at stake for peace, power, and Europe’s influence in the region.
Is lasting peace finally within reach in the South Caucasus—or is the latest deal just another geopolitical powerplay?
In this episode of Language of Power, we unpack the US-brokered peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, signed at the White House on 8 August, and explore what it means for the region and the wider world.
Host Paul Taylor is joined by Matthew Bryza, former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, and Viktorya Muradyan, Brussels-based public affairs consultant and former co-editor-in-chief of The European Correspondent. Together, they explore why President Trump succeeded where the EU faltered, and what’s at stake for Washington, Moscow, and Tehran.
We examine Armenia’s pivot away from Russia, Azerbaijan’s growing leverage despite its authoritarian record, and the prospects for regional transformation. Can Armenia’s government survive the fallout of losing Karabakh? Is EU membership a credible alternative? And how might Russia and Iran respond to losing influence in their own backyard?
In this episode of the Language of Power, Paul Taylor unpacks a turbulent summer of transatlantic diplomacy, shifting alliances, and war fatigue.
From Putin’s headline-grabbing summit with Trump in Alaska to Zelenskyy’s tense Washington visit, the episode explores whether diplomatic showmanship can halt Russia’s brutal advance in Ukraine. While Russia escalates attacks and Ukrainians hold their ground, Europe is caught between appeasement and agency—offering concessions to Trump in hopes of securing continued US backing.
Together with Jim Townsend and Amanda Paul, the conversation dives into:
🔴 Trump’s erratic stance on Russia and missed sanctions deadlines
🔴 What Europe gets in return for bending to Washington’s demands
🔴 What credible security guarantees for Ukraine could look like
🔴 The broader implications for NATO and transatlantic trust
In this episode of The Language of Power, host Paul Taylor, Senior Visiting Fellow at the European Policy Centre, examines the EU’s recent high-level summits with China and Japan.
What can we learn from the frosty EU-China meeting in Beijing, which marked a tense 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations? And how does it compare to the broader, more cooperative outcomes of the EU-Japan summit held just a day earlier in Tokyo?
Joining the discussion are Ivano di Carlo, Senior Policy Analyst, and Elixabete Arrieta, Junior Policy Analyst, both from the EPC’s Europe in the World Programme. Together, they explore the current state of EU-Asia relations, the impact of the second Trump administration, and whether a distinct European approach in Asia is still possible.
In this episode of The Language of Power, host Paul Taylor explores the high-stakes geopolitical tug-of-war over Moldova, a small country caught between EU integration and Russian interference ahead of its crucial parliamentary elections on 28 September.
With insights from Tatiana Cojocari (WatchDog.MD Community) and Anastasia Pociumban (DGAP), the episode unpacks:
• Russia’s full-spectrum campaign of disruption in Moldova;
• EU and US support for Moldova’s democratic resilience;
• The role of Transnistria and recent gas cut-offs;
• The dilemma of decoupling Moldova’s EU path from Ukraine’s amid Hungarian opposition;
• The emergence of Alternativa and the potential election surprises.
The outcome in Moldova could shape the credibility of EU enlargement and the resilience of democracy on Europe’s eastern frontier.
This Podcast is part of the EPC's Europe in the World Programme.
The Language of Power – NATO’s summit in The Hague: a turning point or a phoney deal?
This week, host Paul Taylor is joined by Jamie Shea and Iana Maisuradze to unpack the outcomes of the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague – the first under President Trump’s return. Was it a moment of renewed unity or a carefully choreographed illusion? From Article 5 ambiguity to the 5% defence spending pledge, the episode explores what the summit means for transatlantic credibility, European rearmament, arms control, and Ukraine’s NATO path.
Tune in for sharp insights, critical analysis, and behind-the-scenes perspectives on NATO’s most consequential gathering in years.
In this episode of The Language of Power podcast, host Paul Taylor is joined by Mihai Chihaia, a policy analyst in the EPC’s Europe in the World programme, and Ionela Ciolan, a research officer at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, to unpack how Russia’s war on Ukraine has reshaped security in the Black Sea.
From Ukraine’s use of naval drones to Turkey’s control of the straits and NATO’s limited naval presence, the discussion explores the shifting balance at sea, the EU’s new Black Sea Strategy, and what’s next for regional defence.
In this episode, host Paul Taylor explores how cryptocurrency, once seen as fringe “funny money,” is now influencing democracy and financial systems. Paul Taylor is joined by guests Joe Litobarski and Alice Stollmeyer to unpack how crypto works, its regulation or lack thereof, and its political implications, especially under the second Trump administration. Debating whether crypto is empowering citizens or undermining states, this episode shares critical insights into crypto’s risks, benefits, and what Europe should do in response.
In this episode of The Language of Power, the EPC’s Paul Taylor is joined by Amanda Paul and Demir Murat Seyrek to unpack Turkey’s evolving geopolitical role amid US attempts to end Russia’s war on Ukraine. As Turkey’s strategic relevance grows, so does concern over President Erdoğan’s crackdown on the democratic opposition, notably the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. The discussion explores the EU’s dilemma: engage Turkey as a vital NATO partner or stand firm on human rights? The episode also sheds light on Turkey’s relations with the US, Russia, and EU, the strength of its civil society and opposition movements, and whether a new EU-Turkey relationship beyond accession is both necessary and possible.
In this episode of The Language of Power, EPC Podcast host and Senior Visiting Fellow Paul Taylor is joined by senior policy analyst Philipp Lausberg and policy analyst Svitlana Taran from the European Policy Centre to question how sanctions can become more impactful and effective in the long run. They also examine the political logic, economic consequences, and strategic dilemmas behind EU sanctions. Why do they persist despite mixed results? What happens when unity among member states starts to fracture? And how should the EU respond if key allies, like the United States, shift their stance?
Senior visiting fellow Chris Kremidas-Courtney joins host Paul Taylor on The Language of Power to discuss how Europe must prepare for defense in an era of mass precision warfare—possibly without U.S. support. With Russia’s military buildup and ongoing aggression in Ukraine, how should Europe invest its growing defense budgets? They debate the relevance of tanks, fighter jets, and aircraft carriers in a world of drones, missiles, and uncrewed systems. They also examine key capabilities Europe has long relied on the U.S. and NATO for—such as command and control, space-based intelligence, logistics, and nuclear deterrence. With over 35 years in military and security, Kremidas-Courtney shares expert insights on adapting to this new era of warfare.
This week's episode of the Language of Power podcast focuses on Russia’s war in Ukraine, the war crimes committed by Putin’s forces, and efforts to hold those responsible accountable. A very special guest, Andriy Kostin, Ukraine’s former prosecutor-general, shares insights on evidence collection and legal action against Putin and his inner circle. As ceasefire negotiations unfold in Saudi Arabia, we’ll explore the role of transitional justice in securing a just and lasting peace.
With Paul Taylor, EPC's senior visiting fellow for the Europe in the World programme and podcast host and Andriy Kostin, Ukraine's former prosecutor general.
This Podcast is part of the EPC's Europe in the World Programme.
In this week’s episode of The Language of Power podcast, host Paul Taylor sits down with experts Mihai Chihaia and Katarzyna Sidlo to explore the future of the Middle East. They discuss the region’s impact on Europe and consider how the EU can foster peace and stability. Tune in for insightful analysis and thought-provoking perspectives on one of today’s most pressing geopolitical challenges.
With Paul Taylor, EPC's senior visiting fellow for the Europe in the World programme and podcast host, Mihai Chihaia, Policy Analyst for the Europe in the World Programme at the EPC and Katarzyna Sidlo, Senior Policy Analyst for the MENA region, EU Institute for Security Studies.
This Podcast is part of the EPC's Europe in the World Programme.
Where does Ukraine stand following President Zelenskyy’s disastrous meeting with Trump and Vice-President JD Vance at the White House last week? Having left Washington with no agreement and with US officials calling for his replacement, the Ukrainian leader went on to meet in London with European leaders, who offered him their full support but also encouraged him to mend fences with Trump. EU leaders are holding a special summit this week to discuss support for Ukraine and launching their own defence surge.
With Paul Taylor, EPC's senior visiting fellow for the Europe in the World programme and podcast host, Amanda Paul Senior, Policy Analyst and Deputy Head of the Europe in the World Programme at the EPC and Svitlana Taran, Research Fellow at the EPC.
This Podcast is part of the EPC's Europe in the World Programme.
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