War & Peace

In this episode of War & Peace, Olga and Elissa speak with Crisis Group’s senior Ukraine analyst, Lucian Kim, about how the war in Ukraine is evolving and what is happening with diplomatic efforts to end it. They discuss recent developments along Ukraine’s front lines, how Kyiv is adapting on the battlefield and the mood among Ukrainians. They assess the recent Istanbul talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations and the prospects for follow-on negotiations. They discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s involvement and the takeaways from his recent phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They also explore the prospect of a U.S. withdrawal of support for Ukraine and the possible responses of European leaders to fill the gap.For more, check out our Ukraine country page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of War & Peace, Olga and Elissa talk with Crisis Group’s Latin America program director Renata Segura and senior Colombia analyst Elizabeth Dickinson. They unpack the evolving landscape of narcotics trafficking in Latin America and how the violent crime it fuels is affecting communities across the continent. They explore why, more than 50 years after the U.S. declared a “war on drugs”, law enforcement efforts to dismantle criminal networks have failed to deliver lasting results. They also discuss how the EU can support its Latin American partners in pursuing alternative strategies to curb drug-related violence beyond military-led crackdowns, at a time when such crime is also rising in European cities.For more, check out our recent report “Curbing Violence in Latin America’s Drug Trafficking Hotspots”, our visual explainer “How a New Drug Trafficking Landscape Fuels Violence in Latin America”, and our Latin America regional page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of War & Peace, Olga and Elissa speak with Berkay Mandıracı, Crisis Group’s senior Türkiye analyst, about Ankara’s evolving role in Syria following the Assad regime’s collapse and about the apparent progress of efforts to resolve the conflict between Türkiye and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). They examine Türkiye’s relations with Hei’at Tahrir al-Sham, the new rulers in Syria, and what Ankara stands to gain from the shifting political landscape in its neighbouring country. They assess the situation in north-eastern Syria, where tensions remain high between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA). They also discuss whether the latest attempts to end the decades-long conflict between Türkiye and the PKK have a real chance of success, as well as Ankara’s regional ambitions amid rapidly changing security dynamics in Europe.For more, check out Berkay’s latest op-ed, co-authored with colleague Dareen Khalifa, “Turkey’s tightrope in post-Assad Syria”, and Crisis Group’s page “Türkiye’s PKK Conflict: A Visual Explainer”, and our Europe & Central Asia and Middle East regional pages. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of War & Peace, Olga Oliker speaks with Lucian Kim, Crisis Group’s Senior Ukraine analyst, about his new book “Putin’s Revenge: Why Russia Invaded Ukraine”. They reflect on Lucian’s decades-long career as a journalist covering pivotal political events in Russia and Ukraine, from Ukraine’s 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2014 Euromaidan protests to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. They explore Moscow’s increasingly strained relations with Kyiv and Western capitals, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s shift from a pragmatic leader to an increasingly authoritarian strongman, and what led to his decision to launch the deadliest conflict in Europe since the Second World War. They also discuss which lessons Western policymakers should draw to better engage with Ukraine and Russia to secure European security in the future.For more, be sure to check out Lucian’s book “Putin’s Revenge: Why Russia Invaded Ukraine”, our latest Q&A “Mobilisation, Peacemaking and Deterrence in Ukraine”, and our Ukraine country page.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of War & Peace, Olga and Elissa are joined by Tbilisi-based journalist Joshua Kucera to discuss Georgia’s contested parliamentary elections and the prospects for the country and its breakaway regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia. They look at what explains the electoral success of the ruling Georgian Dream party, what’s behind allegations of vote rigging and why the opposition has struggled to mobilise its support base in the aftermath of the polls. They explore Tbilisi’s shifting relations with Moscow and Brussels, focusing on why the war in Ukraine and politics in the South Caucasus have driven Georgia away from the project of Western integration. They also examine the recent unrest in Abkhazia, the complicated relations among Georgia, the breakaway regions and Russia, and the EU’s future as a mediator and monitor in the region. For more, check out Joshua’s New York Times op-ed “This Country Turned Against the West, and It’s Not Coming Back”, Crisis Group’s commentary “Georgia: How to Tread Carefully and Preserve the EU’s Diplomatic Role” and our Georgia country page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first episode of a new season of War & Peace, Olga and Elissa talk with Konul De Moor, Crisis Group’s consulting South Caucasus Analyst, about the difficult path toward peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan after Baku gained full control of Karabakh following a lightning offensive in September last year. They discuss the obstacles Baku faces in integrating Karabakh, including managing the return of displaced people and large-scale demining needs. They assess the peace process between Baku and Yerevan, the remaining sticking points to a deal and whether there is still a risk of an armed escalation between the two sides. They unpack the changing role of outside actors in the South Caucasus, including Russia’s struggle to maintain a foothold in the region and prospects for normalisation between Türkiye and Armenia. They also explore what roles Western powers can play in bringing Armenia and Azerbaijan closer to a peace agreement. Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.For more about the topics discussed in this episode, check out our Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of War & Peace, Olga and Elissa speak with Lucian Kim, senior Ukraine analyst at Crisis Group, about how perspectives on the war in Ukraine are evolving in Kyiv and Washington and how both capitals grapple with the prospect of a long war as the U.S. heads for elections. They speak about what has changed in Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion and how much unity there is among Ukrainian society and its leadership over the trajectory of the war. They unpack Ukraine’s new mobilisation law, how it is received by the military and ordinary citizens and whether it will have a substantial effect on the country’s war effort. They also assess where Washington’s Ukraine policy might be headed amid divisions in Congress over continued military support for Kyiv, how big of a role the war has played in the run-up to the U.S. elections and how Ukrainians view the prospect of a second Trump presidency. For more about the topics discussed in this episode, check out our reports Ukraine: How to Hold the Line and A Fraught Path Forward for Ukraine’s Liberated Territories and our Q&A An Embattled Kyiv Looks for Aid in the Diplomatic Arena. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.