Why have ceasefire agreements repeatedly fallen apart since the war in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region erupted six years ago? And how has this political inertia shaped the lives of civilian populations divided by the line of separation? Drawing on the two latest installments in our Peace in Ukraine series, Katharine unpacks these questions with Olga and Hugh. Fighting between government troops and Russian-backed separatists persists at a slow simmer, says Katharine, a result of the failure to ac...
Sep 29, 2020•34 min•Season 2Ep. 2
As the end of the transitional period and negotiations for Britain to leave the EU draws near, a ‘no-deal’ or a very limited deal is increasingly likely. Even if a deal is reached, it will be far from a comprehensive framework on how to integrate the two trading systems and contentious issues are likely going to be kicked into next year. Future negotiations could spill over into important areas such as defence and security. Lord Mark Malloch-Brown joins Olga and Hugh for the first episode of a n...
Sep 15, 2020•31 min•Season 2Ep. 1
To conclude our first season, Olga and Hugh talk energy security with Alissa de Carbonnel, Crisis Group’s Deputy Program Director for Europe and Central Asia. They assess who is dependent on who in the Russia-Europe relationship, the impact of energy on conflicts, what an increasingly assertive U.S. policy will achieve, and how energy prices in a COVID-19 era could affect Russia. We’ll be back in September with a brand new season. Until then, stay safe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...
Jun 29, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Last week, for the very first time in Crisis Group's history, we published a statement on the events unfolding in the U.S. The murder of George Floyd, an unarmed African American man, triggered protests across the country against structural inequality. Similar protests have since erupted around the world as many countries reckon with their own histories of entrenched racial discrimination. Dan Schneiderman, Crisis Group’s Head of Advocacy and Research for the U.S., joins Hugh and Olga to discuss...
Jun 15, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 21
After two decades of conflict in Afghanistan, many hoped that a peace deal between the U.S. and the Taliban, signed on 29 February 2020, would mark the beginning of a peace process between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Instead, the peace process has stalled as the two sides struggle to agree on issues necessary to begin the negotiations. The Taliban has since steadily escalated violence against Afghan security forces, while the U.S. has resumed airstrikes. In addition to the uptick in v...
Jun 01, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 20
As COVID-19 cuts a deadly swathe across the globe, its political impact is only starting to be felt and could last long after the virus is contained. George Tsereteli , President of the Organization of Security and Co-operation in Europe ( OSCE ) Parliamentary Assembly, joins Olga and Hugh to discuss how the 57-nation OSCE is coping in these unprecedented times, what action it is taking to mitigate the effects of the crisis and what the long-term consequences could be. They assess the threat to ...
May 18, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 19
What will it take to end the war in Ukraine? A plan for what happens inside Ukraine is a prerequisite for peace in the six-year civil war. But that will not suffice if the conflict’s broader geostrategic underpinnings are not addressed, explains Olga, our host-turned-guest for this week’s episode. Russia’s intervention on its neighbour’s territory was largely driven by fears of Western encroachment in its sphere of influence. For NATO and EU member states, these actions pose a deep threat to Eur...
May 04, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Turkey’s many paradoxes and its place on a global crossroads come into focus in a discussion about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council of Foreign Relations. She joins Olga and Hugh for this episode of War & Peace from her home in Istanbul to talk about a faltering economy, Ankara’s “lone wolf” foreign policy, some opportunities missed by the government, and overall, an often heart-warming popular response. Hosted on Acast. S...
Apr 20, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Libya has been in a near constant state of war since Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was toppled back in 2011, morphing into local conflicts between pro- and anti-Islamists. On 4 April last year, forces commanded by General Haftar laid siege to Tripoli, the home of the internationally recognised government. Fighting on the city’s outskirts has been terribly destructive. Meanwhile weapons continue to flow into the country from foreign backers. The onset of COVID-19 has not broken the diplomatic paralysis...
Apr 06, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 16
One hour after 34 Turkish soldiers were killed in Idlib, Syria’s last rebel-held bastion, Turkey opened its borders to Greece, prompting thousands of migrants to head for the frontier in the hope of crossing into Europe. Berkay Mandıracı, Crisis Group’s Turkey expert and our guest on War & Peace, sheds light on what triggered Ankara’s decision, what implications it could have on the fragile 2016 migration deal with the EU and what can be done at this critical moment to strengthen rapidly dec...
Mar 23, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 15
The conflicts in Syria and Iraq drew between 12,000 and 15,000 fighters from Central Asia. Noah Tucker, expert on Central Asian issues and our guest on War & Peace this week, helps us understand why. No overwhelming single factor accounts for such a huge number of people going to fight with the Islamic State. “For every 10 people who join, there are 10 different life stories, and often 10 different reasons”, Noah explains. But the deep inequalities found in Central Asian countries can help e...
Mar 09, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Over 13,500 foreign nationals who went to fight for ISIS are currently detained in Syria, among them women and children living in abhorrent humanitarian conditions. Western governments have largely failed to repatriate their citizens, afraid of the potential domestic political pushback. For Crisis Group’s Gender Director Azadeh Moaveni, these governments should start by bringing home the children and women formerly associated with the group. She urges European leaders to do more to shift public ...
Feb 24, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 13
“Policies today are geared toward power, strength and pushing back. They are not geared toward talking to each other, and that is the prerequisite for arms control”. For Ulrich Kuehn, our guest on War & Peace this week, we have entered an age of regression of predictability in the international military balance. States are gradually dismantling many of the treaties won in hard negotiations during and after the end of the Cold War, arguing that they have become obsolete. What does this mean f...
Feb 10, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 12
As decades-old wars continue to escalate and new crises threaten peace and security around the world, European leadership is urgently needed to prevent and mitigate deadly conflict. Crisis Group’s EU experts Giuseppe Famà and Lisa Musiol join Olga and Hugh in the studio this week to discuss the crises where Josep Borrell, the EU’s recently appointed Vice President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, can help the EU and its member states rise to the challenge. For mor...
Jan 27, 2020•32 min•Season 1Ep. 11
The dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh is the longest-running conflict that accompanied the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991. War over the territory broke out in 1992 between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. While a ceasefire in 1994 ended the fighting, decades of negotiations have failed to resolve the conflict. Our guest this week is Olesya Vartanyan, Crisis Group’s Analyst for Europe’s Eastern Neighbourhood. She explains that grievances and tensions had existed long before the conflict erupted, and that...
Jan 13, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 10
2019 was a good year for Russia. The country rejoined the Council of Europe, the first case of sanctions being lightened since its 2014 annexation of Crimea. It confirmed the country’s commitment to the Paris climate agreement. It welcomed close to fifty African leaders to the inaugural Russia-Africa summit in Sochi. Moscow even made progress with Kyiv, although less as a result of Russian diplomacy than the efforts of Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy. Andrey Kortunov, Director General of the Russi...
Dec 30, 2019•27 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Russia’s relationship with the European Union has been mired in tension and mistrust since Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014. But while relations at a political level are strained, in Russian society there is an appetite for more engagement. Sabine Fischer is Team Leader for the Public Diplomacy EU and Russia Project, which seeks to build engagement between the EU and Russian civil society on bilateral and global issues and to strengthen mutual understanding where possible. She talks to Olga...
Dec 16, 2019•26 min•Season 1Ep. 8
The European Union has mobilized huge financial, political and security resources to stabilize the Balkans, often serving the flagship policy of offering EU membership to qualifying countries. The wars of the 1990s and the economic hardships that followed have been largely overcome, but enlargement has stalled and the region’s uncertainties continue. The logic of EU enlargement is in even greater trouble further east in Turkey. Here media freedoms have shrunk, relations have strained over Turkey...
Dec 02, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 7
“Populism attaches itself to whatever issue provokes fear and outrage [and] hate speech leads to hate crime”. Heather Grabbe joins Olga and Hugh on this week’s episode to discuss how populism works, why its appeal has grown in recent years and the threat it poses to European democracy. From its ideological adaptability and the role of digital media in amplifying its message to its role in fuelling deadly conflict, they examine what can be done to address the grievances that these parties feed of...
Nov 18, 2019•26 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Russia’s role on the international stage is rapidly expanding. It is taking over Washington’s place as the Middle East’s power broker, growing its economic influence in Africa and deepening military ties with China. This week, Hugh and Olga discuss what Russia’s winning streak means for arms control, Ukraine, Turkey, the Middle East and a rising China. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 04, 2019•23 min•Season 1Ep. 5
The turmoil since the United Kingdom’s 2016 referendum on leaving the European Union has exposed deep fissures not just within British society, but also deep problems within Europe as a whole. Olga and Hugh welcomed Jeremy Shapiro to discuss these shifting dynamics. They reflect on the meaning of European sovereignty, the EU’s relationship with the U.S. under an antagonistic president and the need for a common policy toward their Russian neighbour. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...
Oct 21, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Ukraine’s President Zelensky faces many challenges. The former actor’s country is locked in conflict with Russia, while corruption and failed political reform have harmed its relationship with the EU. Anna Kovalenko, newly appointed Deputy Head of the President’s Office, joins Olga and Hugh to discuss the government’s priorities, security sector reform and the 2013-2014 Euromaidan Revolution in which she played a leading part. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 07, 2019•24 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Europe’s security outlook has shifted dramatically in the last few years. Russia has broken out of the “Cold War consensus”, the Middle East is “on fire” and North Africa is “in chains”. Surrounded by this dangerous instability, Europe is facing a number of its own internal challenges. Bert Koenders, former Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs and UN Envoy, joins Olga Oliker and Hugh Pope this week to explore these issues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 22, 2019•24 min•Season 1Ep. 2
What was so significant about the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and how important was Europe’s contribution? Why has U.S. President Trump’s ripping up of the accord and “maximum pressure” strategy not worked? Amid the standoff between the U.S. and Iran, what role can the EU and Russia play in salvaging the deal and averting a military confrontation? Rob Malley, a key negotiator of the Iran deal, joins Olya and Hugh to explore these questions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 16, 2019•29 min•Season 1Ep. 1
