East-West Coffee Shop

YGLN member Lyric Jain, who has founded the fact-checking app Logically in 2017, has joined this episode of the East West Coffee Shop. Together with Nikita Gryazin he discusses the implications of disinformation campaigns for our societies, and explains the most recent fake news patterns when it comes to elections in the US, Germany and France as well as COVID-19 vaccines. Drawn into the field by a tragic encounter with health misinformation in his family, Lyric has early on in his career focused on the impact of misleading information and the negative consequences thereof. In this episode, he addresses the historical evolution of the concept of fake news and what it means today. And he sheds light on how societies are nowadays struggling with the malicious influence of actors who have access to increasingly sophisticated technological means. To round up, Lyric gives us some guidance on what we as ordinary users can do to protect ourselves better from misinformation. His advice: "Be skeptical, but in moderation. Look at the 'who', 'what' and 'why'."

YGLN member Katarina Kertysova and ELN Senior Associated Fellows Nick Williams and Simon Lunn have joined this episode of the East West Coffee Shop to talk about the NATO Summit on June 14 and about the new/updated Strategic Concept. They address what topics will be high on the agenda and how the recommendations made by the Secretary General, the reflection group and the NATO 2030 Young Leaders might feed into the process of finding consensus among nations.

YGLN members Maria Shagina and Agathe Demarais have joined the East West Coffee Shop for an episode on the issue of Western sanctions towards Russia. They are addressing the new executive order signed by the Biden administration in April, as well as EU sanctions imposed under the new Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime which was established by the Council in December 2020. This episode will look at whether the new sanctions imposed on Russia are mostly symbolic or whether they are suited to reach the desired effect to deter Russia's harmful activities such as interference in elections, cyber attacks and human rights violations. How well, on the other hand, is the Kremlin positioned to cope with these new sanctions? Finally, we cannot speak about sanctions without addressing Nord Stream 2 and the fate of the disputed gas pipeline and how far Germany will go to safe the project.

Alex Gabuev speaks about current trends in U.S.-Russia relations. His take in a nutshell: It probably gets worse before it gets worse! Likewise, we are likely to see much more competition than cooperation between these two players, although there are still low-hanging fruits like in the field of arms control. But other battlegrounds like cyberspace, interference in elections, the Nawalny case and Ukraine make relations rocky. For Team Biden, which comes with highly skilled and dedicated personnel, this means for the foreseeable future that the job is more about managing multiple problems than about solving them all. Furthermore, Alex addresses Russia-China relations and whether the U.S. election pushes Beijing and Moscow closer to each other. Alex Gabuev is a Senior Fellow with Carnegie Moscow Center and a member of the YGLN.

In this episode of the East-West Coffee Shop, we’re joined by Roger Hilton who will take a close look at the new personnel in the White House and how much emphasis will be given to Euro-Atlantic security. Roger addresses what the U.S.’s engagement with NATO partners will look like and why, besides the importance of tackling traditional military issues, other topics such as climate security are moving up the agenda. Going one step further, we will hear from Roger what will happen with relations between Moscow and Washington and whether we will see an increased U.S. engagement in the Eastern partnership region where a number of conflicts have flared up in 2020, adding to the existing fragility of this geographical area. Roger is a member of the Younger Generation Leaders Network (YGLN).

In this episode of the East-West Coffee Shop, Liana Fix addresses whether the Biden administration is likely to take a tougher stance on Moscow in some areas, and where there is still room for cooperation in others. While US-Russia relations might remain difficult with regards to Ukraine, Nord Stream 2, cyber attacks and Russia’s global influence, Washington will probably seek closer cooperation with the Kremlin on arms control and strategic stability, the JCPOA and climate change. However, the future positioning of the new German chancellor and the French presidential election in 2022 will also have important implications for West-Russia relations. Liana Fix is a member of the Younger Generation Leaders Network.

In the latest episode of the East-West Coffee Shop, Gent Salihu provides a perspective from Kosovo on the results of the 2021 parliamentary elections and addresses how US-Kosovo relations might change with the new Biden administration. Gent Salihu is member of the Younger Generation Leaders Network.

In the first episode of the East-West Coffee Shop podcast, European Leadership Network (ELN) Policy Fellow Ben Challis sits down to discuss the developing situation in Belarus following the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been described as the last dictator in Europe. Joining Ben from Minsk is YGLN member & Director of the Minsk Dialogue Council Yauheni Preiherman and Katia Glod, a Non-Resident Fellow at The Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). Read the latest ELN policy brief on Belarus from Ben Challis here. Follow the YGLN on Twitter  Follow the ELN on Twitter and Facebook