Latika Takes: The Podcast

This week Latika Takes: The Podcast is in The Hague, in the Netherlands, attending the annual conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC).Thanks for reading Latika Takes! This post is public so feel free to share it.Latika’s guest is Reinhard Bütikofer, one of the co-founding parliamentarians who established the IPAC six years ago. The former German Greens MEP discusses how the Alliance of parliamentarians from 46 countries formed to develop joint ways for democratic governments to push back against Chinese oversupply of goods like electric cars, overdependence on critical goods, and the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) coercive behaviour. Bütikofer explains the major shift taking place in Germany around the CCP’s attempt to deindustrialise Europe via state-subsidised dominance of manufactured goods and estimates that Europe has just five years left to act or be consigned to an economy ‘Made in China.’ He discusses why some Green movements do not take up the CCP’s human rights abuses as strongly as other progressive parties and calls on Europe to set a price on the consequences if President Xi Jinping moves on Taiwan. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.latikambourke.com/subscribe

This week Latika Takes: The Podcast is in Poland at the Warsaw Security Forum. Latika’s guest is Hanno Pevkur, who served as Estonia’s Defence Minister until last month. He discusses the need for Europeans to make good on their NATO defence spending commitments, whether Article 5 is valid, Estonia’s ambitions to acquire deep-strike capability and the war in Ukraine. He also discusses Russia’s increasing attacks and sabotage against European nations.Latika Takes is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.latikambourke.com/subscribe

This week Latika Takes: The Podcast is in New York at the United Nations General Assembly. Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong is Latika’s guest this week. She discusses Australia’s approach to the Pacific, whether China and the United States can be trusted not to destroy humanity through runaway AI and why Australia did not join the recent UK-led sanctions against goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Latika Takes is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.latikambourke.com/subscribe

his week Latika Takes: The Podcast is in Kyiv, Ukraine at the Yalta European Strategy (YES) Conference. Her guest is one of Ukraine’s most decorated and well-known military Commanders — Major Yuri Fedorenko, who is better known as ‘Achilles’ — also the name of the UAV brigade he commands from Kharkiv. Achilles speaks to Latika Bourke in Kyiv with the assistance of his wife, Maria Mezentseva, who is a Member of Ukraine’s Parliament. Achilles and Maria discuss the state of the war, the lessons for Europe and what it’s like to be parents as your country is in an existential war.Latika Takes is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.latikambourke.com/subscribe

This week Latika Takes: The Podcast is joined by Professor John Curtice.Professor Curtice discusses the change in the fault lines of UK politics driving the fragmentation of voters. Latika and John discuss whether Nigel Farage can become Prime Minister of the UK, whether the UK would vote for a black woman in Kemi Badenoch, after Kamala Harris’ failure in the United States and if the Keir Starmer political coup was to be expected.Latika Takes is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.latikambourke.com/subscribe

This week Latika Takes: The Podcast interviews Lieutenant General Matthew W. McFarlane, who is the Commanding General of I Corps from the recent LANPAC conference in Hawaii. They discuss drone warfare and what the lessons of the wars in Ukraine and Iran have meant for the Indo-Pacific. They also discuss the health of the alliance at the military-to-military level and whether the reported shortage of munitions is affecting US readiness in the Indo-Pacific. Thanks for reading Latika Takes! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.latikambourke.com/subscribe

This week Latika Takes: The Podcast is at the ONS Conference in Stavanger, Norway.The ONS Conference gathers Europe’s leading oil, gas and energy companies. This year, the mood was buoyant amid a slowing of public momentum for reaching net zero because of the energy shocks caused by the Iran and Ukraine wars. The IEA boss Fatih Birol even said coal could have a boost from the turbulent geopolitical climate. On behalf of ONS, I interviewed Christian Bruch, the CEO of Siemens Energy, about how he is pacing the energy transition in his company. He said under no circumstances should there be any shift towards accepting greater coal use in the mix. Mr Bruch served on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Business Advisory Council, and we also discussed his plans to help equip Ukraine with mobile energy units ahead of the next winter. He also expressed his strong support for military service. Latika Takes is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.latikambourke.com/subscribe

This week Latika Takes: The Podcast is in London speaking with Ben Judah , who served as special advisor to former UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Mr Judah discusses the UK’s relationships with China, Europe, the United States and his failed attempts to kickstart a new CANZUK club, comprising Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. He discusses his fears about the debate around UK Defence Spending, the credibility gap opening up in NATO and why the UK needs to borrow Australia’s model of government to be more effective in achieving its goals. This discussion references an article published by the Financial Times detailing leaked comments by the UK’s Ambassador to the US, Christian Turner, saying Israel was the UK’s only special relationship. Latika Takes is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.latikambourke.com/subscribe

This week Latika Takes: The Podcast is in Slough, the constituency of Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dheshi, who chairs the House of Commons Defence Select Committee. Mr Dhesi discusses the contents of his Committee’s recent review into AUKUS which found the program is ‘faltering.’ He says the program is ‘plodding along’ and needs a new push from the AUKUS leaders. He calls for an AUKUS visa, a dedicated envoy in each country to oversee the program as well as a boost in the UK’s defence spending.The AUKUS review can be found here: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/9068/aukus/This discussion also references this article and event.Latika Takes is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.latikambourke.com/subscribe

This week Latika Takes: The Podcast is in Odesa, Ukraine attending the Black Sea Security Forum.Latika’s guest is Nico Lange, who served as an advisor to former German Defence Minister AKK.Now, as founder of the think tank IRIS, he goes back and forth from the frontline in Ukraine and monitors the changing nature of warfare.In this episode, Latika and Nico discuss how Ukraine has made its gains in 2026, the ongoing failures of the West to adapt and enable Ukraine, whether the Europeans should negotiate with Vladimir Putin and NATO’s inability to protect its airspace from Russian drones.Latika Takes is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.latikambourke.com/subscribe