Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes

In his opening remarks at our virtual Annual Council Meeting, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, spoke about Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the EU and the high expectations which are placed on it. According to him, the next six months will be centred around two things: solidarity and sovereignty.In this week’s podcast, Mark Leonard is joined by our expert Jana Puglierin, head of the Berlin office to discuss the German EU Presidency in detail. What are the biggest challenges? Can Germany deliver on a greener, more social, and innovative recovery plan for the EU? Or are the expectations so high that they are set to fail?Watch the opening session of our Annual Council Meeting on Germany in Europe and the German EU Council Presidency here: https://youtu.be/r9FxIX6WapQRemarks from Heiko Maas, Foreign Minister of Germany, at ECFR's virtual Annual Council Meeting 2020: https://www.ecfr.eu/article/remarks_from_heiko_maas_foreign_minister_of_germany_at_ecfr_annual_councilThis podcast was recorded on 3 July 2020Bookshelf:· “Believer: My Forty Years in Politics” by David Axelrod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“If it’s about Europe´s role in global health, a big part of it is Europe's health sovereignty which we want to make one of the big topics of the German EU Council Presidency”, Germany’s Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn said in our Virtual Annual Council Meeting. The coronavirus pandemic brought the issue of health sovereignty affront: how can health security be achieved across Europe? In this week’s podcast Mark Leonard is joined by our experts Tara Varma, head of the Paris office, policy fellows Anthony Dworkin and Jonathan Hackenbroich, to discuss the components of European health sovereignty and how it can be attained.Further reading: Health sovereignty: How to build a resilient European response to pandemics by Jonathan Hackenbroich, Jeremy Shapiro and Tara Varma https://www.ecfr.eu/publications/summary/health_sovereignty_how_to_build_a_resilient_european_response_to_pandemics Watch the session from our Annual Council Meeting featuring Jens Spahn and Mark Suzman here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfwZUU_0wus&feature=emb_title This podcast was recorded on 1 July 2020Bookshelf:-“The lying life of adults” by Elena Ferrante - “The “restructuring” of Hong Kong and the rise of neostatism” by Sebastian Veg - “National power and the structure of foreign trade” by Albert O. Hirschman - “Life and fate” by Vasily Grossman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As covid-19 raged, speculation grew that the crisis would re- strengthen public support for the state; faith in experts; and both pro- and anti-Europeanism. But ECFR’s latest research reveals these all to be illusions. Instead, the crisis has revolutionised citizens’ perceptions of global order – scrambling the distinctions between nationalism and globalism. Host Mark Leonard is joined by Ivan Krastev, co-author of the new Unlock study and chair of the Centre for Liberal Strategies in Sofia as well as by ECFR co-chair Lykke Friis and Ismaël Emelien, co-founder of En Marche! and President Emmanuel Macron 's former special advisor for strategy, communication and speeches. Together they discuss the findings of ECFR’s Unlock project: how has the pandemic changed European politics and the Europeans’ view of the EU and the world? Find the paper by Ivan Krastev & Mark Leonard here: https://www.ecfr.eu/publications/summary/europes_pandemic_politics_how_the_virus_has_changed_the_publics_worldview This podcast was recorded on 25 June 2020Bookshelf:-“Is it tomorrow yet?: Paradoxes of the pandemic” by Ivan Krastev -“The uncontrollability of the World” by Hartmut Rosa -“The new progressivism: a grassroots alternative to the populism of our times” by Ismaël Emelien & David Amiel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The coronavirus crisis brought about financial hardship for the European Union, and many agree that a recovery fund would be needed to overcome it. In the beginning, countries like Italy and Spain, in particular, felt left alone in dealing with this health, social and economic crisis. And still, support for financial burden-sharing is low in the “frugal” countries which would be the net contributors to such a recovery fund. But does this mean, there a general lack of solidarity in Europe? Can solidarity go in line with member states’ self-interest? In this week’s podcast Mark Leonard is joined by ECFR’s heads of offices Jana Puglierin (Berlin), Arturo Varvelli (Rome) and José Ignacio Torreblanca (Madrid) to discuss how solidarity is perceived across Europe and what ECFR’s Solidarity Tracker can teach us about pan-European solidarity during the covid-19 crisis. Find the European Solidarity Tracker here: https://www.ecfr.eu/solidaritytrackerThis podcast was recorded on 17 June 2020.Bookshelf:· “Forget Hamilton. This Is Europe’s Calonne Moment.” by Trevor Jackson in Foreign Policy· “Russisches Roulette: Vom Kalten Krieg zum Kalten Frieden” by Horst Teltschik · “Germany and the European Union: Europe's Reluctant Hegemon?” by Simon Bulmer, William E. Paterson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The ongoing anti-racism demonstrations in the United States spurred by the brutal killing of George Floyd spread across the Atlantic. In many European countries, people are getting behind the cause and protesting racism and police violence against BIPOC. How are the demonstrations in France and Germany connected to the ones in the US? Is Europe also starting to confront racial injustice on its own soil? And what does it mean for the transatlantic relationship? In this week’s podcast Mark Leonard is joined by the head of our Paris office Tara Varma, Member of the German Bundestag and Council member Omid Nouripour, as well as Spencer Boyer, director of the Washington office of the Brennan Center for Justice to discuss the recent anti-racism protests and their impact on the transatlantic relations. This podcast was recorded on 10 June 2020.Bookshelf:• "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates • "Strategy: A History" by Sir Lawrence Freedman• "Time on Two Crosses: The Collected Writings of Bayard Rustin" by Bayard Rustin, Devon Carbado• "Les exilés meurent aussi d’amour" by Abnousse Shalmani• "The Bureau", TV Show•"Mais d'où viens-tu en fait?" Plaidoyer pour un nouvel universalisme by Tara Varma for Huffington Posthttps://www.huffingtonpost.fr/entry/mais-dou-viens-tu-en-fait-plaidoyer-pour-un-nouvel-universalisme_fr_5ede5c61c5b690659234f07d Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The attempt of a peace process in Libya is facing several substantial hindrances, where a variety of actors keep on inducing significant upheavals in its territory. Recently Turkey was observed to use Libya more and more as a playing field for its advancements - with some arguing that Turkey is becoming the new Russia on the geopolitical stage. In this week’s podcast Mark Leonard is joined by ECFR policy fellows Asli Aydıntaşbaş, and Tarek Megerisi as well as Nicu Popescu, Director of ECFR´s Wider Europe Program to discuss Turkey’s recent actions and aims in Libya. Is Turkey in Libya mirroring Russia in Syria?See also:“Deep sea rivals: Europe, Turkey, and new eastern Mediterranean conflict lines” by Asli Aydıntaşbaş, Julien Barnes-Dacey, Cinzia Bianco, Hugh Lovatt, Tarek Megerisi: https://www.ecfr.eu/specials/eastern_med This podcast was recorded on 4 June 2020.Bookshelf:- “Libya's Fragmentation: Structure and Process in Violent Conflict” by Wolfram Lacher -“The Great Influenza: Tthe Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History” by John M. Barry -“Three Byzantine Military Treatises” by George T. Dennis - “The Hacker and the State: Cyber Attacks and the New Normal of -Geopolitics” by Ben Buchanan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The recent Franco-German proposal for an EU recovery fund sparked a lively debate on possible changes in EU’s nature, suggesting that the plan to raise €500bn through common EU debt and hand it out as grants, not loans, marks an important shift in EU policy. But is this really a “Hamiltonian” moment, as some labelled it? In this week’s podcast Mark Leonard welcomes Lykke Friis, ECFR co-chair and director of the Danish think tank EUROPA; ECFR Council Members Coen van Oostrom, Dutch-based founder and chief executive officer of EDGE Technologies and Jean Pisani-Ferry, Senior Fellow at Bruegel to discuss the ambitious Franco-German proposal and what it means for the future of Europe.This podcast was recorded on 26 May 2020.Bookshelf:· "Helmut Kohl: Eine politische Biographie" by Hans-Peter Schwarz· "The Ride of a Lifetime" by Robert Iger · "How to Fix Globalization—for Detroit, Not Davos" by Lawrence H. Summers in The American Interest Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last year, the European Union published a strategic outlook in which it reviewed China as a partner, competitor and a strategic rival, creating a lively debate about the nature of the EU-China relations. However, this outlook was designed for a pre-corona world. How has covid-19 reshaped the EU-China relations? What changes to the global order will the pandemic bring? Who will be the main actors in the international arena? In this week’s podcast Mark Leonard welcomed Lanxin Xiang, Professor in International History and Politics at the Graduate Institute in Geneva and Director of the Centre of One And One Road Studies, who shares his insights on the changing global order, China’s attitude towards the EU and the Chinese “wolf warrior diplomacy”This podcast was recorded on 20 May 2020.Bookshelf:· "John Maynard Keynes 1883-1946: Economist, Philosopher, Statesman" by Robert Skidelsky · "The meaning of systemic rivalry: Europe and China beyond the pandemi"c by Andrew Small https://www.ecfr.eu/publications/summary/the_meaning_of_systemic_rivalry_europe_and_china_beyond_the_pandemic· "The post-coronavirus world is already here" by Josep Borrell https://www.ecfr.eu/publications/summary/the_post_coronavirus_world_is_already_here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emotions are an increasingly important part of contemporary politics. Strategies based on fear, nostalgia or hope are used by political leaders all over Europe to mobilize populations. Sociologist Karolina Wigura explored the role of emotions in times of corona in the latest episode of our ECFRQUARANTIMES series. In this week's podcast, this topic will be analysed further with a strong focus on the situation in Poland, the US and France. What are the dominant emotions in these countries? Which people and parties are trying to take advantage of this crisis and transform emotions into policies? What kind of impact covid-19 had and will have on elections? Our Host Mark Leonard is joined by ECFR experts Jeremy Shapiro, Piotr Buras, and Tara Varma. They share their feelings and tell us about the emotional experiences of their countries: how do Poles, the French and US-Americans experiences fear, suspicion and uncertainty in times of corona? Watch: ECFR Quarantimes episode with Karolina Wigura:https://www.ecfr.eu/article/ecfr_quarantimes_5_with_karolina_wiguraThis podcast was recorded on 14 May 2020.Bookshelf:- “We Have Been Harmonised: Life in China’s Surveillance State” by Kai Strittmatter- “The meaning of systemic rivalry: Europe and China beyond the pandemic” by Andrew Small on ecfr.eu- “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles- “Is it tomorrow yet?” (working title) by Ivan Krastev based on some of the arguments, he laid out in his article “Seven early lessons from the coronavirus” on ecfr.eu - “Baron Noir”, TV Series Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Epidemics like the coronavirus outbreak are a mirror for humanity. Mark Leonard talked in our ECFR QUARANTIMES session to Frank Snowden, Professor Emeritus of History and History of Medicine at Yale University, about how infectious diseases have shaped societies, inspired political reform, altered the outcome of wars, transformed religion, and entrenched racial and economic discrimination. What lessons can we draw from post pandemic's to prepare our politics, economies and societies for the future? This podcast is a recording of the ECFR QUARANTIMES session, 6 May 2020: https://www.ecfr.eu/article/ecfr_quarantimes_4_with_frank_snowdenBookshelf:“Epidemics and Society: From the Black Death to the Present" by Frank Snowden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.