Understanding Europe

About Understanding Europe

Understanding Europe is a podcast series started with the Maastricht Diplomat, in collaboration with CERiM. Throughout the 10 episodes, Charelle and Brendan interview experts from CERiM to dig deeper into the various research done on the EU, but also on Europe at large. The podcast series aims to contextualize and unpack local dynamics within EU member states but also international dynamics between EU and its neighboring regions. Understanding Europe is back for three more episodes in 2024!

Publisher

CERiM

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

6 Apr 2024

Latest episode

17 Jun 2024

Latest episodes

13 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   17 Jun 2024

   Democracy in Europe

   In the 3rd and final episode of this season, Brendan and Charelle have a conversation with Dr. Christine Neuhold to Understand the EU internal dynamics of democracy. Both in terms of EU democratic reforms as well as the role the EU plays in promoting democracy in its Member States. Over the last 5 years it has been the priority of the Von der Leyen Commision to provide “A New Push for European Democracy”, how successful has this push been and what are the underlying currents that place EU democratic legitimacy in jeopardy?

2. 

   20 May 2024

   The Southern Neighbourhood

   The EU-MENA relations have gone through different phases that presented different challenges and opportunities. Over the past two decades however, these relations have been presented with a new challenge: the legitimacy of the EU as a democracy promoter. In this episode, Charelle and Brendan sit down with Dr. Assem Dandashly to discuss the evolution of the EU-MENA relations focusing on EU democracy promotion in the Southern Neighbourhood. Secondary Sources: - EU Neighbourhood Policy Youtube Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_H8RBG2FOg&list=PL4pklClpAgog6Wed4AbOG_a4VG3TXRej-&index=10) - Burlyuk, O., Dandashly, A., & Noutcheva, G. (2024). External democracy promotion in times of internal rule-of-law crisis: the EU and its neighbourhood.  (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13501763.2023.2181381)Journal of European Public Policy, 31(3), 900–924. - Understanding Europe, Season 1, Episode 9, A Decentered Perspective (https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cerim/episodes/Understanding-Europe-A-Decentered-Perspective-e2i26el). - Dandashly, A., & Kourtelis, C. (2024). Political corruption in the Arab Mediterranean countries: an innovative typology. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13510347.2024.2343621) Democratization, 1–22.

3. 

   9 Apr 2024

   The Eastern Neighbourhood

   In the first episode of season 2 from Understanding Europe, Brendan and Charelle sit with PhD. candidate Wicke van den Broek to understand/discuss democracy promotion in the EU’s Eastern neighborhood. The focus of the discussion is Belarus and builds from there. Secondary Sources: 1. The Face of the Revolution is Female / Die Revolution hat ein weibliches Gesicht (https://www.suhrkamp.de/rights/book/olga-shparaga-the-face-of-the-revolution-is-female-fr-9783518127698) 2. Lodołamaczka. Swiatłana Cichanouska - Rusłan Szoszyn (https://www.empik.com/lodolamaczka-swietlanan-cichanouska-ruslan-szoszyn,p1319638364,ksiazka-p#:~:text=Na%20kartach%20%22Lodo%C5%82amaczki%22%20Rus%C5%82an%20Szoszyn,Mikaszewicz%20na%20po%C5%82udniowych%20kra%C5%84cach%20Bia%C5%82orusi) 3. Жыве Беларусь! || Viva Belarus! (2013) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYbm_a9dp-k)

4. 

   6 Apr 2024

   Understanding Europe: Looking Back

   The 10th and last episode of CERiM's Understanding Europe is out now! This time, Charelle and Brendan talk about the different episodes that have been published this year, discussing how they link and what threads are pulled throughout them all. So if you haven't yet had a chance to listen to this year's episodes this is the place to start! A TL;DR if you will. Secondary sources: - Understanding Europe: On Memory and Identity (https://open.spotify.com/episode/2lWlN8zQLgxoktyBf0ASJU) - Understanding Europe: Open Strategic Autonomy? (https://open.spotify.com/episode/6kWqCIGG1f6S3CSai4inRH) - Marianne Hirsch on Postmemory (https://postmemory.net/) - Faces of Trade (https://facesoftrade.org/)

5. 

   6 Apr 2024

   Understanding Europe: A Decentered Perspective

   In this episode, Brendan and Charelle sit down with Assem Dandashly and Gergana Noutcheva to discuss the legitimacy of the EU as an external democracy promoter in its southern and eastern neighbourhood while internally it is dealing with a rule of law crisis in member states such as Poland, Hungary, Austria. Has this internal crisis affected the way the EU is perceived? Has it hindered its legitimacy as an international player? Join them as they unpack these questions!

6. 

   6 Apr 2024

   Understanding Europe: On Memory and Identity

   Europe day! Europe day?  What does it even mean? In this episode Brendan and Charelle talk about the significance of Europe Day and the difficulties of forming a Common European Identity. In doing so they are joined by Dr. Aline Sierp, an expert in memory studies, who outlines what studying memory entails and the difficulties that are faced when trying to create a common European memory, and in the process a common European Identity. So if this intrigues you, give it a listen! Secondary  Sources: - Short explanations of key terms by leading memory scholars (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeBDdx1RvpDQgORu4-0se2X2dgZG7mnjn). - Memory Studies Association (https://www.memorystudiesassociation.org/) - The Memory Cloud (https://www.memorystudiesassociation.org/memory-cloud/) - Sierp, Aline (2023). Europeanising Memory: The European Union’s Politics of Memory (https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800372535.00012). In Maria Mälksoo (Ed.) Handbook on the Politics of Memory. Edward Elgar Publishing - Sierp, Aline (2020). EU Memory Politics and Europe’s Forgotten Colonial Past (https://cris.maastrichtuniversity.nl/en/publications/eu-memory-politics-and-europes-forgotten-colonial-past). Interventions, 22(6), 386-702 Films: - Schindler’s List (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108052/), 1993 by Stefen Spielberg - Shoa, 1985 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090015/), by Claude Lanzmann - Waltz with Bashir (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1185616/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_1_nm_0_q_Waltz%2520with%2520Bashir), 2008, by Ari Folman - The Act of Killing (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2375605/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_q_The%2520Act%2520of%2520Killing), 2012, by Joshua Oppenheimer

7. 

   6 Apr 2024

   Understanding Europe: Open Strategic Autonomy?

   In today’s episode, Brendan and Charelle wrestle with the concept of strategic autonomy, also referred to as strategic sovereignty and possibly other names. You might have seen the term circulating online in light of Macron’s recent visit to China. But what does it actually mean to be strategically autonomous? Join them as they talk to Dr. Sophie Vanhoonacker, an expert in European external relations, to unpack this concept. Secondary  Sources: - President Macron's Sorbonne speech, 2017 - in Text  (https://international.blogs.ouest-france.fr/archive/2017/09/29/macron-sorbonne-verbatim-europe-18583.html)and Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRPDLg-2dRA) Format. - Trade policy review of the European Commission, 2021 (https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_644) - Understanding Europe: Forged in Crisis (https://open.spotify.com/episode/5PMBLjpXaZgF3LlRsUHOlw) - Understanding Europe: Digital Sovereignty (https://open.spotify.com/episode/1UIpKzOaYab41Dq8YQTMj6)

8. 

   6 Apr 2024

   Understanding Europe: Forged in Crisis

   "Europe will be forged in crisis, and will be the sum of the solutions adopted for those crises", these were the words of Jean Monnet. But what is a crisis, and how does Europe act when it is confronted by one? Join Brendan and Charelle as they have a conversation with two CERiM experts, Dr. Esther Versluis and Johan Adriaensen PhD, who will lead them through crisis management 101. Secondary  Sources: - Game Over (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/30321657): The Inside Story of the Greek Crisis - by George Papaconstantinou. - Alarums and Excursions (https://luukvanmiddelaar.eu/books/alarums-and-excursions?edition=5c2f738decf8b): Improvising Politics on the European Stage - by Luuk van Middelaar. - Regulating Crisis in the EU Course (https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/meta/447650/regulating-crisis-eu?print=1)

9. 

   6 Apr 2024

   Understanding Europe: Ukraine, 1 year Later

   In this episode Brendan and Charelle look at the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine one year after it started. Joined by Anna Herranz-Surrallés and Giselle Bosse, both Associate Professors at Maastricht University, they explore how the conflict has affected Ukraine and the EU. They also look at how the relationship between EU-Ukraine and EU-Russia have evolved since the beginning of the conflict, as well as the consequences of the EU’s reaction, and the impact it had on the way the EU operates as a global actor. Secondary  Sources: Dr. Giselle’s recommendations: - Putin vs The West (BBC Docu-series) (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p0dlz7gc/putin-vs-the-west) - Grey Bees, by Andrey Kurkov (https://www.bol.com/nl/nl/p/grey-bees/9200000113024846/) - Giselle Bosse (2022) (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13523260.2022.2099713) Values, rights, and changing interests: The EU’s response to the war against Ukraine and the responsibility to protect Europeans. Contemporary Security Policy, 43:3, 531-546. Dr. Anna’s recommendations: - The Orphanage: A Novel by Serhiy Zhadan (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54849798-the-orphanage) - The Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister by Olesya Khromeychuk (https://www.olesyakhromeychuk.com/publications/the-death-of-a-soldier-told-by-his-sister) - Rebuilding Ukraine: Principles and Policies (https://cepr.org/publications/books-and-reports/rebuilding-ukraine-principles-and-policies), edited by Yuriy Gorodnichenko Ilona Sologoub Beatrice Weder di Mauro

10. 

    6 Apr 2024

    Understanding Europe: The Future of Global Trade

    In this episode Brendan and Charelle take a look at the changing global trade order, while also trying to understand what the World Trade Organisation (WTO) actually is. To this end, they are joined by Clara Weinhardt, Assistant Professor of International Relations at FASoS. Whose recent research explores this topic, specifically the strategies that Brazil, India, and China have adopted when responding to the pressure to change their trade privileges in the WTO by developed countries. If you want to learn more, have a listen! Secondary Sources: - Till Schöfer and Clara Weinhardt research on the divergent strategies of Brazil, India and China at the WTO (https://academic.oup.com/ia/article/98/6/1937/6783062) - Faces of Trade Diplomacy (https://facesoftrade.org/)

11. 

    6 Apr 2024

    Understanding Europe: Digital Sovereignty

    Digital Sovereignty is an elusive term which can be defined in various ways. In this episode, Brendan and Charelle sat down with Dr. Mariëlle Wijermars, an expert in the field, to discuss the term Digital Sovereignty and the wider ramifications the concept has on the world. Link to sources: Interview with EVP Commissioner Margrethe Vestager (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwi-eLoWBGc) Secondary sources: Laura DeNardis (2014) The global war for internet governance (https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300212525/the-global-war-for-internet-governance/https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300212525/the-global-war-for-internet-governance/) Nothias, T. (2020). Access granted: Facebook’s free basics in Africa. (https://pacscenter.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ToussaintPaper.pdf)Media, Culture & Society, 42(3), 329-348.

12. 

    6 Apr 2024

    Understanding Europe: A Just Transition

    A major aspect of the climate transition in the EU has been the idea of a ‘Just Transition’, but this leaves us questioning what that actually means. In this episode, Brendan and Charelle explore what the Just Transition means and how it is applied internally in the EU. With the help of CERiM experts Francesca Colli and Toon van Overbeke, they also explore the role of the Just Transition philosophy in the EU’s policy, identifying COP27 as a major moment where the EU attempts to commit to transitional justice in shouldering the burden of dealing with the damages of climate change. Is the EU ambitious enough in these regards, or does it fail in communicating said ambition? Secondary sources as suggested by Francesca and Toon: - The Good Ancestor: How to Think Long-Term in a Short-Term World  (https://www.romankrznaric.com/good-ancestor)(Roman Krznaric) - Carbon Captured: How business and labour control climate politics (https://direct.mit.edu/books/book/4620/Carbon-CapturedHow-Business-and-Labor-Control) (Matto Mildenberger) Sources mentioned throughout the episode: - Fit for 55 (https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/green-deal/fit-for-55-the-eu-plan-for-a-green-transition/) - European Green Deal (https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en) - Building Capacities and Strategies of Trade Union Involvement in Shaping A Just Transition Towards a Sustainable and Decarbonised Industry (https://news.industriall-europe.eu/documents/upload/2022/5/637878700440463393_IVA_GeneralReport_TUandDecarbonisation_Final.pdf) - The EU’s Just Transition: three challenges and how to overcome them (https://www.egmontinstitute.be/app/uploads/2020/03/EPB-59-francesca_final.pdf?type=pdf) - Council conclusions with EU negotiating strategy (https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/59789/st13994-en22.pdf?utm_source=dsms-auto&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Council+sets+out+EU+position+for+UN+climate+summit+in+Sharm+El-Sheikh+%28COP27%29)

13. 

    6 Apr 2024

    Understanding Europe: All About CERiM

    Understanding Europe is a new podcast series produced by the Maastricht Diplomat, in collaboration with CERiM. Throughout the 10 episodes, Charelle and Brendan will interview experts from CERiM to dig deeper into the various research done on the EU, but also on Europe at large.  The monthly podcast series aims to contextualize and unpack local dynamics within EU member states but also international dynamics between EU and its neighboring regions. In this pilot episode, All About CERiM, Brendan and Charelle interview the Co-director Dr. Giselle Bosse, Associate Professor in EU external relations at FASoS, to talk about the who, the how, the what, and the why of CERiM. Sources mentioned in the episode: 1- Youtube link to the Euro-Arab Conversation Lecture Series (https://bit.ly/3TcOUqW). 2- To register for the JM Lecture with EVP Margrether Vestager on the 8th of November, click here (https://bit.ly/3CK6DPi) [link expired]. 3- CERiM website (https://cerim.maastrichtuniversity.nl/) 4- CERiM Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/UM_CERiM/).

Contact Understanding Europe

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.