As Germany enters early elections following the erosion of Olaf Scholz’s coalition, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by Tanit Koch, journalist, co-host of the Focus Briefing and former editor-in-chief of the popular BILD, for a discussion of the problems facing Germany in terms of its economic ills, political divisions, and the rise of populist extremism.
2024’s US elections saw unprecedented developments— a last-minute democratic candidacy, an attempted assassination, and over $15 billion in campaign spending. These tumultuous events culminated in a decisive win for Trump and the Republican Party. In this episode, Ilana Bet-El is joined by Elena Schneider, Politico US’s National Political Reporter, to explore the election’s dynamics, the fragmented media landscape, and how perceptions of power and strength continue to influence the electorate.
In the wake of suspected interference in Georgia’s recent parliamentary elections, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by Salome Samadashvili, opposition Member of Parliament in Georgia, and Tinatin Japaridze, member of the Younger Generation Leaders Network (YGLN) and Eurasia Analyst at the Eurasia Group, for a hard-hitting discussion on Georgia, the region, autocracy and democracy.
In the disaster zone that is currently the Middle East, Iran looms large. From its missile attacks on Israel to supporting Hizbollah, Hamas and the Houthis — it is perceived to be a malign presence across the region, especially from the Western perspective. To better understand Iran and its place in the world, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by her colleague, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Dr Roxane Farmanfarmaian of Cambridge University, in a strong and enlightening discussion that touches on the history of Iran and its international position since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, through the Iran-Iraq war of the 1990s, all the way to understanding its regional and global interests today.
Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is in its third year, with no end in sight. The Russian offensive in the East of Ukraine grinds on, consuming a mass of men and material on both sides while its conquest proceeds in tiny paces. To get a deep insight into what is happening on the ground, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by Lisa Yaskow, Member of the Ukrainian Rada (parliament) and Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. In a frank and revealing conversation, Lisa reflects on the war from its start, the daily reality in Ukraine, and the shortcomings of the international community.
Listen to the final episode of the NEVER podcast – Ok, Doomer! This episode takes a step back to assess what we’ve learned about existential and global catastrophic risks in previous episodes, and what comes next. Featuring a discussion of how ordinary people can get involved in existential risk mitigation, what ongoing efforts will prove most successful in creating a framework to deal on these topics, and how the example of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty demonstrates that global cooperation to deal with the biggest threats we all face is possible, even in a tense geopolitical climate.