ECFR ON AIR

ECFR

Short interviews and comments by our experts and others on breaking news and key topics from the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) - the first pan-European think-tank. Launched in October 2007, our objective is to conduct research and promote informed debate across Europe on the development of coherent and effective European values-based foreign policy.Listen also to Mark Leonard's The World in 30 Minutes, our weekly series in which we explore the big issues in foreign policy: https://soundcloud.com/ecfr Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Trust, anger and the limits of EU democracy promotion

    19/12/2025

    Trust, anger and the limits of EU democracy promotion

    In the EU’s enlargement debate, attention usually centres on Brussels—legal benchmarks, progress reports and diplomatic bargaining. But in countries hoping to join the bloc, politics is often decided via informal power networks, fragile institutions and the everyday effort of navigating uncertainty.  This week, The Neighbourhood shifts from the top-down to the ground level as Jessica Hendrick speaks with Morten Bøås, research professor at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), who is leading RE-ENGAGE’s comparative fieldwork across Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine.  Together, they take listeners behind the scenes of how the project gathers original data in places shaped by war, protest and political pressure. Methods range from training local university students to conduct trust surveys to vignette experiments that test how citizens respond to crises and competing external “relief packages” from China, the EU, Russia and Turkey.  What do early findings reveal? What does “trust” really look like in a hybrid regime? How can the EU design programmes that people actually feel, rather than reforms they never see? And what should Brussels learn about democracy promotion to avoid repeating past mistakes?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    36 min
  2. One year after Assad: Syria’s struggle for security, recovery and reform

    04/12/2025

    One year after Assad: Syria’s struggle for security, recovery and reform

    Ellie Geranmayeh speaks with Syrian minister Hind Kabawat about the country’s turbulent first year after Assad, the challenges ahead, and her push to bring more women into leadership during Syria’s reconstruction. In the latest episode of the WOMENP podcast series, Ellie Geranmayeh welcomes Hind Kabawat, Syria’s minister of social affairs and labour. Almost a year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the new government faces both transformational opportunities and serious challenges. Syria’s once-notorious political prisons have been shut down, a preliminary national dialogue has begun, elections have been held, and the country has secured unprecedented sanctions relief. Yet major setbacks remain: the economy is under severe strain, and violent clashes have erupted between armed groups and government forces, as well as with Israel. In this episode, we discuss where Syria stands after the turbulent events of the past year. What are the country’s most urgent priorities for achieving meaningful stability? How are regional and global powers shaping Syria’s immediate future, and what does the new government expect from Europe? As the only female minister in the current cabinet, Kabawat also reflects on her drive to bring more women into positions of power as Syria rebuilds. Listen to all past episodes of the WOMENP series here: WOMENP special website Bookshelf: The Enemy Syrians by Fawaz Haddad Ma' Yarweeha (No Water to quench their Thirst), by Najat Abdul Samad Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    16 min
  3. The diplomatic minefield: What now for Ukraine?

    27/11/2025

    The diplomatic minefield: What now for Ukraine?

    Donald Trump’s controversial 28-point plan to end the war in Ukraine has rattled Western capitals and could jeopardise Ukraine’s sovereignty. In this episode of Ukraine inside out, Leo Litra and Lesia Ogryzko are joined by Eric Ciaramella, senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Jana Kobzova, co-director of ECFR’s European Security programme, to discuss the development and its implications. What are the potential consequences of the proposed plan, and do Ukraine and Europe still hold any leverage? What are the risks of considering European security as a mere transactional deal? And how might credible security guarantees for Ukraine look like if NATO membership is off the table? Tune in for an insightful conversation that uncovers the intricate balance of power, explores potential avenues to prevent a bad deal, and explains what it all means for the future of Ukraine and Europe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    43 min
  4. The EU’s enlargement reality check

    14/11/2025

    The EU’s enlargement reality check

    This week, The Neighbourhood shifts from the “why” of enlargement to the “how”—specifically, how reforms are unfolding on the ground and what drives progress or stagnation. The 2025 Enlargement Package presents a mixed picture: Ukraine and Moldova are racing ahead, while Serbia and Georgia are lagging. The EU itself is struggling with internal divisions and reform fatigue. Jessica is joined by Tiago Antunes, senior policy fellow with ECFR’s European Power programme, Leo Litra, visiting fellow at ECFR and senior fellow at Kyiv’s New Europe Center and Engjellushe Morina, senior policy fellow with ECFR’s European Security programme. Together, they discuss what this year’s enlargement report says about political will, institutional resilience and the everyday impact of enlargement. How can the EU make conditionality more credible? Are EU reforms changing behaviour in governments, institutions and people’s lives? And how can Brussels keep the reform energy alive? This episode was recorded on November 12th 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    37 min
  5. Lessons for Europe: Inside Ukraine’s drone war

    01/10/2025

    Lessons for Europe: Inside Ukraine’s drone war

    Ukraine’s battlefield has transformed since the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022: from hobby quadcopters to drone and robot units in almost every brigade. In this episode, Lesia Ogryzko and Leo Litra speak with Lyuba Shupovich, CEO and co-founder of Dignitas Fund, and Gustav Gressel, a former ECFR senior policy fellow. Together, they discuss how technology, like drone and electronic warfare, is redefining military tactics—and what Europe can learn, having faced several Russian drone incursions into NATO airspace. What would a multi-layered, cost-effective air defence against drones look like? How quickly can Ukraine train NATO countries? And how can both Europe and Ukraine fix their financing gaps to reduce their dependency on Chinese components? This episode was recorded on September 24th 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    38 min
  6. The European pillar of security

    17/07/2025

    The European pillar of security

    This week, Leo Litra and Lesia Ogryzko welcome Élie Tenenbaum, director of the Security Studies Center at the French Institute for International Relations, and Oleksandr Sushko, executive director of the International Renaissance Foundation in Kyiv and long-time observer of Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration, to explore if—and what—the recent NATO summit delivered for Ukraine. The gathering in The Hague reignited debates about the alliance’s future—and whether its European pillar is finally stepping into a leadership role. And, with Ukraine’s full NATO membership still out of reach, the country continues to seek strong security guarantees and deeper integration with Western defence structures. Can a “coalition of the willing” can fill the gap? How can Kyiv position itself in a rapidly evolving transatlantic landscape? And what does Europe assuming more responsibility for its own security mean for Ukraine?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    47 min
  7. Ukrainian society in wartime

    23/06/2025

    Ukrainian society in wartime

    Amid much speculation surrounding Ukraine’s future—including ceasefires, peace talks and broader geopolitical shifts—ECFR has launched a new podcast mini-series that brings Ukrainian perspectives to the forefront.   In this opening episode, hosts  and Lesia Ogryzkowelcome Fredrik Wesslau, distinguished policy fellow at the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies, and Volodymyr Yermolenko, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld and president of PEN Ukraine, to explore the roots and evolution of Ukraine’s remarkable societal resilience. Together, they unpack how Ukrainian society has adapted, how global developments—from the return of Dondald Trump to attempts at peace talks—are perceived on the ground, and what the rest of Europe can learn from Ukraine’s experience. How did Ukraine remain so strong in the face of a full-scale invasion? What enabled Ukraine’s whole-of-society resistance? And what sustains Ukraine, over three years on? This episode was recorded on June 20th 2025  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    46 min
  8. Regional response: How Gulf monarchies leveraged Trump’s visit

    21/05/2025

    Regional response: How Gulf monarchies leveraged Trump’s visit

    In the latest episode of the WOMENP podcast series, Ellie Geranmayeh welcomes Dina Esfandiary, Middle East geoeconomics lead at Bloomberg; Yasmine Farouk, Gulf and Arabian Peninsula project director at International Crisis Group; and Dania Thafer, executive director at the Gulf International Forum. Together, they discuss how Arab Gulf monarchies used Trump’s latest visit to demonstrate their regional leverage—for example, Saudi Arabia leader Mohammad bin Salman emerged as a clear mover and shaker in brokering a historic meeting on Syria. But did Saudi Arabia also make gains on the Palestine-Israel conflict? What are Qatar’s expectations as regional mediator on both the Gaza conflict and the Iran file? And how are Arab Gulf monarchies seeking to influence Trump on his deal-making attempts with Iran?   Listen to all past episodes of the WOMENP series here: WOMENP special website   Bookshelf Desert Kingdoms to Global Powers New Order in the Gulf: The Rise of the UAEAtlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial IntelligenceOur Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab WorldLove Stories on Al-Asha Street Pieces in motion: Rebalancing power in a new Levantine order Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    37 min
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About

Short interviews and comments by our experts and others on breaking news and key topics from the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) - the first pan-European think-tank. Launched in October 2007, our objective is to conduct research and promote informed debate across Europe on the development of coherent and effective European values-based foreign policy.Listen also to Mark Leonard's The World in 30 Minutes, our weekly series in which we explore the big issues in foreign policy: https://soundcloud.com/ecfr Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    ECFR
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2025
  • Episodes
    53
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    ECFR ON AIR

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