Épisodes

  • Trump 2 and US realitywith Jodi Rudoren

    Trump 2 and US realitywith Jodi Rudoren
    Sep 5 2025
    The summer is over but it has hardly been a period of repose and relaxation: the world has continued in its turmoil, not least at the behest of the US. In moves that have often baffled traditional US allies, the current Trump administration has made brash moves claiming to be about Making America Great Again (MAGA) but which ultimately seemed to signify US retreat from global leadership. From attacks on science and education within the US to courting Vladimir Putin while alienating the EU, Canada and other western allies, it seems as if the current US administration is intent upon making real China and Russia’s wish for a multipolar world without a second, or indeed any thought.How do these changes manifest within the US? Is the external perspective even registering? Does it matter? And why does the Democratic Party seemingly find it so difficult to muster a response? To broach these questions and so much more Ilana Bet-El is joined by Jodi Rudoren, Editorial Director of Newsletters at the New York Times — and to be clear, there are 100 newsletters that reach over 17 million people! — in a lively and probing discussion into life, politics and ideas in the US in the second Trump administration.This episode was recorded on 4 September 2025MentionsJodi’s episode last SeptemberNewsletters at The New York Times: The Morning & DealBookFilm: I’m still hereChaptersThe current state of US Politics and newsThe erosion of trust in political systemsThe Democratic Party's struggles and future directionsEveryday life amidst political turmoilPerceptions of global enemiesThe Israel-Gaza situationGlobal leadership dynamicsFollowJodi Rudoren LinkedIn & X/TwitterInstagram @women_leaders_podcastOur new YouTube channel Our partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook, websiteIlana Bet-ElCreditsProduction: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat License code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJTContribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcastWatch now our episode on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    47 min
  • The South Caucasus Conundrum with Tinatin Japaridze

    The South Caucasus Conundrum with Tinatin Japaridze
    Jul 11 2025
    While the eyes of many have been on the US, Ukraine, Russia, Iran, Israel, Gaza, the wider Middle East and much more, the southern Caucasus, that collection of states composed of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, have been roiling between order and disorder - and attracting the attention of many power players. In Georgia, the Russia-backed government is cracking down on opposition leaders, while Armenia is in political disarray following Azerbaijan’s military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023.Traditionally the playground of Russia - either as the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union - all three states are currently in flux, attracting the attention of Turkey, the US and the EU. Russia, on the other hand, immersed in its insane war on Ukraine, has lost its grip. Apparently insignificant states and regions have a nasty habit of suddenly coming to the fore, dominating the agenda and changing geopolitical focus. The southern Caucuses may be ripe for such a twist, not least as the war in Ukraine drags on, dragging Russia ever further away from prosperity and regional domination.To understand these fascinating dynamics, Ilana Bet-El is joined by the excellent Tinatin Japaridze, Eurasia analyst at the Eurasia Group. With fascinating insights into each state and the region as a whole, she helps clarify why Russia is on a losing pitch in the South Caucasus, the West is on the up, democracy does not always deliver, and peace is necessary - if elusive.This episode was recorded 10 July 2025 and we will be back in September after a short summer break!MentionsJailing of opposition politicians in GeorgiaZangezur corridorNagorno-Karabakh conflictTinatin’s previous Women Leaders episodeFollowTinatin Japaridz LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Eurasia websiteHer book Stalin’s Millennials: Nostalgia, Trauma and Nationalism@women_leaders podcastOur partner ELN Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, websiteIlana Bet-ElCreditsProduction: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #UppbeatContribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcastWatch now our episode on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    41 min
  • A NATO Summit for “Daddy” with Kerry Buck & Muriel Domenach

    A NATO Summit for “Daddy” with Kerry Buck & Muriel Domenach
    Jun 27 2025
    The NATO summit in The Hague (24-25 June) will be recalled for a number of reasons: the allies, barring Spain, committed to raising their spending on defence to 5% of GDP by 2035, a sum deemed inconceivable before; there were no significant disagreements, not least because all allies went out of their way to ensure that US President Trump was not upset, by anything; and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, formerly Premier of the Netherlands for a decade who objected to any form of extraneous collective spending, on defence and much more, managed to overshadow all Trump pacifiers by referring to him as Daddy.One of the signs that the past five years have been dense and intense is that there has been a NATO summit every year since 202. But then again, in a world of increasing tensions and wars, latterly in Iran and endlessly in Ukraine, Gaza and the wider Middle East; in a world of Putin, Xi and of course Trump, summits are necessary just to keep allies on board, or at least afloat. But they also showcase the harsh reality of a world of Strong Men who think of themselves as Big Men, making history.This is a marked change to the previous decades, definitely since the end of the Cold War, and to understand its meaning, as well as the spectacle of the NATO summit, Ilana Bet-El is joined by two Big Women Leaders who were ambassadors to NATO: Kerry Buck of Canada and Muriel Domenach of France. Reflecting on the alliance, the summit, security, defence, common values and much more, this strong discussion takes us on a Transatlantic tour in a time of major change.This episode was recorded on 26 June 2025ChaptersWhat was the outcomes of NATO Summit?Trump evolution over the NATO SummitsHow Europeans deal with Trump behaviour?What is the future of NATO?MentionsNATO Summit pageHague Summit DeclarationRutte on TrumpJohn Bolton on TrumpFollowKerry Buck LinkedIn, X/TwitterMuriel Domenach LinkedIn, GlobsecInstagram @women_leaders_podcastELN Twitter LinkedIn websiteIlana Bet-ElCreditsProduction: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #UppbeatContribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcastWatch now our episode on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    43 min
  • The hidden crisis behind global fertility rates with Birgit Van Hout (UNFPA)

    The hidden crisis behind global fertility rates with Birgit Van Hout (UNFPA)
    Jun 12 2025
    In a world of kinetic wars and increasing expenditure on defence and security - coupled with the culture wars so exacerbated by the extremes of left and right - we often forget, or probably ignore, the wider context of bombs and ideologies: people. And in many parts of the world humans are diminishing in numbers, rapidly - apart from most parts of Africa, no continent any longer attains the 2.1 replacement rate of fertility.The United Nations Population Fund just released an important report on this reality. The Fertility Fallacy presents fascinating insights on the roles of income, expectation and the inadequacy of policies seeking to either boost fertility or blame one of the genders (usually women). At base, it suggests people are not irrational: if they feel insecure, and the choice is in their hands, they will have less babies.The core problem is, of course, the future: who will work to pay for the aging populations? Who will inhabit the earth? How can we deal with these issues and changes better? Birgit van Hout is very well placed to provide a comprehensive picture: as Director of the UNFPA Representation Office to the European Union she not only deals with these issues daily, but also sits in the continent with the lowest overall fertility rate.An important and lively discussion on the underpinning realities of our lives and societies, in the most basic and crucial sense.This episode was recorded on 12 June 2025ChaptersCan women really have it all?Why are women having fewer children than they want?The real crisis behind the demographic declineHow COVID, war and media affect younger generationsThe backlash against women’s rights and rolesWhat is comprehensive sexuality education — and why it matters?What solutions are there to the fertility crisis?MentionsNew York Times article on the reportEU Work-life balance directiveEU youth checkGiles Merritt TimebombFollowBirgit Van Hout LinkedIn X/Twitter@women_leaders_podcastEuropean Leadership Network Twitter, LinkedIn, websiteIlana Bet-ElCreditsProduction: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from UppbeatContribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcastWatch now our episode on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    39 min
  • War is not a spectator sport with Nataliya Gumenyuk

    War is not a spectator sport with Nataliya Gumenyuk
    May 30 2025
    The vast majority of humanity experiences war as a spectator — which is excellent. The distance from the reality of noise and danger and hurt and debris allows for passionate opinions on right and wrong, disgust and despair. But for those living and experiencing the harsh reality, whether as a combatant at the front or an endangered civilian behind the lines, war is ghastly. Being shelled and bombed is not the same as watching it on a screen, however horrifying we may find it; and shelling and bombing civilians is never right; ever.Ukraine is now in its fourth year of war, and while Trump promised to end it in anything from a day to a hundred days, his overtures and partially to Russia has produced only ever more intensive attacks against civilians in Ukraine, with the largest waves yet of drones and ballistic missiles aimed at cities, including Kyiv, over successive nights. Nataliya Gumenyuk is well versed in the duality of spectator and participant of war: a foreign correspondent for many Ukrainian and international outlets before the full scale invasion, she visited war zones and conflict areas repeatedly. But as of February 2022 she shifted to explaining the war to both external and Ukrainian audiences through the Public Interest Journalism Lab, as well as documenting human rights breaches and war crimes for the Reckoning Project.In a deep and passionate discussion with Ilana Bet-El, Nataliya brings a sense of the reality of being attacked while also explaining the importance of documenting the crimes of war as well as the necessity of EU membership to Ukraine, in order to anchor it in the west officially. And she also presents a vision for the end of the war, unfortunately without a date.This episode was recorded on 28 May 2025ChaptersLiving with the war in UkraineCould international justice be applied to Russia crimes?What Trump and Putin achieved?Why Ukraine’s accession to EU is critical?MentionsThe Reckoning Project LinkedInPublic Interest Journalism LabFollowNataliya Gumenyuk LinkedIn InstagramInstagram @women_leaders_podcastOur partner European Leadership Network Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, websiteIlana Bet-ElCreditsProduction: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA - License code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJTContribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcastWatch now our episode on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    44 min
  • China, the world, and power with Dr Ivana Karásková

    China, the world, and power with Dr Ivana Karásková
    May 16 2025
    During his gold plated visit to Saudi Arabia this week, Donald Trump made a speech in which he noted that the US would no longer be “giving you lectures on how to live” advising the people and states of the region to establish “your own destinies in your own way.” No more nation building and interventions, no more aid and business conditioned upon democracy and human rights, and no more post WW2 values based international order. Money, deals and hard power is the new United States policy in the world. The local regimes lapped this up, and autocrats and dictators around the world no doubt clapped their hands in glee, but many in the west were far from amused, alongside another very significant player: China. Indeed, while the week had started relatively well for China, with a 90 day halt on the massive tariffs Trump had imposed on it, the news that the US was adopting its playbook for global influence — money without ideology or human rights — was bad news: China had long sold itself to the global south as the power that spoke only money, without conditions. China seeks to be a respected superpower, one that shapes and dominates the global order as an open rival to the US. Of that there is no doubt. However, little is really known about how it thinks about this ambition and what is its real relationship with states and continents around the world. A true woman leader on this issue as well as many aspects of China’s global policies is Dr Ivana Karásková of the Association for International Affairs. In a great conversation she not only gives a whirlwind tour of China in the world, she also explains how she came to found a Central European network of experts on China, as well as a network of women experts on China!ChaptersChina and US tarrif warChina and Russia relationsChinese perception of the USWhat are China ambitions on the world?MentionsAMOCHOICEWiCHFollowIvana Karásková AMO website, X/Twitter, LinkedInInstagram @women_leaders_podcastELN Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, websiteIlana Bet-ElCreditsProduction: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #UppbeatContribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcastWatch now our episode on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    43 min
  • Living in historic times with Marci Shore

    Living in historic times with Marci Shore
    May 2 2025

    The turmoil and changes of the past five years — from the coronavirus pandemic to the second Trump administration — make clear one basic fact: the post Cold War era is over. It could be that happened already in 2008, in the financial crisis, or it could be in 2014 when Russia invaded Ukraine and took the Crimean peninsula from it. It could be any consequential date that marked a change, a clear change, from before and after. But whichever date or event is chosen, it is clear a change of times, of eras has happened — and that the cascade of events we are living through is an historic time.


    To explore the meaning of this term, as well as the reality of living through it, Ilana Bet-El is joined by Professor Marci Shore of Yale University — who is definitely someone who can help examine and explain these core issues. A cultural historian of Eastern Europe who also found and finds herself drawn to the current conflict in Ukraine and works to aid the Ukrainians. An American using her understanding of Europe to analyse events in the US. A writer and deep thinker who helps us all understand this period of time in another dimension.


    A strong sharp conversation about the past, the present, history and reality.


    This episode was recorded on 30 April 2025



    Chapters

    • What defines an historic time?
    • The difference between historical events
    • What does a real revolution feel like?
    • Is Ukraine living in historic time?
    • Reading the current US situation as an historian


    Mentions

    • Marci Shore’s articles and essays
    • Her essay “With Shestov in Ukraine”, Liberties Journal of Culture and Politics
    • Her book “The Ukrainian Night”
    • Jan Karski
    • Documentary Shoah
    • “In Kyiv, we discuss philosophy, poetry and air raid siren protocol,” co-authored with Amelia M. Glaser, CNN (29 March 2024);
    • Nataliya Gumenyuk, Angelina Kariakina, Janice Stein
    • Poem “A song on the End of the World”, Czeslaw Milosz


    Credits

    Production: Florence Ferrando

    Music: Let Good Times Roll

    Contribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️

    Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcast

    Watch now our episode on Youtube

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    48 min
  • Politics meets the people with Viviane Teitelbaum

    Politics meets the people with Viviane Teitelbaum
    Apr 18 2025
    What happens when a politician faces an audience of people, of citizens? This episode of Women Leaders brings you that reality, in full.Full Circle, a Brussels based organization connecting ideas with the power to act, organised a great Ideas to Action Day in which over 80 people came together to discuss the state of the world and how to find ways to making it better. Issues were raised, problems discussed, and true angst revealed — often about the digital space, social media, isolation, alienation and the failures of both politicians and national institutions. So far so good for an opportunity to sound off, but then came the surprise: a real live politician came to answer all the questions raised, in front of the audience, and we hosted the exchange for this episode of Women Leaders.Viviane Teitelbaum, Member of the Belgian Senate, is the politician in question, and she gave a remarkably candid account of political life in democracies in the modern age. And let us be clear: she is a Belgian but her audience, as well as her answers, were true to all modern working politicians. From violence in life reflected in cyberspace to identity politics, from the complexity of reality to the complexity of explaining it, and from citizens assemblies to ways of voting, this is a conversation that really challenges a politician while also revealing modern political life as it really happens.This episode was recorded on 5 April 2025MentionsThe Digital Services Act (DSA)FollowViviane Teitelbaum X/Twitter, Instagram, Senate profile page, Women Political Leaders websiteFull Circle website, LinkedIn, Instagram, X/TwitterIlana Bet-ElInstagram @women_leaders_podcast European Leadership Network Twitter, LinkedIn & websiteCreditsProduction: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #UppbeatContribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcastWatch now our episode on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    51 min