Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes

The podcast discusses the recent airstrikes in the Red Sea, the motivations of the Houthis, negotiations with Saudi Arabia, the importance of the Red Sea in global terms, ongoing conflict in Yemen, and geopolitical competition in the region.

Every year, the International Rescue Committee publishes an emergency watchlist, an assessment of the 20 countries at greatest risk of humanitarian emergency. According to the IRC’s report for 2024, the scope of this year’s challenges is broad: Gaza and the West Bank rank only second on the watchlist, behind Sudan. And Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan don’t even make the top ten. In this week’s podcast, recorded at the World Economic Forum in snowy Davos, Mark Leonard welcomes David Miliband, former British foreign secretary, now president and CEO of the IRC and an ECFR council member, to discuss the organisation’s priorities for 2024. How can Europe address this year’s crises? What will happen if we do not act?This podcast was recorded on 18 January 2024. Bookshelf:Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things | Adam GrantWavewalker: Breaking Free | Suzanne Heywood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Change is inevitable, and so is our beloved predictions episode. As always, Mark Leonard and ECFR’s research director Jeremy Shapiro start the year off by revisiting the ten predictions they made last year and then look into their crystal ball at the forces that will shape the upcoming one. Their predictions for 2023 left them with a score of 7/10. Will they do better this year? Let us know if you think they missed something! You can write your own predictions to mark.leonard@ecfr.eu. This podcast was recorded on 9 January 2024 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month, ECFR’s Africa Forum brought together African and European policymakers and thinkers for discussions on the two continents’ strategic partnerships in the changing global order. In this new episode, Jeremy Shapiro welcomes the head of ECFR’s Africa programme, Theo Murphy. They are joined by ECFR visiting fellow, Adebayo Olukoshi, who is a distinguished research professor at the Witts School of Governance in South Africa; and Brian Kagoro, managing director of programmes at the Open Society Foundations. How do Africans view Europe and the EU’s role in the world? What steps can Europeans take to improve their relationships in Africa? Which powers are competing with Europeans for attention in Africa? And what is the EU’s unique selling proposition?This episode was recorded on 12 December, 2023.Bookshelf:Keepers of the Flame: Understanding Amnesty InternationalThe First Black Slave Society: Britain’s “Barbarity Time” in Barbados, 1636-1876 | Hilary McD. Beckles Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Going into the holiday season, the mood among Ukraine’s supporters far from festive. It is difficult to escape a sense that general war fatigue is kicking in, as Europeans bicker over military aid, dysfunction paralyses the US Congress, and the war in Gaza continues to hog the world’s attention. What is more, the frontiers of the Ukraine war have barely budged since last year.In this week’s episode, Jeremy Shapiro welcomes Michael Kofman, senior fellow at Carnegie Endowment’s Russia and Eurasia programme, and Gustav Gressel, senior policy fellow at ECFR. What is the current state of the war? Whatever happened to Ukraine’s much-heralded counteroffensive? And what steps can the West take to help Ukraine prepare for what 2024 might have in store?This episode was recorded on 4 December, 2023Bookshelf:The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan KarunatilakaBefore the West. The Rise and Fall of Eastern World Orders by Ayşe Zarakol Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Second only to the United States, the Gulf countries have emerged as key players in the Israel-Hamas war. Qatar has been a crucial go-between in negotiating the recent hostage return and seven-day ceasefire, but has also come under fire for its chummy relationship with Hamas. The United Arab Emirates, for its part, has maintained a studious neutrality and appears more keen on preserving economic ties with Israel than getting pulled into the conflict. And as the region’s biggest player, Saudi Arabia could still play a decisive role in bringing Israelis and Palestinians to the negotiating table after the war ends (at least the Biden administration hopes so). What is at stake for the Gulf? And is there a constructive role for the region’s countries to play as Israel continues its fight against Hamas amid mounting international criticism?In this week’s episode, Jeremy Shapiro welcomes ECFR visiting fellow, Cinzia Bianco, and senior policy fellow, Hugh Lovatt to discuss the role of the Persian Gulf in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.This podcast was recorded during the Doha Forum on 8 December 2023.Bookshelf:Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World | Mary Beard Seeking Stability Amidst Disorder: The Foreign Policies of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, 2010-20 | Tobias Borck Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Digital empires” – the geopolitical entities that wield their influence and control in the digital landscape – shape much of how we interact with the online world. Currently, the United States, China, and the European Union are taking the lead, with their substantial investments in technology, innovation, and digital infrastructure, and their efforts to shape and regulate the digital economy. In this week’s episode, Jeremy Shapiro welcomes Anu Bradford, author and Henry L. Moses professor of law and international organization at Columbia University, to discuss her new book “Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology”. In it, she argues that the global regulatory battle between the US, China, and the EU is intensifying, as they try to rein in powerful tech companies while attempting to expand their influence in the digital world. What role do the companies being regulated have to play? Do they have any agency in this great regulatory game? What about the rest of the world’s digital influence? Bookshelf: Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology | Anu BradfordSlow horses - Apple TV Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The West perceives Russians as either indifferent or supportive of the war being waged on their doorstep. But a sharp decrease in on-the-ground reporting since February 2022 means that the country has become poorly understood.In this week’s episode, Jeremy Shapiro welcomes senior policy fellow Kadri Liik and Valerie Hopkins, an international correspondent for The New York Times covering the war in Ukraine as well as Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union. Together, they discuss how Russian society really sees the war in Ukraine. How long will Putin be able to sustain the war effort while keeping public dissent to a minimum? And three months after disposing of Prigozhin, how solid is Putin’s grip on power?Bookshelf:War and Punishment | Mikhail Zygar In Different Years | Anatoly Adamishin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the war in Gaza, Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has raised eyebrows among his Western allies for his strident criticism of Israel and refusal to condemn Hamas. Likewise, the atmosphere in Turkey has been heated, with attempts to storm an airbase hosting US troops as well as the Israeli consulate in Istanbul.In this week’s episode, Jeremy Shapiro welcomes senior policy fellow Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institute, and Dimitar Bechev, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and the director of the European Policy Institute in Sofia. Together, they look beyond the heated rhetoric and street politics and discuss what the war means for Turkey’s foreign policy. Where do Israel-Turkey relations stand now? Could Turkey play a role similar to Qatar’s? How are US officials reacting to Turkey’s response?This podcast was recorded on 21 November 2023. Bookshelf: Odessa: Genius and Death in a City of Dreams | Charles KingAmerican Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer | Kai Bird, Martin J. SherwinVirtual Politics: Faking Democracy in the Post-Soviet World | Andrew Wilson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ECFR’s new global opinion poll reveals that many people outside the West want Europe and the US in their lives for all they have to offer – but that does not translate into full political alignment. In this week’s episode, ECFR’s research director Jeremy Shapiro welcomes council member Timothy Garton Ash, who is a bestselling author and professor of European studies at Oxford University; Ivan Krastev, who is a founding board member of ECFR and chairman of the Centre for Liberal Strategies in Sofia; and ECFR’s director Mark Leonard to discuss how public sentiment can guide Europe in building partnerships for the world of tomorrow. What is the basis for the West’s soft power? What sort of offer is China making the world? And whom do countries in the ‘global south’ prefer when faced with a choice between the West and China?This podcast was recorded on 7 November 2023.Bookshelf:Places of Mind: A Life of Edward Said | Timothy BrennanEnvironmental Political Theory | Steve VanderheidenLes Aveuglés, comment Berlin et Paris ont laissé la voie libre à la Russie | Sylvie KauffmannLiberalism against Itself: Cold War Intellectuals and the Making of Our Times | Samuel MoynYou Report to Me: Accountability for the Failing Administrative State | David Bernhardt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.