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Podcast

The Women Leaders podcast: Iran at a crossroads

Iran is at a boiling point. In January, mass protests broke out across the country, and many thousands of people were wounded and killed. Meanwhile, the US has moved an aircraft carrier and a number of destroyers close to Iran in a military threat which remains unclear in its aims. To untangle these and many other threads, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El welcomes back Iran specialist Roxane Farmanfarmaian, her co-Senior Associate Fellow at the ELN, for a deep and fascinating examination of Iran at a crossroads.

6 February 2026 | Ilana Bet-El, Florence Ferrando and Roxane Farmanfarmaian
IranIranDemocracyIranMiddle EastNuclear Arms ControlNuclear WeaponsPodcastsSanctionsSecurityTerrorismUnited StatesSenior Associate FellowYGLN
Commentary

Significant achievements — Yet Iran’s nuclear challenge remains unresolved

While Israel and the US achieved meaningful operational successes against Iran’s nuclear programme in June 2025, the problem is far from resolved. Despite substantial damage to Iran’s infrastructure, Tehran can still—at least theoretically—move toward a nuclear weapon. As US and Iranian negotiators are due to meet this Friday in Oman for direct talks, Danny Citrinowicz from INSS writes that while military action can buy time, it cannot substitute for a broader strategy. Any sustainable approach to the Iranian nuclear challenge will require a combination of deterrence, diplomacy, intelligence, and clear political objectives regarding the desired end.

4 February 2026 | Danny Citrinowicz
IranIranMultilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationIranIsraelJCPOAMiddle EastNuclear WeaponsUnited States
Commentary

Greenland was not an anomaly: An America guided by Trump’s global strategy requires more unity, toughness, and discernment from Europe

As the Greenland episode winds down following President Trump’s announcement of a “framework for a deal,” former U.S. diplomat Paul Fritch argues the saga was never about territorial acquisition, but a stress test of alliance cohesion in a world where Washington no longer treats cooperation and restraint as strategic virtues. The episode has exposed the limits of Europe’s cautious response to an America guided by hard power and transactional logic; he argues European leaders need to better understand what Trump views as weakness, and change their approach accordingly.

28 January 2026 | Paul Fritch
ArcticDefenceDiplomacyEUEuropeInternational LawNATOUnited States
Podcast

The Women Leaders podcast: When dignity dies

The second Trump administration has strained democracy, alliances, and the postwar order. Allies feel abandoned, betrayed, and disrespected, and the US retreat from the Global South has allowed Russian and Chinese influence to grow in its place. Europe confronts a painful reckoning, questioning trust, values, and its future role in an era of accelerating geopolitical change. To break this down, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by Almut Möller, Director for European and Global Affairs at the European Policy Centre (EPC), and former senior Danish diplomat Signe Biering.

23 January 2026 | Ilana Bet-El and Florence Ferrando
Russia-West relationsArcticChinaDemocracyDiplomacyEUEuropePodcastsRussiaUkraineUnited NationsUnited States
Podcast

The Women Leaders podcast: A cracking start to the year

2026 started with President Trump’s astonishing show of force in Venezuela, culminating in the seizure of President Maduro to face drug charges in the US. Whilst Venezuela’s future may be unclear, one thing that is now more than apparent is President Trump’s willingness to use might and ignore norms and laws to advance what he views as America’s foreign policy interests. To understand this better, Rachel Ellehuus, Director General of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), joins ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El.

9 January 2026 | Ilana Bet-El and Florence Ferrando
DefenceDemocracyDiplomacyForeign policyInternational LawPodcastsUnited StatesSenior Associate FellowYGLN
Commentary

Nuclear testing: unwise, unnecessary and unwelcome

The current debate around a possible resumption of nuclear testing introduces a new level of brinkmanship in an already fraught geopolitical climate. As the testing moratorium risks being weaponised for great-power competition, ELN Senior Policy Fellow Julia Berghofer writes that European states, including nuclear-armed ones, must speak with one voice and make clear that nuclear testing is unwise, unnecessary, and unwelcome.

20 November 2025 | Julia Berghofer
NPTMultilateral Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-ProliferationNPT ProjectArms ControlCTBTDeterrenceNPTNuclear Arms ControlNuclear WeaponsRisk ReductionUnited States