Politics on Point: Recent Episodes
AIES
Politics on Point - The Security Podcast to Go.
For over 20 years (est. 1996), the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES) is researching on various issues regarding the European Union and the European Integration Process.
In doing so, the focus lies on European Security and Defence Policy with regards to the European Neighbourhood Policy, transatlantic relations as well as the Austrian Foreign-, European and Security Policy.
The AIES is not only doing research on these subject areas, but also provides demand-oriented analysis and recommendations for contract partners. It is also organizing internal workshops, training courses and public discussions. In the course of this interdisciplinary work the AIES team of experts is using a network of research, political, economic, social and military institutions, facilities of the civil society, the media as well as international organisations.
In the second episode of the Transatlantic Talks series, we explore the potential impact of the upcoming US presidential elections on transatlantic relations. This episode, originally a virtual video discussion held on September 3, 2024, features an expert panel moderated by David Kirsch. The discussion includes:
- Elmar Theveßen, Washington Bureau Chief for ZDF
- Julius van de Laar, political consultant
- Knut Dethlefsen, project director at the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Brussels
- Sergey Lagodinsky, Member of the European Parliament, Greens/EFA
- Paul Aigner, US election analyst
The panel delves into Kamala Harris’s campaign following Joe Biden's resignation, the significance of her running mate Tim Walz, and the implications for US-European relations. Key insights focus on the importance of swing states, the influence of key demographics, and concerns about possible unrest following a close election.
This special series is conducted in partnership with YATA Austria, the Young Transatlantic Initiative, and supported by the U.S. Embassy in Vienna.
In this inaugural episode of the Transatlantic Talks series, we explore the future of Europe’s defence strategy amidst an evolving transatlantic security landscape. Featuring special guest Michael Kofman, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, this episode delves into NATO’s strategic priorities following the war in Ukraine and the inclusion of Finland and Sweden in the alliance. Join host Michael Zinkanell, Director of the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES), as they discuss the challenges of European military investment, NATO's regional defence initiatives, and the broader implications for the U.S.-Europe relationship.
This special series is conducted in partnership with YATA Austria and the Young Transatlantic Initiative, and supported by the U.S. Embassy in Vienna.
In this episode, AIES Research Fellow Livia Benko is in conversation with Kwame Owino, Chief Executive Officer of the International Institute of Economic Affairs Kenya (IEA), to discuss the current state of EU-AU relations against the background of dramatic changes in the international system - above all the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In this episode, AIES Director Michael Zinkanell is in conversation with Choi Shing Kwok, Director and Chief Executive Officer of the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, to discuss the current state of EU-ASEAN relations against the background of dramatic changes in the international system - above all the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In this episode, AIES Research Associate Nick Nieschalke is in conversation with Max Bergmann, the director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and the Stuart Center in Euro-Atlantic and Northern European Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), to discuss the current state of transatlantic relations against the background of dramatic changes in the international system - above all the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In this episode, AIES Associate Fellow Lawrence Kettle is in conversation with Una Aleksandra Bērziṇa-Čerenkova, Head of the Political Science PhD programme and the Director of the China Studies Centre at Riga Stradins University, to discuss current challenges and developments in EU-China relations. This episode is the first in a 4-part special series on the EU as a global actor. Future episodes of this series will focus on the EU's relations with the United States, ASEAN, as well as the African Union. This special series is conducted in partnership with the Multilateral Dialoge Vienna of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
In the final episode of the special series on US-Europe relations, AIES Director Velina Tchakarova talked to Dakota Wood, Senior Research Fellow for Defense Programs at the Heritage Foundation, about the prospects of and the West's preparedness for a next Great War.
In the sixth episode of the special series on US-Europe relations, AIES Deputy Director Michael Zinkanell talked to Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security, about the broad spectrum of emerging threats to US and EU security and how the transatlantic community could become more resilient going forward.
In the fifth episode of the special series on US-EU relations, AIES Senior Research Fellow Sofia-Maria Satanakis talked to Benjamin Haddad, Director of the Europe Center at the Atlantic Council in Washington D.C., about the US perspective on European defence efforts and integration.
In the fourth episode of the special series on US-Europe relations, AIES Director Velina Tchakarova talked to Dr. Andrew Michta, Dean of the College of International and Security Studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, about the global order and transatlantic cooperation in the face of challenges posed by China and Russia.
In the third episode of the special series on US-Europe relations, AIES project manager Katrin Süss talks to Nathaniel O. Keohane, President of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), about Climate Diplomacy and the role that the US and Europe have to play in the international effort against climate change.
In the second episode of the special series on US-Europe relations, Christoph Schwarz, Research Fellow at the AIES, talks to Rachel Rizzo, Director of Programs at the Truman Center, on how NATO is living up to the internal and external challenges that the Alliance is facing in the 21st century.
In the first episode of the special series on US-Europe relations, AIES president Dr. Werner Fasslabend is in a conversation with the author, professor, and scholar Stanley R. Sloan about the first hundred days of the Biden administration. Sloan, expert on transatlantic relations and US foreign policy, shares his insights about the possible implications of President Joe Biden for the US, Europe, and the world at large.
In this episode, Julia Schuetze and Rebecca Beigel from the Berlin-based think tank Stiftung Neue Verantwortung (SNV) join AIES deputy director Michael Zinkanell in a discussion about the relevance and benefits of cyber-security exercises in effectively countering threats in this domain.
In the seventh episode of the AIES Politics on Point Podcast, AIES Senior Research Fellow Sofia-Maria Satanakis and AIES Project Coordinator Katrin Süss share their findings about the shift in Turkey's Foreign Policy based on their recent publication on this matter.
In the second of two episodes about EU trends in 2021, AIES experts Katrin Süss, Sofia-Maria Satanakis, and Christoph Schwarz explore the EU's recovery from Covid-19, European security and defence, as well as the developments in global and European space affairs.
In the first of two episodes about EU trends in 2021, AIES experts Velina Tchakarova, Michael Zinkanell, and Livia Benko explore the geopolitical macro-developments, European integration in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the regional stability in and around Europe.
In the fourth episode of the AIES podcast Politics on Point, AIES-expert Michael Zinkanell shares his knowledge on the strategies, goals, and consequences of online disinformation campaigns. He furthermore discusses what we as a democratic society can do, in order to become more resilient in the face of deliberate attacks on the legitimacy and trust in our institutions.
In the third episode of the AIES Podcast, Velina Tchacharova, Head of the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy, shares her insights on the underlying transformative processes and changing power structures in the Global System, discussing the trends that will shape the next decade in international relations.
While the Covid-19 crisis has not induced a restructuring of Sino-Austrian relations, it might intensify Austria’s European engagement regarding China. Austria might hence be impelled to continue on a national level its policy of neutrality and non-confrontational approach towards China but increase its engagement on a European level.
Sofia-Maria Satanakis, Research Fellow at the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy, and Lucas Erlbacher discuss the state of the Austria-China relation during the Covid-19 crisis. Lucas Erlbacher is the author of the Austrian Chapter in the Special Report ‘Covid-19 and Europe-China Relations’ by the European Think-Tank Network on China (ETNC).
To read the special ETNC report visit: https://www.aies.at/publikationen/2020/covid19-eu-china-relation.php
Sofia-Maria Satanakis, Research Fellow at the Austria Institute for European and Security Policy, talks with AIES Intern and co-author of the AIES Fokus Paper "Space Race 2.0 - Renewed Great Power Competition in the Earth's Orbit", Christoph Schwarz, about the increasing militarisation of outer space. Also, Sebastien Moranta from the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) joins the conversation to provide a deeper insight about military space activities at EU level.