This week, Mark Leonard speaks with Zsuzsanna Szelényi, a Hungarian politician and foreign policy specialist, about the forces behind Hungary’s historic political shift and what comes next for both the country and Europe.

Together they explore how economic pressures, corruption scandals, and a newly mobilised electorate—especially younger voters—reshaped Hungary’s political landscape after 16 years. They also evaluate Magyar’s promises of reform, a reset with Europe and a more participatory role on key issues like Ukraine.

What explains Orbán’s defeat? Can Magyar deliver real democratic change? And what does Hungary’s new direction mean for Europe and Ukraine?

Bookshelf:

Works of Zadie Smith, Ruth Ozeki and Sofi Oksanen

This podcast was recorded on April 13th, 2026.

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For the last few days, a set of pronouncements from the White House have filled the news regarding the war in Iran. President Donald Trump has gone from threatening to destroy an entire civiliszation , to negotiatinge a ceasefire between the Washington administration and Teheran, led by Pakistan.

In this week’s episodeThis week, Mark Leonard is joined by Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, senior associate fellow at ECFR and research fellow at the Brookings Institution,. Toge tother, they discuss where we're at nowthe current state of play. What does the ceasefire mean and what it means for the future of the Middle East and for the future of American foreign policy? How will it impact. They will also look at what it means for Europe, and global security more generally? And will and whether Trump is going to make good on the threats that he has made at various different points of his threat to withdrawing from NATO?.

This podcast was recorded on April 3rd, 2026.

Bookshelf:

Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

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This week, Mark Leonard welcomes Szymon Kardaś, senior policy fellow in ECFR's European Power programme, to unpack how war in the Middle East is reshaping Europe’s energy landscape. While Europe is not heavily reliant on Middle Eastern imports directly, disruptions—especially around Qatar and the Strait of Hormuz—are pushing up global prices and intensifying competition with Asian buyers, exposing Europe’s deeper structural vulnerabilities.

Together, Mark and Szymon explore the risk of renewed dependence on Russian energy, reliance on American LNG, and what this crisis reveals about Europe’s long-term energy strategy. As the conflict continues, the pressure is growing for Europe to accelerate its transition towards renewables and greater energy resilience.

How exposed is Europe to the global energy fallout? What role does Qatar play in the current gas crisis? Could Europe return to Russian energy imports under pressure? And what policies are needed to reduce Europe’s long-term energy dependence?

Bookshelf Recommendation

Grzegorz Braun Gram vabank by Tomasz Sommer

This podcast was recorded on April 1st 2026.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.