World 5. Protests in China: can Beijing lift strict zero COVID policy?

World 5. Crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. Prospects of war and peace in South Caucasus.

Tensions in Nagorno Karabakh are on the rise for over a month, as Azeri protesters are blocking the only road connecting the Armenian-populated region with the rest of the world. As the region is running out of supplies, food and fuel, a humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region. Yerevan claims Baku is using siege tactics to starve the Armenians into submission. Conflict has haunted the region for almost three decades, and Russia previously stepped in to broker a cease-fire. But now Moscow is stuck in Ukraine, and is increasingly absent in the region. Baku-based analyst Zaur Shiriyev, and international relations professor Asbed Kotchikian from the American University of Armenia reflect on the prospects of war and peace in South Caucasus.

World 5. Protests in China: can Beijing lift strict zero COVID policy?

China has witnessed a wave of demonstrations against its zero COVID policy. The Chinese Communist Party now faces a difficult choice between relaxing COVID restrictions or ignoring protesters’ demands at the cost of an even more significant movement of protests. Guests: Robert Daly, the Director of the Wilson Center's Kissinger Institute on China, and Kevin Slaten, the research lead of the Freedom House’s China Dissent Monitor. Host: Živilė Raškauskaitė

Pasaulio 5 / World 5.Chaos at Twitter

Elon Musk publicly endorsed the Republican party on the eve on U.S. Midterm elections, picked online fights, posted dubious polls on Ukraine peace and, most recently, on whether to reinstate Donald Trump‘s Twitter account. In this episode, we ask experts to opine whether his attitude and Twitter reforms will help the platform or ruin it. Guests: Daniel Kreiss, Professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Hussman School of Journalism and Media, Michael Bossetta, Assistant Professor at Lund University and author of Social Media and Politics podcast, Petros Iosifidis, Professor at City University London. Host: Lukas Kivita

World 5. America’s midterm elections: why did the hopes of the Republican victory collapse?

It’s midterm elections season in the United States. Republicans were expected to take control of Congress, but the predictions did not materialize. The Senate remains in Democrats' control and signals a massive win for Joe Biden's party. Guest: Dr. Peverill Squire, a political science professor at the University of Missouri. His research focuses on American politics, with particular emphasis on legislative institutions and elections. Host: Živilė Raškauskaitė

Pasaulio 5 / World 5. Russia's war in Ukraine: instead of a world power, Moscow turns into an outcast

The international community condemns Russia's war against Ukraine. Moscow is openly supported only by a few isolated countries: Iran, Belarus, North Korea, Syria, and Nicaragua. In the podcast, Taras Kuzio, professor of political science at the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy, tells why a few countries still support Russia.