Episodes
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If Israel gets its way, the EU will be dragged kicking and screaming into global security relevance. Israel’s double-whammy assassinations of top Hizbollah and Hamas leaders is yet another drip-drip drop closer to making much of the Middle East look like Gaza. In addition to the mortifying human cost on the ground, that would have serious and scary implications for the European Union, which is once again reminded that it isn’t all that far away.
The EU, thanks to rules on unanimous agreement among its 27 members, can’t even issue a quick and clear condemnation of seemingly rigged elections in Venezuela. Viktor Orbán appears to have relented shortly after this episode was recorded, but the delay shows how ham-fisted one of the largest and richest political areas on earth is when it comes to having a meaningful role on said planet.
While he’s busy blocking statements, Orbán is readying Hungary to unblock Russian access to the EU. That has Manfred Weber rather upset. Better late than never?
That, plus weak rule of law in Italy are great reasons to bring back friends of the pod and EUO reporting talents, Andrew Rettmann and Valentina Saini.
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe hereand get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
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Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
Say what you want about democracy, but at least it isn’t boring. That may be the most compelling case right now for the Churchillian worst form of governance except for all the others. Autocrats stay in power for decades, making them pretty banal, but democratic politics have become rather ossified, too. So who knows where the seemingly but definitely not inevitable decision by US President Joe Biden to renounce his claim to a second term will lead, but at least something other than path dependency happened.
That leaves Democratic-voter wannabes on this side of the Atlantic with a lot to think about — and comment on. Not that they don’t have enough leaks to plug in their own political ship, as the post-election dust starts to settle at EU institutions. With the top of the European Commission confirmed, largely without far-right support, it was European Parliament’s turn to figure out how to juggle committee chairs to deny the far right as much influence as possible without itself appearing too undemocratic in the process.
But as we’ve seen, and said, many times, you don’t need the far right in power for the far right to win. Right now, that pseudo paradox is getting best expressed by the United Kingdom’s new kid on 10 Downing Street. Keir Starmer seems to have confused keeping the bad guys out of power for making sure he and his Labour can stay in it. Play his cards right, and he may just get his wish to have tea with Ursula von der Leyen.
All this brings us to a crossroads, and standing in the middle of that crossroads is Julien Hoez. The French, British, and European political analyst is just the person you want walking you through the intersectionality of these issues.
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe hereand get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
* EUObserver
Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
Episodes manquant?
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A would-be assassin’s bullet didn’t have to kill Donald Trump to fundamentally change the course of the 2024 presidential election in the United States. The incident itself is just the most recent and highest profile example of an apparent increased willingness to resort to political violence. The European Union already felt that in the weeks before its parliamentary elections, as several candidates were the victims of verbal or physical assault. Let’s not forget Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico, who survived five bullets earlier this year.
So there is talk all around about “lowering the temperature.” Surely that is on the mind of the European Commission, as it looks for ways to sideline the Viktor Orbán show as Hungary presides over the EU Council. Of course, the Commission’s leader, Ursula von der Leyen, has to survive a parliamentary vote first. She’ll probably get the votes, but how many and from whom is the big question.
To try to answer that and other dicey dilemmas, Euroscopic brings on EUO managing editor Elena Sanchez as well as European insider and fellow substacker, Augustin Bourleaud.
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe hereand get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
* EUObserver
Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
The results are in and France has gotten itself into a bit of a mess. But seeing that the alternative would have been getting itself deeper into the far right, I guess we can call that a win. But not call it a day — because now comes the hard part. Like most centrist liberals, Emmanuel Macron is no fan of lefty ideas. The left, for its part, is not great at keeping its parts together. So this is definitely a talk-amongst-yourselves moment for all parties involved.
Labour is back in power in the United Kingdom, which means … what exactly? Maybe about as much as Viktor Orbán jetsetting off to Moscow and Beijing to play the Great Negotiator. That his country has the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU — pure coincidence, of course.
Returning to the pod to get into these issues are EUO’s Piet Ruig and Pascal LeTendre-Hanns. Then we turn to the strange-but-true love affair between the people who brought you antisemitism and the people who claim their whole raison d'État is to protect against it. David Issacharoff of the Israeli daily Haaretz offers his take on what’s going on there.
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe hereand get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
* EUObserver
Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
The schizophrenic politics of the European Union continue. On one hand, you have the far-right winning big in France’s first round of parliamentary elections and Eurosceptic Viktor Orbán taking over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union (not to be confused with the European Council, which of course no one would ever do). On the other hand, you’ve got a trio of solid centrist and pro-EU personalities set to lead the bloc — and possibly without having to pander to the far-right (or whatever Giorgia Meloni’s ECR says it is) for their votes.
All said, there are ample arguments to be made for both the sky is falling and that everything will be OK. EUO’s Andrew Rettman returns to talk foremost about Hungary’s presidency and Pascal LeTendre-Hanns shares insights into French politics right now.
No matter how uncertain European policymakers might be about the future of their side of the Atlantic, they may be even more worried about the other side. That Biden-Trump debate was a doozy, eh? In the spirit of the Fourth of July (at least at time of recording), we’ll have a look at how the Olde World is looking at the old men vying to lead the “New” World.
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe hereand get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
* EUObserver
Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
News doldrums, silly season, Sommerloch. There are many names for the summertime off-season, when there isn’t much to report except the sunburns of politicians as they run off to the beach with everyone else. This summer, however, is shaping up to be anything but slow. The long days are sure to be filled with horse-trading and hand-wringing of all kinds.
Both the United Kingdom and France hold snap elections around the same time in early July. Neither result is likely to be very pretty. Meanwhile, Hungary will be rotating in to run the Council of the EU, while the EU itself figures out what its next parliament and commission are going to look like. Amid all that, outgoing Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, will be stepping into NATO’s top civilian post (leaving behind a country that is more extreme right than ever).
Oh, and if Israel declares war on Hezbollah, Hezbollah may declare war on Cyprus — an EU member. Probably not, but just the idea of that is enough to underscore how big the gap is between talk of European defense and actually defending Europe, without the U.S. stepping in. Which depending how things go after the summer, it might not.
Award-winning European correspondent, Caroline de Gruyter, and New School prof, Claire Potter lend their expert hands to help us cover all these issues.
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe hereand get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
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Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
Yes, the “center” of European politics “held.” But oh dear are things fragile. Neither the German nor French political establishment enjoys much legitimacy these days, and only the far-right seem to have come up with an “alternative” to them. Hey, say what you want, but at least it’s an ethos. While there are still plenty of socialists and center-left folks loafing about the halls of European power, it’s anyone’s guess what the EU looks like when its two biggest members are flirting with neo-fascist takeovers or ungovernable coalitions — if not nationally, at least regionally.
In next-largest Italy, the populist right already has things well in hand. EUO’s Valentina Saini returns to Euroscopic to discuss what’s up in Italy and the government’s push towards the fancy-sounding idea of “differentiated autonomy.” Giorgia Meloni may find herself in the awkward position of trying to boost her European credentials while placating the euroskeptic ones that got her into power in the first place. Oops.
But who needs illiberals to dismantle “European values” from within when liberals are happy to do it themselves? EUO columnist Shada Islam joins us to discuss the role that Israel’s destruction of Gaza is playing in splitting the EU — and if Arab and Muslim voters here can form the kind of potent constituency that their counterparts in the United States have been able to do.
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe hereand get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
* EUObserver
Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
Let the somber postmortems and insider jockeying begin! The result of the 2024 European elections this week was, broadly speaking, what we all figured it would be. The populist right and illiberal voices did alright, but the lefty-ish folks held their own. The Macrons and Scholzs of the bloc more or less collapsed, while the Green wave of 2019 is all but washed up. And … they kinda deserve it?
What did seem pretty clear is that voters — the roughly 50% of them who voted, at least — are unhappy with politics as usual.
Discussing what happened and what now, Euroscopic brings a fine group of EUobserver reporters to the podcast table: Viktória Serdült in Hungary, Valentina Saini in Italy, and Piet Ruig in Brussels returns from last week to look to France.
So pull up a chair of your own, dig into some cacio e pepe, and listen along to a special episode recorded together from the heart of any home, and the source of all politics: the home kitchen.
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe hereand get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
* EUObserver
Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
The nice thing about voting, other than that whole democracy thing, is it puts an end to months of filling airtime with unverifiable speculation. (Not that your humble Euroscopic hosts would ever stoop so low …). So Martin and I are, like millions of others across the European Union, eager to see polls open and await the results of European Elections.
But first! One last chance to fill airtime with unverifiable speculation. We run through the big stuff at stake in this election and the ways it could pan out. The head of Transparency International EU, Nick Aiossa, joins us to talk about how EU institutions and officials have gotten better at coming clean about conflicts of interest — and how much better they still need to get. Then EUobserver contributing reporter Piet Ruig tells us about his day out in a Brussels park with populist farmer protesters.
Listen, subscribe for free, and don’t go anywhere as the results come in. Most of all, if you’re a European citizen, go vote.
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe hereand get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
* EUObserver
Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
It’s not long now until citizens of the European Union vote for their next European Parliament and, in turn, the Commission. So it’s a good time for Martin and William to figure out just where they stand on the issues. Voting can be confusing, which is why you can get some help with this handy test. Although we’ll be honest: It leaves a lot to be desired.
Don’t miss an interview with podcast returnee Simon Van Dorpe, an investigative journalist at Follow The Money. He reveals more insights into high-level power plays that can shape, make, and maybe break the EU and its democratic backbone.
And speaking of all those lofty values, EU member states are hardly on the same page when it comes to what to do with Israel and the country’s ongoing onslaught of Gaza. IHL professor Michael Becker joins us from Dublin to share his years of expertise, as more EU countries recognize Palestinian statehood while others strike awkward balances between their political support for Israel and their obligations to international law.
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe hereand get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
* EUObserver
Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
Tech, climate, illiberalism. Any one of those is enough to fill a policymaker’s plate. So why not take on all three at once? It’s actually six, if you listen to Johnny Ryan. He’s on the frontlines of the biggest developments that will alter European way of life as we know it — and in many ways already have. In an extensive interview, Ryan sheds light on the malicious actors and processes that underpin and exploit how we communicate, trade, and vote.
Just before you want to hide under the covers, we also discuss what we can do about it. It turns out, many of the tools necessary are already there. They just need to get used effectively.
Elsewhere on the episode, we can’t ignore the application for arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leadership, announced this weekend at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Regardless how that develops, it’s a doozy. And we are eyeing developments in Georgia, particularly how they make the EU look fairly feckless.
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe hereand get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
* EUObserver
Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
If your kind of music is the sort of derivative spectacle that sounds like something you could have asked ChatGPT for (fwiw, I did that here), then the Eurovision Song Contest is for you. If your kind of values culture seems confused about what artistic expression is for, then you may want to consider a job with the European Broadcasting Union, which puts on the annual event.
At least EVSC gives us plenty to talk about. And we do with EUobserver editor and friend of the pod, Andrew Rettman, as we imagine a world where people vote with as much enthusiasm in elections as they do for woah-oh-oh. If it were up to me, I’d say these Finnish guys for president; at least they were fun. But it seems I am in the minority on that one.
While on the topic of those vaunted European values, we also look at a Eurovision finalist that is going the other way: Georgia. Despite its European Union candidacy and widespread public gaze westward, its leaders thought they might mix things up with a “foreign agents” law. That can’t end well.
Another political surprise: The socialists take Catalonia. Not gonna lie, I did not see that coming. Add to that the double-whammy verdicts against Germany’s Alternative for Germany, and it was something of a good week for progressive and lefty-ish forces across the bloc. Let’s see if they can keep up that momentum as we lumber towards European elections in early June.
For the inside track on what’s up in Brussels, we chat with Hugo Ortiz Dubon, a former ambassador to the EU from El Salvador who’s heading up diplomatic dialogue via The Brussels Times.
Finally: Just as we wrapped up recording, two big European news items broke. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot in an assassination attempt and, in the Netherlands, Geert Wilders got his right-wing coalition deal. Who will lead it remains TBD.
So, clearly lots already there for next week’s episode. As they say, stay with us!
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe hereand get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
* EUObserver
Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
Germany’s national rail company, Deutsche Bahn, is not known for the most reliable infrastructure — physical or digital. So we rolled the dice running an episode from a high-speed train to Munich. Come along for the ride!
The European Union has bigger problems than delayed trains — and so does Germany. Just weeks ahead of European elections, politicians are coming under attack. We look at what’s behind these incidents — violence begets violence.
Two interviews shed further light on the state of solidarity and cohesion in the European Union. First, literally: Greece-based journalist Konstantina Maltepioti has an in-depth report about EU cohesion policy and what enlarging the bloc might do to it. Martin then speaks to André Wilkens about how a tenuous political situation looks from the world of culture.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping paid the EU a visit for the first time in years, so we have a wrap of that. Plus other stories causing a stir in, to, and from Europe.
Stay with us for some other stories happening around the EU this week, plus an interview with Constance Sommerey and Darian Meacham from the University of Maastricht. They host the university’s podcast, “Woke as Science.”
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
* EUObserver
Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
William and Martin continue their criss-crossing of the European political order. With Martin in Vienna, among other places, he got a chance to talk to Luis Moreno Ocampo, a former prosecutor at the International Criminal Court. It’s a well-timed conversation, as speculation has emerged that the ICC could be preparing warrants for top Israeli and Hamas officials.
William was over at the other international court in The Hague — the International Court of Justice, which issued its first ruling in Nicaragua’s case against Germany on allegations of violating the Genocide Convention due to support for Israel. Tl;dr: Germany is basically off the hook, though Nicaragua claims partial credit for pressuring Germany to resume UNRWA funding and easing off weapons deliveries.
Before that, William was in Maastricht for an inside-the-bubble debate between eight of the European Union’s Commission President hopefuls. Or, better said: Seven Spitzenkandidaten and Ursula von der Leyen. The American-style stage performance was an opportunity for the lead candidates of EU parties to profile themselves ahead of elections in June in which European citizens do not directly vote for them.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also took to stages recently, promoting their worldviews and wishlist for Europe’s future. In different ways, neither may be all that convincing, leaving Martin and William to ask: Is this it?
Stay with us for some other stories happening around the EU this week, plus an interview with Constance Sommerey and Darian Meacham from the University of Maastricht. They host the university’s podcast, “Woke as Science.”
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
* EUObserver
Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
What’s six months among friends? The United States Congress finally voted on more than $60 billion in fresh military aid for Ukraine, finding a way around campaign-year politicking that includes more than a few Russian-friendlier Republicans. That combined with the new billions from European Union should give Ukraine a boost on the battlefield. We shall see.
Given how many Republicans — a majority, in fact — still voted against the bill, Ukraine and its supporters should only be breathing a partial sigh of relief. The next round of money needs might be after November elections, and who knows what American foreign policy will look like depending on the results. That leaves the EU stuck in the unpleasant position it has found itself, trying to lead a dance it was always meant to follow.
Martin’s got some more information on the latest far-right shenanigans around the EU, including a high-level arrest on charges of spying for China. Xi Jinping, however, is no match for our fearless leader — EUobserver’s editor-in-chief Alejandro Tauber, who joins Euroscopic to talk about the site’s brand-new redesign and why it matters as an independent operation in an age of fragmented media.
Plus, Lorenzo Buzzoni tells us about his reporting that has analyzed rural voting habits across the EU. The article he co-authored appeared recently on EUobserver.
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
* EUObserver
Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback. Facts matter.ds
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
Politics and ideology aside, the U.S.-led multinational shoot-down of hundreds of Iranian projectiles coming at Israel last weekend was an impressive feat of military-industrial engineering. So that’s what trillions of dollars and hegemonic-driven regional cooperation buys you. Neat.
Unless you’re Ukraine. Then you’re probably wondering — as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is — why no fire-in-the-skies love for me? Defending Ukrainian airspace from Russian air attack and Israel’s from Iran is not one-to-one, but the double standards are there nonetheless. They are all the more glaring given how Ukraine’s security directly affects wider Europe’s than Israel’s.
With Martin fresh back from a work trip to Brussels, he brings us stories from the Belgian (and European-ish?) capital he is not ashamed to say he loves. And he may be in good company, as new polling suggests European citizens have a crush the supranational legislature they will soon be voting for again.
Plus, Simon Van Dorpe from Follow the Money joins us to discuss his investigatory work into transparency and corruption.
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
* EUObserver
Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback. Facts matter.ds
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
Not even sickness can keep Martin from the news. Thanks to his suffering, listeners get treated to his extra-savory radio voice. And there are many savory items to get through. William takes great pleasure in watching wonky soothsayers read the tea leaves of what it all means when electoral fortunes break one way or another. Last week it was Turkey; this week it was Poland.
Then we turn to the state of education, especially around Africa — home to some of the world’s youngest populations and the most in need of resources. The European Union is a big player in that sort of development aid. We speak to Laura Frigenti, the CEO of one of the EU’s biggest partners on that front, about the importance of education not only for the individual and the immediate society, but for long-term security and stability around the world.
The big story is, of course, Germany’s day in international court, facing allegations of aiding Israel’s genocide in Gaza — as Nicaragua (and not only) view it. Both sides at the ICJ in the Hague presented compelling evidence to support their respective cases: Nicaragua basically said that German officials know of violations of international law and yet have not changed course on its “reason of state” to support Israel; Germany says that’s nonsense — its support for Israel could in no way help commit genocide, if there even is one taking place at all. Nicaragua’s beef is misplaced, Germany’s lawyers repeatedly argued.
William was there for both days of oral arguments and kept his followers up-to-date.
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
* EUObserver
Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback. Facts matter.ds
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
Very little happens quickly in the European Union. How much Germany has to do with that may be more correlation than causation, though the parallel is strong. For a coalition government that came into power at the end of 2021 “daring more progress,” it has taken more than half its term to do what many similar countries have already done. Pot is, finally, more or less legal. Whatever the political, economic, and social repercussions now, it will be a relief to stop hearing about every step of the tortured legislative process that was required to pass a fairly mild reform.
Germany must be smoking something, though, because a major state-backed bank thought it was a good idea to freeze the assets of an anti-Zionist Jewish peace organization. It’s a highly unusual move that sounds like a past Germany — and Sparkasse, the bank, has been rather tight-lipped as to why it did so. Theories abound, however, and the incident dovetails with the bigger silencing campaign the German state and its affiliated institutions have waged against Israel critics. The chair of Jewish Voice for Just Peace in the Middle East joins us to discuss the situation.
Read EUobserver’s story here.
Otherwise, there are local Turkish elections to discuss. And Bulgaria and Romania join the Schengen club. Mostly, anyway. Plus, what “Pfizergate” tells us about the European Commission and its leader, Ursula von der Leyen.
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts:
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Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback. Facts matter.ds
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
Remember when loosely affiliated terror groups carrying out isolated, but deadly attacks in the name of religious fundamentalist ideology posed the gravest threat to European security? Weren’t those the good ol’ days. Now, following a brazen terror attack in Moscow, they’re back. And so is ISIS — at least in terms of getting talked about.
This week’s Euroscopic takes some time to consider the political consequences of a terror threat that never really went away. Security hawks and law-and-order nationalists make good bedfellows, as matters of public safety and border/migration policy dovetail ahead of a European election year.
But the most focus goes to Israel’s ongoing campaign in Gaza and the increasing international isolation it faces as a result. Amid recording this episode, the United Nations Security Council finally agreed enough on a resolution endorsing some sort of ceasefire. Just before it did, Palestine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Husam Zomlot, joined us to explain why he is hopeful despite the humanitarian catastrophe that is as avoidable as it is seemingly unending.
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
* EUObserver
Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
In light of time and production constraints, there is no way we can unpack every claim and position made by our interview subjects in real time. To at least attempt to compensate for that, we would like to include more information here regarding some of Zomlot’s comments. In addition to the well-publicized UN report finding “reasonable grounds” for sexual violence committed by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack in Israel, the UN has also expressed grave concern for sexual and other unwarranted violence against civilians committed by Israeli troops in Gaza. While “genocide” is a disputed term currently at the center of legal proceedings, the International Court of Justice did agree, in its Jan. 26 ruling, that “at least some of the acts and omissions alleged by South Africa to have been committed by Israel in Gaza appear to be capable of falling within the provisions of the (Genocide) Convention.”
In an updated news release, the ICJ added more “provisional measures,” including stronger calls for Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, avoid acts of genocide, and provide the court a report substantiating its efforts to those ends. A second case, which Nicaragua has brought against Germany alleging complicity in genocide, will be heard in early April.
Mahmoud Abbas has been president of the Palestinian Authority since 2005. Elections were indefinitely postponed in 2021. A complex feedback loop of Israeli policy that represses Palestinian self-determination and Palestinian political ossification has created a crisis of democratic legitimacy. Polling suggests increasing public support for Hamas, including in the West Bank where it does not rule, less because of its brutal tactics and extremist ideology, and more as a release valve of popular anger. A deeper overview of Palestinian politics can be found here.
The use of hospitals and other civilian infrastructure by Hamas is Israel’s justification for targeting these places. While Hamas presence among the civilian population is well documented, to what extent they have commandeered facilities like hospitals is a matter of dispute.
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com -
Countries don’t interfere in other countries’ domestic politics — officially, anyway — but it is hardly a secret that the European Union fears a Trump Comeback. The EU is firmly Team Biden. Well, except for maybe Hungary.
That’s why it was interesting to watch the reaction to comments by Barack Obama — another Democratic president the EU has a huge crush on — when he came to Antwerp to participate in a tech conference. Among other things, he suggested that perhaps NATO’s European contingent needs to step up its defense game. A Trumpian talking point delivered with Obamaniac cool.
The exchange makes for a good jumping off point for Martin and William to discuss the ins and outs and ups and downs of the transatlantic relationship: before, during, after, and — possibly — again with Donald J. Trump. It’s as bad as you think it is, but also not and also different. American global hegemony has been around for so long that it’s too big to fail — even if some would like it to.
We’ve also got the latest on middling support for Ukraine, movement on action against Israel, and thoughts about an unsurprising victory for Vladimir Putin.
Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts:
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
* EUObserver
Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too!
As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback. Facts matter.ds
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com - Montre plus
