The Continent

The Continent

The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to introduce a special Chain Reaction podcast series: The Continent. The Continent explores how the war in Ukraine is changing Europe's politics and security. Host Aaron Schwartzbaum will "visit" a country on each episode, learning about key dynamics and trends from local experts.

Episodes

April 17, 2025 34 mins

On November 1 2024, the roof of a newly €55 million renovated railway station in Novi Sad, Serbia’s second biggest city, collapsed and killed 15 people. The deaths sparked Serbia’s largest wave of student-led anti-government protests since Yugoslavia’s disintegration in 2000.

Mid-March protests in Serbia saw roughly one in twenty Serbians participate. This week Mladen Mrdalj joins host Aaron Schwartzbaum to explore how the tragedy i...

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This week on The Continent: FPRI's Eurasia Program Director Maia Otarashvili joins Aaron to talk through recent parliamentary election results in Georgia and delve into an interesting question: how does a broadly pro-EU, Russia-skeptical country wind up with a euroskeptic, Russia-friendly government? 
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September 12, 2024 30 mins
In the wake of far right gains in recent German state-level elections, German historian and journalist Katja Hoyer joins Aaron to explore the unique regional character of German populism. How has formerly communist Eastern Germany swung to the right? 

The Continent explores how the war in Ukraine is changing Europe's politics and security. Host  Aaron Schwartzbaum will "visit" a country on each episode, learning about key dynamics a...
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The Continent takes a (slight) detour to learn how trends over in Eurasia compare with what we're seeing in Europe. The complicated neighbor is the same; what about the domestic and geopolitical landscape? Temur Umarov offers insights on the effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Kazakhstan's domestic and foreign policy.
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September 21, 2023 29 mins
How much do Moldovan politics rhyme with some of what we've seen in Ukraine? FPRI Senior Fellow Ecaterina Locoman sheds light on language politics, Ukraine war spillover, and frozen conflict.
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Robert Hamilton and Rick Landgraf join Aaron to tackle (almost) every question you were too embarrassed to ask about the defense and security issues central to Ukraine. Term by term, concept by concept, jargon by jargon. No acronym is safe!
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On this special double feature, The Continent visits the Balkans. How do we make sense of continued nationalism, the conflict it spurs, and Russia's regional influence? Mladen Mrdalj and Jasmin Munjanovic join to discuss.

Related Reading: Hunger and Fury: The Crisis of Democracy in the Balkans
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May 18, 2023 31 mins
Germany announced bold remilitarization plans after Russia's latest invasion of Ukraine. A year later, where do we stand? Minna Ålander returns to The Continent to discuss progress made, and the challenges ahead.
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April 28, 2023 46 mins
As we return to The Continent, what is the latest on Turkey's upcoming election? Who is running, what is driving Turks to vote, and what does the result mean for Ukraine and beyond? FPRI's Director of Research Jim Ryan and Black Sea Fellow Selim Koru join to discuss.

This conversation was recorded on April 25, 2023.
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As we drop by Paris, what is president Macron's angle, diplomatically or otherwise, in the Ukraine War? And how do populists on both the right and left play in?

This conversation was recorded live on Twitter Spaces on November 23, 2022.
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What spurred Italy's right wing populist wave? And what does it mean for EU policy? Federico Santi joins Aaron Schwartzbaum to discuss.

This conversation was recorded live on Twitter Spaces on October 20, 2022.
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How did Hungary stray from the liberal democratic path? What does that mean in practice? And what explains its contrarian position on Russia within the EU? Andras Toth-Czifra and Marta Pardavi join Aaron to discuss all things Hungary.

This conversation was recorded live on Twitter Spaces on October 3, 2022.
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September 15, 2022 44 mins
We've looked how the war in Ukraine has impacted politics in several countries, but what about the EU as a whole? Charles Lichfield joins to discuss.

This conversation was recorded live on Twitter Spaces on September 14, 2022.
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July 19, 2022 38 mins
What exactly motivates Turkey's mercurial leader? On this episode, Sibel Oktay joins to discuss what's on Erdogan's mind these days and his angle on Ukraine, NATO, and more.
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July 6, 2022 60 mins
Join us as we cover all three Baltic States in (about) one hour. Guests Dr. Indra Ekmanis and Marty Smitas share their views and some nuances on the current political and security juncture, as well as where the local Russian minority fits into all this.

The conversation with Indra Ekmanis was recorded on June 28 and July 3, 2022, and the conversation with Martynas Smitas was recorded on July 1, 2022.
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Finland has a long border and similarly long history with Russia. How does the war in Ukraine change its defense and security picture? This week Aaron Schwartzbaum and Minna Alander discuss Finland's security calculus.

This conversation was recorded live on Twitter Spaces on June 21, 2022.
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Why and how did Sweden abandon centuries of neutrality, and where does it fit in the European security picture? This week Aaron Schwartzbaum speaks with Oscar Jonsson about Sweden's NATO ambitions and the country's current political crisis.
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How has the war in Ukraine changed Poland's politics, security, and even society? And what about Warsaw's relationship with Brussels?

This week Aaron Schwartzbaum speaks with Anna Wojcik and Wojciech Przybylski about Poland's past, present, and future in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

This conversation was recorded live on Twitter Spaces on May 25, 2022.
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In the first episode Aaron speaks with Marcel Dirsus and Jana Puglierin about Germany's response to the war in Ukraine. Just how important is this political moment for Germany? What does it mean for Germany to boost its military potential — and how might it use it?

This conversation was recorded live on Twitter Spaces on May 11, 2022.
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