Midterm Elections with Sean Tonner

In this episode of .think atlantic, IRI’s Thibault Muzergues is joined by Saqib Bhatti to talk about the politics of diversity. Saqib Bhatti is the Conservative MP for Meriden, and has been an MP continuously since 12 December 2019. What does the UK and the Conservative study case show us about the politics of minority? Why is it that minority voters no longer go only to the left? Why are minority voters attracted by Conservative parties around the transatlantic space? Is there any point at which the promotion of diversity becomes a problem? Listen for answers to these questions and more in this episode. Find Saqib Bhatti on Twitter @bhatti_saqib Find Thibault Muzergues on Twitter @tmuzergues Find .think atlantic on Twitter @ThinkAtlantic Find IRI on Twitter @IRIglobal

9 Okt 202240min

In this special pre-election episode of .think atlantic, IRI’s Thibault Muzergues is joined by two in-house Bosnia experts, IRI Deputy Program Director Amila Karacic and Resident Program Director Borislav Spasojevic to discuss the political landscape of the country and how upcoming elections can affect the region after October 2. Amila has served IRI since 2011, holding residence in Sarajevo. Her wide range of focus includes political party work, women’s empowerment programs, examining malign foreign influence as well as reconciliation programs and cross community engagement in Bosnia. Borislav has been with IRI since 2005 and is based in Sarajevo. and has played an essential role in the development and implementation of IRI’s Political Party Assistance program in BiH, which resulted in the formation of the Women’s Caucus in the House of Representatives of the Federation Parliament. What is the political system in Bosnia, and what makes it more complicated than other countries? What are the pressing issues of each campaign? Are there any issues that cross ethnic borders? Where do the parties stand regarding the possible reformation of the electoral system? To what extent is Russia involved in the destabilization of Bosnia and the region, and what can be done to counter these efforts? Listen for answers to these questions and more in this special pre-election episode. Find Amila Karacic on Twitter @AmilaKaracic Find Borislav Spasojevic on Twitter @borkospas Find Thibault Muzergues on Twitter @tmuzergues Find Think Atlantic on Twitter @ThinkAtlantic Find IRI on Twitter @IRIglobal

27 Sep 202246min

In this episode of .think atlantic, IRI’s Thibault Muzergues is joined by French journalist Laure Mandeville. Laure Mandeville is reporter for the newspaper Le Figaro where she follows international politics – among her many fascinating postings, she was Le Figaro’s correspondent in the United States in the 2010s. She also published this year a new book called Les Révoltés d’Occident, the West’s rebels, which takes a wide look at the phenomenon of political disruption across the Transatlantic space. What are the recurrent themes and policies that feed populism? What are the issues that make people follow the populists? What makes the difference between the successful and the unsuccessful disruptors? How to approach left-wing disruption? Why is it that disruptors are fascinated with Putin, and what are Putin’s motives for supporting them? Listen for answers to these questions and more in this episode. Find Laure Mandeville on Twitter @lauremandeville Find Thibault Muzergues on Twitter @tmuzergues Find .think atlantic on Twitter @ThinkAtlantic Find IRI on Twitter @IRIglobal

18 Sep 202253min

In this episode of .think atlantic, IRI’s Thibault Muzergues is joined by Arvid Hallén, Program Director at Oikos, a Swedish conservative think tank, to discuss the forthcoming elections in Sweden. Arvid Hallén is an expert on geopolitics with a specialization on energy policy. He has previously worked as editorial writer, consultant and analyst and is still a regular political commentator in Swedish media. Arvid defines himself as a conservative Keynesian, an Atlanticist and a fan of the idea of a property-owning democracy. Is Sweden a 'socialist paradise'? How to explain the rise of opposition parties in the past few weeks? Are Sweden Democrats ready to enter a governing coalition? Will Sweden continue to be a frugal state at the EU level? Which are the repercussions of upcoming accession to NATO for Sweden and the Baltic Sea region? Listen for answers to these questions and more in this episode. Find Arvid Hallén on Twitter @hallen_a Find Oikos on Twitter @Oikos_org Find Thibault Muzergues on Twitter @tmuzergues Find .think atlantic on Twitter @ThinkAtlantic Find IRI on Twitter @IRIglobal

4 Sep 202239min

In this episode of .think atlantic, IRI’s Thibault Muzergues is joined by Dalibor Rohac, a resident scholar at the American Enterprises Institute, to discuss the ramifications of globalism and its intersections with nationalism. Dalibor Rohac is senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he studies European political and economic trends, US-EU relations, and the post-Communist transitions and backsliding of countries in the former Soviet bloc. In addition, he is also a research associate at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies in Brussels and a fellow at the Anglo-American University in Prague. How can we view globalism today? How have recent events impacted globalization and its role? What are the effects of nationalism on globalism and how can the two function concurrently? Listen for answers to these questions and more in this episode. Find Dalibor Rohac on Twitter @DaliborRohac Find Thibault Muzergues on Twitter @tmuzergues Find .think atlantic on Twitter @ThinkAtlantic Find IRI on Twitter @IRIglobal

10 Jul 202247min

In this episode of .think atlantic, IRI’s Thibault Muzergues is joined by Sergio Nazzaro to talk about an institution that has a very real impact on Italian life: the Mafia. Sergio is an Italian investigative journalist who focuses on organized crime: He also has written books on both the Italian and African mafias including "Fort Alamo: Nigerian Crime and Human Trafficking". In addition to writing, he is currently Spokesman for the President of the Anti-Mafia parliamentary commission and the Spokesman for Italy's Deputy Minister of the Interior. What is the Mafia? How has it emerged? How did it become and international and transnational entity? Is organized crime a growing phenomenon in the world? What could be our strategies to put mafia(s) on the backburner? Listen for answers to these questions and more in our special anniversary episode looking back at two pivotal times in transatlantic history . Find Jan Surotchak on Twitter @sergio_nazzaro Find Thibault Muzergues on Twitter @tmuzergues Find .think atlantic on Twitter @ThinkAtlantic Find IRI on Twitter @IRIglobal

26 Jun 202239min

In this episode of .think atlantic, IRI’s Thibault Muzergues is joined by IRI’s Senior Director for Transatlantic Strategy, Jan Surotchak, to reflect on the anniversaries of two historic speeches: the 75th anniversary of the Marshall Plan Speech and the 40th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s Westminster Speech. Jan Surotchak began his career with IRI in 1994. As Senior Director, he focuses on key threats to the alliance of democratic societies in the Transatlantic space. Jan has extensive experience working in election observation missions world-wide, and even served for five terms as city counselor for his native Penn Argyll in Pennsylvania. What parallels can be drawn from the legacies of both speeches? How are the concepts presented in the Marshall Plan applicable to Ukraine? How can the international community foster democracy in the 21st century? Listen for answers to these questions and more in our special anniversary episode looking back at two pivotal times in transatlantic history . Find Jan Surotchak on Twitter @jansurotchak Find Thibault Muzergues on Twitter @tmuzergues Find .think atlantic on Twitter @ThinkAtlantic Find IRI on Twitter @IRIglobal

12 Jun 202243min

In this episode of .think atlantic, IRI’s Thibault Muzergues is joined by Velina Tchakarova, Arvid Hallén and Philippe Charlez to talk about energy security over the transatlantic space. To delve into these topics, Thibault has a range of experts in this space on the show today. Velina Tchakarova is Director of the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy in Vienna. Arvid Hallén is Program Director at Oikos, a Swedish conservative think tank. And Philippe Charlew is an energy expert from the Sapiens Institute. How are Austria, Sweden and France coping with the reducing of dependency on Russian gas? Is Energy independence possible for Europe? How to conciliqte energy security and environmental transition? Listen for answers to these questions and more in this Transatlantic Energy Roundtable themed episode. Find Velina Tchakarova on Twitter @vtchakarova Find Arvid Hallén on Twitter @hallen_a Find Thibault Muzergues on Twitter @tmuzergues Find .think atlantic on Twitter @ThinkAtlantic Find IRI on Twitter @IRIglobal

30 Mai 202250min