In this episode of "Think. Debate. Inspire." Pradnya Bivalkar talks to Bert Koenders about the political developments in Germany over the past few months, its implications for domestic, European politics and international relations. *NOTE: This episode was recorded before the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz openly criticized Israel for its actions in Gaza.*

References:

Politikverdrossenheit: disenchantment with political class and established political parties

Snap elections called in Germany: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-scholz-paves-the-way-for-snap-elections/a-71018939;

JD Vance at Munich Security Conference: https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/18/vance-speech-munich-full-text-read-transcript-europe/;

Zeitenwende : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeitenwende_speech;

SPD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Democratic_Party_of_Germany;

CDU : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Democratic_Union_of_Germany;

AfD : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_for_Germany;

Friedrich Merz's speech about his foreign policy aspirations (in German) : https://koerber-stiftung.de/mediathek/friedrich-merz-zu-aussen-und-europapolitischen-prioritaeten-fuer-deutschland/;

Debt brake revision : https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-bundestag-votes-in-favor-of-reforming-debt-brake/live-71956815;

Brandmauer : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firewall_against_the_far-right_in_Germany;

Highest election turnout in the 2025 federal elections : https://www.statista.com/statistics/753732/german-elections-voter-turnout/; https://www.dw.com/en/german-election-results-explained-in-graphics/a-71724186;

Friedrich Merz criticizes Israel : https://www.dw.com/en/how-has-israel-reacted-to-criticism-from-chancellor-merz/a-72706010;

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In this episode of "Think. Debate. Inspire." Pradnya Bivalkar talks to Bert Koenders, Mark Lowcock and Dapo Oyewole about the current state of the international order since President Trump took office. They also talk about the opportunities for the future of Europe-Africa relations in the light of these shifts in the international order.

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In this episode of Think. Debate. Inspire., Atje Drexler and Pradnya Bivalkar talk to Natalia Gavrilita about disinformation and Russian manipulation during elections, and how democracy is a constant work in progress that must be fought for.

*PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EPISODE WAS RECORDED BEFORE THE GERMAN FEDERAL ELECTIONS."

References:

Moldova's accession to the EU: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accession_of_Moldova_to_the_European_Union#:~:text=The%20accession%20of%20Moldova%20to,future%20enlargement%20of%20the%20EU.&text=Following%20an%20application%20by%20Moldova,EU%20on%2022%20June%202022.

Moldova Support Platform: https://gov.md/en/moldova-support-platform

Russian intereference in Moldovan elections (Zeit Artikel): https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2024-10/natalia-gavrilita-moldau-praesidentschaftswahl-eu-referendum-russland

Storm 1516, Doppelgänger, Matryoshka: https://www.dw.com/en/russian-disinformation-aims-to-manipulate-german-2025-election/a-71664788

Support to Moldovan wine industry by the USAID: https://md.usembassy.gov/usaid-launches-a-new-50-million-rural-competitiveness-and-resilience-activity-rcra/

Stolpersteine: https://www.stolpersteine.eu/en/

Berliner Dom Choir: https://www.berlinerdom.de/en/music/our-musicians/berlin-state-and-cathedral-choir/

Marianna Mazzucato: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariana_Mazzucato

Dani Rodrik: https://drodrik.scholar.harvard.edu/

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