Women Leaders

The constant escalation in the Middle East shows no signs of abating. October 7 marks a year since Hamas viciously invaded southern Israel, while October 8 is a year since Hezbollah started firing rockets into the north of Israel in support of Hamas. A year of unspeakable violence in Israel, Gaza and now Lebanon, rounded off by Iran firing some 200 ballistic missiles into Israel this week. A year of deaths and destruction for Palestinians, Israelis and Lebanese people.In this unique episode Women Leaders is building a bridge: Fania Oz-Salzberger, Professor of history at Haifa University and renowned public intellectual, and Roula from Beirut — her name for security purposes — join Ilana Bet-El In a fascinating, passionate and hard hitting episode. From explanations about Lebanese and Israeli politics to calls for women in decision making, and from the depths of despair to a future day in a new Middle East, this is the discussion necessary to understand the problems and the people of the region.This episode was recorded on 2 October 2024Mentions and further resourcesPeace NowFania’s article on Israeli perceptions on U.S ElectionWe asked after the recording our guests’ recommendations, just below:Fania’s recommendation “We will dance again” (trailer of the movie)Follow our guests:Fania Oz-Salzberger X/Twitter, LinkedIn, and academic publications (Academia.eu)For security reasons, we cannot follow Roula from BeirutFollow usInstagram @women_leaders_podcastOur partner European Leadership Network social media Twitter, LinkedIn & FacebookOur partner European Leadership Network websiteIlana Bet-ElCreditsProduction: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll 

Summer used to be a period of quiet. The sun shone — or not — and holidays were taken, events slowed to a nearly non-existent pace, and newsrooms had to deal with what was known as the “silly season”. No longer. Whether because events really have become more dramatic or whether because we know about them immediately due to the constant digital connections, this past summer was an example of constant and rapid events: From the assassination attempt on Donald Trump to the sudden rise of Kamala Harris, both now presidential candidates in the US; and from the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza/Israel to the hardening of the China-Russia partnership in the face of the west — the world carried on spinning unabated, and at speed.To get a closer insight into events in the US and the Middle East, Ilana Bet-El is joined by Jodi Rudoren, Editor in Chief of the Forward and former New York Times Bureau Chief in Jerusalem. In a strong and flowing conversation they move through the rapidly changing realities of US politics and the changing gender roles within them; the prospects of both presidential candidates policies on wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the appalling lack of women in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians — and elsewhere too.This episode was recorded 5 September 2024Mentions and further resourcesJodi and Roxanne's previous conversationFollow our guests:Jodi Rudoren LinkedIn & X/TwitterThe Forward websiteYou can also follow usInstagram @women_leaders_podcastOur partner European Leadership Network social media Twitter, LinkedIn & FacebookOur partner European Leadership Network websiteIlana Bet-ElCreditsProduction: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-rollLicense code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJTSupported by a grant from the Foundation Open Society Institute in cooperation with the Open Society Foundations

We know some of you have been wondering where we've been. Rest assured, Women Leaders will be back very soon. Get ready for more extraordinary conversations with inspiring women experts this September. Stay tuned!

July 2024 may end up being remembered for various reasons, such as wars in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza or the launch of the Arianne 6 rocket by the European Space Agency or the floods in Western Europe and the extreme heat in the eastern Mediterranean, all caused by climate change. At this point however, these are the backdrop to another set of events: elections and summits. In this year of elections around the globe it is perhaps unsurprising that two polls happened suddenly: in both the UK and France the heads of government called unexpected elections. In the UK this resulted in a massive won for the Labour Party, ending 14 years of Conservative rule. In contrast in France the outcome was stalemate: no-one won outright. While many in France and outside it are trying to define what this means, NATO members are meeting in Washington to mark the 75th anniversary of the alliance. To navigate these elections and summits, Ilana Bet-El is joined by Jane Kinninmont, Director of Policy and Impact at The European Leadership Network, and Florence Ferrando, producer of this podcast and Senior Consultant in Cyber and Strategic Intelligence at Forward Global.This episode was recorded on July 11 2024.MentionsJane’s inspiration: Gareth SouthgateFlorence’s inspiration: Swann Périsssé show on French elections - YoutubeFirst past the post elections vs Two round systemUK election results /France election resultsNATO Washington summit declarationJane's SWP paper on NATO and its southern neighbourhoodFollow our guestsJane Kinninmont: LinkedIn, Twitter/XFlorence Ferrando: LinkedinYou can also followOur InstagramOur partner European Leadership Network Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook & websiteIlana Bet-ElCreditsProduction:Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll (ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJT)Supported by the Foundation Open Society Institute in cooperation with the Open Society Foundations

The focus on the defence aspects of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine often draws attention from the economic war taking place in parallel. Every few weeks the US or the EU drop another packet of sanctions on Russia, in attempts to hinder its capacity to pursue the war — and in absolute lockstep a wave of analyses, data and disinformation will appear, largely rubbishing the sanctions and their effects. In this way the EU this week dropped its 14th round of sanctions, and Russia put out another series of messages about the EU harming itself more than Russia. It is a vicious cycle that largely obfuscates not only the success of sanctions but also the broader economic picture of the war — and beyond.To wade through the data, and make sense of them, Ilana Bet-El welcomes back Agathe Demarais, Senior Policy Fellow for Geoeconomics at the ECFR and the woman who literally wrote the book on sanctions! Moving along economic measures and countermeasures, they tease out in the clearest terms the broader economic context of the war against and Ukraine, as well as the realities of the global economic situation and its future, from demography to corporate interests.As they say in Cabaret: That clinking, clanking sound / Can make the world go ‘round!Recorded on June 18 2024.Mentions and further resourcesAgathe’s inspiration: “La Horde du Contrevent” Alain DamasioAgathe’s book on sanctionsPrevious episode with Agathe “Sanctions all around”Previous episode on Latin AmericaFollow Agathe Demarais: Linkedin Twitter/XIlana Bet-ElInstagram @women_leaders_podcastOur partner European Leadership Network  Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and websiteCreditsProduction: Florence Ferrando. Music: Let Good Times RollSupported by a grant from the Foundation Open Society Institute in cooperation with the Open Society Foundations

Between June 6th and 9th, 27 member states held elections for the European Union’s parliament. With over 300 million eligible voters, the European Union’s electorate is second only to India in terms of size. However, of these hundreds of millions of potential voters, only 51% voted, an unsurprising figure as democratic participation declines across the West.Equally unsurprising were the results of the vote, which, as always, resulted in the two major centrist blocs, the European People’s Party (EPP) and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), maintaining their majority—with some support from the Green and Liberal groups.However, worryingly for some, far-right and nationalist parties also performed well, with the two major groupings (ECR, ID) gaining 134 seats out of a total of 720, representing nearly 20% of all MEPs. This outcome was predicted in the pre-election polls and hasn’t shocked many pundits, but the reality of an increased normalisation of nationalist politics in the European Parliament may be sobering for some.For 20 years now, nationalist and far/extreme right parties have slowly but surely gained electoral and political legitimacy. In recent years, such parties have won elections in the Netherlands, Italy, and Slovakia, and they sit in government in Finland, Sweden, and a few other countries as well. In all member states, nationalist parties sit in parliament, and their rhetoric has entered mainstream political discourses.In France, this outcome has had especially profound repercussions, as President Macron has now called for snap elections in response to the major losses experienced by his Renaissance party to Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella’s National Rally party.How did Europe — and indeed many other countries in the democratic world — come to this? Are mainstream politicians getting it wrong, or are they just of poor quality? Is there a better way forward? To answer these and many other such questions, Ilana Bet-El is joined by Catherine Fieschi, an expert on populism and European politics, in a lively and deeply probing conversation.Recorded on June 13 2024.Mentions Catherine’s inspiration: “Homage to Catalonia” George OrwellCatherine’s book “Populocracy"Global social media users (April 2024): 5.07 billion, equating to 62.6% of global population. Meta had by far the most users (Facebook 3 billion, WhatsApp and Instagram 2 billion each) with Youtube, owned by Google, next at 2.5 billion.FollowCatherine Fieschi  Linkedin, Twitter/XInstagram @women_leaders_podcastOur partner ELN Twitter, LinkedIn & websiteCreditsProduction: Florence Ferrando. Music: Let Good Times RollSupported by a grant from the Foundation Open Society Institute in cooperation with the Open Society Foundations

The third year of war often suggests two harsh realities: that the war is, by definition, long and that it is not yet over. Think 1917 in World War I or 1942 in World War II. Ukraine is in year three of defending itself against the full-scale Russian invasion that started in February 2022. It fended off the Russian forces at the start, but since then the war has been quite static with each side achieving small victories at huge expense.For Russia, this is a war of choice; for Ukraine it is a war of survival. And while soldiers are fighting on the front line, the rest of society is passionately fighting in every other way for a free, democratic and independent Ukraine — as host Ilana Bet-El found on a visit to Kyiv in May 2024. Every conversation is about the war, and the fight to join the democratic world. To get a sense of this spirit she is joined in this episode by Inna Pidluska, Deputy Executive Director of the International Renaissance Foundation in Ukraine, and Anna Kovalenko, former member of the Ukrainian Parliament and a prominent civic activist.To find out what Ukraine means to Ukrainians, what the West means to them, and what Russia means to them — hint: they are fed up of sharing their history with Russia — listen to this lively and passionate conversation to hear the full discussion.This episode was recorded on May 26 2024.Mentions and further resourcesInna’s inspiration: “The Rise of Ukraine’s Sun” by Kateryna ZaremboAnna’s inspiration: Ukrainians and her daughterFollow our guests:Inna Pidluska Linkedin & Twitter/XAnna Kovalenko Wikipedia & Twitter/XInternational Renaissance Foundation websiteYou can also follow usInstagram @women_leaders_podcastOur partner European Leadership Network social media Twitter, LinkedIn & FacebookOur partner European Leadership Network websiteIlana Bet-ElCreditsProduction: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-rollLicense code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJTSupported by a grant from the Foundation Open Society Institute in cooperation with the Open Society Foundations

In a year of big elections, in which approximately half the global population is going to the polls at one time or another, the EU elections stand out: upwards of 300 million eligible voters out of a population of nearly 450 million people across 27 states. A transnational bonanza of democracy that will take place between 6-9 June. 720 seats are up for grabs in the European Parliament, and once the results and balance of power in that institution are decided, the composition of the European Commission and the leadership of the European Council will be negotiated, or wrangled over. Confused?Anna Davreux, a ten-year veteran of the European Parliament and now Senior Vice President and Partner at Fleishman-Hillard Brussels, guides Ilana across the realities and complexities of the Parliament and all EU institutions. In a fun and fascinating discussion, the basics of the European Union, and democracy, are exposed, explained, and extolled. The European Parliament, as the EU in general, may seem opaque and difficult to understand, but it does work — for everyone!Recorded on 15 May 2024Mentions and further resourcesFacts and figures on life in the European UnionEuropean Parliament “EU elections: how many MEPs will each EU country get in 2024?”EU Transparency RegisterAnna’s recommendation – “Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain” by Sathnam Sanghera (book review by LSE)FollowAnna Davreux LinkedInIlana Bet-ElFleishman Hillard Brussels websiteInstagram @women_leaders_podcastOur partner European Leadership Network social media Twitter, LinkedIn Facebook & websiteCreditsProduction: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times RollSupported by a grant from the Foundation Open Society Institute in cooperation with the Open Society Foundations