Prof James Ker-Lindsay

Why is Europe losing influence—and who is shaping its future? In this conversation, host James Ker-Lindsay is joined by Dr Dimitar Bechev, lecturer at Oxford University and author of The Scramble for Europe: Russia, China, and Turkey Challenging Regional Order, to discuss the balance of power in Europe. The conversation explores how financial crisis, weaknesses within the European Union, and shifting international relationships have eroded the Continent's ability to shape events. The tw...

Can Armenia and Azerbaijan finally make peace after decades of conflict? In this video, host James Ker-Lindsay is joined by Dr Laurence Broers, a leading expert on the South Caucasus, to discuss the roots of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, the wars over Nagorno-Karabakh, and the prospects for a lasting peace agreement between the two countries. The conversation spans the conflict’s origins in the final years of the Soviet Union, the First Karabakh War, and nearly three decades of unsuc...

Can Serbia ever move beyond its past? How important does Kosovo remain? And can it really hope to balance between the West, Russia, China and the Global South? Host James Ker-Lindsay is joined by Dr Vuk Vuksanović from King’s College London to discuss the historical forces shaping Serbian foreign policy -- from the 19th-century struggle for independence from the Ottoman Empire to the creation of Yugoslavia, the upheavals of the 20th century, and the geopolitical high-wire act of the present d...

Is Europe simply too divided to ever become a global power? In this video, host James Ker-Lindsay is joined by Lambertus Robben of the YouTube channel EU Made Simple, to explore the future of the European Union. The two discuss a range of topics, including how the EU works, where political power really lies, and why its 27 member states often struggle to agree on a common foreign and security policy. From the war in Ukraine and relations with the United States to growing geopolitical competit...

Is Europe finally waking up to its dependence on America? In this video, host James Ker-Lindsay is joined by Dave Keating, a leading Brussels-based commentator and author, to discuss the rapidly-changing European security landscape. Keating argues that, despite growing concern about Donald Trump, Russia and the future of NATO, Europe has made remarkably little progress towards genuine strategic autonomy. The discussion weighs European defence spending, US control of military command structure...

How does Russia explain its foreign policy to the world? In this episode, host James Ker-Lindsay is joined by Professor Michael Rossi, who has spent years translating speeches by Russia's leaders and chief officials, to discuss the narratives shaping Russian foreign policy under Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Drawing on his work, Professor Rossi analyses the importance of multipolarity to Moscow, Russia’s place in the international system, and how the country addresses dom...

Is Greece finally regaining its influence in International Relations? Or did it never really go away? In this episode, host James Ker-Lindsay is joined by Professor Spyros Economides for a deep dive into the creation and growth of the modern Greek state, covering the Balkan Wars, the First World War, and the Asia Minor Catastrophe. From there, the discussion moves on to consider Greece's role in the Cold War and NATO, its tensions with Turkey, its EU membership, and the devastating financial ...

What really was the British Empire—and how did such a vast system of power come to dominate the world? In this episode, host James Ker-Lindsay is joined by Alan Lester, Professor of Historical Geography at the University of Sussex, to explore the origins, character, and legacy of British imperialism. From the colonisation of Ireland and Virginia to the expansion of the British Empire across the Atlantic Ocean and India, the discussion covers the role of the East India Company, the blight of t...

How has India become one of the world’s most important powers? In this episode, James Ker-Lindsay is joined by Dr Tanvi Madan, a senior fellow at the Center for Asia Policy Studies in the Foreign Policy programme at the Brookings Institution, to discuss the evolution of India's foreign policy, from the early years of independence to its 21st century aspirations under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Fateful Triangle: How China Shaped U.S.-India Relations During the Cold War: https://www.am...