Danube Institute Podcast

In the special episode of Reflections from Budapest, we asked Or Yissachar, the Head of Research Department at the Israel Defence and Security Forum. In our conversation, Mr Yissachar walked us through the deep historical background of the current conflict in Gaza and how the war affected the West Bank. We also talked about Hezbollah's involvement in the Israel-Hamas war. To conclude, we talked about why Hamas's brutality on October 7th was aimed mainly at peace-seeking left-wing Israeli civilians.

An interview with Dr. Gadi Taub historian at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem on the war in Gaza, the character of Hamas' terror state and the problematic western reaction to the atrocity of 7th October.

An interview with Dr Tim Williams on the impact of Covid 19 on the modern city and how cities adapt to the post pandemic world. Tim Williams is practice leader, Cities, for Grimshaw International Architects and has served as special adviser to five UK Ministers for Cities.

In this episode of Reflections from Budapest, we continued our discussion with Elie Pieprz, the director of International Relations of the Israel Defence and Security Forum. Following the first part of this broadcast, we discussed why it's important for Israel to reject calls for an immediate ceasefire. In our conversation, we also asked about the 2005 Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas's responsibility for the poor situation in Gaza. To conclude, we asked Mr Pieprz about the Yesha Council and the Israeli settlement movement.

In this episode of Reflections from Budapest, we asked Professor Asbed Kotchikian, an Associate Professor of Political science and International relations at the American University of Armenia about the Armenian presence in Iraqi Kurdistan. He shared his own experience in Kurdistan as well as the struggles and the current reality of Armenians living in Kurdistan and Iraq.

In this episode of Reflections from Budapest, we asked Elie Pieprz, the director of International Relations of the Israel Defence and Security Forum. In our conversation, Mr Pieprz walked us through what happened to Israel on October 7, Black Saturday, when Hamas brutally attacked Israel, killed over 1200 Israeli civilians and took around 240 more as hostages. We also talked about the intelligence failure of Israel and whether the attack could've been prevented. To conclude, we talked about the Israeli invasion of Gaza and how the IDF tries to minimise civilian casualties.

What is cosmopolitanism? What is its history? Can there ever be a truly universal culture? And how do European and East Asian cultures think differently about these questions? In this episode we talk with David Tse-Chien Pan, Professor of European Languages and Studies at the University of California, Irvine, and editor of Telos Journal in New York. For more on his publications and research, see here.

In this episode of Reflections from Budapest, we continued our conversation with Professor Joas Wagemakers, an Associate Professor of Islam and Arabic at Utrecht University, who specializes in the intellectual history of modern Islam and Salafism. Following the 1st part in this broadcast, we discuss the history of the confrontation between Israel and the Gaza Strip, the current situation and how these two sides are perceived in the EU and the Islamic world.

In this episode of Reflections from Budapest, we asked Professor Joas Wagemakers, an Associate Professor of Islam and Arabic at Utrecht University, who specializes in the intellectual history of modern Islam and Salafism. By listening to the discussion, we can get an overview of Salafism and Hamas and their historical and ideological sides. Also, how do other religions and countries in the Middle East relate to them?

In this episode of Reflections from Budapest, we asked Jeremy P. Barker, the Director of the Middle East Action Team for the Religious Freedom Institute, about the current situation of the Christian communities in Iraqi Kurdistan. Mr. Barker spoke in detail about the factors, such as violence against women that adversely affect Christians in Iraq today. He also expressed his opinion on whether the Christian community has a future in Kurdistan and Iraq.