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ECFR

Weekly podcast on the events, policies and ideas that will shape the world.World in 30 minutes is curated by Mark Leonard, Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), and features top-level speakers from across the EU and beyond to debate and discuss Europe’s role in the world. It was awarded “Best podcasts on EU politics” by PolicyLab in 2019.Member of the EuroPod network.
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Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes

In recent years, military juntas have replaced democratically elected governments in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. These have expelled European forces and welcomed Russian mercenaries—yet stability in these countries remains elusive.

This week, Mark is joined by Will Brown, senior policy fellow in ECFR’s Africa programme and author of the recent policy brief “The Bear and the Bot Farm: Countering Russian Hybrid Warfare in Africa”, and Beverly Ochieng, senior analyst at global risk consultancy Control Risks. Together, they unpack Russia’s ambitions in Africa and the shifting geopolitical landscape across the Sahel.

How does Moscow’s vast propaganda machine continue to shape public opinion in the region? How is the Kremlin using disinformation to expand its influence? And what options remain for Europe in a region where its power is fast fading?

Bookshelf:

The Bear and the Bot Farm: Countering Russian Hybrid Warfare in Africa by Will Brown

The Lumumba Plot: The Secret History of the CIA and a Cold War Assassination by Stuart A. Reid

Attack on Titan (TV Series 2013–2023)

Beyond the Door of No Return by David Diop

The Strong Brown God: The Story of the Niger River by Sanche de Gramont

This episode was recorded on November 5th 2025

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Russia’s hybrid war in Africa

This week, Mark Leonard returns to the World in 30 Minutes to unpack the latest development in US foreign policy: America’s military buildup off the coast of Venezuela. The US has deployed troops in the Caribbean and an aircraft strike group has joined the operation—but the Trump administration’s aims in the region remain unclear.

Mark is joined by Jeremy Shapiro, ECFR’s research director and head of its Washington office, to discuss the legal and political justifications for the strikes, the influence of Marco Rubio, and how Trump’s “hemispheric defence” doctrine fits into his unpredictable foreign policy. Is the development about drug cartels, regime change—or is America reasserting its power in the Western hemisphere? What are the implications for Europe? And what do these strikes mean for the future of US global strategy?

Bookshelf: 

The Undiscovered Country: Triumph, Tragedy, and the Shaping of the American West by Paul Andrew Hutton

This episode was recorded on October 28th 2025.

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Venezuela and Trump’s hemispheric defence agenda

Donald Trump’s efforts to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine have largely taken a backseat to events in Gaza. But a recent call with Vladimir Putin, followed by a tense meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, has reignited America’s engagement. Washington has announced new sanctions against two Russian oil giants, Rosneft and Lukoil, just as European leaders advance plans to tap frozen Russian assets.

This week, Jeremy Shapiro, ECFR research director and head of its Washington office, is joined by Jana Kobzova, co-director of ECFR’s European Security programme and former foreign policy adviser to Slovak president Zuzana Čaputová, and Jim O’Brien, former assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs in the Biden administration and an ECFR distinguished visiting fellow. Together, they unpack Trump’s sanctions gamble, Europe’s shifting strategy on Russian energy—and whether these moves could alter the course of the war.

Bookshelf section: 

The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley by Marietje Schaake

This episode was recorded on October 23rd 2025.

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Ukraine, Russia and Trump’s sanctions gamble

This week, Mark Leonard welcomes Eran Etzion, former deputy head of Israel’s National Security Council, and Jamal Nusseibeh, Palestinian legal scholar and political analyst, to discuss what comes next after a landmark ceasefire in Gaza. Two years after the attacks on October 7th, the agreement has brought hostages home and Israeli forces have pulled back from parts of the Gaza Strip. But, with Trump’s 20-point plan calling for Hamas disarmament, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the establishment of a transitional Palestinian government, the real test is about to begin.

 

Can international pressure turn a vague, unsigned proposal into a lasting settlement? How can an international stabilisation force navigate between security guarantees for Israel and Palestinian sovereignty? And does this moment mark the start of a serious push for a two-state solution, or is it just another fragile pause in a cycle of violence?

 

This podcast was recorded on Friday, October 17th, 2025.

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Gaza ceasefire

EU enlargement is back at the top of the EU’s political agenda as Russia’s war against Ukraine has transformed it from a bureaucratic process into a matter of European security.

This episode marks the launch of ECFR’s new RE-ENGAGE podcast series: The Neighbourhood, which will unpack how countries hoping to join the EU navigate political change and outside pressure, and what that means for Europe’s democracy and security.

In this episode, Mark Leonard speaks with Lykke Friis, co-chair of ECFR’s council, director of the Danish think-tank Europa, and former Danish minister, as European leaders gather for the European Political Community summit in Copenhagen. Together they discuss why Denmark has shifted to advocating for enlargement and why Europe’s future security may depend on bringing Ukraine and Moldova closer.

Is the EU ready for a new wave of member countries? Can enlargement be both geopolitical and merit-based? And what role will Denmark play in defining the EU’s next chapter?

Bookshelf:

Strength in members: How to rally EU enlargement for defence by Gustav Gressel, Nicu Popescu

Deutschland 1946: Das Wunder beginnt by Rüdiger Barth, Hauke Friederichs

Indignity: A Life Reimagined by Lea Ypi

This episode was recorded on October 2nd, 2025.

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The Neighbourhood: Europe’s enlargement moment

This week Mark Leonard welcomes Célia Belin, senior policy fellow and head of ECFR’s Paris office, to discuss the unprecedented political turmoil in France. Just weeks after his appointment, Sébastien Lecornu became the fourth prime minister to resign in a year—leaving Macron to choose between naming yet another leader, dissolving the National Assembly, or answering the mounting calls for his resignation.

 

Why is Macron refusing to turn to the left? Can the centrists hold together? And are snap elections or Macron’s resignation now inevitable?

 

This podcast was recorded on October 9th, 2025.

 

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France in turmoil

Mark Leonard welcomes Hugh Lovatt to unpack Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza and what it means for Israel, Hamas, and Europe.

 

This week, Mark Leonard is joined by Hugh Lovatt, Senior Policy Fellow at ECFR and expert on Israel–Palestine, to discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of Trump’s proposed Gaza peace deal.

 

What does the plan actually contain, and how did it come about? Can it deliver a real ceasefire and political pathway, or is it another exercise in ambiguity? Hugh explains why the deal may be more complicated for Hamas than for Israel, what leverage Europeans still hold, and how an international stabilisation force could (or couldn’t) work on the ground.

 

This podcast was recorded on September 6th 2025

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Trump's Gaza plan

In the United States, the political right is undergoing a significant transformation. Once dominated by Reagan economics—characterised by free trade and deregulation—the movement has increasingly adopted policies focusing on the working class, opposing globalisation, pursuing protectionism and imposing tariffs on foreign trade. At the heart of this shift is Oren Cass, chief economist at the American Compass think-tank and author of The Once and Future Worker.

This week, Mark Leonard talks with Cass about his intellectual journey, the differences between the “New Right” and traditional conservatives and the economic agenda reshaping American conservatism. Together, they discuss what a pro-worker trade policy can look like and why family is central to Cass’s political vision.

What does this new conservatism mean for US domestic and foreign policy? How does the conservative working class policy differ from Bernie Sanders’s vision? And how do these intellectual debates shape Trump’s administration?

This episode was recorded on September 24th 2025

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The rise of a worker friendly Republican Party

Mark Leonard welcomes James Crabtree and Suhasini Haidar to explore India’s foreign policy and its emerging relations with Europe.

For decades, India-Europe relations did not fulfil their potential. Now transactional American foreign policy has seen Donald Trump impose severe tariffs on India and push New Delhi to adopt a strategy of multi-alignment. This allows the EU to deepen their own economic and diplomatic relations with India.

This week, Mark Leonard is joined by James Crabtree, ECFR distinguished visiting fellow and author of Pivot to Europe: India’s back-up plan in Trump’s world, and Suhasini Haidar, diplomatic editor at The Hindu. Together, they examine how India’s changing foreign policy sees it balancing its position between China, Russia and the US, while discovering new opportunities in Europe.

Why does Europe’s changing geopolitical role appeal to New Delhi? What is the current state of Indo-Chinese relations? Why is non-alignment and multi-alignment crucial in understanding India’s foreign policy? And are India-US relations wrecked for the foreseeable future?

This episode was recorded on September 24th 2025.

Booskhelf: 

Present at the Creation: My Years in the State Department by Dean Acheson

India’s World: How Prime Ministers Shaped Foreign Policy by Rajiv Dogra

Pivot to Europe: India’s back-up plan in Trump’s world by James Crabtree

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Hedging diplomacy: New Delhi’s foreign policy in Trump’s world

Mark Leonard is joined by Ulrike Franke, ECFR senior policy fellow, for an Emergency Room podcast. Together, they unpack the recent wave of drone incursions across European airspace in Poland, Romania and Denmark, and discuss what these hybrid threats reveal about Russian tactics and NATO’s readiness.

 

How serious are these drone sightings and what are their origins? What kind of counter-drone defences should Europe be investing in? Why did Poland only shoot down some drones, and what does this signal to Moscow? And if Putin is probing NATO’s red lines, what might his next move be?

This episode was recorded on September 25th, 2025

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Drones over Denmark: Russia tests NATO’s defences

Political technology, or the professional engineering of politics, has been endemic to Russia since the Soviet era. But these practices have now spread across the globe – with manipulation occurring in China, European countries, India, the United States, and many others. And the political engineering industry goes well beyond mere online disinformation. From data mining to astroturfing and propaganda apps, a global market is emerging for the whole gamut of manipulation techniques. 

In this week’s episode, Mark Leonard welcomes Andrew Wilson, senior policy fellow at ECFR and professor of Ukrainian studies at University College London, to discuss political technology and the globalisation of political manipulation. Where did the term political technology originate? How does it spread? And what can democracies do to defend themselves? 

This episode was recorded on 21 May 2024 

Bookshelf 

Political Technology: The Globalisation of Political Manipulation, by Andrew Wilson 

How to Steal a Presidential Election, by Lawrence Lessig and Matthew Seligman 

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Algorithmic agendas: The globalisation of political technology

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