Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes

On Saturday evening, Iran launched a major attack on Israeli territory, with a combination of 300 drones and missiles. Israel’s air defense seems to have intercepted most of these and the airspace over Israel and Jordan has since been reopened. In this special episode, Mark Leonard welcomes Julien Barnes-Dacey, director of ECFR’s Middle East and North Africa programme, and Hamidreza Azizi, visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin, where he focuses on Iranian foreign policy and regional issues. But the attack remains historically unprecedented and leaves the Middle East sliding to the edge of a regional war. What motivated Iran to attack? How will Israel respond? And what role is the us playing? The podcast was recorded on 14 April 2024 ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Amid growing geopolitical fragmentation and the rise of middle powers, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia stand out for their successful attempts to reinvent themselves as regional linchpins. Despite having to operate within an increasingly difficult economic environment, the Gulf states have simultaneously expanded their ties with China, Europa, Russia, and the United States and reaped remarkable economic rewards in the process.  In this week’s episode, Mark Leonard welcomes senior policy fellow Agathe Demarais, visiting fellow Cinzia Bianco, and policy fellow and Deputy Head of ECFR’s Paris office, Camille Lons, to discuss the geoeconomics of the Gulf. How have the UAE and Saudi Arabia managed to juggle different competing powers? What lessons do their strategies hold for other middle powers? And what should the European Union be doing to pursue its own interests in the region?  This episode was recorded on 11 April 2024  Bookshelf:  3 Body Problem [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13016388/] – a Netflix TV Series by David Benioff, Daniel Weiss, and Alexander Woo  Blind Man’s Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage [https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Sherry-Sontag/dp/1610393589] by Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew, with Annette Lawrence Drew  The Power of Currencies and Currencies of Power [https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Alan-Wheatley/dp/1138023604] by Alan Wheatley  There’s Still Tomorrow [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21800162/] – a film by Paolo Cortellesi  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

With the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the war in Gaza, US president Joe Biden has been forced to deal  with some major foreign policy crises. Guiding him through these, a team of seasoned foreign policy professionals, among which Antony Blinken, Bill Burns, Avril Haines, and Jake Sullivan, were brought on to “restore” America’s foreign policy after four years of Donald Trump’s presidency.   In this week’s episode, following the launch of ECFR’s Washington office, Mark Leonard welcomes national security reporter at Politico, Alexander Ward, and research director and director of ECFR’s new US programme, Jeremy Shapiro, to discuss Biden’s foreign policy performance. Has it been a success? Where has it fallen short of the goals Biden set? And has his team of foreign policy experts lived up to the promise of restoring America’s foreign policy?   This episode was recorded on 27 March 2024   Bookshelf:    The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy after Trump [https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Alexander-Ward/dp/0593539079] by Alexander Ward   20 Days in Mariupol [https://20daysinmariupol.com/] - an AP News and Frontline documentary film by Mstyslav Chernov   Collisions: The Origins of the War in Ukraine and the New Global Instability [https://www.amazon.ca/Collisions-Origins-Ukraine-Global-Instability/dp/0197751792] by Michael Kimmage  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The wars in Ukraine and Gaza have led questions of international law and justice to filter into everyday discourse. Both conflicts are deeply rooted in complicated and at times controversial discussions concerning the validity of territorial claims, the permissibility of use of force, the role of the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice in prosecuting wrongdoers, and the complexities of international humanitarian law.   In this week’s episode, Mark Leonard welcomes ECFR senior policy fellow Anthony Dworkin to discuss the role of international law and justice in an increasingly fragmented world. What are the limits of international law? Is there any merit in accusations of Western double standards? And what role can international law play when it comes to justice in Ukraine, Gaza, and other places around the world? This episode was recorded on 13 March 2024  Bookshelf Equality: The History of an Elusive Idea [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123204384-equality] by Darrin M. McMahon ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

It has been a rocky month for German defence policy. With a naval frigate almost shooting down a US drone in the Red Sea by mistake, discussions of military officers on the deployment of Taurus missiles leaking, and Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron openly arguing about military aid to Ukraine, Germany’s policy on European defence is embroiled in internal and external intrigue.  In this week’s episode, Mark Leonard welcomes senior policy fellow Ulrike Franke and senior policy fellow and head of ECFR’s Berlin Office, Jana Puglierin, to discuss the current state of Germany’s policy on the war in Ukraine and European defence. What does the recent turmoil say about Germany’s strategic culture and its so-called Zeitenwende? What are the sources of tension for Franco-German defence relations? And how much potential does the attempted revival of the Weimar triangle between Berlin, Paris, and Warsaw have for agreeing on a common path forward?  This episode was recorded on 18 March 2024  Bookshelf:  Zeitenwende: The Bundeswehr’s Paradigm Shift [https://www.ifri.org/en/publications/etudes-de-lifri/focus-strategique/zeitenwende-bundeswehrs-paradigm-shift] by Léo Péria-Peigné and Elie Tenenbaum  Breaking Bad [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903747/] – an AMC television series   ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.