Best Andrej Matisak Podcasts (2024)

1
How is Russia moving oil through the Mediterranean and what to possibly do about it 28:41

30m ago28:41

28:41

This is a special episode of my podcast as I have more than one guest for the first time. And not two, but three. I talked to Alessio Armenzoni, an Associate Fellow at the London-based Open Source Centre, Giangiuseppe Pili, an Assistant Professor at the Intelligence Analysis Program at James Madison University and Gary Kessler, the president of Gar…

1
Paris Olympics: The main security threat is jihadi terrorism. And what about Russia? 17:51

1h ago17:51

17:51

The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris is the biggest sports event of the year. It will attract fans from around the world but, unfortunately, it also attracts terrorists of all kinds. So what are the main threats France is facing? I talked to Lucas Webber who is a Co-Founder of MilitantWire.com and a Research Fellow at the Soufan Center and he is mostl…

1
What's next for political violence in the US after Trump's assassination attempt? 26:34

1h ago26:34

26:34

"Let's hope that this is the end of the story of political violence in the 2024 election cycle. But my suspicion is it's not the end it's the beginning or the middle and we have more to come". This is what a Research Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Jacob Ware said to me when I asked him about what's next for the US after the assass…

1
From Ceausescu's Romania to NATO: How Oana Lungescu rewrote the history of the Alliance 18:29

6d ago18:29

18:29

We met many times, so I was really happy when Oana Lungescu agreed to the following interview. She is the longest-serving NATO Spokesperson, from 2010 to 2023, and the first woman and first journalist to hold the post. And, as she said, she was also the first person from the wrong side of the Iron Curtain in this position. We talked about her caree…

1
About NATO, Russia and why he stays optimistic about Ukraine even in the dark days. My conversation with General (Ret.) Mick Ryan 22:32

13d ago22:32

22:32

If you listen to my podcast The Global Agora you know Mick Ryan has been generous enough to appear on my show. He is a military strategist and retired Australian Army major general, so I again used this opportunity to talk about all things related to NATO and the Russian war against Ukraine. And while the days are dark, he says he stays optimistic.…

1
An electoral wipeout of Tories? All the things in the UK are now being seen as terrible 26:47

14d ago26:47

26:47

The United Kingdom general election takes place on July 4th. "All the things in the UK are now being seen as terrible," Professor Steven Fielding told me. He is an expert in British politics and modern political history and is currently writing a book analyzing the Labour Party since the 1970s. So is this going to be an electoral wipeout for the ru…

1
Early election in France: Is Macron's political maneuver foolish and shortsighted? 21:33

1M ago21:33

21:33

What's next for the European Union after the European Parliament election? Will Ursula von der Leyen continue as the President of the European Commission? And what to expect from France on the EU scene as President Emmanuel Macron announced the early election and it could lead to a far-right government? I talked to Professor Erik Jones, Director of…

1
Peace summit in Switzerland: What would be Ukraine's success? 20:17

1M ago20:17

20:17

On 15 and 16 June, Switzerland is organizing a Summit on Peace in Ukraine and about 90 countries and organizations will attend. Russia wasn't invited and Ukrainian analyst Julia Kazdobina explains why. She is a Visiting Fellow at The Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies and she heads the Ukrainian Foundation for Security Studies. So what w…

1
What is Putin afraid of? 21:32

2M ago21:32

21:32

What is Vladimir Putin afraid of? Should the West be concerned about Russian nuclear rhetoric? And what do current Putin's reshuffles and purges tell us about his regime? I talked to ⁠Andrei Soldatov⁠, a Russian investigative journalist, co-founder, and editor of Agentura.ru, a watchdog of the Russian secret services’ activities. He is also a nonre…

1
Is the junta in Myanmar losing? 17:05

2M ago17:05

17:05

I talked to Aung Myo Min, Minister of Human Rights in the National Unity Government of Myanmar. Our interview was conducted at the CEE-Asia Forum in Bratislava organized by the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (⁠CEIAS⁠) and Slovak Foreign Policy Association (⁠SFPA⁠). We talked about whether the junta in Myanmar is losing, the role of Rus…

1
What advice should Xi Jinping follow regarding Taiwan? 16:41

2M ago16:41

16:41

I just returned from a one-week-long visit to Taiwan and this podcast is one of the results of spending a few days there. I talked to Lev Nachman, a political scientist, Assistant Professor at National Chengchi University in Taipei, and a co-author of the book Taiwan: A Contested Democracy Under Threat. We discussed the domestic political dynamic a…

1
Can Russia's intelligence services help install an American president? 24:10

2M ago24:10

24:10

Alex Finley is a former officer of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, where she served in West Africa and Europe. She has penned three satires about the CIA: Victor in the Rubble, Victor in the Jungle, and Victor in Trouble. Satire about the CIA? In my view, the agency definitely deserves this kind of genre but still, I ask Alex why she chose it.…

1
Does the West really think about how it can supply Ukraine in the next two or three years of the war? 29:33

3M ago29:33

29:33

Let's assume the West finds the magic pink castle in Hollywood, where all the stuff is stored that Ukrainians need and immediately transfers it on the magic carpet to Kyiv. Even with this, Ukraine would still have a problem. This is what Gustav Gressel said to me when we spoke about the situation on the frontline. He is a Senior Policy Fellow with …

1
About what is Ukraine facing and why we have to talk about the worst scenario. General (Ret.) Mick Ryan explains 23:57

3M ago23:57

23:57

What is Ukraine facing? What is Russia learning? Is it possible that Ukraine will lose the war as soon as this year? Mick Ryan⁠ is a military strategist and retired Australian Army major general and he explains why we have to talk about the worst scenario. We also discussed Ukraine's mobilization efforts and demography, and what the West has to do …

1
Ukraine's expert: The dilemma is whether we are saving territory or personnel 26:19

3M ago26:19

26:19

Volodymyr Dubovyk is an Associate Professor in the Department of International Relations and Director of the Center for International Studies at Odesa I. Mechnikov National University. We talked about the US aid for Ukraine, how others need to step up, the difficult situation on the battlefield, and Ukraine's mobilization efforts. I also asked him …

1
How close or far is the US from a civil war? 28:51

3M ago28:51

28:51

How close or far is the US from a civil war? This was my question for Jay Ulfelder, a political scientist who works as a Research Project Manager at the Nonviolent Action Lab at the Harvard Kennedy School. From 2001 until 2011, he served as Research Director for the Political Instability Task Force, a US Government-funded program that aims to help …

1
What's next for the Middle East after Iran attacks Israel? 15:32

4M ago15:32

15:32

Iran has hit Israel with up to 350 drones and ballistic and cruise missiles. Most of them were destroyed by the air defense as Israel's allies helped also. So what will follow after this unprecedented attack? How far is the Middle East from the big regional war? I talked to ⁠James Dorsey⁠, a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute of the Nationa…

1
My conversation with Maria Avdeeva from Kharkiv: Her city is constantly attacked. Will Russia also try the ground offensive? 23:02

4M ago23:02

23:02

I'm talking to Maria Avdeeva from Kharkiv from the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion. She is a security expert and I remember her telling me she wants to inform the world about what's going on in her country. And Maria is doing it all the time! This time we talk about how her city is constantly attacked and if we can expect a Russian gro…

1
NATO is a success story, but as Alliance turns 75 can it also face demise? 33:03

4M ago33:03

33:03

NATO is a success story, but as Alliance turns 75 can it also face demise? Over seven decades, what is the brightest hour, and what about the most problematic moment of NATO? And is Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk right when he says Europe could be in the pre-war era as Russia continues with its aggression against Ukraine? I talked to John Deni, …

1
Is counterterrorism cooperation with Russia possible? 24:14

4M ago24:14

24:14

Russia was attacked by Islamic State but Moscow is trying to shift the blame and is spreading conspiracy theories about Ukraine's involvement. The Kremlin is lying despite the severity of the threat as on March 22nd, extremists killed 143 people in the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk in the Moscow Oblast. So is counterterrorism cooperation with Rus…

1
Should the West try to turn China and India against Russia? 20:27

4M ago20:27

20:27

Should the West try to turn China and India against Russia? What is the most visible impact of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on EU-Asia relations? And how close is China to Russia? I discussed those questions with Michael Raiterer. He is a Distinguished Professor at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS) of the Brussels…

1
Autocratic tendencies, pro-Russian rhetoric and presidential elections. What's going on in Slovakia? 26:41

5M ago26:41

26:41

This time, I talked to Slovak political scientist ⁠Pavol Baboš⁠ from the Department of Sociology at Comenius University in Bratislava. We discussed the incoming presidential elections in Slovakia and the two clear favorites. The Speaker of the Parliament Peter Pellegrini and the former foreign minister Ivan Korčok. The first round of the elections …

1
Will Ursula von der Leyen be President of the European Commission again? 20:50

5M ago20:50

20:50

Will Ursula von der Leyen be President of the European Commission again? She has been confirmed as the European People's Party candidate to continue with her current job and it's pretty sure that the EPP will win the European Parliament elections in June. But... "For me, it's not obvious that she will stay," Policy Analyst from the European Policy …

1
Ukraine: What happened in two years of invasion, what might be next and will Western troops help Kyiv? 34:35

5M ago34:35

34:35

Toms Rostoks is a Director at the Centre for Security and Strategic Research at the National Defence Academy of Latvia and an Associate Professor at the University of Latvia. We tried to assess what happened in two years of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, to forecast what might be next but we also talked about the scenario that at least…

1
Death has already knocked on almost every door in Ukraine. My conversation with Oleksandra Matviichuk 25:41

5M ago25:41

25:41

Oleksandra Matviichuk is a Ukrainian human rights lawyer and head of the Center for Civil Liberties. Her organization was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. But, unfortunately, we talked about the war, about the Russian full-scale invasion that has already been ongoing for two years. "This is wishful thinking that Putin will stop. Putin openly …

1
How can Europe react to Trump's threats to NATO? 25:30

5M ago25:30

25:30

How can Europe react to Donald Trump's threats to NATO? There is a realistic scenario that the populist Republican can win the US presidential elections in November. What would it mean to NATO when Trump suggested that he would encourage Moscow to attack allies that are, as he said this, not paying bills? I talked to Edward Hunter Christie, a Senio…

1
Are we inching towards a big regional war in the Middle East? 22:34

6M ago22:34

22:34

Are we inching towards a big regional war in the Middle East? "What we see today is that two major unresolved issues are starting to interact with each other and could cause quite serious problems. One is, of course, the unresolved position of Iran. And the second problem is, of course, the unresolved issue of Palestine." This is what Erwin van Vee…

1
About films, actors, Indiana Jones, Richard Nixon and revenge: My conversation with Oscar director Bille August 21:06

6M ago21:06

21:06

Bille August is a Danish film and TV director and screenwriter. His movie Pelle the Conqueror won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Movie in 1988. He visited Bratislava for the festival of Scandinavian movies - SCANDI which introduced his movie The Kiss to the Slovak audience. And by chance, I've got an opportunity to interview him. So we talked …

1
What will Sweden bring to NATO and how can the Alliance and the EU prepare for a potential war with Russia? 21:43

6M ago21:43

21:43

Almost there. Sweden is now waiting only for a green light from Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán to become a member of NATO. But what will Stockholm bring to the Alliance? And how to prepare NATO and the EU for a potential war with Russia? According to Johan Norberg, a Senior Military Analyst from the Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI), the West needs …

1
Does Hungary's PM Viktor Orbán want to take over the European Council? 25:38

6M ago25:38

25:38

Does Hungary's PM Viktor Orbán want to take over the European Council? Charles Michel, the current President of the European Council, wants to run in June's EU elections, so there is a possibility that Orbán can replace him as Hungary starts its Presidency of the Council of the EU on July 1st. So what could be Orban's plan and how to deal with his …

1
US presidential primaries: Is Trump going to win the nomination and what if Biden says I'm not running? 28:43

7M ago28:43

28:43

The countdown to the US presidential elections starts with the party primaries. There is a clear favorite on the Republican side, but can Nikki Haley or Ron DeSantis threaten Donald Trump's position? And if Trump is the nominee, what does it tell us about how the current Republican party perceives democracy? I talked to J. Miles Coleman who is the …

1
What are the main military options Ukraine and Russia can still exploit? 20:47

7M ago20:47

20:47

⁠Franz-Stefan Gady⁠ is the founder and chief executive officer of Gady Consulting and a military analyst. From the beginning of the Russian aggression, he has frequently visited Ukraine and if you are regularly listening to my podcast The Global Agora, you know that I interviewed him a couple of times in the past. So I am glad Franz joined me for a…

1
Japan's admiral explains how his country would react to China's attack against Taiwan and how to prevent it 24:54

7M ago24:54

24:54

Tomohisa Takei is a retired Japanese admiral who served as the 32nd Chief of Staff of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force from 2014 to 2016. I had a chance to talk to him as he visited Bratislava in December. He explained how his country would react to China's attack against Taiwan, how to prevent it, and how is the Indo-Pacific region affected b…

1
Taylor Swift for American President? Unlikely, but... 18:48

7M ago18:48

18:48

Taylor Swift was named Person of the Year 2023 by Time. Does she deserve this? What makes her so special? Her skill as a musician? Her phenomenal commercial success? Does she already have a place among the best artists in the history of pop music? And can Taylor Swift run for the US President? I talked to Toby Koenigsberg, an Associate Professor of…

1
What to expect from the Republican primaries? Will it be Trump or can DeSantis or Haley still hope? 30:42

8M ago30:42

30:42

There is support in the US for Ukraine but the Republicans have decided that Americans are more concerned about the cost and the Biden administration, I must say, has been terrible in explaining why Ukraine is important. This is what Steffen Schmidt also known as Dr. Politics told me when we discussed upcoming Republican presidential primaries and …

1
Will Meloni compete with Orbán? And will her support for Ukraine continue? 25:49

8M ago25:49

25:49

Daniele Albertazzi is a Professor of Politics and Co-Director of the Centre for Britain and Europe at the University of Surrey. He is focusing on right-wing populism, Italian politics, political communication, and party organization. He reacted to one of my tweets and it led to our podcast discussion. We talked about the foreign and domestic polici…

1
Is Putin's regime too resilient and Trump too dangerous? My conversation with former US Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff 17:16

8M ago17:16

17:16

Is Vladimir Putin's regime surprisingly too resilient and does Donald Trump represent a clear and present danger to American democracy? I raised such questions with Michael Chertoff who was the second US Secretary of Homeland Security from 2005 to 2009. He just attended the ITAPA conference in Bratislava. We also discussed Ukraine-West relations an…

1
Is there a case for suspending Russia from the UN? And what can the UN do about Putin's war and the Gaza conflict? 20:34

8M ago20:34

20:34

Martin Edwards is a Professor in the School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University, where he teaches classes on International Organizations. So I asked him if we need the UN, if there is a case for suspending Russia from the UN as it wages a war against Ukraine, and what it can and can not do about the Gaza conflict. We a…

1
What can a war do to the artist? Ukrainian director talks about fighting Russians and making movies 24:53

8M ago24:53

24:53

What can a war do to the artist? I talked to the Ukrainian director Alisa Kovalenko about fighting Russians and making movies. She recently visited Slovakia and at the movie festival Jeden Svet - One World she presented her documentary We Will Not Fade Away which follows the lives of five teenagers from Donbas. Why does she say that she believes in…

1
About Zaluzhnyi's dose of reality (and stalemate), Ukraine's counteroffensive, and what we got wrong about Russia. My conversation with General (Ret.) Mick Ryan 22:23

9M ago22:23

22:23

Mick Ryan is a military strategist and retired Australian Army major general. He believes that the slow delivery of the Western weapon systems to Ukraine is one of the reasons why the Russians were able to build strong defensive lines. We discussed the successes and failures of Ukraine's counteroffensive, why he thinks that Commander-in-Chief of th…

1
Could Kadyrov replace Putin and would it lead to the break up of Russia? 24:35

9M ago24:35

24:35

On October 29th, an angry mob tried to hunt for Jews at Makhachkala’s Uytash International Airport, and the local authorities were caught off guard. How much does the events in Dagestan reflect the antisemitism of the Russian society? Are we going to witness similar incidents? I talked to Harold Chambers, an expert on the North Caucasus and a docto…

1
What are Russian ships in the Black Sea hiding and how to stop them? 30:33

9M ago30:33

30:33

If you haven't read this already, I would like to recommend a report from The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) titled: Greyzone Lawfare: Russia and the Voyages of the SPARTA IV. It shows how certain Russian vessels appear to continue regularly transiting the Bosporus with military materiel, in breach of international law. I talked to one of t…

1
What if Trump wins elections in 2024 but Vice President Harris says no? How would Trumpists react? 29:10

9M ago29:10

29:10

Can the Republicans govern and do they care about it? They have a majority in the House of Representatives, but at this moment they are unable to elect the Speaker of the House. The candidacy of Jim Jordan just bit the dust despite the endorsement from Donald Trump. But should somebody like Jordan be seriously considered to become the House Speaker…

1
Haiti: What can the UN-backed Kenya's security mission do about the power of the gangs? 21:31

10M ago21:31

21:31

How much is Haiti a functioning state in the situation where 300 gangs are active across the state and the government cannot enforce its authority in quite a few areas? Not to mention the widespread problem of kidnappings. All of this is happening as Haiti remains the poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean region. Can it be at least par…

1
If PiS wins the elections in Poland, could it lead to the creation of an illiberal front in the EU? 20:54

10M ago20:54

20:54

After Slovakia, in Central Europe, all eyes are on Poland. Poles vote in parliamentary elections on October 15th. The winner will be either the populist-conservative political alliance United Right led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski's Law and Justice party (PiS) or the center-right Civic Coalition that was formed around the Civic Platform of Donald Tusk. I …

1
Does Chancellor Scholz regret that he started to talk about Zeitenwende? 19:40

10M ago19:40

19:40

How can Europe build a new security architecture? Can it wait until the possible return of Donald Trump to the White House? Should the West abandon all self-imposed red-lines when helping Ukraine? And does German Chancellor Olaf Scholz regret that he started to talk about Zeitenwende? At the GLOBSEC event in Bratislava, I talked to Ulrich Schnecken…

1
Can Slovakia become the next Hungary and the Trojan horse of Russia in EU and NATO? 21:53

10M ago21:53

21:53

Slovak early elections will take place on September 30. It seems the winner will be either the left-wing populist Smer of former Prime Minister Robert Fico or liberal Progressive Slovakia. What does it mean for the country internally and externally? Can Slovakia become the next Hungary and the Trojan horse of Russia in the EU and NATO? I talked to …

1
NATO vs. Russia in Romania? What can/should the Alliance do in the Black Sea region? 27:49

11M ago27:49

27:49

Is Russia dangerously close to NATO? The drone incident in Romania shows it won't be wise to underestimate the situation. "Russia is escalating and testing NATO," Iulia-Sabina Joja thinks. She is a Senior Fellow and Director of Middle East Institute's Black Sea Program and she teaches European security as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown Universi…

1
Is the coup in Niger a pro-Russian coup? 21:53

11M ago21:53

21:53

Andrew Lebovich is a Research Fellow with Clingendael's Conflict Research Unit and also a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). When the coup in Niger happened at the end of July, he was doing research in this West African country. So I was really happy when he said yes to my request for an interview. I…

1
What is behind Republicans' rhetoric about sending military to Mexico? 28:26

11M ago28:26

28:26

The Republicans want to send the military to... Mexico? It was quite a prominent topic of the first presidential debate of the GOP candidates. So what is behind this rhetoric? Is Mexico a functioning state taking into account the strong presence of drug cartels that are shipping highly lethal fentanyl to the US? I talked to Vanda Felbab-Brown, a Di…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Andrej Matisak Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide