The Global Agora cover art

All Episodes

The Global Agora — 289 episodes

#
Title
1

America at 250: What would the world look like without the US?

2

How do Oana Lungescu and Ben Hodges preview the NATO summit in Ankara?

3

If 2025 had continued, Ukraine would have lost and Europe would have been at risk of a Russian attack

4

Is Starmer finished, is Britain ungovernable and could Farage become prime minister?

5

Trump turns 80: What does he want for his birthday and is he too old for the White House?

6

Does Xi Jinping prefer Vladimir Putin or Donald Trump? And is his power unlimited?

7

Cas Mudde on sanewashing of Trump, far-right threat and normalization of Meloni

8

Zelenskyy has allowed Putin's military parade. Will they meet at the negotiation table?

9

Who are the low-level agents and how is Russia using them against Europe?

10

Regime change in Hungary: What’s next for Péter Magyar and Viktor Orbán?

11

Why has Beijing turned to coercion instead of trying to win Taiwanese hearts and minds?

12

Will Trump, Putin, and Xi lead the world into more conflicts?

13

Small countries, big choices?: What Cyprus and Slovakia can learn from a changing world order

14

Hungary's elections: Would Viktor Orbán accept defeat if he loses? And what about Péter Magyar?

15

Ukraine and Iran: Is this a global conflict?

16

What does the Iran war mean for Ukraine? And what are the Russians doing in Hungary?

17

What can the Iran–Iraq War tell us about the current conflict?

18

Could the Iran war go nuclear?

19

Could Iran become Donald Trump’s Iraq or Afghanistan?

20

Would President Trump fight for Gdansk?

21

Ukraine wants to destroy 50,000 Russians per month. Could it work?

22

Is it time to bury the post–Cold War world order?

23

With Pakistani heritage and experience in Ukraine: Meet the new UK Ambassador to Slovakia

24

Latin America, Greenland, Canada... What does Trump want to do with the Western Hemisphere?

25

Trump's obsession with Greenland is very dangerous. But he is also a limping duck, says Tom Nichols

26

Could Europeans kidnap Trump if he attacked Greenland?

27

What do Venezuela and January 6 attack tell us about Donald Trump?

28

What is Hungary's PM Viktor Orbán willing to do to stay in power?

29

What are the Global Risks to the EU in 2026?

30

Was NATO dangerously close to war with Russia? My conversation with Jens Stoltenberg

31

Russia is not the enemy. The EU should be destroyed. Is this Trump’s strategy?

32

What would anti-corruption fighter Olena Tregub say to President Zelenskyy?

33

Why did the US peace plan for Ukraine look like a Russian influence operation?

34

Toward far-right policies? What to expect from the European Parliament

35

Is Russia the most malign actor in the global information sphere?

36

If Trump starts testing nuclear weapons, who will be the biggest winner?

37

Why authoritarians are no longer on the defensive – and how they are reshaping world politics

38

Do the ICC warrants for Putin and Netanyahu still matter?

39

Can anyone govern France or will the political instability continue?

40

Tomahawks for Ukraine? Trump wants to hand over the war to the Europeans

41

Who is Andrej Babiš? He wants to run the state like a business, but he won't visit Putin after the elections

42

Moldova's elections: What will happen if pro-Russian forces win?

43

Are Russia, China and Trump's America global disruptors and what can the EU do about it?

44

About MAGA propaganda and Superman: Does Trump weaken America’s position on the global stage?

45

How likely is direct US military action against Venezuela?

46

Hope, fairness, leadership, and coercion: How to turn climate concerns into policy support

47

Security guarantees and territorial negotiations: Ukraine’s path toward peace?

48

Can Europe face a fentanyl epidemic similar to the US?

49

When Trump says jump, every Republican asks: How high? But is he weaker than he appears?

50

Russia and China versus the West: Is a war on two fronts a realistic scenario? General (Ret.) Mick Ryan explains

51

Will Trump try to arrest Obama? And how would America react?

52

Russia wants to shut them down. The Barents Observer journalists fight back

53

Does Trump want Ukraine to surrender? Professor Phillips O'Brien weighs in

54

Wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, that’s ours. Is Putin preparing for forever war?

55

Why is politicologist Cas Mudde optimistic about America (even though he's not really that optimistic)?

56

How should NATO deal with Trump and spend 5 percent of GDP on defense? General (Ret.) Ben Hodges explains

57

How nervous is Hungary's PM Viktor Orbán about Péter Magyar's Tisza Party?

58

Can World War three start in the Indo-Pacific?

59

How to resist recession of democracy in America (and globally)? My conversation with Larry Diamond

60

How to negotiate with Putin and does he feel empowered by Trump?

61

Would Lithuanians fight if they were attacked by Russia? Ex-FM Landsbergis weighs in

62

Is the new German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, ready to face Trump and Putin?

63

When authoritarianism rises and America and China collide, will you take part in revolution?

64

Is a drawdown of US forces from Europe all but certain and what would it mean?

65

Greenland and Ukraine: Is Denmark squeezed between Trump and Putin?

66

When will it fly? Will it be better than the Chinese project?: What do we know about the F-47 program?

67

Can Trump's trade wars lead to real wars?

68

Ukraine and Canada: Do Putin and Trump see the world alike?

69

Ukrainian expert: Europe will suffer if there is no long-lasting and just peace in Ukraine

70

Can Trump really make Europe great again?

71

If America had to choose, would it defend Estonia or Taiwan?

72

Tom Nichols: Trump betrays everyone, but Putin is one shining star in his world

73

Zelenskyy has something Trump will never have. But Putin is probably smiling. My conversation with General (Ret.) Mick Ryan

74

What is Trump's America to the EU? An ally, friend, partner, rival? An adversary, even?

75

How does AfD fit into Trump's world? And what about Friedrich Merz?

76

Europe is increasingly being targeted by Russian sabotage. Where is the response?

77

Trump's era is here. What might he do about Ukraine? Is Putin happy about him and what about the US allies?

78

Hope and concerns. What advice would Ukrainian expert Maria Avdeeva give Trump before meeting with Putin?

79

What is Poland’s primary defense objective amid Russia's war against Ukraine?

80

Destabilization of democracy? What to expect in 2025

81

What's next for 007, and do we live in an era of Bond villains?

82

Is Slovak PM Robert Fico pro-Russian?

83

It looks like a form of oligarchy. Will Trump really run the administration?

84

Does Russia want far-right Calin Georgescu to become president of Romania?

85

Does Putin think he can not lose the war in Ukraine?

86

What's next for Ukraine? War is not linear but there is a high chance it will be bad

87

What could happen if Putin wins in Ukraine? German general explains

88

Trump's reign: Could it be less bad than it looks?

89

Does Trump want to make America small (like Hungary)?

90

Will the US presidential election be followed by chaos?

91

Can North Korea afford to send a large number of soldiers to Ukraine's battlefield to help Russia?

92

Could Ukraine repeat the Kursk operation in Transnistria?

93

Who is afraid of the October surprise? Kamala Harris or Donald Trump?

94

Would Australia join NATO if it could?

95

The West doesn't have stomach to say: Russia is a terrorist state. Why?

96

What keeps Enrico Letta awake at night when he thinks about European economy?

97

What is Russia's most effective weapon in the war against Ukraine? General (Ret.) Phil Breedlove explains

98

What kind of effect has the Kursk incursion on Putin's regime? Mark Galeotti explains

99

Tom Nichols: I consider Trump an existential threat to American democracy

100

What do we know about China's decision process for the use of nuclear weapons?

101

Donald Trump is 78. Can he stop his presidential campaign like Joe Biden?

102

How is Russia moving oil through the Mediterranean and what to possibly do about it

103

Paris Olympics: The main security threat is jihadi terrorism. And what about Russia?

104

What's next for political violence in the US after Trump's assassination attempt?

105

From Ceausescu's Romania to NATO: How Oana Lungescu rewrote the history of the Alliance

106

About NATO, Russia and why he stays optimistic about Ukraine even in the dark days. My conversation with General (Ret.) Mick Ryan

107

An electoral wipeout of Tories? All the things in the UK are now being seen as terrible

108

Early election in France: Is Macron's political maneuver foolish and shortsighted?

109

Peace summit in Switzerland: What would be Ukraine's success?

110

What is Putin afraid of?

111

Is the junta in Myanmar losing?

112

What advice should Xi Jinping follow regarding Taiwan?

113

Can Russia's intelligence services help install an American president?

114

Does the West really think about how it can supply Ukraine in the next two or three years of the war?

115

About what is Ukraine facing and why we have to talk about the worst scenario. General (Ret.) Mick Ryan explains

116

Ukraine's expert: The dilemma is whether we are saving territory or personnel

117

How close or far is the US from a civil war?

118

What's next for the Middle East after Iran attacks Israel?

119

My conversation with Maria Avdeeva from Kharkiv: Her city is constantly attacked. Will Russia also try the ground offensive?

120

NATO is a success story, but as Alliance turns 75 can it also face demise?

121

Is counterterrorism cooperation with Russia possible?

122

Should the West try to turn China and India against Russia?

123

Autocratic tendencies, pro-Russian rhetoric and presidential elections. What's going on in Slovakia?

124

Will Ursula von der Leyen be President of the European Commission again?

125

Ukraine: What happened in two years of invasion, what might be next and will Western troops help Kyiv?

126

Death has already knocked on almost every door in Ukraine. My conversation with Oleksandra Matviichuk

127

How can Europe react to Trump's threats to NATO?

128

Are we inching towards a big regional war in the Middle East?

129

About films, actors, Indiana Jones, Richard Nixon and revenge: My conversation with Oscar director Bille August

130

What will Sweden bring to NATO and how can the Alliance and the EU prepare for a potential war with Russia?

131

Does Hungary's PM Viktor Orbán want to take over the European Council?

132

US presidential primaries: Is Trump going to win the nomination and what if Biden says I'm not running?

133

What are the main military options Ukraine and Russia can still exploit?

134

Japan's admiral explains how his country would react to China's attack against Taiwan and how to prevent it

135

Taylor Swift for American President? Unlikely, but...

136

What to expect from the Republican primaries? Will it be Trump or can DeSantis or Haley still hope?

137

Will Meloni compete with Orbán? And will her support for Ukraine continue?

138

Is Putin's regime too resilient and Trump too dangerous? My conversation with former US Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff

139

Is there a case for suspending Russia from the UN? And what can the UN do about Putin's war and the Gaza conflict?

140

What can a war do to the artist? Ukrainian director talks about fighting Russians and making movies

141

About Zaluzhnyi's dose of reality (and stalemate), Ukraine's counteroffensive, and what we got wrong about Russia. My conversation with General (Ret.) Mick Ryan

142

Could Kadyrov replace Putin and would it lead to the break up of Russia?

143

What are Russian ships in the Black Sea hiding and how to stop them?

144

What if Trump wins elections in 2024 but Vice President Harris says no? How would Trumpists react?

145

Haiti: What can the UN-backed Kenya's security mission do about the power of the gangs?

146

If PiS wins the elections in Poland, could it lead to the creation of an illiberal front in the EU?

147

Does Chancellor Scholz regret that he started to talk about Zeitenwende?

148

Can Slovakia become the next Hungary and the Trojan horse of Russia in EU and NATO?

149

NATO vs. Russia in Romania? What can/should the Alliance do in the Black Sea region?

150

Is the coup in Niger a pro-Russian coup?

151

What is behind Republicans' rhetoric about sending military to Mexico?

152

Did Putin specifically order the killing of Prigozhin?

153

Is Cambodia's Hun Sen's dictatorship somehow unique?

154

Why is Saudi Arabia buying footballers like crazy?

155

Oppenheimer is based on his book. I talked to Kai Bird, co-author of American Prometheus

156

What is happening on the battlefield? I talked to Franz-Stefan Gady about Ukraine's offensive and Russia's defense

157

Spanish elections: How would the far-right Vox in government change Spain?

158

What if the AfD ruled Germany? And how is it connected with the Russian war?

159

What are Ukrainians trying to achieve and what are Russians doing? Ben Hodges explains

160

How far would Russia go to help Iran and vice versa?

161

Does Putin have skills to be hired by CIA? John Sipher explains

162

Does Putin's regime resemble the late era of Stalin?

163

Ex-defense secretary Mark Esper: Trump would try to pull the US out of NATO and South Korea

164

What happens in Belarus if Lukashenko dies? Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya talks about plan

165

As Ukraine is getting ready for counterattack, what can Russia do about this?

166

E. Jean Carroll v. Donald Trump: Are the Republicans the anti-women party?

167

If Putin falls, will people like Prigozhin or Kadyrov survive?

168

Is Charles III a caretaker king? And what about William and Kate and Harry and Meghan?

169

Is French President Emmanuel Macron naive?

170

Putin is waging war on Ukraine. Should the NHL suspend his fan, Alex Ovechkin?

171

From Troubles to the Good Friday Agreement. And what's next for Northern Ireland amid Brexit?

172

Finland is in NATO. Let's talk about the pros. And what about the cons?

173

Ukraine: Who are they and how do foreign fighters contribute to the fight with Russia?

174

He can call his book about Iraq: They all died. Fred Wellman talks about the war and its aftermath

175

Former UN inspector in Iraq: CIA lied. The story about wrong intelligence does not withstand scrutiny

176

As Finland and Sweden are joining NATO, what is the biggest concern of Norway regarding Russia?

177

The Russian war one year on: What is the meaning of Germany's Zeitenwende?

178

Russia has to withdraw, beg for forgiveness and pay for the crimes

179

Could Russia try to stage a coup in Moldova? And how probable is it?

180

Are Ukraine and Russia getting ready for offensives? Rob Lee explains

181

Finland and Sweden NATO's bid: Is Turkey just moving the goalposts and is Russia happy about it?

182

China, North Korea, Russia... What are the main security concerns of Japan?

183

Would Kazakhstan be next, if Russia had been successful in Ukraine?

184

Babiš, Nerudová or Pavel? What to expect from the presidential election in Czechia?

185

Is Putin the biggest loser of 2022? Tom Nichols weighs in

186

How to bake "Russian warship, go fuck yourself" gingerbread? I talked to Maria Avdeeva from Kharkiv

187

Would Xi Jinping attack Ukraine if he would rule Russia?

188

My conversation with Anne Applebaum: What if Putin disappears? How would it affect the war?

189

Is Ukraine hitting Russia where it hurts the most?

190

What is the biggest problem Xi Jinping is facing going forward?

191

What to criticize about Qatar's World Cup? And what's next for protests in Iran?

192

The midterms' result? American democracy held. But what's next?

193

Rich and powerful. Should we be afraid of Elon Musk's intentions?

194

Can American democracy properly function when millions believe in an alternate reality?

195

Facing and being Russia in a wargame: Did the players blow off the world?

196

Ukraine war: About drones and other military systems and how to use them

197

China: It's another (at least) five years for Xi Jinping. What does it mean?

198

North Korea: What can we expect from Kim Jong-un and from his sister Kim Yo-jong?

199

Is Giorgia Meloni an ideological heiress of Benito Mussolini?

200

Sweden: The far-right Sweden Democrats are the second-strongest party. How did it happen?

201

What is NATO doing six months into Russia's war against Ukraine?

202

Is PM Liz Truss up to the job? Is Boris Johnson already plotting a comeback?

203

How important was Mikhail Gorbachev? And what about his successes and failures?

204

A party girl? Is Finland's PM Sanna Marin facing double standards from critics?

205

The Taliban took over Afghanistan one year ago. How are they running it?

206

Does Russia have diplomacy or is it mostly trolling?

207

Will Italy turn to Russia after the early election?

208

Arnold Schwarzenegger turns 75. Would he beat Trump? And can he predict the future?

209

Complex or complicated? What is the legacy of murdered Japan's ex-PM Shinzo Abe?

210

Are Sri Lanka's protests a prelude to similar events around the world?

211

Peter the Great, Hitler, Stalin? To whom can we compare Putin?

212

Should the West tell Russia it will support Ukraine forever?

213

Will America become a religious tyranny?

214

Should NATO have a fundamental debate on how to proceed with Turkey?

215

Does Putin only need to survive until Trump will be (perhaps) back in the White House?

216

Does Russia create some nuclear weapons exclusively for the TV?

217

Does President Biden want to have Taiwan's cake but also eat it?

218

Is the far-right ecosystem hiding in plain sight in the US?

219

Does Putin talk about Ukraine in genocidal terms?

220

Maria Avdeeva from Kharkiv: Russia will never get the city under control

221

Does Macron want to be the leader of the EU and what's his vision for the next five years?

222

Does Putin think everything is fine and how delusional is he?

223

Is Russia's war against Ukraine also Germany's fault and what can Berlin do about it?

224

What if the only limit Hungary's PM Orban has after the election is his own imagination?

225

Is Putin on his own crusade in Ukraine and what about the peace negotiations?

226

Ukraine war: Did Russia get anything right about the invasion?

227

Bitter peace, nukes, and miracles: What are (might be) Ukraine war scenarios?

228

Who might join in and what to expect from Ukraine's Foreign Legion?

229

Maria Avdeeva from Kharkiv: I want to tell the world about Putin's war against Ukraine

230

Mark Galeotti: The best what can Russia hope for in Ukraine is the Afghanistan scenario

231

Did Russia's President Putin give us a road map of his intentions?

232

Ukrainian expert from Kharkiv: Russia won't be able to control us

233

Disaster researcher: Climate change or pandemic worries me much more than the Yellowstone eruption

234

Will Finland apply for NATO membership and how would it work?

235

Russia crisis and European security: A view from France

236

Will Djokovic's case affect Australia's immigration system and politics?

237

How to approach negotiations with Putin's Russia?

238

1/6 anniversary: Is the GOP Trump's party? Polarization, divisions and radicalization in America

239

What's next for China's foreign policy in 2022?

240

What is the role of NATO battalions on the Eastern Flank? To die heroically?

241

Black woman, star, spy, activist: What do we know about Josephine Baker?

242

At the end Angela Merkel just wanted a nap. Are we living in Olaf Scholz’s world now?

243

After COP26: Is humanity still on a self-destructive path?

244

27 dead: Will a (preventable) tragedy in the Channel change anything?

245

Will elections in Libya discredit the concept of democracy?

246

Belarus border crisis: How to help people in need and how to stop Lukashenko

247

COP26: Is humanity on a self-destructive path?

248

The meaning of James Bond. 007's past, present and future, Part 2

249

The meaning of James Bond. 007's past, present and future, Part 1

250

Murder of David Amess: Should we expect more attacks against politicians?

251

Are we facing a looming strategic crisis in the Taiwan Strait?

252

Are Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer basically in the wrong jobs?

253

German election: Would Angela Merkel be a good President of Europe?

254

German election. What is happening with CDU/CSU is cataclysmic. But does Merkel care?

255

Nordic world is the world of Social Democrats. But is it really?

256

Conservatives vs. progressives? Of course there is a fight in the Vatican

257

9/11 attacks: How the world underestimated Al-Qaeda and then overreacted to it

258

Is America a mini power after withdrawal from Afghanistan?

259

What can be done to help the Afghans that want to leave the country?

260

Ukraine at 30: What should be Kyiv's focus?

261

How have reforms, wars and modernization changed Russian Armed Forces?

262

Do Iranians have any expectations for President Raisi?

263

Foreign troops arrive. How will jihadists in Cabo Delgado react?

264

Olympics in the age of COVID-19: What does it mean for politics in Japan?

265

Hungarian journalist about Pegasus spyware: Now I know I wasn't paranoid

266

What is the horrible legacy of Anders Breivik?

267

How much does the US dominance in cyberspace provoke a challenge?

268

Donald Tusk returned to Polish politics. Does he know what he is doing?

269

CCP at 100: What's next for Chinese Communist Party?

270

What would Catalonia's independence referendum solve?

271

NATO says the global balance of power is shifting. How will the Alliance react?

272

Is Boko Haram's Abubakar Shekau dead? And what about Ayman al-Zawahiri?

273

Biden-Putin summit: Not expecting much could be a good thing

274

What would be a successful NATO summit according to former SecGen Anders Fogh Rasmussen?

275

What can Iron Dome do and what it cannot do?

276

The One Where We Talk About Friends

277

Should the EU strengthen security cooperation with its eastern partners?

278

Belarus: What can be done about Lukashenko's regime?

279

Is Myanmar heading towards a large scale civil war?

280

Who is bolder in fighting the coronacrisis? The EU or the US? And why?

281

More dangerous coronavirus variants may emerge. Will the vaccines be able to catch up?

282

Will Colonial Pipeline cyberattack be copied?

283

Is Kim Jong-un totally in control? And what will Biden do about North Korea?

284

Elections in the UK: Johnson is strong, Starmer was weakened and Scotland moved towards a crisis

285

What might be next for Afghanistan and Taliban after the withdrawal of foreign troops? 

286

My conversation with David Frum about 100 days of Biden's Presidency

287

Germany: Who will succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel?

288

When will US President Joe Biden visit Central Europe?

289

After the revealed attack in Czechia, how should the West react to Russia's GRU wet job unit?: My conversation with Mark Galeotti