The turmoil and changes of the past five years — from the coronavirus pandemic to the second Trump administration — make clear one basic fact: the post-Cold War era is over. To explore the meaning of this term, as well as the reality of living through it, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by Professor Marci Shore.
In a special edition of the Women Leaders podcast, featuring a live audience, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El brought the podcast to the Brussels-based organisation, Full Circle, for their Ideas to Action Day, where over 80 participants tackled global challenges, particularly in digital spaces and politics. A surprise guest, Belgian Senator Viviane Teitelbaum, offered candid insights into modern democratic life, addressing tough questions on identity, citizen engagement, and the complexities politicians face today.
Today, President Trump’s tariffs on all of the US’s major trading partners come into action. The Trump administration has declared today a “Liberation Day” from the global intertwined trade system, whilst at the same time nearly every other major economy has expressed their displeasure with the move. To discuss the tariffs, their effects, and the state of the global economy, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by Rebecca Christie and Lauren Gloudeman.
For the Trump administration, it seems that journalism is passé, or worse, a threat. In a world where the boundaries between media, politics and business continue to erode, the likes of Trump, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos have become central figures in shaping public discourse. ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by veteran BBC journalist Kate Adie to reflect on the evolution of media, the structural crises of today’s news industry, and the fundamental role of journalism in society.
The car crash of the Zelensky-Trump-Vance meeting in the White House on 28 February is still reverberating around the world. The bottom line appears to be, according to ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El, that the US has abandoned not only Ukraine but also the multilateral system put in place by US leadership after the Second World War. For a guided tour of this strange new world and the US’s role within it, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by the storied US journalist Trudy Rubin.
In times of change, politicians often seek a return to past stability—but today, amid the most significant changes to Euro-Atlantic security since the end of the Cold War, no leader speaks of a status quo ante. In this special episode, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El and Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže discuss Ukraine, the new realities in European defence, and the enduring impact of Russian and Soviet occupation.