A Global Perspective on European Politics

Ole Martin Stormoen is a PhD candidate in the research group on security and defense at NUPI, and is also an external candidate at RUG. His research area is foreign and defense policies, with an emphasis on Norway. His research interests also include international military operations, counter-terrorism, extremist ideology and radicalization, with a focus on the Middle East and North Africa, and the Balkans.

 Stormoen has studied Arabic at the University of Oslo, where he also completed his master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies. His thesis examined the literature on the causes of Jihadi terrorism. He has previously worked for the Norwegian Army in Kosovo (KFOR/NATO) and as a research assistant at the Norwegian Military Academy.”

Tony van der Togt is a Senior Research Fellow at the Clingendael Russia and Eastern Europe Centre in

The Hague. After studying contemporary history in Amsterdam (Free University) and Nijmegen, he

had a long career as a Dutch diplomat, dealing with Eastern Europe and Central Asia, both in The

Hague and in Moscow, Almaty and as Dutch Consul-General in St. Petersburg. In 2013 he acted as

Dutch co-ordinator of the Netherlands-Russia bilateral year.

He has published widely on EU-Russia relations, the EU’s Eastern Partnership, Dutch-Russian bilateral

relations and the Eurasian Economic Union. He also participated in a number of dialogue platforms

with Russian and other international experts, including in the framework of the EU-Russia Expert

Network, the Minsk Dialogue and the Cooperative Security Initiative. At the moment he is also a

guest researcher at Leiden University, working on a PhD on Russian strategic narratives towards

Europe since 1991.

A full list of his publications is available at the Clingendael expert page: www.clingendael.org.

Our guest is Fuad Shahbazov. He is a Baku-based policy analyst. He holds a master's degree in Political Science from the University of Vytautas Magnus (2016), a professional master's degree in Terrorism and Countering Religious Radicalization from the University of Bergamo (2021), and another master's degree in Defense and Diplomacy from the University of Durham (2022). His expertise area covers regional security, energy diplomacy and defense-related issues.

Natalia Gavrilița served as the 15th Prime Minister of Moldova between August 2021 and February 2023. She led the Government through multiple overlapping crises caused by the war in neighbouring Ukraine, while also advancing ambitious anti-corruption, economic, and governance reforms. During her time in office, Moldova received the largest influx of Ukrainian refugees of any European country, managed to diversify its energy market away from Russian gas, and became a candidate country to the European Union.
Gavrilița is first Deputy Chairwoman of the pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) and has had a long history in economics and politics. She served as finance minister from June 2019 to November 2019 when President Maia Sandu was Prime Minister. Earlier in her career, she was Managing Director at the London-based Global Innovation Fund, a hybrid investment fund supporting social innovation in developing countries. She has also worked within the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Economy and for Oxford Policy Management. Throughout her career, she has worked in a number of countries across Africa, Central and South Asia.
Gavrilița graduated from Moldova State University with a bachelor’s degree in International Law and also earned a master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University.

Nathan Hutson is an Assistant Professor of urban planning at the University of North Texas. His research focuses on freight infrastructure coordination and its role in economic development. He has fifteen years of freight planning research and consulting experience. Over the last year he has worked extensively with the World Bank and the Ro3kvit Urban Coalition for Ukraine in assessing the impact on the Ukraine invasion on supply chains and implications for Ukrainian reconstruction. He holds a PhD in Urban Planning and Development from the University of Southern California. In the Fall he will be teaching an applied research course on Ukraine reconstruction at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, from which he also holds a masters of Public Affairs and a Master of Russian East European and Eurasian Studies.

Hugo Rasch: a criminologist turned investigative journalist at Follow Money

Dr. Francesco Giumelli (Deputy Head of Department, Associate Professor in International Relations and International Organization at the University of Groningen). Expertise: International sanctions, EU Foreign Policy, Illicit Trade

Our guest is Dr. Eric Cezne is postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Global Cooperation Research (GCR21), Duisburg, Germany & the Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Utrecht University, the Netherlands. 

Our guest: Dr. Donya Ahmadi is an Iranian-Dutch intersectional feminist and Assistant Professor of International Relations at the University of Groningen. Her current research project concerns the (re)-gendering of contemporary Iranian historiography, through documenting and highlighting the crucial role played by women activists in the political developments of 20th and 21st century Iran.

Our guest is Rusif Huseynov, who is the Co-founder and Director of Topchubashov Center, a Baku-based think tank.

His main interests are socio-political developments, frozen conflicts, and ethnic minorities, in post-Soviet countries, while his focus areas mainly cover Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Caucasus and Central Asia.

Mr. Huseynov obtained his bachelor’s degree from Baku State University and master’s degree from the University of Tartu.

He is a ReThink.CEE (2021) fellow with the German Marshall Fund of the United States and Local Focal Point within the EU4Dialogue project.

Mr. Huseynov also taught as an adjunct lecturer at ADA University.

He pens articles for international media outlets such as The National Interest, The Jamestown Foundation, the New Eastern Europe.

Our guest is Dr. Mustafa Ali Sezal, lecturer in the Department of International Relations at the University of Groningen. 

We thank our partner Globalization Studies Groningen 

In this episode, we discuss the Russian elite, and public and opposition parties'  discourses about the war in Ukraine. What is the elite discourse behind this war? What is the public discourse, and is it different from the elite discourse? To what extent do the opposition parties in Russia share the problematic elite discourse on Ukraine?

Our guest is Dr. Lisa Gaufman, Assistant.Prof of Russian Discourse and Politics at the University of Groningen. After completing her PhD at the University of Tübingen, Germany, in 2016, she spent 3 years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Intercultural and International Studies at the University of Bremen. She is the author of "Security Threats and Public Perception: Digital Russia and the Ukraine Crisis" (Palgrave, 2017). Her other publications include peer-reviewed articles on nationalism, sexuality, and social networks, as well as regular blog posts at “The Duck of Minerva”. Lisa's research is situated on the intersection of political theory, international relations, media and cultural studies.

We also thank our partner Globalization Studies Groningen for supporting us. 

Our guests: Michal Jacunski, Professor in Political Communication at the University of Wroclaw, and Artur Gruszczak, Professor of Social Science, chair of National Security at the Faculty of International and Political Studies, Jagiellonian University in Krakow. 

Our topic: Considering the current war between Russia and Ukraine and its energy security implications, we discuss the role of the Caspian Sea countries (South Caucasus and Central Asia) for EU Energy Security. 

Our guest is Dr. Morena Skalamera, Assistant Professor of Russian and International Studies at Leiden University. Her research interests include the political economy of Eurasia, Russian and post-Soviet Politics, and the Geopolitics of Energy in Eurasia. Dr. Skalamera has spent extensive time conducting field research in post-Soviet Eurasia, especially in Russia and Central Asia, and in Turkey. She is currently working on a book manuscript that examines how energy firms have shaped the energy relationship between Russia and Europe and the energy strategies of the former Soviet states.

We also would like to thank our partner Globalization Studies Groningen (https://www.rug.nl/research/globalisation-studies-groningen/?lang=en) (GSG) or their support.  

Our topic is the relationship between the EU and Mongolia. This episode discusses: how does Mongolia contribute to the international system? How important is Mongolia for the EU? How are relations with Russia and China (Mongolia's only neighbours)? 

Our guests: Prof. Tjalling Halbertsma, Director International of the Centre for East Asian Studies Groningen and Globalisation Studies Groningen (GSG). Prof.Halbertsma spent many years working in China and Mongolia, most recently as the first Dutch diplomat in Mongolia (based in Ulaanbaatar) for the Dutch Embassy in Beijing.

Ms. Alessandra Tamponi, completed a M.A. Program for International Relations and East Asian Studies at the University of Groningen, where her research mainly focuses on Northeast Asia. Ms Tamponi completed a placement at The European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS), a think tank based in Brussels. During the placement Ms Tamponi conducted research on contemporary Mongolia, resulting in three blog contributions. https://www.rug.nl/research/east-asian-studies/news/blogs-on-politics-in-mongolia-by-rug-student 

For decades the Western world has been hearing about the “rise of China” and the implications this would have for the way the world is organised. With the introduction of the One Belt, One Road programme, the world witnessed a truly global Chinese policy for the very first time. To what extent can we say that this One Belt, One Road programme also actually is a reflection of this “rise of China” that we have been hearing about for so long? And to what extent does the One Belt, One Road programme pose a threat to Western institutions?

Guests: 

Dr. Jue Wang (Leiden University), a scholar of international political economy, with focuses on China’s political economy , its external economic relationship and its role in regional and global economic governance. 

Dr. Frank Gaenssmantel (University of Groningen), research interests include European and Chinese foreign policies, China-EU relations, and foreign policy analysis.

Gas, coal and electricity prices have in recent weeks risen to their highest levels in decades. The European Union, like many other regions in the world, is currently facing a sharp spike in energy prices. This is a serious concern for citizens, businesses, the European Commission and governments all over the EU. What are the impacts of COVID-19? What is behind increasing natural gas prices? What can we expect? How far are energy-exporting and importing countries are responsible?

Our guest speaker: Mr. Gergely Molnar, energy analyst, at International Energy Agency (IEA).

Recording date: 12 November 2021. 

Our guests: Dr. Marek Neuman, Assistant Professor in the Department of International Relations at the University of Groningen & Dr. Nienke de Deugd, Assistant Professor in the Department of International Relations at the University of Groningen. 

Topic: Some experts argue that normative power is an essential instrument in the EU’s foreign policy toolbox and should play a central role in the debate about strategic autonomy. By exporting its democratic norms and values the EU is capable of influencing other countries around itself such as Ukraine. However, some experts argue that this policy lacks clarity and consistency. As a result, the EU is not capable of exporting its values and norms to its neighbours such as Belarus. 

Our guests: Prof.Lars Rensmann, Chair of the Department of European Languages and Cultures and Director of the Research Centre for the Study of Democratic Cultures and Politics at the University of Groningen and Dr. Stefan Cetkovic Postdoctoral Researcher at the Chair for Environmental and Climate Policy at the Bavarian School of Public Policy

Topic Description: Countries all over the world are witnessing a wave of populism and nationalism in elected governments. Although Populism has different characteristics by region, Populist parties often have an associated hostility towards action on climate change. Is Populism a challenge to Global Climate politics and European Policy? Where do the European Union's populist parties stand? 

Our guests: Prof Jaap de Wilde, chair of International Relations and Security Studies Group at the University of Groningen and Prof Jan van der Harst, chair of History and Theory of European Integration at the University of Groningen.

Topic Description: Support for Eurosceptic political parties continues to rise across Europe. Although in many European countries support for the EU has gone up, Eurosceptic parties are increasingly successful. More than 1 in 3 Europeans now vote for a Eurosceptic party. Today about 30% of Europeans vote for populists and 15% vote for far-right parties. What is Euroscepticism? Is Euroscepticism a security issue?

Welcome to our podcast!