x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

The Eastern Front

Ensuring the balance of power in Europe has, since the inception of our republic, been a core security interest for the US. Today, and for the entire post-Cold War period, the challenges to the European peace have emerged along the line running roughly from the Baltic to the Black Sea. This is what we call the Eastern Front. Our goal in this podcast is to better inform the American people about what’s going on there. Join us, Iulia Joja and Dalibor Rohac every week on in our discussions on what’s

news politics

All Episodes

35:02

Updates on the Russian Fighting in Ukraine (with Fred...

The Eastern Front ·

2022/04/29

Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia welcome Fred Kagan, Director of AEI's Critical Threats Project back to the podcast for updates on the fighting in Ukraine. Fred provides his analysis on Russia's struggling military and poor decision making. He and our hosts hone in specifically on the Black Sea land bridge where fighting continues and reports of guerrilla warfare are cropping up, and they assess the likelihood of an invasion of Moldova.Fred also shares his suspicions of ethnic cleansing being carried out

en

33:11

Europe and Russian Oil (with Cristian Silviu Busoi)

The Eastern Front ·

2022/04/28

Yesterday, Russia announced that it will halt natural gas supply to Poland and Bulgaria, renewing questions of European decoupling from Russian gas. Cristian Silviu Busoi, a Romanian member of the European Parliament and President of Industry for the Research and Energy Committee, joins Giselle and Dalibor to discuss Europe's dependence on Russian oil.Cristian assesses the intersection of Europe's goal to reduce its total consumption of gas with the conflict in Ukraine, how the US can help Europe

en

39:09

Will Finland join NATO? (with Antti Seppo)

The Eastern Front ·

2022/04/26

As the Finnish parliament currently considers if Finland will join NATO, Giselle, Iulia, and Dalibor are joined by Finnish security consultant, Antti Seppo, to discuss Finnish strategic culture and Finland's stated interest to become a NATO member state. Seppo explains that fear of Russia does not motivate Finland's interest in joining NATO; rather, Finland wants to "be on the right side of the Iron Curtain." Seppo explains that Finland, although militarily unaligned, is politically oriented towards

en

31:28

What to Expect from the NATO Spring Meetings (with...

The Eastern Front ·

2022/04/25

NATO prepares for its spring meetings, during which it will contemplate Finland and Sweden's possible accession, but most pressing, its response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.Dominik Jankowski a member of Poland's permanent delegation to NATO, joins Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia to discuss what we can expect to see from these meetings. He addresses Giselle's question as to whether or not it is possible to get Ukraine NATO membership in a timely fashion, and he analyses the dynamics among member

en

37:36

Reconstruction of Ukraine (with Ivan Mikloš, Former...

The Eastern Front ·

2022/04/22

Giselle, Iulia, and Dalibor welcome Ivan Mikloš, former Finance Minister of Slovakia, to the podcast to answer the question: what happens to Ukraine after the war ends? Ivan Mikloš offers thoughts on Ukrainian post-war reconstruction based on his expertise serving in the Slovak government and advising the Ukrainian government. He traces Ukraine's reconstruction period after the 2014 Euromaidan - which broadly developed the Ukrainian economy and rooted out much corruption - through Volodymyr

en

38:04

The Sinking of the Moskva and the Butcher of Syria:...

The Eastern Front ·

2022/04/15

Mason Clark, Lead Russia Analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, joins Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia again for a military update.He assesses the sinking of the Russian flagship, Moskva. Mason explains its significance for naval warfare in the Black Sea and what it means for the Russia-Ukraine war as a whole. He also describes what's happening on the many fronts in Ukraine now that the Russian military has withdrawn from northeastern Ukraine. Mason and our hosts also dig into the background of

en

37:44

Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and the Russia-Ukraine War...

The Eastern Front ·

2022/04/11

Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic was re-elected in last week's Serbian general election. Ivana Stradner, AEI Jeanne Kirkpatrick Visiting Research Fellow, joins Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia to discuss the results. Ivana explains Vucic's politics, draws parallels between Hungary and Serbia, and details Chinese and Russian influence in Serbia. She and our hosts discuss why what happens of Serbia should be important to America, and how the war in Ukraine has affected the Balkans.References: It’s also

en

42:21

Atrocities in Bucha, the Russian Orthodox Church, and...

The Eastern Front ·

2022/04/08

Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia wrap up the week, analyzing the events and rhetoric of the past days. They discuss to what degree the atrocities in Bucha were ordered by the Russian military, and to what degree they reflect a poorly organized military withdrawal. Our hosts compare Russian brutality with other genocides and discuss Russian filtration and de-Nazification rhetoric. Giselle gives an update on munitions in Ukraine and German hesitation to act in Europe. Iulia explains the role the Russian

en

32:22

What's Next After Russia's Withdrawal from Northern...

The Eastern Front ·

2022/04/07

Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia welcome Fred Kagan, Director of AEI's Critical Threats Project, back on the podcast for a military update as Russia withdraws from Northern Ukraine and news of atrocities grip the world. Fred analyzes the military strategy of the Russian withdrawal and shows how it was done in very poor order. He also helps us understand what's happening in the east and the south of Ukraine, and in Moldova. Finally, Fred estimates how big of a threat Russia remains to Ukraine and Kyiv,

en

41:58

Results of the Hungarian elections (with Charles Gati)

The Eastern Front ·

2022/04/05

After a landslide victory on Sunday for Orbán's party, Fidesz, Professor and Eastern Europe scholar, Charles Gati, joins the podcast to discuss the election results in Hungary.Despite Russian atrocities in Ukraine, Orbán's strategy of staying out of the war proved successful. Charles analyzes pro-Russianism in Hungary, enduring pain from losing territory after World War I, and if a Russian-Hungarian alliance is actually on the table.

en

37:39

The Ukrainian identity (with Lydia Tomkiw)

The Eastern Front ·

2022/04/01

Journalist Lydia Tomkiw joins Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia in this episode to discuss Ukrainian history, identity, and culture.Raised in a Sacremento community formed by the Ukrainian American diaspora, Lydia grew up speaking Ukrainian and attending Ukrainian Saturday school. She explains the many facets of Ukrainian identity and how history and modern events have and do shape it.References: "Letter from the diaspora: Why Ukraine will endure" by Lydia Tomkiw; Gates of Europe: on Ukraine's Modern

en

41:29

The Hungarian parliamentary elections: what to expect...

The Eastern Front ·

2022/03/31

Former Hungarian parliamentarian, Zoltán Kész, joins Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia to to give background on the April 3rd election and explain what to expect.He gives his analysis on the chances of Fidesz winning the election. Zoltán also recounts his own experiences with propaganda, smear campaigns, and pressure from Fidesz during his parliamentary campaigns.This episode was recorded on February 22, days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Stay tuned until the end of the episode for an update

en

43:41

Central and Eastern European integration, unity, and...

The Eastern Front ·

2022/03/30

Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia are joined by Mikuláš Dzurinda, former Prime Minister of Slovakia and President of the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, to discuss Central European and Eastern European countries' integration into regional and international economic, security, and political organizations. Former Prime Minister Dzurinda traces the history of his home country, Slovakia, from being the "black hole of Europe" to a committed, productive member of the EU and NATO. All discuss

en

37:52

Biden's speech in Poland

The Eastern Front ·

2022/03/28

Two days after President Biden's speech in Poland, during which he said that Putin "cannot remain in power," Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia analyze the consequences of his gaffe.Our hosts talk about who will bear the burden of Biden's apparent mistake and how it is disconnected from Ukraine's future. They also discuss this weekend's NATO and European Council summits showed lack of a united strategy by the West. Finally, Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia look ahead to what might come next this week.

en

32:51

The advisor to the Ukrainian Minister of Defense's...

The Eastern Front ·

2022/03/25

Today, the 30th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Yuriy Sak, advisor to Ukraine's Minister of Defense, joins Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia from Western Ukraine to share his message with the West.Yuriy explains what Ukraine needs from the West in terms of weapons and support. He and Giselle visit the possibility of Ukrainian counter attacks on the Russians. Finally, Yuriy shows how this war is also the West's war, and how Ukraine is fighting for democratic civilizations worldwide.

en

33:23

Freedom and rock 'n' roll on the eastern front (with...

The Eastern Front ·

2022/03/23

Former Hungarian Ambassador to the United States, Andras Simonyi, joins Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia to talk about the paradox that is Viktor Orban. He discusses the Hungarian and Russian relationship weeks away from the Hungarian presidential election. Ambassador Simonyi explains how Russian propaganda has infiltrated Eastern European media and why it isn't too early to start thinking about how to help Ukraine rebuild. Finally, he tells our hosts how rock 'n' roll represented freedom in Hungary

en

34:13

The end of Putinism? (with Aviezer Tucker)

The Eastern Front ·

2022/03/21

Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia welcome Dr. Aviezer Tucker, Center Associate at Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies.Dr. Tucker discusses the themes of his piece in the UnPopulist, “Along with Ukraine, Putin is Destroying Putinism.” He draws a parallel between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia, arguing that similarly to how the 1968 invasion lead to the end of communism as an ideology, the invasion of Ukraine will lead to the end of

en

38:30

Zelensky's pleas to the West

The Eastern Front ·

2022/03/18

Giselle, Dalibor, and Iuliadiscuss Zelensky's speeches to the West, in particular his addresses to the US Congress, UK Parliament, and German Bundestag. They examine the implications of Zelensky's speeches on the ground, and beyond into the Eastern Front and the larger West. References: Public Expresses Mixed Views of U.S. Response to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine, Pew Research Center.

en

34:11

Updates on fighting in Ukraine; US military aid to...

The Eastern Front ·

2022/03/16

Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia welcome Mason Clark, Lead Russia Analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, to discuss updates and new developments on Ukraine’s ongoing defense against Russia in the last week. Mason discussed how Ukrainian forces have been in an overall good position in holding back Russian forces around Kyiv and northeastern Ukraine, as well as in retaining the ability to launch localized counter attacks. They also provide an assessment of Biden’s new announcement of $800 million

en

38:17

Highlights and Lowlights of Ukraine's Defense

The Eastern Front ·

2022/03/14

Giselle, Iulia, and Dalibor break down the highlights and lowlights of Ukraine's ongoing defense and analyze allies' strategies to offer Ukraine defensive support. They call out the fallacy of partner countries "Westsplaining" how Ukraine ought to defend itself, and they discuss how Ukraine's allies should instead align their defensive actions according to Ukraine's needs.References: "Putin’s biggest lie: Blaming NATO for his war" written by Hal Brands, Senior Fellow at AEI, and published by

en

201 results

Similar Podcasts

Expres Ráno

Expres FM

PBS News Hour - Full Show

PBS NewsHour

CD Voice

China Daily

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report

Noa Levi

Jeffrey Epstein: The Coverup Chronicles

Bobby Capucci