Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes

War has returned to the European continent, putting many previous divisions into perspective. This has caused European leaders to think afresh about their politics – and raised the question of the United Kingdom’s role in European foreign policy. Seven years after the Brexit referendum, the EU and the UK have finally resolved some of their differences through the Windsor Framework. The possibility of a reset between the UK and the EU on foreign policy could be on the horizon. In this year’s mini-series, Mark Leonard and Susi Dennison examine what a reimagined EU-UK relationship might look like. In this sixth episode, Mark and Susi welcome former permanent secretary in the UK’s Department for Exiting the European Union, Philip Rycroft, who prior to that held several roles in Westminster and Brussels, including in Leon Brittan’s cabinet. How is post-Brexit Britan approaching trade deals and regulatory alignment with third countries? How has Brexit affected the movement of people and labour across borders? What are the implications of the Northern Ireland Protocol for the UK’s relationship with the EU? And what challenges and opportunities does the UK face in the evolving global economy, particularly considering China’s influence?This podcast was recorded on 20 June 2023. Bookshelf:North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 23 August, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s private jet crashed, leading Russian state media to declare his death. The enigmatic circumstances surrounding the event raise crucial questions about the incident itself, but also about its potential ramifications, which could extend well beyond Russia. In this special episode, Mark Leonard welcomes the head of ECFR’s Africa programme, Theodore Murphy, senior policy fellow, Kadri Liik, and visiting fellows Pavel Slunkin and Kirill Shamiev to dissect the aftermath of the development.To what extent will the Wagner group be able to maintain its autonomy from the Kremlin following Prigozhin’s death? How might Prigozhin’s death affect the power dynamics within Russia’s security apparatus and intelligence agencies? And what could the implications be for the future of Wagner, both in Ukraine and in Africa? The podcast was recorded on Thursday 24 August 2023.Bookshelf:The Redline podcast – episode 95: The Death of the US Dollar?Russian archive about the Revolution and the Civil War Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

War has returned to the European continent, putting many previous divisions into perspective. This has caused European leaders to think afresh about their politics – and raised the question of the United Kingdom’s role in European foreign policy. Seven years after the Brexit referendum, the EU and the UK have finally resolved some of their differences through the Windsor Framework. The possibility of a reset between the UK and the EU on foreign policy could be on the horizon. In this year’s mini-series, Mark Leonard and Susi Dennison examine what a reimagined EU-UK relationship might look like. In this fifth episode, Mark and Susi welcome Britain’s former permanent representative to the EU, Ivan Rogers, who also served as David Cameron’s advisor for Europe and as principal private secretary to Tony Blair. How could the evolving geopolitical landscape, particularly the US-China relationship, influence security dynamics in the EU and the UK? What challenges and opportunities might a new UK government face when rethinking the country’s economic and financial relationship with the EU? In what areas is the UK and the EU’s cooperation on rule-making asymmetrical, and how does that affect their ability to collaborate on various policy matters?This podcast was recorded on 19 July 2023. Bookshelf:Revolutionary Spring: Fighting for a New World 1848-1849, by Christopher ClarkThe Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914, by Christopher Clark Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

War has returned to the European continent, putting many previous divisions into perspective. This has caused European leaders to think afresh about their politics – and raised the question of the United Kingdom’s role in European foreign policy. Seven years after the Brexit referendum, the EU and the UK have finally resolved some of their differences through the Windsor Framework. The possibility of a reset between the UK and the EU on foreign policy could be on the horizon. In this year’s mini-series, Mark Leonard and Susi Dennison examine what a reimagined EU-UK relationship might look like. In this fourth episode, Mark and Susi welcome Nick Butler, energy policy adviser at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, and the Faraday Institution, and previously senior policy advisor to former prime minister Gordon Brown and co-founder of the Centre for European Reform think tank. How does the EU-UK relationship sit in the context of global energy challenges and climate change? What areas of common interest exist between the UK and the EU in terms of energy storage, renewable energy development, and technological advancements? How can cooperation be strengthened on creating a more integrated and resilient energy market?This podcast was recorded on 19 July 2023. Bookshelf:The Long Journey of English: A Geographical History of the Language, Peter Trudgill Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

War has returned to the European continent, putting many previous divisions into perspective. This has caused European leaders to think afresh about their politics – and raised the question of the United Kingdom’s role in European foreign policy. Seven years after the Brexit referendum, the EU and the UK have finally resolved some of their differences through the Windsor Framework. The possibility of a reset between the UK and the EU on foreign policy could be on the horizon. In this year’s mini-series, Mark Leonard and Susi Dennison examine what a reimagined EU-UK relationship might look like. In this third episode, Mark and Susi welcome the Eurasia Group’s managing director for Europe, Mujtaba Rahman, who previously served at the UK Treasury and the European Commission’s directorate general for economic and financial affairs, to discuss what this renewal of relations might look like. How has Brexit affected the UK’s economy? How can the UK negotiate a new agreement with the EU that avoids political difficulties around freedom of movement while still being attractive to the bloc? What areas of cooperation could the UK and the EU explore beyond the existing trade agreement?This podcast was recorded on 12 July 2023. Bookshelf:Johnson at 10: The Inside Story, by Anthony Seldon and Raymond NewellThis is Europe: The Way We Live Now, by Ben Judah Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

War has returned to the European continent, putting many previous divisions into perspective. This has caused European leaders to think afresh about their politics – and raised the question of the United Kingdom’s role in European foreign policy. Seven years after the Brexit referendum, the EU and the UK have finally resolved some of their differences through the Windsor Framework. The possibility of a reset between the UK and the EU on foreign policy could be on the horizon. In this year’s mini-series, Mark Leonard and Susi Dennison examine what a reimagined EU-UK relationship might look like. In this second episode, Mark and Susi welcome David Lidington, who was the United Kingdom’s longest serving minister for European affairs between 2010 and 2016, to discuss what this renewal of relations might look like. How can the Conservative and Labour parties ensure a constructive and forward-looking approach to the UK’s relationship with the EU? Can bilateral relationships complement engagement with Brussels in navigating the UK’s position in Europe? This podcast was recorded on 23 June 2023. Bookshelf:The Conservative Party After Brexit: Turmoil and Transformation, by Tim BaleWhat went wrong with Brexit: and what we can do about it, by Peter FosterAubrey & Maturin series, by Patrick O'Brian Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

July has seen extreme weather events ravage all of the world’s continents, reinforcing – yet again – the urgency of collective action on climate change. In this week’s episode, Mark Leonard welcomes Kate Hampton, CEO of the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and former head of policy at Climate Change Capital to delve into the complexities of that action within a competitive global landscape – marked by inequalities between the global north and south. Together, they consider possible pathways towards compromises and how to empower sustainable transitions on the way to a resilient future. How can civil society and NGOs drive global climate action? What strategies can Europeans employ to navigate a fractured multilateral landscape in the face of climate change? And how can the West and the global south work together towards sustainable energy solutions?This podcast was recorded on 14 June 2023. Bookshelf:The Big Con: How the Consulting Industry Weakens Our Businesses, Infantilizes Our Governments, and Warps Our Economies, by Mariana Mazzucato How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything In Between, by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the leaders of NATO member countries gathered in Vilnius for the organisation’s annual summit. The summit addressed crucial issues and implications for international security. From Sweden’s accession to NATO and Ukraine’s aspirations for membership to new defence plans and security guarantees, this week’s episode explores the summit’s highlights and potential impact on the global security landscape. Mark Leonard welcomes Alex Stubb, former prime minister of Finland, Lykke Friis, former Danish climate minister and ECFR co-chair – all on ECFR’s board of trustees – and Camille Grand, former assistant secretary general for defense investment at NATO and distinguished policy fellow at ECFR, to discuss the outcomes of the NATO summit in Vilnius. What were the main takeaways from the summit? What led to Erdogan’s decision to greenlight Sweden’s accession to NATO? What did the alliance offer Ukraine? And what are the key points of NATO’s new defence plans?This podcast was recorded on 13 June 2023. Bookshelf:The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History, by Serhii Plokhy The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan KunderaGuerre en Ukraine et nouvel ordre du monde by Michel Duclos Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it mean to be patriotic in 2023? Following the significant population movements of recent years, leaders in European states are increasingly trying to foster a sense of identity that can hold together their diverse societies. In his recent book, “How to be a patriot: Why love of country can end our very British culture war”, Sunder Katwala draws on many years of research and scholarship in the UK to consider what collective identity without division, fear of immigration, and racism might look like.In this episode, he joins Mark Leonard to explore some identity-related dilemmas in post-Brexit Britain. How did immigration and European interact in the run-up to the 2016 referendum? And can the rest of Europe draw any lessons from the UK’s experience?This podcast was recorded on 19 June 2023.Bookshelf:How to Be a Patriot: Why love of country can end our very British culture war? by Sunder KatwalaWindrush: 75 Years of Modern Britain, by Trevor Phillips and Mike PhillipsBlack and British: a forgotten History, by David Olusoga Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The past two days will surely go down in Russian history. What started on Saturday as an armed rebellion within Russia by Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenaries ended in something of a whimper, with Vladimir Putin’s former caterer-turned-warlord agreeing to leave for Belarus in exchange for some ambiguous concessions from the Kremlin. Was this a coup, a mutiny, a rebellion, or something else? What were Prigozhin’s goals? What does this mean for Putin’s domestic reputation and his political survival ? How will it affect Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive? And how have Europeans responded? In this special episode, Mark Leonard welcomes head of ECFR’s Wider Europe programme and senior policy fellow, Marie Dumoulin, senior policy fellow, Kadri Liik, and visiting fellows Pavel Slunkin and Kirill Shamiev to shed light on the weekend’s events and discuss the new reality that has opened up in Russia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.