Understanding Europe

Democracy in Europe

In the 3rd and final episode of this season, Brendan and Charelle have a conversation with Dr. Christine Neuhold to Understand the EU internal dynamics of democracy. Both in terms of EU democratic reforms as well as the role the EU plays in promoting democracy in its Member States. Over the last 5 years it has been the priority of the Von der Leyen Commision to provide “A New Push for European Democracy”, how successful has this push been and what are the underlying currents that place EU democratic legitimacy in jeopardy?

The Southern Neighbourhood

The EU-MENA relations have gone through different phases that presented different challenges and opportunities. Over the past two decades however, these relations have been presented with a new challenge: the legitimacy of the EU as a democracy promoter. In this episode, Charelle and Brendan sit down with Dr. Assem Dandashly to discuss the evolution of the EU-MENA relations focusing on EU democracy promotion in the Southern Neighbourhood. Secondary Sources: - EU Neighbourhood Policy Youtube Video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_H8RBG2FOg&list=PL4pklClpAgog6Wed4AbOG_a4VG3TXRej-&index=10] - Burlyuk, O., Dandashly, A., & Noutcheva, G. (2024). External democracy promotion in times of internal rule-of-law crisis: the EU and its neighbourhood.  [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13501763.2023.2181381]Journal of European Public Policy, 31(3), 900–924. - Understanding Europe, Season 1, Episode 9, A Decentered Perspective [https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cerim/episodes/Understanding-Europe-A-Decentered-Perspective-e2i26el]. - Dandashly, A., & Kourtelis, C. (2024). Political corruption in the Arab Mediterranean countries: an innovative typology. [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13510347.2024.2343621] Democratization, 1–22.

The Eastern Neighbourhood

In the first episode of season 2 from Understanding Europe, Brendan and Charelle sit with PhD. candidate Wicke van den Broek to understand/discuss democracy promotion in the EU’s Eastern neighborhood. The focus of the discussion is Belarus and builds from there. Secondary Sources: 1. The Face of the Revolution is Female / Die Revolution hat ein weibliches Gesicht [https://www.suhrkamp.de/rights/book/olga-shparaga-the-face-of-the-revolution-is-female-fr-9783518127698] 2. Lodołamaczka. Swiatłana Cichanouska - Rusłan Szoszyn [https://www.empik.com/lodolamaczka-swietlanan-cichanouska-ruslan-szoszyn,p1319638364,ksiazka-p#:~:text=Na%20kartach%20%22Lodo%C5%82amaczki%22%20Rus%C5%82an%20Szoszyn,Mikaszewicz%20na%20po%C5%82udniowych%20kra%C5%84cach%20Bia%C5%82orusi] 3. Жыве Беларусь! || Viva Belarus! (2013) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYbm_a9dp-k]

Understanding Europe: Looking Back

The 10th and last episode of CERiM's Understanding Europe is out now! This time, Charelle and Brendan talk about the different episodes that have been published this year, discussing how they link and what threads are pulled throughout them all. So if you haven't yet had a chance to listen to this year's episodes this is the place to start! A TL;DR if you will. Secondary sources: - Understanding Europe: On Memory and Identity [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2lWlN8zQLgxoktyBf0ASJU] - Understanding Europe: Open Strategic Autonomy? [https://open.spotify.com/episode/6kWqCIGG1f6S3CSai4inRH] - Marianne Hirsch on Postmemory [https://postmemory.net/] - Faces of Trade [https://facesoftrade.org/]

Understanding Europe: A Decentered Perspective

In this episode, Brendan and Charelle sit down with Assem Dandashly and Gergana Noutcheva to discuss the legitimacy of the EU as an external democracy promoter in its southern and eastern neighbourhood while internally it is dealing with a rule of law crisis in member states such as Poland, Hungary, Austria. Has this internal crisis affected the way the EU is perceived? Has it hindered its legitimacy as an international player? Join them as they unpack these questions!