• Post-Enlightenment era: Shift from fact-driven, technocratic politics to emotional, myth-based narratives; “new romanticism” as politics serving emotional needs.
• Tribal politics: Politics as moralized conflict; unconditional leader loyalty; democratic norms waived as “necessary” in existential struggle; disinformation and conspiracy theories as tools of tribal mobilization.
• Free speech charade: How authoritarian leaders and tech moguls exploit “free speech” rhetoric to delegitimise content moderation; selective censorship in global social media platforms.
• Hungary’s 2026 elections: Fidesz’s entrenched media control; opposition lead in polls amid corruption scandals and economic woes; risk of electoral-system tweaks if the gap widens.
• Ukraine-fear campaign: Government-backed narratives linking EU/NATO enlargement to economic decline; pervasive anti-Ukrainian sentiment despite public sympathy and solidarity efforts.
• Migration narratives: Contradictions in anti-migration rhetoric versus labour needs in German-owned Hungarian automotive plants; persistence of sovereignty-based appeals.
• Budapest Pride mobilisation: Over 200,000 participants signalling civil-society resilience; government attempts to cast Pride as a threat to “family values.”
• Europe’s response: Internal EU disruptors like Hungary; need for flexible, united EU measures (e.g., qualified-majority votes); potential leverage via conditionality on EU funds.

About Péter Krekó
Péter Krekó (born 20 March 1980 in Budapest) is a Hungarian social psychologist and political scientist. He is Associate Professor (with habilitation) at the Department of Social Psychology and the Disinformation and Artificial Intelligence Research Lab at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest Mores Horizon. Since 2011, he has directed the Budapest-based Political Capital Institute and serves as consortium leader for the Hungarian Digital Media Observatory (HDMO-Lakmusz), part of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) network Democracy Institute. His research addresses disinformation, conspiracy theories, political populism, extremism, Russian influence, and political tribalism. He has held fellowships as Visiting Fellow, Engaging Central Europe at the German Marshall Fund of the United States; Europe’s Futures Visiting Researcher at the Institute for Human Sciences, Vienna; PopBack Fellow at the University of Cambridge; non-resident Associate Fellow at Johns Hopkins SAIS Bologna; and Fulbright Visiting Professor at Indiana University (2016–2017) European Forum Alpbach. He is author of The Hungarian Far Right (Ibidem-Verlag, 2017, with Attila Juhász) and Mass Paranoia: The Social Psychology of Conspiracy Theories and False News (Athenaeum Kiadó, 2018) 

Read more on Péter

at the Political Capital Institute

at the ELTE Disinformation & AI Research Lab

at the German Marshall Fund

Find him on X.com

 @PeterKreko

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Building Schengen: Origins in the Coal and Steel Community (1952), the Treaty of Rome (1958), and the Schengen Agreement (1995), creating 16,000 km of invisible internal borders through a single market and shared enforcement mechanisms.

Asylum strains: Germany and Austria have received over half of all EU asylum seekers during the Syrian and Ukrainian crises, revealing the breakdown of the Dublin allocation rules under free movement.

Humanitarian crisis at the external border: Approximately 30,000 people have died attempting Mediterranean crossings in the last decade, underscoring the need to address smuggler-driven journeys.

EU–Turkey precedent: The 2016 agreement cut irregular crossings from about 1 million to 30,000 and deaths from 1,100 to 80 within a year, demonstrating the efficacy of safe-third-country arrangements.

Safe-third-country proposals: Knaus calls for similar pacts with West African states to deter Canary Islands crossings, coupled with procedural guarantees under international law.

Regular migration frameworks: Expansion of refugee resettlement and labour migration via planned pathways—in the style of Canada or Australia—to meet workforce needs and reduce reliance on smugglers.

European deterrence: With U.S. reliability in doubt, Europe must bolster its own deterrent capacity—including possibilities such as a German nuclear option—and integrate frontline democracies.

EU enlargement: A clear, merit-based accession roadmap for Ukraine, Moldova, and Western Balkan candidates is essential to reinforce democracy, security, and prosperity.

Engaging the next generation: Francesca Knaus highlights a gap in how Europe’s peace “miracle,” the lived threat of modern warfare, and climate urgency are communicated to younger Europeans.

About Gerald Knaus

Gerald Knaus is an Austrian social scientist and co-founder and chairman of the European Stability Initiative (ESI), which he helped establish in Sarajevo in June 1999. An alumni of the University of Oxford, the Institut d’Études Européennes in Brussels, and the Johns Hopkins University Bologna Center, Knaus taught macroeconomics at the State University of Chernivtsi in Ukraine,  worked for NGOs and international organisations in Bulgaria and Bosnia-Herzegovina and directed the Lessons Learned and Analysis Unit of the EU pillar of UNMIK in Kosovo. 

He is a founding member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and served as an Associate Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. Knaus was a Mercator-IPC Senior Fellow in Istanbul and a Europe's Futures Fellow at the IWM here in Vienna.

Knaus co-initiated and co-negotiated the 2016 EU–Turkey migration statement, authored Can Intervention Work? (2011) and Welche Grenzen brauchen wir? and received the Karl Carstens Award in 2021. He lives in Berlin. 

Further Reading & Resources

European Stability Initiative profile: https://www.esiweb.org/esi-staff/gerald-knaus

Rumeli Observer blog: https://www.esiweb.org/rumeliobserver

Piper Verlag author page: https://www.piper.de/autoren/gerald-knaus-6417

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rumeliobserver

Gerald and Francesca Knaus's new book, Welches Europa Bracuhen Wir? is available to pre-order from amazon.de and will be published at the end of August 2025.

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Demographic megatrends: Population is shrinking and aging across Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe; fertility rates remain low and often below replacement levels. Some Western nations rely on immigration to maintain workforce levels.

Economic and fiscal impact: Falling birth rates and working-age populations threaten tax bases needed to sustain pensions, healthcare, and living standards.

Policy responses: Hungary’s family incentives briefly boosted fertility before rates fell again to ~1.38. Scandinavian social policies helped but haven’t reached replacement fertility. Immigration remains essential.

Healthy life expectancy: Lifespans have increased significantly but healthy years have not kept pace. Promoting healthy ageing is critical for extending working lives.

Political narratives: Demographic anxieties underpin nationalist rhetoric in Hungary and Bulgaria. In Western Europe, aging populations amplify both immigrant integration debates and depopulation concerns (e.g., rural Spain).

Ukraine and modern warfare: Judah shares frontline insights: drones, electronic warfare countermeasures, fiber-optic-controlled UAVs, land drones for logistics and medevac, and upcoming AI-swarm tech reshape battlefield dynamics.

Ukrainian resilience: On-the-ground mindset is “phlegmatic pragmatism”—facing war fatigue, debate over ceasefire, but determination to adapt.

Europe’s future: Post-Brexit Britain re-engages with EU; EU enlargement may take a variable-geometry approach. Western Balkans and Ukraine may enter through piecemeal integration rather than simultaneous accession.

Guest Bio

Tim Judah
A British journalist and author  Tim Judah is a Special Correspondent for The Economist and a longtime commentator on Eastern Europe. Educated at the LSE, and Fletcher School at Tufts University, he has reported from global hotspots across the Balkans, Ukraine, Africa, and Asia. His major works include The Serbs: History, Myth and the Destruction of Yugoslavia, Kosovo: War & Revenge, and In Wartime: Stories from Ukraine. He has been shortlisted for the 2022 Bayeux Calvados-Normandy War Correspondents Prize. Judah co-founded the concept of the “Yugosphere” during a fellowship at LSE in 2009, serves on the boards of BIRN and the Kosovar Stability Initiative, and was a fellow of IWM and ERSTE Foundation's Europe’s Futures programme in 2018/19 

Online Profiles
Find Tim on Bluesky @timjudah.bsky.social

Twitter/X: @timjudah1

More on Life and Fate is @ the IWM's site here

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

• Global demographic megatrends include aging populations, declining fertility rates, and diverging regional population dynamics.
• Migration patterns involve both forced displacement from conflict zones such as Ukraine and Palestine and labor migration from the Western Balkans, with climate-related movement remaining unpredictable.
• Depopulation in the Western Balkans is driven by inaccurate census data, economic factors that incentivize emigration, steadily declining fertility rates, and cultural influences on family size.
• Many countries in the region face labor shortages as plumbers, electricians, and healthcare workers emigrate, prompting policy responses to attract migrant labor, cover an estimated €600 million integration cost in Croatia, and implement language instruction and integration programs.
• Populist political discourse often exploits public fears about migration, while political leaders frequently show reluctance to acknowledge domestic labor shortages and plan beyond short electoral cycles.
• Europe’s geopolitical context is shaped by U.S.-China competition, the continuation of the war in Ukraine, and uneven or delayed European responses to crises, such as the conflict in Gaza.
• The current EU enlargement process is critiqued as overly merit-based, and many argue for the package accession of all Western Balkan states, drawing lessons from Croatia’s recent membership and anticipating a changing nature of the future European Union.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina’s post-Dayton governance system succeeded in halting widespread violence but remains hampered by persistent power-sharing gridlock, redundant international structures such as the Office of the High Representative, and ongoing challenges in constitutional and education system reforms.
• Thirty years after Dayton, instances of inter-ethnic violence have remained low since 1995, but schooling and commemorative practices remain fragmented, and domestic dialogue on wartime accountability has stalled.
• EU integration offers the potential to replace international oversight with European Union frameworks while addressing governance deficits, pervasive corruption, and the need for electoral reforms.
  
  About Alida Vračić
  
  Alida Vračić is a political scientist and lawyer. She co-founded and serves as executive director of Populari, a Sarajevo-based think tank specializing in post-conflict state-building, democratization, good governance, and migration in the Western Balkans. Vračić holds a law degree from the University of Sarajevo and Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, where she specialized in criminal procedure law, an M.Sc. in International Public Policy from University College London, and completed Executive Education for non-government executives at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. 
  Before founding Populari in 2007, she worked for the State Court Prosecutor’s team in Bosnia, at the Human Rights Commission of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and led Balkan-wide projects at the Human Rights Centre, University of Sarajevo, and the Spanish Institutional Programme. Vračić has been affiliated with several academic and policy institutions, including as a former Europe's Futures fellow at IWM, the European Council on Foreign Relations as a Visiting Fellow, and the German Marshall Fund as a Marshall Memorial Fellow. 

Further Reading & Resources

Populari Think Tank: https://populari.org/en populari.org

IWM Europe’s Futures Program (Alida Vračić profile): https://www.iwm.at/europes-futures/fellow/alida-vracic iwm.at

ECFR Profile (Alida Vračić): https://ecfr.eu/profile/alida-vracic ecfr.eu

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Idemo!'s Mission: Building bridges between Austria and the Western Balkans.

Democratic Challenges: Addressing political instability and ethnic divisions in the region.

Diaspora Engagement: Mobilizing communities to support democratic initiatives.

"Speak Up!" Program: Empowering young leaders to collaborate across ethnic lines.

EU Integration: Navigating the path toward European Union membership.

Grassroots Activism: The role of civil society in promoting democratic values.

Transnational Cooperation: Leveraging networks to foster regional stability.

Inclusive Civic Spaces: Creating platforms for dialogue and collaboration.​

About Teresa Reiter

Teresa Reiter is a journalist and policy professional based in Vienna. She is a co-founder of Idemo!, an organization promoting civic engagement and cross-ethnic cooperation among Austria's Western Balkans diaspora. Most recently, Reiter worked as a political specialist at the U.S. Embassy in Vienna. Reiter previously led communications at the European Forum Alpbach, co-hosted The Defence Café podcast, and served as a foreign policy advisor for NEOS in the Austrian Parliament. She was a candidate in the 2019 European Parliament elections. Reiter was a 2020/21 Europe’s Futures Fellow of the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) and ERSTE Foundation.

Learn more about Idemo! at idemo.jetzt.​

Further Reading & Resources

Idemo!'s Initiatives: idemo.jetzt

Facebook: IDEMO

X: @idemomedia

LinkedIn: Idemo Social Media

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Discussion Highlights:

• Europe’s Democratic Challenges: How can the EU defend its core values against rising authoritarianism?
• Ukraine’s Struggle and Global Freedom: Why does Ukraine’s resistance matter beyond its borders?
• Populism and Economic Inequality: How have neoliberal policies contributed to democratic erosion?
• The Role of Transnational Civil Society: Can grassroots movements counter authoritarian trends?
• Technology, Capitalism, and Democracy: How does the digital age reshape political power?
• Serbia’s Grassroots Protests: Why is Serbia’s movement for democracy significant for Europe?
• EU Foreign Policy and Strategic Autonomy: Can Europe navigate an era of geopolitical realignment?
• France’s Constitutional Crisis: What does the future hold for the French Republic’s democratic model?

About Niccolò Milanese

Niccolò Milanese is a political theorist, activist, and co-founder of European Alternatives, a transnational movement advocating for democracy and equality beyond nation-states. He has co-authored Citizens of Nowhere: How to Save Europe from Itself and edited Illiberal Democracies in Europe: An Authoritarian Response to the Crisis of Liberalism. Milanese regularly advises cultural, political, and activist organizations on issues of European democracy, citizenship, and generational change.

Find more about European Alternatives at euroalter.com.

Further Reading & Resources

• European Alternatives’ Initiatives: euroalter.com
• Niccolò Milanese’s Books & Articles: Citizens of Nowhere, Illiberal Democracies in Europe
• Institute for Human Sciences (IWM): iwm.at

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

• Trump’s Return and European Security: How could another Trump presidency impact NATO and EU defense policy?
• Poland’s Role in the EU: What can Poland’s upcoming EU presidency achieve in shaping European priorities?
• The Battle for Democracy in Central Europe: Why are populist and authoritarian movements gaining ground?
• Hungary and Slovakia’s Political Shifts: How illiberal governments challenge the EU’s democratic values.
• Media’s Role in the Fight Against Populism: How the information landscape influences democratic backsliding.
• Poland-Germany Relations: Why tensions persist despite shared interests.
• Ukraine’s EU Accession: The political and economic challenges of integrating Ukraine into the EU.
• Civil Society’s Role in Resisting Authoritarianism: Can grassroots movements turn the tide against democratic erosion?

About Leszek Jażdżewski

Leszek Jażdżewski is a Polish journalist, editor, and political analyst specializing in European politics, democracy, and media. He founded Liberté! in 2008 as a platform to promote liberal values, counteract authoritarianism, and encourage open debate. He also created Freedom Games, an influential intellectual forum that brings together policymakers, journalists, and academics to discuss the key challenges facing democratic societies.

Jażdżewski has been recognized as a European Young Leader by Friends of Europe and was appointed a Policy Fellow at the School of Transnational Government at the EUI and a 2019/20 Europe's Futures Fellow of the IWM and ERSTE Foundation. He frequently writes and speaks on democracy, governance, and media influence in the digital age.

Learn more about Liberté! at liberte.pl.

Further Reading & Resources

• Poland’s EU Council Presidency Agenda: europa.eu
• Freedom Games Conference: freedomgames.eu

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

• Trump’s Return and European Security: How prepared is Europe for another Trump presidency?
• Hungary’s Role in the EU: Orbán’s strategy of balancing economic dependence on Europe while forging alliances with China and Russia.
• The Future of Illiberalism: Why are authoritarian-leaning leaders gaining ground in Europe?
• Opposition in Hungary: Can Péter Magyar’s movement challenge Orbán in the 2026 elections?
• The Rise of the Far Right: How European democracies are struggling to counteract populist narratives.
• Workforce & Migration Contradictions: How Hungary recruits foreign labor while maintaining anti-immigration rhetoric.
• The Future of Democracy in Europe: Szelényi’s perspective on the resilience of democratic movements.

About Zsuzsanna Szelényi

Zsuzsanna Szelényi is a Hungarian politician, democracy expert, and director of the CEU Democracy Institute Leadership Academy. She was a founding member of Fidesz but later distanced herself from Viktor Orbán’s politics. She worked for the Council of Europe for 15 years, advising governments on conflict resolution and democratic governance. In 2014, she returned to Hungarian politics as an opposition MP. Her book, Tainted Democracy (2022), examines Orbán’s consolidation of power and the erosion of democratic institutions in Hungary. Szelényi was also a 2018/19 Europe's Futures Fellow of the IWM and ERSTE Foundation.

Find Szelényi on X @zszelenyi or on her personal website at https://www.zsuzsannaszelenyi.com/.

Her book Tainted Democracy is on sale here and from reputable retailers.
 

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

• Europe’s preparedness for a potential second Trump presidency.
• Challenges to EU strategic autonomy and transatlantic relations.
• The influence of defense contracts and energy dependencies on European policies.
• Internal EU struggles: technocracy versus democracy and stalled institutional reforms.
• Enlargement prospects in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe as pathways to rejuvenate the EU’s global standing.
• Leadership and unity in the face of global instability.

About Stefan Lehne:
Stefan Lehne is a Senior Fellow at Carnegie Europe, focusing on EU institutions, reforms, and foreign policy. His career spans multiple senior positions, including director general for political affairs at the Austrian Ministry for European and International Affairs, and he has extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy. Lehne has served in Austria’s missions to the United Nations and the European Union and was involved in Austria’s EU accession negotiations.

Lehne’s recent research explores European integration, strategic autonomy, and responses to global challenges. He also lectures at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna and frequently contributes to policy discussions and publications. Lehne was a 2018/19 Europe's Futures Fellow of the IWM and ERSTE Foundation.

Recent Publications by Stefan Lehne:

• Charting the Radical Right’s Influence on EU Foreign Policy (April 2024, with Rosa Balfour) – Carnegie Europe
• The Rules-Based Order vs. the Defense of Democracy (September 2024) – Carnegie Europe
• Europe’s New Leadership Faces a Teamwork Test (June 2024) – Carnegie Europe
• Europe’s Radical Right Is Formidable—but Not Unstoppable (April 2024) – Carnegie Europe

find Stefan on X @StefanLehne

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

• Europe’s preparedness—or lack thereof—for the second Trump presidency.
• Challenges to EU strategic autonomy and transatlantic relations.
• The role of defense contracts and energy dependencies in shaping Europe’s policies.
• The EU's internal struggles: technocracy vs. democracy and stalled institutional reforms.
• Enlargement opportunities in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe as a pathway to rejuvenating the EU’s geopolitical clout.
• Balancing hope and trepidation in the face of rising global instability.

Dr. Rosa Balfour is the director of Carnegie Europe, specializing in European politics, institutions, and foreign and security policy. Her current research examines the interplay between domestic politics and Europe's global role.

Dr. Balfour has an extensive publication record, including books, research articles, and opinion pieces in international media outlets such as the Washington Post, the Financial Times, The Guardian, and El País. Her work often addresses European politics and international relations, focusing on regions like the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, and the Balkans, as well as topics like EU enlargement and democracy support.

In addition to her role at Carnegie Europe, Dr. Balfour serves as an advisor to Women in International Security Brussels (WIIS-Brussels) and is an associate fellow at LSE IDEAS. She is also an honorary patron of the University Association for Contemporary European Studies (UACES) and was appointed to the Scientific Advisory Council of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs in 2024.

Prior to joining Carnegie Europe, Dr. Balfour was a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and directed the Europe in the World program at the European Policy Centre in Brussels. She has also conducted research in Rome and London. Her academic credentials include an MA in history from Cambridge University, and both an MSc in European Studies and a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Dr. Balfour was a 2018/19 Europe's Futures Fellow of the IWM and ERSTE Foundation.

Find Rosa on Bluesky or X

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Recorded just before Donald Trump's victory, they discuss the U.S. presidential election and it's impacts on European security policy. The conversation explores the necessity for Europe to take on a greater share of its defense responsibilities. Koenig underscores the strategic importance of unity in defense and the push for a more coherent security policy. Additionally, they touch on the geopolitical imperative of EU enlargement, particularly in light of the Russo-Ukrainian War and the broader European neighborhood's security dynamics.

Finally, Koenig offers insights into her role at the Munich Security Conference, providing a preview of the key themes likely to shape the agenda, including transatlantic relations, regional conflicts, and emerging threats like AI and climate security. She emphasizes the importance of fostering dialogue to address these multifaceted challenges.

Nicole Koenig is Head of Policy at the Munich Security Conference, where she oversees the development of the conference’s strategic agenda and policy initiatives. She has extensive experience in EU foreign and security policy, particularly in the area of Franco-German cooperation. Prior to joining the MSC, she served as Deputy Director of the Jacques Delors Centre at the Hertie School in Berlin, where she focused on European integration and security issues. Koenig has held research positions at several prominent think tanks, including the Centre for European Policy Studies and the European Policy Centre, and has published widely on topics related to EU defense, NATO, and transatlantic relations. She frequently provides analysis for European and international media. She was a 2019/20 Europe's Futures Fellow of the IWM and ERSTE Foundation.

For more on Nicole Koenig and her work, visit https://securityconference.org/en/about-us/chairman-team/dr-nicole-koenig/

You can follow her X account under @Nic_Koenig

An overview of the Munich Security Conference 2024 is at https://securityconference.org/en/msc-2024/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

The conversation explores Ukraine’s economic strategies in response to the invasion, focusing on the government’s shift from initially libertarian policies to a more Keynesian model that emphasizes public spending and wartime fiscal policy. Cooper explains how labor shortages, driven by both military conscription and migration, have impacted Ukraine’s workforce, particularly in vital industrial sectors. These economic measures have helped stabilize the economy despite the ongoing challenges, but the Ukrainian government remains focused on sustaining external financial support to maintain its efforts.

Finally, Cooper and Vejvoda consider the possible scenarios for ending the conflict, discussing public sentiment in Ukraine, the strategic importance of various frontlines, and the precarious international dependencies that affect the country’s future. Cooper highlights the critical role of oil prices and international political dynamics, particularly in the United States, in shaping the war's trajectory. In closing, they briefly examine the UK’s political landscape following the Labour Party’s recent victory, noting its potential impact on UK-EU relations and international support for Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion.

Luke Cooper is a historical sociologist and political scientist specializing in conflict, democracy, and European studies, currently serving as an Associate Professorial Research Fellow at the Conflict and Civicness Research Group at the London School of Economics (LSE). He directs the PeaceRep Ukraine Program and co-founded Another Europe is Possible, an advocacy group focused on progressive European politics. Additionally, Cooper is an established podcaster and author, whose most recent book, Authoritarian Contagion: The Global Threat to Democracy (2021) examines the global rise of authoritarianism.

The blogpost mentioned in the episode on Oil's role in the Ukraine War is here

Read more and buy a copy of Authoritarian Contagion  or find it on Amazon 

Luke Cooper's X account is @lukecooper100

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Key topics include:

• The political transformation of Slovakia after the fall of the Berlin Wall
• The rise of Robert Fico and the national-populist coalition
• The impact of Ján Kuciak’s murder on Slovak civil society and government accountability
• Slovakia’s growing pro-Russian sentiment and its implications for EU and NATO relationships
• The current state of Slovakia’s democracy and the potential for future political change

Grigorij Mesežnikov is a prominent political scientist based in Bratislava, Slovakia. He co-founded the Institute for Public Affairs and has served as its president since the 1990s. Mesežnikov is a key commentator on Slovak politics and contributes regularly to both domestic and international media. His research focuses on democratization, political culture, and civil society in post-communist countries.

See more about Grigorij Mesežnikov’s work at Institute for Public Affairs.
Find Mesežnikov on X: @GMeseznikov

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

The conversation shifts towards the geopolitical dynamics in Asia, where Sierakowski discusses the weakening position of China under Xi Jinping, the challenges facing Taiwan, and the broader impact of Asian geopolitics on global security. He highlights the importance of Europe asserting itself more strongly on the global stage, particularly in response to both internal challenges like Hungary’s populist leadership and external threats from authoritarian regimes.

Sierakowski also shares his thoughts on the future of the European Union’s enlargement, emphasizing the urgency of integrating Ukraine and other candidate countries into the EU. He argues for a more forceful European stance against Russian aggression, drawing parallels to historical appeasement policies that led to global conflict. The discussion concludes with a reflection on the growing uncertainty in global politics and the need for Europe to address these challenges decisively.

Sławomir Sierakowski is a prominent Polish sociologist, public intellectual, and the founder of Kritika Polityczna. He is also a senior fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations and the president of the program board  of ImpactCEE.

Read more from Kritika Polityczna @ krytykapolityczna.pl/

Recent articles from Slawomir are listed @ German Council on Foreign Relations 

 

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Schmitter offers insights into the concept of "transitology" and its relevance today, drawing parallels between past transitions from authoritarian regimes and current political trends. The discussion also touches on the challenges of liberal democracy, the role of political parties, and the effects of globalization on economic and political systems. Schmitter emphasizes the need to reinvent representation and control the behavior of global finance to address rising inequality and populism.

The conversation highlights the importance of local governance and the potential benefits of immigration, despite deep rooted resistance, racism and xenophobia. The conversation concludes with and examination of the future of Europe, the implications of differentiated integration, and the role of governance in maintaining democratic legitimacy.

Johan-Skytte-Prize winner Philippe Schmitter is an Emeritus Professor of the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the European University Institute in Florence. Celebrated for his work on democracy, democratic transitions, authoritarianism, and populism, Schmitter has authored influential books such as "Transitions from Authoritarian Rule: Tentative Conclusions About Uncertain Democracies" and "How to Democratize the European Union and Why Bother?" His research continues to shape the field of comparative politics.

See Phillipe's full details and publication history @ www.eui.eu

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

They comment on the European Union's struggles to address democratic backslides in Hungary and Poland, emphasizing the complexity and slowness of the EU's response. Scheppele reflects on Hungary's shift from a pro-European democratic atmosphere in the 1990s to its current autocratic state. They also discuss strategies for opposition and civil society, the role of economic policies in populist strategies, the importance of media control, and the implications of urban-rural political divides. Finally, they touch on the potential challenges in upcoming elections in France and the United States, stressing the need for vigilance and robust democratic engagement.

Kim Lane Scheppele is the Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International Affairs at Princeton University, focusing on the intersection of constitutional and international law, particularly in systems under stress. She has researched the development of constitutional law in Hungary and Russia post-1989 and the impact of anti-terrorism laws globally post-9/11. Scheppele has served as an expert advisor to the Hungarian Parliament's Constitutional Drafting Committee and co-directed the Gender and Culture Studies program at Central European University. She previously taught at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law and has held visiting professorships at Humboldt University, Erasmus University, Yale, and Harvard. She directed Princeton’s Program in Law and Public Affairs and has received the Kalven Prize from the Law and Society Association, with elections to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the International Academy of Comparative Law​.

Find Kim on X @KimLaneLaw

See her selected publications at princeton.edu
 

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Jones and Vejvoda explore the socioeconomic determinants influencing political dynamics, including the frustrations stemming from economic disparity and technological advancements,  the pendulum swing towards neoliberalism in the late 20th century; and its impact on current political structures and public dissatisfaction. Jones makes the case that mainstream political parties have failed to meet public expectations due to the limitations of post-neoliberal reforms.

The dialogue concludes with a discussion on the challenges facing the European Union in maintaining democratic values amidst internal and external threats. Jones provides insights into the complexities of EU enlargement, particularly concerning Hungary and Poland, and stresses the importance of visionary leadership in shaping Europe's future. He warns against complacency and highlights the need for a proactive approach to sustain democratic institutions and counter authoritarian tendencies.

Erik Jones is the Director of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute. Prior to this role, he was a Professor of European Studies and International Political Economy at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He has authored numerous books including "The Oxford Handbook of the European Union" (2012) and "The Oxford Handbook of Italian Politics" (2015), is a co-editor of the journal "Government and Opposition" and a contributing editor for "Survival." His academic and public commentary has appeared in major publications including the Financial Times and the New York Times. His research interests cover a broad range of topics in European politics and political economy, including the crises in the European Union and the political dynamics of European integration​.

Explore Erik's work @ cadmus.eui.eu
Find him on X @ej_europe

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Marović discusses the evolution of his understanding of nonviolent conflict and the lessons learned from past movements. He highlights the significance of inter-generational support and the need for a strategic, long-term approach to civil resistance. The conversation also engages with the current state of democracy and the factors contributing to the widespread sense of democratic decline.

Vejvoda and Marović explore the challenges and opportunities for movements in today's political climate, particularly in the context of rising authoritarianism and political disengagement. They conclude by discussing the potential for young people to influence political change and the critical role of political education in fostering a more engaged and resilient civil society.

Ivan Marović is an activist and expert in nonviolent resistance, renowned for his pivotal role in Serbia's Otpor! movement, which was instrumental in the overthrow of Serbia's Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. As one of the movement's leaders, Marović helped develop strategies that mobilized significant grassroots support and led to a peaceful transition of power. Following this success, he dedicated his career to advising and training pro-democracy groups around the globe. Currently, Marović serves as the Executive Director of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC), where he continues to advocate for strategic nonviolent action and educate others on the principles of civil resistance.

find Ivan on X @ivanmarovic

read more about the ICNC on their website at nonviolent-conflict.org

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ieva Česnulaitytė is the Founding Head of Research and Learning at DemocracyNext. Previously a Policy Analyst at the OECD, focusing on citizen participation and open government, she contributed to establishing the OECD's evidence base on sortition-based citizens' assemblies and co-authored the report "Catching the Deliberative Wave". She supported European governments in citizen engagement practices and was involved in developing deliberative processes in Finland and Spain. Her interest in democratic innovation grew during her work in Lithuania’s Prime Minister's office, leading Lithuania’s participation in the Open Government Partnership Initiative. She is a Europe's Futures Fellow for 2023/2024.

• Find Ieva on X @ICesnulaityte
  DemocracyNext's website is here.

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

The discussion further explores the EU's handling of rule of law issues, the implications of a potential Russian victory in Ukraine for Europe, and challenges in addressing migration and climate change. Alemanno stresses the need for a reimagined European political process that aligns with sociocultural transformations within the continent. The podcast concludes with reflections on the evolving European identity and the disconnect between the political system and the lived experience of Europeans.

Guest Bio: Alberto Alemanno is a Jean Monnet Professor in EU Law at HEC Paris since 2009, a permanent visiting professor at the University of Tokyo's School of Public Policy and the College of Europe in Bruges​​ and a 2023/24 Europe's Futures Fellow of ERSTE Foundation and IWM Vienna. He began his academic career as a teaching assistant at the College of Europe in Bruges in 2001, later pursuing a PhD at Bocconi University. Alemanno is a qualified attorney in New York and has worked as a law clerk at the Court of Justice of the European Union and the General Court of the European Union. He is a Global Clinical Professor of Law at New York University School of Law, where he directs the HEC-NYU EU Public Interest Clinic​.

​Alemanno advises NGOs, governments, and international organizations on various aspects of European Union law, international regulatory cooperation, international trade, and global health law. He has been involved in several significant advocacy campaigns and initiatives, including co-launching Newropeans, one of the first transnational political parties, and campaigning for plain tobacco packaging and other public health initiatives​.

He has received awards such as Ashoka Fellow 2019, BMW Responsible Leader 2017, and Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum in 2015​​. Alemanno has published extensively in leading international law journals and is the founder and editor-in-chief of the European Journal of Risk Regulation​.

• Find Alberto Alemanno on X: @alemannoEU
• Alberto Alemanno's Book "Lobbying for Change" can be found on his official website at albertoalemanno.com/advocacy-lobbying/lobbying-for-change-find-your-voice-to-create-a-better-society​​.
• The Good Lobby's official website at thegoodlobby.eu​​.

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Vladimir Arsenijević is a renowned Serbian author and cultural activist. Since 1994, he has published various works, including novels, stories, and essays, which have been translated into more than 20 languages. He is a recipient of prestigious awards such as the Nin Prize and the National Library of Serbia Award. Arsenijević is also the president and creative director of the association Krokodil, focusing on cultural exchange and humanitarian efforts. His engagement in initiatives like the Krokodil literary festival and cross-border cultural collaborations highlights his commitment to fostering understanding and empathy in the Balkans and beyond.

For more information about Vladimir Arsenijević and his initiatives, visit the Krokodil website at Krokodil's Official Website. 
Find Vladimir at vladimirarsenijevic.com

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

For further information about Kadri Liik and her work, you can visit her ECFR profile at https://ecfr.eu/profile/kadri_liik/​​. 
Find Kadri on X @KadriLiik​​.

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

2023/24 Europe's Futures Fellow Katy Hayward is a distinguished Professor of Political Sociology at Queen's University Belfast, where she also directs the Centre for International Borders Research. She has published extensively on Northern Ireland, the Good Friday Agreement, Brexit, borders and related issues. Hayward engages globally through briefings, media commentary and advising governments and organizations. She has received recognition for both her scholarly work and public communication regarding Northern Ireland's past, present and future challenges.

Follow Katy on X @hayward_katy

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

You can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ilir Deda is an expert on Kosovo's governance, security, and foreign affairs with over a decade of experience in public service and policy research. He has held roles including Member of Parliament, Executive Director of the Kosovar Institute for Policy Research and Development, political advisor to Kosovo's Prime Minister, analyst for the International Crisis Group and Senior Expert on Human Capital Development at the Regional Cooperation Council. Deda has also lectured on European integration and published extensively. His current research as an IWM Europe's Futures Fellow focuses on the EU-sponsored Basic Agreement between Kosovo and Serbia.

Find Ilir on X @ilir_deda

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Europe's Futures Fellow Karolina Wigura is an acclaimed Polish intellectual shaping debates on democracy, historical memory, and emotions in politics. As a historian of ideas, sociologist, and journalist, she brings an interdisciplinary perspective to examining the forces threatening liberal democracy. Wigura is a board member of the Kultura Liberalna Foundation in Warsaw and a senior fellow at the Center for Liberal Modernity in Berlin. She lectures at the Warsaw University Institute of Sociology, focusing on 20th century political philosophy, transitional justice and collective trauma. Published extensively in outlets like The Guardian, The New York Times, and Gazeta Wyborcza, Wigura's award-winning book "The Guilt of Nations" explores forgiveness as political strategy, while her latest book "The Invention of the Modern Heart" examines emotions in philosophy. She is a leading voice on safeguarding democracy amidst the rise of populism in Poland and Europe. 

find Karolina on X @KarolinaWigura
Read the New York Times piece discussed in the episode here.
Details on Karolina's new book with Jaroslaw Kuisz - Posttraumatische Souveränität - are available from the publisher here

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Hanna Shelest is a renowned Ukrainian expert on security and foreign affairs. She is the Director of Security Programs at the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism” and Editor-in-chief at UA: Ukraine Analytica. With over 10 years' experience as a Senior Researcher at Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies, she has published extensively on Ukraine’s national security strategy. In 2014, she was a Visiting Research Fellow at the NATO Defense College in Rome. She has lectured at institutions including the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine and the World Economic Forum.

Watch Hanna Shelest at our recent Europe’s Futures Colloquium here.
Follow Ukraine Analytica on X

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

As deputy chairman of the ESI Kristof Bender has lead various research projects on EU enlargement and on South Eastern Europe. He has worked in South East Europe in various capacities since 1997, including managing higher education projects in Bosnia for the World University Service, serving as Attaché for Humanitarian Affairs in the Austrian Embassy in Belgrade, and working as a researcher for the International Centre for Migration Policy Development . He has also worked as a consultant for various institutions, including the Austrian Federal Chancellery, DFID, and SIDA.

Find him on twitter @kristofbender

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Recently a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and now an IWM Europe's Futures fellow, Balázs Jarábik worked with Pact, Inc. in Kyiv, Ukraine to build its presence as one of the largest international nongovernmental organizations in Eastern Europe, and later served as project director for Pact in Vilnius, Lithuania. Jarábik was an associate fellow at FRIDE in Madrid and senior fellow at the Central European Policy Institute in Bratislava. He was a civic activist in Slovakia in the 1990s, and he later co-founded the Bratislava-based Pontis Foundation’s international development projects in the Balkans and the Commonwealth of Independent States. He has also worked as a consultant for political parties and civil society organizations in the Balkans and CIS countries, as well as an adviser with a wide range of international, governmental, and parliamentary institutions.

Find him on twitter @BalazsJarabik

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

A co-founder of Yakaboo Publishing Oksana was chosen for the New Europe 100 list of outstanding challengers from Central and Eastern Europe in 2014 and made the Top 100 People in Ukrainian Culture list by Novoe Vremya illustrated weekly in 2017. Her debut novel Duty Free was published in Ukraine in December 2012. She is also an author of essays and articles in Ukrainian and English. Forostyna was a former executive editor for Krytyka Journal and for Critical Solutions — an online media project of Krytyka. In 2015, she launched the independent publishing imprint TAO. Formerly a Marcin Król Fellow at Visegrad Insight, she is a Europe's Futures fellow at IWM this year.

Find her on twitter @Forostyna

Read her essay on Ukrainian jokes at The European Review of Books

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

A regular contributor to the Financial Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Guardian, Heather Grabbe was a senior advisor to the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Olli Rehn, where she was responsible for EU policy on the Balkans and Turkey. Prior to that, she was the deputy director of the Centre for European Reform and wrote extensively on EU external policies and enlargement. She was the long-term executive director of the Open Society European Policy Institute. She is currently a Senior Advisor to the leadership of Open Society Foundations. Grabbe has also conducted academic research at institutions such as the European University Institute, Chatham House, Oxford and Birmingham universities, and has taught at the London School of Economics.

Find her on twitter @heathergrabbe
Read more about Heather at wikipedia

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Veronica Anghel is a Lecturer in Risk in International Politics and Economics at Johns Hopkins University and a Visiting Fellow at the European University Institute EUI. She has held research fellowships at several institutions, including Stanford University and the Institute for Central Europe. She is a 'Robert Elgie' Editorial Fellow with the 'Government and Opposition' journal. Dr. Anghel received her PhD from the University of Bucharest in co-direction with the University of Bordeaux. In addition to her academic work, Dr. Anghel has served as a foreign affairs advisor for the Romanian Presidential Administration and a Diplomatic Adviser for the Romanian Senate. She provides risk analysis for consultancy firms on topics such as European integration and rule of law issues in post-communist Europe. In 2020, Dr. Anghel was awarded the ‘Rising Star’ Award by the European Consortium of Political Research. She is a Europe's Futures fellow at IWM this year.

Find Veronica on Twitter @anghel_v1

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Well known for her work on the multimedia program Global Fokus, Ivana is a multiple award-winning journalist with over twenty-five years of experience focusing on European and international affairs. She has authored acclaimed documentary films and a book on globalization, global governance, and inequality. An alumna of Reuters Foundation, ARD-ZDF Medien Akademie, Moscow School of Political Studies, the United Nations Academy-Croatia, the Academy for Political Development Croatia and a member of The Trilateral Commission, she has interviewed figures as diverse as Bashar al-Assad and Bob Geldof.

Find her on twitter @ivdragicevic.

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Nathalie Tocci is a researcher and advisor in the field of international relations and European affairs. She has worked at various institutions including the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels, the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies in the European University Institute, and the Istituto Affari Internazionali where she became the Director in 2017. Tocci has also served as an advisor to Federica Mogherini and Josep Borrell on foreign policy issues. She has published several books on international relations with a focus on European affairs and received the Anna Lindh Award on European Foreign Policy in 2008. She writes regularly for Politico. She is an Honorary Professor at the University of Tübingen and an Adjunct Professor at the European Union Institute EUI.

You can read her Politico Columns here
Find Nathalie on twitter @NathalieTocci


Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/
 

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

A senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, where he specializes in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus region, Tom de Waal has written extensively about the area, including books on the Caucasus, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Chechnya and the Armenian Genocide. He has worked as a journalist for both print and BBC radio and worked as a senior associate for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC.

Find him on twitter @Tom_deWaal
Information on his published works can be found at the website of Carnegie Europe

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/


 

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

This Podcast was recorded prior to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In addition to her roles at @Carnegie_Europe and the IWM, Olivia Lazard is an environmental peacemaking and mediation practitioner with years of experience at NGOs, the UN and the EU. 

Find her on twitter @OliviaLazard and read more of her work at Carnegie Europe here.

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

You can find him on twitter @wprzybylski 

Read more of his work at Visegrad/Insight here.

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Amanda Coakley has reported for a wide range of media outlets including The Guardian, The Irish Times, CNN and Channel 4 News. Her reporting has earned her an MHP International Affairs Reporting Award, an Emmy nomination and the One World Media Fellowship for 2021/2022.

You can find her on twitter @amandamcoakley, on Instagram or visit her website at www.amandacoakley.com

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Boiling down the definition of strategic autonomy to the EU's 'freedom to act, and the freedom from overdependence' - Nechev and Vejvoda use this podcast to explore the necessity for, logistics of and limits on European autonomy. As various crises have rocked the foundations of the EU, shifts in the geopolitical status quo have raised questions about the potency of NATO and the process of EU enlargement has proceeded in fits and starts; they look to the future and ask what EU security policy might look like a decade from now.

Find Zoran Nechev on twitter @zorannechev

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Find Oana Popescu-Zamfir on twitter @oanapope.

Read more about the Democratic Resilience Index here.

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

In a complex discussion, Zeneli and Vejvoda trace the web of Chinese economic influence and address the geopolitical impact of China's global infrastructure development strategy - often called the 'Belt and Road Initiative' - on the countries of Southeastern Europe. Is the allure of Chinese investment disrupting the economic relevance of the EU in the Western Balkans and beyond?

Find Valbona Zeneli on twitter @valbonazenelito 

A list of her recent publications can be found at The Marshall Center.

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Tracing the line of recent history from the so-called 'Obama doctrine' through the Trump presidency and up to the Biden administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan, the furore in Europe surrounding the AUKUS pact and the role that the shifting balance of power has played in Turkey, Syria, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Wider Europe and beyond - Özel and Vejvoda wrestle with the implications of a truly epochal shift in the geopolitical status quo.

Soli  Özel is a professor of international relations and political science at Istanbul Kadir Has University.

Soli taught at U.C. Santa Cruz, SAIS, University of Washington, Hebrew University, and Bogazici University in Istanbul. He was a fellow at St. Antony’s College at Oxford in the spring of 2002, and he was a senior visiting fellow at the European Union Institute for Security Studies in the fall of the same year.

Soli’s articles and opinion pieces appear in a wide variety of leading newspapers in Turkey and elsewhere around the world. Currently, he is a columnist for Haberturk newspaper, a frequent contributor to The Washington Post’s “Post Global”, and the former editor of the Turkish edition of Foreign Policy.

Find Soli Özel on twitter @soliozel2.

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Find Albena Azmanova on twitter @AAzmanova or on her website at azmanova.com.

Her latest book, Capitalism On Edge is available everywhere.

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Here, she and Ivan Vejvoda consider the world-wide sense that democracy has been in regression these last years in a wide-ranging conversation that takes in media oligarchy, the roles of threat perception and values in forming a common European purpose, the legacy of the enlightenment and much more.

Judy Dempsey tweets @Judy_Dempsey and is Editor-in-Chief of the Strategic Europe blog at Carnegie Europe.

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Find Teresa Reiter on twitter @schwindelfrei  or on her website at http://www.teresareiter.com

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

A diplomat and an academic, Julia De Clerck-Sachsse served as the speechwriter and communications adviser to EU High Representatives for Foreign and Security Policy, Lady Catherine Ashton and Federica Mogherini. She is leading a research project at Oxford University on the EU’s geopolitical narrative and works on transatlantic relations, EU foreign and security policy; also a foreign-policy Senior Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. She is a 2020/21 “Europe's Futures” fellow of the Institute for Human Sciences and ERSTE Foundation.

Julia De Clerck-Sachsse is on Linkedin. find her writing at GMF and a list of her academic papers at researchgate. Read her recent paper on how the EU can win the battle of narratives here.

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/
 

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

Find more of his work at Euractiv and Poiltico.

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/

The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. 

you can find IWM's website at:

https://www.iwm.at/
 

Ivan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna) implemented in partnership with ERSTE Foundation. The program is dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and the generation of ideas addressing pivotal challenges confronting Europe and the European Union: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.

The Institute for Human Sciences is an institute of advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences. Founded as a place of encounter in 1982 by a young Polish philosopher, Krzysztof Michalski, and two German colleagues in neutral Austria, its initial mission was to create a meeting place for dissenting thinkers of Eastern Europe and prominent scholars from the West.

Since then it has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions that now embrace the Global South and North. The IWM is an independent and non-partisan institution, and proudly so. All of our fellows, visiting and permanent, pursue their own research in an environment designed to enrich their work and to render it more accessible within and beyond academia.

For further information about the Institute:

https://www.iwm.at/