Podcasts about European Council

What does 2026 hold for indie authors and the publishing industry? I give my thoughts on trends and predictions for the year ahead. In the intro, Quitting the right stuff; how to edit your author business in 2026; Is SubStack Good for Indie Authors?; Business for Authors webinars. If you'd like to join my community and support the show every month, you'll get access to my growing list of Patron videos and audio on all aspects of the author business — for the price of a black coffee (or two) a month. Join us at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn. Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F. Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. (1) More indie authors will sell direct through Shopify, Kickstarter, and local in-person events (2) AI-powered search will start to shift elements of book discoverability (3) The start of Agentic Commerce (4) AI-assisted audiobook narration will go mainstream (5) AI-assisted translation will start to take off beyond the early adopters (6) AI video becomes ubiquitous. ‘Live selling' becomes the next trend in social sales. (7) AI will create, run, and optimise ads without the need for human intervention (8) 1000 True Fans becomes more important than ever You can find all my books as J.F. Penn and Joanna Penn on your favourite online store in all the usual formats, or order from your local library or bookstore. You can also buy direct from me at CreativePennBooks.com and JFPennBooks.com. I'm not really active on social media, but you can always see my photos at Instagram @jfpennauthor. 2026 Trends and Predictions for Indie Authors and Book Publishing (1) More indie authors will sell direct through Shopify, Kickstarter, and local in-person events — and more companies like BookVault will offer even more beautiful physical books and products to support this. This trend will not be a surprise to most of you! Selling direct has been a trend for the last few years, but in 2026, it will continue to grow as a way that independent authors become even more independent. The recent Written Word Media survey from Dec 2025 noted that 30% of authors surveyed are selling direct already and 30% say they plan to start in 2026. Among authors earning over $10,000 per month, roughly half sell direct. In my opinion, selling direct is an advanced author strategy, meaning that you have multiple books and you understand book marketing and have an email list already or some guaranteed way to reach readers. In fact, Kindlepreneur reports that 66% of authors selling direct have more than 5 books, and 46% have more than 10 books. Of course, you can start with the something small, like a table at a local event with a limited number of books for sale, but if you want to consistently sell direct for years to come, you need to consider all the business aspects. Selling direct is not a silver bullet. It's much harder work to sell direct than it is to just upload an ebook to Amazon, whether you choose a Kickstarter campaign, or Shopify/Payhip or other online stores, or regular in-person sales at events/conferences/fairs. You need a business mindset and business practices, for example, you need to pay upfront for setup as well as ongoing management, and bulk printing in some cases. You need to manage taxes and cashflow. You need to be a lot more proactive about marketing, as you won't sell anything if you don't bring readers to your books/products. But selling direct also brings advantages. It sets you apart from the bulk of digital only authors who still only upload ebooks to Amazon, or maybe add a print on demand book, and in an era of AI rapid creation, that number is growing all the time. If you sell direct, you get your customer data and you can reach those customers next time, through your email list. If you don't know who bought your books and don't have a guaranteed way to reach them, you will more easily be disrupted when things change — and they always change eventually. Kindlepreneur notes that “45% of the successful direct selling authors had over 1,000 subscribers on their email lists,” with “a clear, positive correlation between email list size and monthly direct sales income — with authors having an email list of over 15,000 subscribers earning 20X more than authors with email lists under 100 subscribers.” Selling direct means faster money, sometimes the same day or the same week in many cases, or a few weeks after a campaign finishes, as with Kickstarter. And remember, you don't have to sell all your formats directly. You can keep your ebooks in KU, do whatever you like with audiobooks, and just have premium print products direct, or start with a very basic Kickstarter campaign, or a table at a local fair. Lots more tips for Shopify and Kickstarter at https://www.thecreativepenn.com/selldirectresources/ I also recommend the Novel Marketing Podcast on The Shopify Trap: Why authors keep losing money as it is a great counterpoint to my positive endorsement of selling direct on Shopify! Among other things, Thomas notes that a fixed monthly fee for a store doesn't match how most authors make money from books which is more in spikes, the complexity and hassle eats time and can cost more money if you pay for help, and it can reduce sales on Amazon and weaken your ranking. Basically, if you haven't figured out marketing direct to your store, it can hurt you.All true for some authors, for some genres, and for some people's lifestyle. But for authors who don't want to be on the hamster wheel of the Amazon algorithm and who want more diversity and control in income, as well as the incredible creative benefits of what you can do selling direct, then I would say, consider your options in 2025, even if that is trying out a low-financial-goal Kickstarter campaign, or selling some print books at a local fair. Interestingly, traditional publishers are also experimenting with direct sales. Kate Elton, the new CEO of Harper Collins notes in The Bookseller's 2026 trend article, “we are seeing global success with responsive, reader-driven publishing, subscription boxes and TikTok Shop and – crucially – developing strategies that are founded on a comprehensive understanding of the reader.” She also notes, “AI enables us to dramatically change the way we interact with and grow audiences. The opportunities are genuinely exciting – finding new ways to help readers discover books they will love, innovating in the ways we market and reach audiences, building new channels and adapting to new methods of consuming content.” (2) AI-powered search will start to shift elements of book discoverability From LinkedIn's 2026 Big Ideas: “Generative engine optimization (GEO) is set to replace search engine optimization (SEO) as the way brands get discovered in the year ahead. As consumers turn to AI chatbots, agentic workflows and answer engines, appearing prominently in generative outputs will matter more than ranking in search engines.” Google has been rolling out AI Mode with its AI Overviews and is beginning to push it within Google.com itself in some countries, which means the start of a fundamental change in how people discover content online. I first posted about GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) in 2023, and it's going to change how readers find books. For years, we've talked about the long tail of search. Now, with AI-powered search, that tail is getting even longer and more nuanced. AI can understand complex, conversational queries that traditional search engines struggled with. Someone might ask, “What's a good thriller set in a small town with a female protagonist who's a journalist investigating a cold case?” and get highly specific recommendations. This means your book metadata, your website content, and your online presence need to be more detailed and conversational. AI search engines understand context in ways that go far beyond simple keywords. The authors who win in this new landscape will be those who create rich, authentic content about their books and themselves, not just promotional copy. As economist Tyler Cowen has said, “Consider the AIs as part of your audience. Because they are already reading your words and listening to your voice.” We're in the ‘organic' traffic phase right now, where these AI engines are surfacing content for ‘free,' but paid ads are inevitably on the way, and even rumoured to be coming this year to ChatGPT. By the end of 2026, I expect some authors and publishers to be paying for AI traffic, rather than blocking and protesting them. For now, I recommend checking that your author name/s and your books are surfaced when you search on ChatGPT.com as well as Google.com AI Mode (powered by Gemini). You want to make sure your work comes up in some way. I found that Joanna Penn and J.F. Penn searches brought up my Shopify stores, my website, podcast, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even my Patreon page, but did not bring up links to Amazon. If you only have an author presence on Amazon, does it appear in AI search at all? Do you need to improve anything about what the AI search brings up? Traditional publishers are also looking at this, with PublishersWeekly doing webinars on various aspects of AI in early 2026, including sessions on GEO and how book sales are changing, AI agents, and book marketing. In a 2026 predictions article on The Bookseller, the CEO of Bloomsbury Publishing noted, “The boundaries of artificial intelligence will become clearer, enabling publishers to harness its benefits while seeking to safeguard the intellectual property rights of authors, illustrators and publishers.” “AI will be deeply embedded in our workflows, automating tasks such as metadata tagging, freeing teams to focus on creativity and strategy. Challenges will persist. Generative AI threatens traditional web traffic and ad revenue models, making metadata optimisation and SEO critical for visibility as we adjust to this new reality online.” (3) The start of Agentic Commerce AI researches what you want to buy and may even buy on your behalf. Plus, I predict that Amazon does a commerce deal with OpenAI for shopping within ChatGPT by the end of 2026. In September 2025, ChatGPT launched Instant Checkout and the Agentic Commerce Protocol, which will enable bots to buy on websites in the background if authorised by the human with the credit card. VISA is getting on board with this, so is PayPal, with no doubt more payment options to come. In the USA, ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Free users can now buy directly from US Etsy sellers inside the chat interface, with over a million Shopify merchants coming soon. Shopify and OpenAI have also announced a partnership to bring commerce to ChatGPT. I am insanely excited about this as it could represent the first time we have been able to more easily find and surface books in a much more nuanced way than the 7 keywords and 3 categories we have relied on for so long! I've been using ChatGPT for at least the last year to find fiction and non-fiction books as I find the Amazon interface is ‘polluted' by ads. I've discovered fascinating books from authors I've never heard of, most in very long tail areas. For example, Slashed Beauties by A. Rushby, recommended by ChatGPT as I am interested in medical anatomy and anatomical Venuses, and The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson, recommended as I like art history and the supernatural. I don't think I would have found either of these within a nuanced discussion with ChatGPT. Even without these direct purchase integrations, ChatGPT now has Shopping Research, which I have found links directly to my Shopify store when I search for my books specifically. Walmart has partnered with OpenAI to create AI-first shopping experiences, and you have to wonder what Amazon might be doing? In Nov 2025, Amazon signed a “strategic partnership” with OpenAI, and even though it's focused on the technical side of AI, those two companies in a room together might also be working on other plans … I'm calling it for 2026. I think Amazon will sign a commerce agreement with OpenAI sometime before the end of the year. This will enable at least recommendation and shopping links into Amazon stores (presumably using an OpenAI affiliate link), or perhaps even Instant Checkout with ChatGPT for Amazon. It will also enable a new marketing angle, especially if paid ads arrive in ChatGPT, perhaps even integrating with Amazon Ads in some way as part of any possible agreement, since ads are such a good revenue stream for Amazon anyway. The line between discovery, engagement, and purchase is collapsing. Someone could be having a conversation with an AI about what to read next, and within that same conversation, purchase a bookwithout ever leaving the chat interface. This already happens within TikTok and social commerce clearly works for many authors. It's possible that the next development for book discoverability and sales might be within AI chats. This will likely stratify the already fragmented book eco-system even more. Some readers will continue to live only within the Amazon ecosystem and (maybe) use their Rufus chatbot to buy, and others will be much wider in their exploration of how to find and discover books (and other products and services). If you haven't tried it yet, try ChatGPT.com Shopping Research for a book. You can do this on the free tier. Use the drop down in the main chat box and select Shopping Research. It doesn't have to be for your book. It can be any book or product, for example, our microwave died just before Christmas so I used it to find a new one. But do a really nuanced search with multiple requirements. Go far beyond what you would search for on Amazon. In the results, notice that (at the time of writing) it does not generally link to Amazon, but to independent sites and stores. As above, I think this will change by the end of 2026, as some kind of commerce deal with Amazon seems inevitable. (4) AI-assisted audiobook narration will go mainstream I've been talking about AI narration of audiobooks since 2019, and over the years, I've tried various different options. In 2025, the technology reached a level of emotional nuance that made it much easier to create satisfying fiction audio as well as non-fiction. It also super-charges accessibility, making audio available in more languages and more accents than ever before. Of course, human narration remains the gold standard, but the cost makes it prohibitive for many authors, and indeed many small traditional publishers, for all books. If it costs $2000 – $10,000 to create an audiobook, you have to sell a lot to make a profit, and the dominance of subscription models have made it harder to recoup the costs. Famous narrators and voice artists who have an audience may still be worth investing in, as well as premium production, but require an even higher upfront cost and therefore higher sales and streams in return. AI voice/audio models are continuing to improve, and even as this goes out, there are rumours on TechCrunch that OpenAI's new device, designed by Jony Ive who designed the iPhone, will be audio first and OpenAI are improving their voice models even more in preparation for that launch. In 2026, I think AI-narrated audio will go mainstream with far-reaching adoption across publishing and the indie author world in many different languages and accents. This will mean a further stratification of audiobooks, with high quality, high production, high cost human narrated audio for a small percentage of books, and then mass market, affordable AI-narrated audio for the rest. AI-narrated audiobooks will make audio ubiquitous, and just as (almost) every print book has an ebook format, in 2026, they will also have an audio format. I straddle both these worlds, as I am still a human audiobook narrator for my own work. I human-narrated Successful Self-Publishing Fourth Edition (free audiobook) and The Buried and the Drowned, my short story collection. I also use AI narration for some books. ElevenLabs remains my preferred service and in 2025, I used my J.F. Penn voice clone for Death Valley and also Blood Vintage, while using a male voice for Catacomb. I clearly label my AI-narration in the sales description and also on the cover, which I think is important, although it is not always required by the various services. You can distribute ElevenLabs narrated audiobooks on Spotify, Kobo Writing Life, YouTube, ElevenReader, and of course your own store if you use Shopify with Bookfunnel. There are many other services springing up all the time, so make sure you check the rights you have over the finished audio, as well as where you can sell and distribute the final files. If they are just using ElevenLabs models in the back-end, then why not just do that directly? (Most services will be using someone's model in the back-end, since most companies do not train their own models.) Of course, you can use Amazon's own narration. While Amazon originally launched Audible audiobooks with Virtual Voice (AVV) in November 2023, it was rolled out to more authors and territories in 2025. If your book is eligible, the option to create an audiobook will appear on your KDP dashboard. With just a few clicks, you can create an audiobook from a range of voices and accents, and publish it on Amazon and Audible. However, the files are not yours. They are exclusive to Amazon and you cannot use them on other platforms or sell them direct yourself. But they are also free, so of course, many authors, especially those in KU, will use this option. I have done some for my mum's sweet romance books as Penny Appleton and I will likely use them for my books in translation when the option becomes available. Traditional publishers are experimenting with AI-assisted audiobook narration as well. MacMillan is selling digital audiobooks read by AI directly on their store. PublishersWeekly reports that PRH Audio “has experimented with artificial voice in specific instances, such as entrepreneur Ely Callaway's posthumous memoir The Unconquerable Game,” when an “authorized voice replica” was created for the audiobook. The article also notes that PRH Audio “embrace artificial intelligence across business operations—my entire department [PRH Audio] is using AI for business applications.” And while indie authors can't use AI voices on ACX right now, Audible have over 100 voices available to selected publishing partnerships, as reported by The Guardian with “two options for publishers wishing to make use of the technology: “Audible-managed” production, or “self-service” whereby publishers produce their own audiobooks with the help of Audible's AI technology.” In 2026, it's likely that more traditional publishers — as well as indie authors — will get their backlist into audio with AI narration. (5) AI-assisted translation will start to take off beyond the early adopters Over the years, I've done translation deals with traditional publishers in different languages (German, French, Spanish, Korean, Italian) for some fiction and non-fiction books. But of course, to get these kinds of deals, you have to be proactive about pitching, or work with an agent for foreign rights only, and those are few and far between! There are also lots of languages and territories worldwide, and most deals are for the bigger markets, leaving a LOT of blue water for books in translation, even if you have licensed some of the bigger markets. I did my first partially AI-translated books in 2019 when I used Deepl.com for the first draft and then worked with a German editor to do 3 non-fiction books in German. While the first draft was cheap, the editing was pretty expensive, so I stopped after only doing a couple. I have made the money back now, but it took years. In 2025, AI Translation began to take off with ScribeShadow, GlobeScribe.ai, and more recently, in November 2025, Kindle Translate boosting the number of translated books available. Kindle Translate is (currently) only available to US authors for English into Spanish and also German into English, but in 2026, this will likely roll out to more languages and more authors, making it easier than ever to produce translations for free. Of course, once again, the gold standard is human translation, or at least human-edited translations, but the cost is prohibitive even just for proof-reading, and if there is a cheap or even free option, like Kindle Translate, then of course, authors are going to try it. If the translation gets bad reviews, they can just un-publish. There are many anecdotal stories of indie success in 2025 with AI-translated genre fiction sales (in series) in under-served markets like Italian, French, and Spanish, as well as more mainstream adoption in German. I was around in the Kindle gold-rush days of 2009-2012 and the AI-translation energy right now feels like that. There are hardly any Kindle ebooks in many of these languages compared to how many there are in English, so inevitably, the rush is on to fill the void, especially in genres that are under-served by traditional publishers in those markets. Yes, some of these AI translated books will be ‘AI-slop,' but readers are not stupid. Those books will get bad reviews and thus will sink to the bottom of the store, never to be seen again. The AI translation models are also improving rapidly, and Amazon's Kindle Translate may improve faster than most, for books specifically, since they will be able to get feedback in terms of page reads. Amazon is also a major investor in Anthropic, which makes Claude.ai, widely considered the best quality for creative writing and translation, so it's likely that is used somewhere in the mix. Some traditional publishers are also experimenting with AI-assisted translation, with Harlequin France reportedly using AI translation and human proofreaders, as reported by the European Council of Literary Translators' Associations in December 2025. Academic publisher Taylor and Francis is also using AI for book translation, noting: “Following a program of rigorous testing, Taylor & Francis has announced plans to use AI translation tools to publish books that would otherwise be unavailable to English-language readers, bringing the latest knowledge to a vastly expanded readership.” “Until now, the time and resources required to translate books has meant that the majority remained accessible only to those who could read them in the original language. Books that were translated often only became available after a significant delay. Today, with the development of sophisticated AI translation tools, it has become possible to make these important texts available to a broad readership at speed, without compromising on accuracy.” (6) AI video becomes ubiquitous. ‘Live selling' becomes the next trend in social sales. In 2025, short form AI-generated video became very high quality. OpenAI released Sora 2, and YouTube announced new Shorts creation tools with Veo 3, which you can also use directly within Gemini. There are tons of different AI video apps now, including those within the social media sites themselves. There is more video than ever and it's much easier to create. I am not a fan of short form video! I don't make it and I don't consume it, but I do love making book trailers for my Kickstarter campaigns and for adding to my book pages and using on social media. I made a trailer for The Buried and the Drowned using Midjourney for images and then animation of those images, and Canva to put them together along with ElevenLabs to generate the music. But despite the AI tools getting so much easier to use, you still have to prompt them with exactly what you want. I can't just upload my book and say, “Make a book trailer,” or “Make a short film.” This may change with generative video ads, which are likely to become more common in 2026, as video turns specifically commercial. Video ads may even be generated specifically for the user, with an audience of one, maybe even holding your book in their hands (using something like Cameos on Sora), in the same way that some AI-powered clothing stores do virtual try-ons. This might also up-end the way we discover and buy things, as the AI for eCommerce and Amazon Sellers newsletter says about OpenAI's Sora app, “OpenAI isn't just trying to build a TikTok competitor. They're building a complete reimagining of how we discover and buy things …” “The combination of ChatGPT's research capabilities and Sora's potential for emotional manipulation—I mean, “engagement”—could create something we've never seen before: an AI ecosystem that might eventually guide you through every type of purchase, from the most considered to the most impulsive.” In 2026, there will be A LOT more AI-generated video, but that also leads to the human trend of more live video. While you can use an AI avatar that looks and sounds like you using tools like HeyGen or Synthesia, live video has all the imperfect human elements that make it stand-out, plus the scarcity element which leads to the purchase decision within a countdown period. Live video is nothing new in terms of brand building and content in general, but it seems that live events primarily for direct sales might be a thing in 2026. Kim Kardashian hosted Kimsmas Live in December 2025 with a 45 minute live shopping event with special guests, described as entertainment but designed to be a sales extravaganza. Indie authors are doing a similar thing on TikTok with their books, so this is a trend to watch in 2026, especially if you feel that live selling might fit with your personality and author business goals. It's certainly not for everyone, but I suspect it will suit a different kind of creator to those who prefer ‘no face' video, or no video at all! On other aspects of the human side of social media, Adam Mosseri the CEO of Instagram put a post on Threads called Authenticity after Abundance. He said, “Everything that made creators matter—the ability to be real, to connect, to have a voice that couldn't be faked—is now suddenly accessible to anyone with the right tools.” “Deepfakes are getting better and better. AI is generating photographs and videos indistinguishable from captured media. The feeds are starting to fill up with synthetic everything. And in that world, here's what I think happens.Creators matter more.” It's a long article so just to pick a few things from it: “We like to talk about “AI slop,” but there is a lot of amazing AI content … we are going to start to see more and more realistic AI content.” I've talked to my Patreon Community about this ‘tsunami of excellence' as these tools are just getting better and better and the word ‘slop' can also be applied to purely human output, too. If you think that AI content is ‘worse' than wholly human content, in 2026, you are wrong. It is now very very good, especially in the hands of people who can drive the AI tools. Back to Adam's post: “Authenticity is fast becoming a scarce resource, …The creators who succeed will be those who figure out how to maintain their authenticity [even when it can be simulated] …” “The bar is going to shift from “can you create?” to “can you make something that only you could create?” He talks about how the personal content on Instagram now is: “unpolished; it's blurry photos and shaky videos of people's daily experiences … flattering imagery is cheap to produce and boring to consume. People want content that feels real… Savvy creators are going to lean into explicitly unproduced and unflattering images of themselves. In a world where everything can be perfected, imperfection becomes a signal. Rawness isn't just aesthetic preference anymore—it's proof. It's defensive. A way of saying: this is real because it's imperfect.” While I partially love this, and I really hope it's true, as in I hope we don't need to look good for the camera anymore I would also challenge Adam on this, because pretty much every woman I know on social media has been sent sexual messages, and/or told they are ugly and/or fat when posting anything unflattering. I've certainly had both even for the same content, but I don't expect Adam has been the target for such posting! But I get his point. He goes on:“Labeling content as authentic or AI-generated is only part of the solution though. We, as an industry, are going to need to surface much more context about not only the media on our platforms, but the accounts that are sharing it in order for people to be able to make informed decisions about what to believe. Where is the account? When was it created? What else have they posted?” This is exactly what I've been saying for a while under my double down on being human focus. I use my Instagram @jfpennauthor as evidence of humanity, not as a sales channel. You can do both of course, but increasingly, you need to make sure your accounts at places have longevity and trust, even by the platforms themselves. Adam finishes: “In a world of infinite abundance and infinite doubt, the creators who can maintain trust and signal authenticity—by being real, transparent, and consistent—will stand out.” For other marketing trends for 2026, I recommend publicist Kathleen Schmidt's SubStack which is mostly focused on traditional publishing but still interesting for indies. In her 2026 article, she notes: “We have reached a social media saturation point where going viral can be meaningless and should not be the goal; authenticity and creativity should. She also says, “In-person events are important again,” and, “Social media marketing takes a nosedive… we have reached a saturation point … What publishers must figure out is how to make their social media campaigns stand out. If they remain somewhat uninspired, the money spent on social ads won't convert into book sales.” I think this is part of the rise of live selling as above, which can stand out above more ‘produced' videos. Kathleen also talks about AI usage. “AI can help lighten the burden of publicity and marketing.” “A lot of AI tools are coming to market to lessen the load: they can write pitches, create media lists for you, send pitches for you, and more. I know the industry is grappling with all things AI, but some of these tools are huge time savers and may help a book more than hurt it.” On that note … (7) AI will create, run, and optimise ads without the need for human intervention Many authors will be very happy about this as marketing is often the bane of our author business lives! As I noted in my 2026 goals, I would love to outsource more marketing tasks to AI. I want an “AI book marketing assistant” where I can upload a book and specify a budget and say, ‘Go market this,' then the AI will action the marketing, without me having to cobble together workflows between systems. Of course, it will present plans for me to approve but it will do the work itself on the various platforms and monitor and optimize things for me. I really hope 2026 is the year this becomes possible, because we are on the edge of it already in some areas. Amazon Ads launched a new agentic AI tool in September 2025 that creates professional-quality ads. I've also been working with Claude in Chrome browser to help me analyse my Amazon Ad data and suggest which keywords/products to turn off and what to put more budget into. I'll do a Patreon video on that soon. Meta announced it will enable AI ad creation by the end of 2026 for Facebook and Instagram. For authors who find ad creation overwhelming or time-consuming, this could be a game-changer. Of course, you will still need a budget! (8) 1000 True Fans becomes more important than ever Lots of authors and publishers are moaning about the difficulty of reaching readers in an era of ‘AI slop' but there is no shortage of excellent content created by humans, or humans using AI tools. As ever, our competition is less about other authors, or even authors using AI-assisted creation, we're competing against everything else that jostles for people's attention, and the volume of that is also growing exponentially. I've never been a fan of rapid release, and have said for years that you can't keep up with the pace of the machines. So play a different game. As Kevin Kelly wrote in 2008, If you have 1000 true fans, (also known as super fans), “you can make a living — if you are content to make a living but not a fortune.” [Kevin Kelly was on this show in 2023 talking about Excellent Advice for Living.] Many authors and the publishing industry are stuck in the old model of aiming to sell huge volumes of books at a low profit margin to a massive number of readers, many of them releasing ever faster to try and keep the algorithms moving. But the maths can work for the smaller audience of more invested readers and fans. If you only make $2 profit on an ebook, you need to sell 500 ebooks to make $1000, and then do it again next month. Or you can have a small community like my patreon.com/thecreativepenn where people pay $2 (or more) a month, so even a small revenue per person results in a better outcome over the year, as it is consistent monthly income with no advertising. But what if you could make $20 profit per book? That is entirely possible if you're producing high quality hardbacks on Kickstarter, or bundle deals of audiobooks, or whole series of ebooks. You would only need to sell to 50 people to make $1000. What about $100 profit per sale, which you can do with a small course or live event? You only need 10 people to make $1000, and this in-person focus also amplifies trust and fosters human connection. I've found the intimacy of my live Patreon Office Hours and also my webinars have been rewarding personally, but also financially, and are far more memorable — and potentially transformative — than a pre-recorded video or even another book. From the LinkedIn 2026 Big Ideas article: “In an AI-optimized world, intentional human connection will become the ultimate luxury.” The 1000 True Fans model is about serving a smaller, more personal audience with higher value products (and maybe services if that's your thing). As ever, its about niche and where you fit in the long long long long long tail. It's also about trust. Because there is definitely a shortage of that in so many areas, and as Adam Mosseri of Instagram has said, trust will be increasingly important. Trust takes time to build, but if you focus on serving your audience consistently, and delivering a high quality, and being authentic, this emerges as part of being human. In an echo of what happened when online commerce first took off, we are back to talking about trust. Back in 2010, I read Trust Agents: by Julien Smith and Chris Brogan, which clearly needs a comeback. There was a 10th anniversary edition published in 2020, so that's worth a read/listen. Chris Brogan was also on this show in 2017 when we talked about finding and serving your niche for the long term. That interview is still relevant, here's a quick excerpt, where I have (lightly edited) his response to my question on this topic back in 2017: Jo: The principle of know, like, and trust, why is that still important or perhaps even more important these days? Chris: There are a few things that at play there, Joanna. One is that the same tools that make it so easy for any of us to start and run a business also allow certain elements to decide whether or not they want to do something dubious. And with all new technologies that come, you know, there's nothing unique about these new technologies. In the 1800s, anyone could put anything in a bottle and sell it to you and say, this is gonna cure everything. Cancer — gone. And the bottle could have nothing in. You know, it could be Kool-Aid. And so, the idea of trying to understand what's behind the business though, one beautiful thing that's come is that we can see in much more dimensions who we're dealing with. We can understand better who's the face behind the brand. I really want people to try their best to be a lot clearer on what they stand for or what they say. And I don't really mean a tagline. I mean, humans don't really talk like that. They don't throw some sentence out as often as they can that you remember them for that phrase. But I would say that, we have so many media available to us — the plural of mediums — where we can be more of ourselves. And I think that there's a great opportunity to share the ‘you' behind the scenes, and some people get immediately terrified about this, ‘Ah, the last thing I want is for people to know more about me,' but I think we have such an opportunity. We have such an opportunity to voice our thoughts on something, to talk about the story that goes behind the product. We were all raised on overly produced material, but I think we don't want that anymore. We really want clarity, brevity, simplicity. We want the ability for what we feel is connection and then access. And so I think it's vital that we connect and show people our accessibility, not so that they can pester us with strange questions, but more so that you can say, this person stands with their product and their service and this person believes these things, and I feel something when I hear them and I wanna be part of that.” That's from Chris Brogan's interview here in 2017, and he is still blogging and speaking at writing at ChrisBrogan.com and I'm going to re-listen to the audiobook of Trust Agents again myself as I think it's more relevant than ever. The original quote comes from Bob Burg in his 1994 book, Endless Referrals, “All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust.” That still applies, and absolutely fits with the 1000 True Fans model of aiming to serve a smaller audience. As Kevin Kelly says in 1000 True Fans, “Instead of trying to reach the narrow and unlikely peaks of platinum bestseller hits, blockbusters, and celebrity status, you can aim for direct connection with a thousand true fans.” “On your way, no matter how many fans you actually succeed in gaining, you'll be surrounded not by faddish infatuation, but by genuine and true appreciation. It's a much saner destiny to hope for. And you are much more likely to actually arrive there.” In 2026, I hope that more authors (including me!) let go of ego goals and vanity metrics like ranking, gross sales (income before you take away costs), subscribers, followers, and likes, and consider important business numbers like profit (which is the money you have after costs like marketing are taken out), as well as number of true fans — and also lifestyle elements like number of weekends off, or days spent enjoying life and not just working! OK, that's my list of trends and predictions for 2026. Let me know what you think in the comments. Do you agree? Am I wrong? What have I missed? The post 2026 Trends And Predictions For Indie Authors And The Book Publishing Industry with Joanna Penn first appeared on The Creative Penn.

"Today's 'pro-Europeans' would be horrified at the suggestion that their idea of Europe had anything to do with whiteness. In fact, many would find the attempt to link the two baffling and outrageous," writes Hans Kundnani in Eurowhiteness: Culture, Empire and Race in the European Project (Oxford UP, 2023). Yet, he does so - taking the reader on a historical journey through the development of European identity from Christendom to the coincidence of the Enlightenment and the development of colonialism to the pan-European movement that grew out of the first world war and peace project (or was it?) that emerged from the second. Not only is pro-Europeanism “analogous to nationalism - something like nationalism but on a larger, continental scale," Kundani argues, but the EU itself has “become a vehicle for imperial amnesia" thereby promoting and privileging “whiteness”. Hans Kundnani is a fellow at the Open Society Foundations Workshop, an associate scholar at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), and a visiting scholar at the Robert L. Heilbroner Center for Capitalism Studies at The New School for Social Research. From 2018-22, he was a full-time researcher at Chatham House, including as director of the Europe Programme. Before that, he was a researcher at the German Marshall Fund, the Transatlantic Academy, and the European Council on Foreign Relations. In 2014, he published The Paradox of German Power. *The author's own book recommendations are Eurafrica: The Untold History of European Integration and Colonialism by Peo Hansen and Stefan Jonsson (Bloomsbury Academic, 2015) and The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (Penguin Modern Classics, 2006 - first published in 1956) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the twenty4two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

"Today's 'pro-Europeans' would be horrified at the suggestion that their idea of Europe had anything to do with whiteness. In fact, many would find the attempt to link the two baffling and outrageous," writes Hans Kundnani in Eurowhiteness: Culture, Empire and Race in the European Project (Oxford UP, 2023). Yet, he does so - taking the reader on a historical journey through the development of European identity from Christendom to the coincidence of the Enlightenment and the development of colonialism to the pan-European movement that grew out of the first world war and peace project (or was it?) that emerged from the second. Not only is pro-Europeanism “analogous to nationalism - something like nationalism but on a larger, continental scale," Kundani argues, but the EU itself has “become a vehicle for imperial amnesia" thereby promoting and privileging “whiteness”. Hans Kundnani is a fellow at the Open Society Foundations Workshop, an associate scholar at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), and a visiting scholar at the Robert L. Heilbroner Center for Capitalism Studies at The New School for Social Research. From 2018-22, he was a full-time researcher at Chatham House, including as director of the Europe Programme. Before that, he was a researcher at the German Marshall Fund, the Transatlantic Academy, and the European Council on Foreign Relations. In 2014, he published The Paradox of German Power. *The author's own book recommendations are Eurafrica: The Untold History of European Integration and Colonialism by Peo Hansen and Stefan Jonsson (Bloomsbury Academic, 2015) and The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (Penguin Modern Classics, 2006 - first published in 1956) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the twenty4two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

"Today's 'pro-Europeans' would be horrified at the suggestion that their idea of Europe had anything to do with whiteness. In fact, many would find the attempt to link the two baffling and outrageous," writes Hans Kundnani in Eurowhiteness: Culture, Empire and Race in the European Project (Oxford UP, 2023). Yet, he does so - taking the reader on a historical journey through the development of European identity from Christendom to the coincidence of the Enlightenment and the development of colonialism to the pan-European movement that grew out of the first world war and peace project (or was it?) that emerged from the second. Not only is pro-Europeanism “analogous to nationalism - something like nationalism but on a larger, continental scale," Kundani argues, but the EU itself has “become a vehicle for imperial amnesia" thereby promoting and privileging “whiteness”. Hans Kundnani is a fellow at the Open Society Foundations Workshop, an associate scholar at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), and a visiting scholar at the Robert L. Heilbroner Center for Capitalism Studies at The New School for Social Research. From 2018-22, he was a full-time researcher at Chatham House, including as director of the Europe Programme. Before that, he was a researcher at the German Marshall Fund, the Transatlantic Academy, and the European Council on Foreign Relations. In 2014, he published The Paradox of German Power. *The author's own book recommendations are Eurafrica: The Untold History of European Integration and Colonialism by Peo Hansen and Stefan Jonsson (Bloomsbury Academic, 2015) and The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (Penguin Modern Classics, 2006 - first published in 1956) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the twenty4two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/european-studies

"Today's 'pro-Europeans' would be horrified at the suggestion that their idea of Europe had anything to do with whiteness. In fact, many would find the attempt to link the two baffling and outrageous," writes Hans Kundnani in Eurowhiteness: Culture, Empire and Race in the European Project (Oxford UP, 2023). Yet, he does so - taking the reader on a historical journey through the development of European identity from Christendom to the coincidence of the Enlightenment and the development of colonialism to the pan-European movement that grew out of the first world war and peace project (or was it?) that emerged from the second. Not only is pro-Europeanism “analogous to nationalism - something like nationalism but on a larger, continental scale," Kundani argues, but the EU itself has “become a vehicle for imperial amnesia" thereby promoting and privileging “whiteness”. Hans Kundnani is a fellow at the Open Society Foundations Workshop, an associate scholar at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), and a visiting scholar at the Robert L. Heilbroner Center for Capitalism Studies at The New School for Social Research. From 2018-22, he was a full-time researcher at Chatham House, including as director of the Europe Programme. Before that, he was a researcher at the German Marshall Fund, the Transatlantic Academy, and the European Council on Foreign Relations. In 2014, he published The Paradox of German Power. *The author's own book recommendations are Eurafrica: The Untold History of European Integration and Colonialism by Peo Hansen and Stefan Jonsson (Bloomsbury Academic, 2015) and The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (Penguin Modern Classics, 2006 - first published in 1956) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the twenty4two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

"Today's 'pro-Europeans' would be horrified at the suggestion that their idea of Europe had anything to do with whiteness. In fact, many would find the attempt to link the two baffling and outrageous," writes Hans Kundnani in Eurowhiteness: Culture, Empire and Race in the European Project (Oxford UP, 2023). Yet, he does so - taking the reader on a historical journey through the development of European identity from Christendom to the coincidence of the Enlightenment and the development of colonialism to the pan-European movement that grew out of the first world war and peace project (or was it?) that emerged from the second. Not only is pro-Europeanism “analogous to nationalism - something like nationalism but on a larger, continental scale," Kundani argues, but the EU itself has “become a vehicle for imperial amnesia" thereby promoting and privileging “whiteness”. Hans Kundnani is a fellow at the Open Society Foundations Workshop, an associate scholar at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), and a visiting scholar at the Robert L. Heilbroner Center for Capitalism Studies at The New School for Social Research. From 2018-22, he was a full-time researcher at Chatham House, including as director of the Europe Programme. Before that, he was a researcher at the German Marshall Fund, the Transatlantic Academy, and the European Council on Foreign Relations. In 2014, he published The Paradox of German Power. *The author's own book recommendations are Eurafrica: The Untold History of European Integration and Colonialism by Peo Hansen and Stefan Jonsson (Bloomsbury Academic, 2015) and The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (Penguin Modern Classics, 2006 - first published in 1956) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the twenty4two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series.

“On 16-18th of December 2025 tens of thousands of Lithuanians gathered by the Parliament in protest against plans to politicise the public broadcaster, LRT. Over 143,000 people also signed a petition, making it the most popular online petition to date. The list of those calling on the lawmakers to step back included national and international media watchdogs and NGOs, the European Broadcasting Union, the European Council, the Lithuanian parliament's own legal department, and more. A separate protest campaign – which includes on-air statements – is self-organised by LRT staff. Civil society and some observers see these developments similar to those as in countries like Hungary and Slovakia, where pro-Russian course began with attacks against the culture sector. As a child, I watched on TV similar protests as our newly independent Lithuanian public broadcaster was taken over by soviet troops on January 13th 1991. I could never imagine that I myself would have to protest in the same square, defending the broadcaster I work for, this time from an attempted take over by our own politicians. I went there all three nights in a row and recorded thousands of people chanting “Hands off free speech”, singing our national anthem and independence-period songs about freedom. It was dark and cold with temperatures around 0 C, but the fires were burning well into the night and we felt united and hopeful.” For more, see explainers by LRT English:www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/…rt-what-s-happeningwww.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/…crosshairs-what-nowwww.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/…at-you-need-to-know

FRANCE 24 heads north to the kingdom of Denmark. The Scandinavian country has been in the spotlight this year, holding the rotating presidency of the European Council from July to December and pushing forward its priorities such as migration and the energy transition – topics that we dive into in this show. In this first part of the programme, our focus is on defence and migration.

FRANCE 24 heads north to the kingdom of Denmark. The Scandinavian country has been in the spotlight this year, holding the rotating presidency of the European Council from July to December and pushing forward its priorities such as migration and the energy transition – topics that we dive into in this show. In this second part of the programme, our focus is on Denmark's economy.

Lesia Ogryzko is a visiting fellow with the Wider Europe programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations. She leads a Ukrainian think-tank on security and defence, Sahaidachnyi Security Center, and is board member of Ukraine's biggest expert coalition on the country's reconstruction, RISE Ukraine. Previously, Ogryzko served as international civil servant across the UN system, dealing with human rights and the coordination of UN agencies in Ukraine. She also worked for the Ukrainian government on the implementation of reforms, including in public administration for the cabinet of ministers' reforms delivery office. She is also the co-founder of several civic initiatives, as well as the Ukrainian office of the humanitarian international NGO Save the Children. Prior to that, Ogryzko worked for the Spanish think-tank FRIDE, researching international affairs. She is the author of numerous publications in international media on the Russia-Ukraine war, Ukraine's reconstruction, and the country's civil society.Ogryzko holds an MA in international relations and security studies from the Institute of international relations at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and an MA in European public affairs from the Maastricht University, the Netherlands.----------LINKS:https://ecfr.eu/profile/lesia-ogryzko/https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesia-ogryzko-33285163/https://x.com/ogryzko_lhttps://ecfr.eu/profile/lesia-ogryzko/type/media/https://defence.org.ua/en/tag/lesia-ogryzko/----------The Steel Porcupine https://www.thesteelporcupine.com/I'm proud to say that this series of ‘Ukrainian advent' interviews is supported by The Steel Porcupine – a unique and powerful film about a country that refuses to lie down, a people who turned themselves into a fortress of needles when Russian tanks rolled in. The Steel Porcupine is an unforgettable cinematic experience that exposes Russia's campaign of extermination in Ukraine, and the Ukrainian people's spirit to resist and prevail. It follows soldiers, volunteers and people who decided that survival meant resistance, not submission.Created by the makers of the acclaimed To the Zero Line, this is another film about humanity, that clearly states there is no such thing as neutrality when war crimes are being committed systematically by Russia, and on a scale in Europe only comparable to World War Two. Set to a haunting soundtrack featuring music by Philip Glass, and blending rare archival footage with original material, it is an impactful work of art and storytelling, as well as being informative.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------

European Union leaders have agreed to loan Ukraine $100bn to cover the cost of its military and public services, but they failed to reach on a deal on using frozen Russian assets.They instead opted to secure the oan against EU borrowing rather than Russian assets. What signal does that send to Moscow?Also in the programme: We'll hear from the Ukrainian widows cut off from compensation because their soldier husbands took their own lives; excitement builds in Morocco as it prepares to host Africa's biggest football tournament; why the boxing influencer Jake Paul may be risking more than his reputation in tonight's big fight.(Photo shows Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen, European Council president Antonio Costa, and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at the EU Council Summit in Brussels, Belgium on 19 December 2025. Credit: Olivier Hoslet/EPA)

A 90-billion-euro loan to Ukraine and a postponed Mercosur vote dominated the European Council meeting yesterday. Suzanne Lynch, Brussels Bureau Chief, Bloomberg brings us the details from the meeting.

On Europe Today, your daily Euronews podcast, presented by Méabh Mc Mahon, we have prepared a special edition for the European Council summit that finished just a few hours ago in Brussels. Our EU news editor Maria Tadeo has the latest on the 90 billion cheque for Ukraine raised by joint debt. We speak as well with Sasha Vakulina, our Ukraine correspondent, on how this will impact Ukraine. And then we go back to the European Council building to speak with our correspondent Shona Murray about the postponement of the EU-Mercosur deal.Europe Today is Euronews' daily podcast hosted by Maria Tadeo and Méabh Mc Mahon, broadcasting directly from Brussels, at the heart of Europe. Every morning, we deliver the top and exclusive stories shaping the European Union (EU) and beyond.Stay ahead with the key news and insights that matter in Europe today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The geopolitical shocks of 2025 have the potential to reverberate for decades to come. Trump's America first agenda and the new US national security strategy risk European unity, security and the rise of far right politics; Trump's trade wars have served to increase the pressure on states looking to balance relations with the US, China and also a rising India, and Israel's assaults in Iran, Gaza and Lebanon have changed the balance of power in the Middle East.  In the final episode of the year, Gavin Esler talks to Mark Leonard, co-founder and director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, to examine how the geopolitical balance has shifted in 2025. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Max and Donatienne discuss recent comments by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declaring the end of ‘Pax Americana'. Then, they preview a high-stakes European Council meeting, where leaders will discuss the Mercosur trade deal and the European Commission's proposal to leverage frozen Russian assets to provide a crucial loan to Ukraine.  Finally, they turn to a conversation with Dr. Thu Nguyen, Acting Co-Director of the Jacques Delors Centre, to discuss the state of democracy in the EU.  (00:00) Intro (02:05) Friedrich Merz ‘Pax Americana' Speech (05:19) Frozen Russian Assets Loan (13:13) Mercosur Trade Deal (19:00) Interview with Thu Nguyen   Learn more: Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts

The legal text of a UK–EU treaty on Gibraltar's post-Brexit relationship has been finalised, with the European Council now informed. News editor Christine Vasquez joined us after speaking to the Deputy Chief Minister about what happens next.A potentially historic night for Lincoln Red Imps as they face Legia Warsaw in their final UEFA Conference League group match - a point could see them progress. We head from sports reporter Jose Mari Ruiz in Poland.Unbeaten boxing brothers Kriss and Evan Montegriffo make their UK professional debuts this weekend in Derby.GEMA Gallery is hosting a beginner's introduction to cyanotype photography this evening, led by artist Naomi Duarte.And the Nautilus Project is encouraging a more sustainable, less wasteful approach to Christmas. Cameron Byrne and Alex Sanchez-Soiza told us more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Europe Today, your daily Euronews podcast, presented by Méabh Mc Mahon, we zoom straight into the high stakes European Council summit taking place today in Brussels. From saving face on Ukraine, to stopping the Mercosur trade deal from falling off a cliff- big decisions on key issues will have to be made today. Our EU editor Maria Tadeo speaks to Luc Frieden, the prime minister of Luxembourg who says he never gets nervous as a head of state. We also have sharp analysis from our senior correspondents Shona Murray and Sasha Vakulina on crucial funding for Ukraine. You can watch Euronews or visit our website for a live blog on the ongoing summit.Europe Today is Euronews' daily podcast hosted by Maria Tadeo and Méabh Mc Mahon, broadcasting directly from Brussels, at the heart of Europe. Every morning, we deliver the top and exclusive stories shaping the European Union (EU) and beyond.Stay ahead with the key news and insights that matter in Europe today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

William Law's guest this week on the Arab Digest podcast is the European Council on Foreign Relations' Kelly Petillo. Their conversation focusses on three countries - Syria, Sudan and Palestine - and the challenges and obstacles they face both external and internal in managing the millions who have been displaced by years of wars. Petillo argues that Europe must step up and provide humane solutions. Sign up NOW at ArabDigest.org for free to join the club and start receiving our daily newsletter & weekly podcasts.

Heute wird das Gemeinsame Drohnenabwehrzentrum (GDAZ) von Bund und Ländern eröffnet. Es soll die Sicherheitsbehörden des Bundes, die Polizei der Länder und die Bundeswehr miteinander vernetzen, damit eine schnelle und effektive Reaktion auf sicherheitsrelevante Drohnenvorfälle möglich wird, so das Ziel. Die Federführung im Drohnenabwehrzentrum soll der Bund haben. Das sei ein Schritt in die richtige Richtung, sagt Ulrike Franke, Sicherheits- und Verteidigungsexpertin beim European Council on Foreign Relations. Im Gespräch mit SWR Aktuell-Moderator Andreas Böhnisch erklärt sie, wie die Abläufe nach einer Drohnensichtung in Zukunft sind. Vor allem die Bundeswehr spielt dabei eine wichtige Rolle, deren Einsatz ist aber rechtlich noch nicht geregelt.

In this episode, we're gonna take a sweeping look at Southeast Asia's political, economic, and security landscape. The region sits at a geopolitical crossroads, a position that has created huge potential and a delicate balancing act between China and the U.S.As an intrinsically diverse region, different countries pursue different levels of ambition. The difficulties the region has in finding a unified voice are clearly visible daily, whether it is in the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, the environmental challenges facing the Mekong region, or the protest-inducing corruption scandals in countries like the Philippines and Indonesia.So is Southeast Asia meeting its potential? We asked Pita Limjaroenrat, former Prime Minister designate of Thailand and current Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Huong Le Thu, Deputy Director of the Asia Program at the International Crisis Group.The conversation, recorded live on stage at our annual STATE OF ASIA CONFERENCE last month, is led by James Crabtree, a fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and advisor to Asia Society Switzerland.Find more information on STATE OF ASIA 2025, including videos, on the Asia Society website.Stay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member. -STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Published: December 16, 2025Host/Editor: Remko Tanis, Managing Editor, Asia Society Switzerland

China ist Deutschlands wichtigster Handelspartner, die deutsche Abhängigkeit von Importen aus China ist groß. Das weiß auch Außenminister Johann Wadephul, der Anfang dieser Woche zu Gesprächen in Peking und Guangzhou war. Er wollte in China unter anderem über die scharfen Exportkontrollen für seltene Erden sprechen, die auch die deutsche Industrie unter Druck setzen. Denn in der Gewinnung und Verarbeitung seltener Erden, die für Wirtschaft und Energiewende unverzichtbar sind, hat China eine unangefochtene Vormachtstellung in der Welt. Kann Deutschland überhaupt ohne China? Wie groß Chinas wirtschaftliche Macht ist und warum Deutschland und Europa davon so abhängig sind, bespricht Anne Will in dieser Folge mit Janka Oertel, Asien-Expertin und Distinguished Policy Fellow beim European Council on Foreign Relations. Oertel ist eine der führenden China-Expertinnen Deutschlands und plädiert immer wieder dafür, sich möglichst schnell unabhängiger von China zu machen. Seit der Veröffentlichung der deutschen China-Strategie 2023 seien wir im De-Risking nicht weitergekommen, sagt sie, die Risiken seien sogar noch gestiegen. Es brauche nun echte Interventionen und alternative Lieferketten, auch EU-Zollerhöhungen könnten eine Option sein. In dieser Folge geht es außerdem darum, wie die EU da mit einem neuen Aktionsplan gegensteuern will und warum Chinas wirtschaftliche Lage jetzt ein Möglichkeitsfenster bietet, in den chinesisch-europäischen Beziehungen Druck aufzubauen. Redaktionsschluss für diese Folge war der 10.12.2025, 18:30 Uhr.

When Gaza militia leader Yasser Abu Shabab was killed last week, few Palestinians mourned his death. After Israel's genocidal war in Gaza began in 2023, Abu Shabab and his Israel-backed Popular Forces group attempted to present themselves as an alternative to Hamas, but Palestinians instead viewed him as a traitor. What did his rise reveal about Israel’s strategy for Gaza? In this episode: Muhammad Shehada (@muhammadshehad2), fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations Episode credits: This episode was produced by Melanie Marich, Noor Wazwaz, and Haleema Shah, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Tracie Hunte, Diana Ferrero, and our guest host Kevin Hirten. It was edited by Kylene Kiang. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. This episode was mixed by Rick Rush. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

E' di almeno dieci morti e 140mila civili in fuga dalla violenza il bilancio dei nuovi scontri tra Thailandia e Cambogia. Come mai ci sono periodicamente frizioni tra le due nazioni lungo gli 800 km della frontiera comune? Lo chiediamo a Massimo Morello, giornalista freelance a Bangkok e autore, assieme a Emanuele Giordana, di "Asia criminale" (Baldini&Castoldi).Mentre prosegue il viaggio in Europa del presidente ucraino Volodymyr Zelensky, che oggi si trova a Roma per incontrare la presidente del Consiglio Giorgia Meloni, analizziamo l'allineamento di alcune posizioni statunitensi con quelle del Cremlino con Arturo Varvelli, direttore della sede romana dello European Council on Foreing Relations.La nuova Strategia di sicurezza nazionale degli Stai Uniti e, più in generale, le politiche dell'amministrazione Trump hanno un quadro ideologico fortemente influenzato dai millenaristi della Silicon Valley e dall'ala più estremista della galassia Maga, i cosiddetti Dark Maga. Ne parliamo con Andrea Daniele Signorelli, giornalista freelance esperto di innovazione digitale e dell'impatto di questa sulla società.

In this episode, I talk to Dr. Tobias Gherke senior fellow on the European Council on Foreign relations about the Geo-Economics of critical minerals.We discuss what critical minerals are important, how China became so dominant, who the other major players are, and how the West can respond to China's dominance.

Despite their support for Ukraine, European countries have been a significant market for Russian energy. But an agreement has now been reached between the European Council and the European Parliament to phase out imports of Russian gas. The announcement came as it emerged peace talks between the US and Russia had failed, once again, to produce a breakthrough. Also in this episode - France's President, Emmanuel Macron, has arrived in Beijing for an official visit that will also take him to the city of Chengdu. The search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH-370 will resume this month. A new draft law on conscripting ultra-Orthodox Jews has sparked uproar in Israel. The American city of San Francisco is to file the nation's first government lawsuit against manufacturers of ultra-processed food. The BBC investigates the dramatic rise in online abuse towards football players and managers in the Premier League and Women's Super League. And a man in New Zealand is being questioned after allegedly swallowing a Faberge diamond pendant, in an attempt to smuggle it out of a jewellery store.The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

Day 1,378.Today, as the world reacts to the marathon – but ultimately fruitless – talks in Moscow on Tuesday night, we examine how the impasse will shape today's meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers and, also in Brussels, the European Council's discussions on frozen Russian assets and the ‘new era' the EU says it is entering, free from Russian fossil fuels. Plus, our Russia expert assesses Moscow's ‘caviar diplomacy' and its growing problems in Africa, and we report how Australia and New Zealand are stepping up their support for Ukraine. Finally, we hear the assessment of Ukraine's former Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, on the current state of the war – and whether he harbours any ambition to succeed President Zelensky.ContributorsDominic Nicholls (Associate Editor, Defence). @DomNicholls on X.James Kilner (Foreign Correspondent). @jkjourno on X.With thanks to Latika Bourke. @latikambourke on X.SIGN UP TO THE ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST' WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It's free for everyone, including non-subscribers.CONTENT REFERENCED:Latika Bourke Substackhttps://substack.com/@latikambourkeAustralia and New Zealand join forces to fund NATO weapons for Ukrainehttps://thenightly.com.au/world/australia-and-new-zealand-join-forces-to-fund-nato-weapons-for-ukraine-c-20819893Today's Telegraph Ukraine Live Blog:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/12/03/ukraine-russia-war-latest-news-peace-deal-talks/Cosmonaut Artemyev was removed from the Crew-12 crew: https://theins.ru/news/287330 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week the government announced an overhaul of the UK's asylum system with the stated aim of making Britain look a lot less attractive to those planning to make their way across the Channel on a small boat or outstay their visa if already here. A raft of proposals include ending a refugee's effective right to stay in the country indefinitely, a quicker way of deporting those who fail in their asylum applications and a less sympathetic approach to refugee families. Denmark has been held up in recent days as an example of a country with much tougher asylum policies. So are we in the UK now part of a wider European trend of clamping down on asylum seekers? And what can we learn from the success or failure of other asylum policies across the continent.Guests: Dr Madeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at Oxford University Professor Andrew Geddes, Director of the Migration Policy Centre at the European University Institute in Florence. Susi Dennison, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight, Cordelia Hemming Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound engineer: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

Report from Una Kelly, Anton Barbashin, visiting researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations, and Sviatoslav Yurash, Ukrainian MP with President Zelensky's ‘Servant of the People' Party and chair of the Irish/Ukrainian Friendship Group

Harry McGee and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:· The inauguration of Ireland's 10th president in in St Patrick's Hall, Dublin Castle, on Tuesday, saw Catherine Connolly deliver a stirring address, amid a real testament to the health of democracy in this country, with all sides coming together after an at times brutal election campaign. Perhaps this is something our immediate neighbours and those across the Atlantic could one day emulate. · The Government's long-awaited housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, was published this week with the focus firmly on lifting families out of homelessness. A target of 300,000 new homes by 2030, ramping up the role of the Land Development Agency, and greatly reducing red tape when delivering homes, are some aspects of a plan that needs to become a reality if this Government is to be judged a success. · And Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin faces continued pressure over the failed Jim Gavin presidency campaign, but Wednesday's parliamentary party meeting revealed that the review of the campaign will now not be completed until early December. Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:· The BBC makes mistakes but shouldn't bend to Donald Trump's will, Mark Paul on accents and belonging, and how Ireland's forthcoming presidency of the European Council should focus the 'hot mess of uncoordinated gibberish' of some policy positions here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Viktor Orban e Vladimir Putin sono politicamente allineati, ma di recente Washington ha criticato l'Ungheria per l'importazione di petrolio russo. Allo stesso tempo, il legame tra il leader ungherese e Vladimir Putin potrebbe essere per Trump una carta da giocare per arrivare ad un accordo sul conflitto in Ucraina. Ne parliamo con Arturo Varvelli, direttore della sede romana dello European Council on Foreign Realations, e con Mattia Diletti, professore di scienza politica e public policy alla Sapienza Università di Roma.

In this episode, Andreas Bjørndal, an experienced homeopath with more than 45 years in practice, shares his reflections on healing, teaching, and the evolving landscape of homeopathy. He talks about how homeopathy found him through his early fascination with nature and healing, and how this path led him to found multidisciplinary clinics and guide future practitioners in Norway. Andreas explains key ideas such as the concept of polarity in remedies and the importance of understanding the dynamics of healing rather than focusing solely on individual remedies.   Episode Highlights: 06:17 - Journey into Homeopathy 09:14 - Significant Cases and Learnings 13:47 - Reflections on 45 Years of Practice 17:00 - Evolution of Homeopathy Over the Years 21:31 - Understanding Wholeness and Unity 27:03 - Polarity and Healing Processes 31:36 - The Healing Process Begins with Intention 35:12 - Developing a System of Archetypes 39:09 - Understanding Center and Periphery in Remedies 47:35 - Exploring the Depth of Provings 56:13 - Homeopathy and Consciousness 01:09:56 - The Concept of Oneness 01:27:32 - Case Study: Hashimoto's and Hearing Loss 01:38:13 - Visualizing Archetypes and Polarities   About my Guests: Curriculum Vitae Andreas N. Bjørndal   It is difficult to imagine a role in homeopathy, natural medicine, and integrative health that ANB has not held. For more than four decades, he has been at the very center of the profession—locally, nationally, and internationally.   He founded and led two of the most respected multidisciplinary clinics in Oslo, bringing together more than 20 practitioners across traditional, alternative, and integrative medicine. At the same time, he was a pioneer in education, serving for nearly two decades as Educational Director at the Norwegian Academy of Natural Medicine (NAN), where he shaped curriculum, developed innovative approaches to learning, and guided the majority of homeopaths, naturopaths, and veteropaths in Norway. He has been a teacher of virtually every aspect of homeopathy and naturopathy—ranging from materia medica and clinical practice to philosophy of science, rhetoric, and therapist development—for more than 40 years.   Internationally, he has been a tireless ambassador of the field. As Chairperson of the Norwegian Association of Homeopaths, the European Council of Classical Homeopathy, and the International Council of Classical Homeopathy, he has not only led but also initiated many of the most important organizational and professional structures we take for granted today. He helped establish the first European guidelines for homeopathic education, guidelines that are now recognized globally as the standard. His honorary membership in the Norwegian Association of Homeopaths reflects a lifetime of service to the professional community.   As a lecturer and course instructor, he has been invited around the world for more than four decades, holding seminars on homeopathy, integrative medicine, philosophy, self-development and spirituality. He has trained healthcare professionals—including medical doctors and nurses—on the role of homeopathy in patient care, and his advanced training programs for practitioners have influenced generations of therapists. Beyond medicine, he has guided groups through self-development processes, spiritual initiations, and even journeys of initiation in Egypt.   ANB has also contributed at the policy and research levels. He served on the Norwegian government's Aarbakke Committee, which laid the groundwork for the Act on Alternative Treatment, and on the Ministry of Health's working group on private import of medicines. He has published extensively—hundreds of articles in Norwegian and international journals in print and online, as long-standing contributions to the The Magic Happens Magazine and his own site Holonity. He has conducted frontier research both regarding methodology as well as exploring the healing potential of close to 200 new homeopathic remedies.   In short, ANB's career encompasses the whole spectrum of homeopathy: practitioner, teacher, researcher, author, international spokesperson, and organizational leader. He has carried the field forward with vision, dedication, and a rare ability to connect the scientific, the practical, and the spiritual dimensions of healing in an inspirational and unified way that makes it easy to understand and apply.   Find out more about Andreas Website: https://holonity.com/   If you would like to support the Homeopathy Hangout Podcast, please consider making a donation by visiting www.EugenieKruger.com and click the DONATE button at the top of the site. Every donation about $10 will receive a shout-out on a future episode.   Join my Homeopathy Hangout Podcast Facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HelloHomies   Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/eugeniekrugerhomeopathy/   Here is the link to my free 30-minute Homeopathy@Home online course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqBUpxO4pZQ&t=438s   Upon completion of the course - and if you live in Australia - you can join my Facebook group for free acute advice (you'll need to answer a couple of questions about the course upon request to join): www.facebook.com/groups/eughom

Trump calls it a peace plan. For Palestinians in Gaza, it's a fatal farce. More than 100 Palestinians have been killed in the last two days as Israel conducted air strikes, ostensibly as a retaliation against Hamas' alleged violations of the ceasefire. But the reality is different. Muhammad Shehada is a Palestinian analyst, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and a dear friend of the pod. We speak about Netanyahu's long leash and the complex nature of reality in Gaza. To support us, go to patreon.com/kalampodcastFollow us on Instagram @kalampodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

JAXA successfully launched a cargo spacecraft for its first mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). The European Council calls for an accelerated joint development of space assets and services that serve security and defence purposes. Firefly Aerospace is set to expand and add 300 jobs to its Cedar Park, Texas location, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Our guest today is Richard Cooper, Space Foundation Vice President of Strategic Communications. You can connect with Rich on LinkedIn, and learn more about the Space Symposium on their website. Selected Reading Japan successfully launches new cargo spacecraft to deliver supplies to International Space Station Joint Communication To The European Parliament, The European Council And The Council Preserving Peace - Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030 Cedar Park OKs millions for Firefly, Wright One HQ projects Voyager Acquires ExoTerra, Bolstering American Propulsion Capabilities Sidus Space Finalizes Commercial Pathfinder Mission Agreement with Lonestar for LizzieSat®-5 Mission SpaceX Starlink internet isn't fast enough for Ukraine's combat robots- Space ABOVE rockets into DARPA's ERIS Elite—Unlocking next-generation space defense innovations – SatNews NASA-Themed Pumpkin-Carving Templates and Stencils Share your feedback. What do you think about T-Minus Space Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

US to probe China's 2020 trade compliance while Trump has "terminated" all trade talks with Canada.European bourses opened firmer but now off best levels whilst US equity futures are in the green; INTC +8.3%.USD slightly higher into CPI, EUR boosted on German PMIs but now pared.Bunds & Gilts hit by PMIs, OATs look to Moody's, USTs await CPI.Crude gives back recent strength, XAU also on the backfoot around USD 4.06k/oz.Looking ahead, US Flash PMIs (Oct), US CPI (Sep), CBR Policy Announcement, European Council (23rd-24th), Moody's Credit Review on France, Speakers including ECB's Cipollone & Nagel, Earnings from Procter & Gamble.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

US to probe China's 2020 trade compliance while Trump has "terminated" all trade talks with CanadaDespite this, APAC bourses firmer as the region focuses on confirmation of a Trump-Xi meeting next weekDXY firmer but rangebound, USD/JPY tested 153.00Fixed benchmarks remain subdued, USTs await CPICrude pulled back from Thursday's rally, XAU is indecisiveLooking ahead, highlights include UK Retail Sales (Sep), EZ, UK & US Flash PMIs (Oct), US CPI (Sep), (Suspended Releases: US Build Permits & US New Home Sales), CBR Policy Announcement, European Council (23rd-24th), Moody's Credit Review on France, Speakers including ECB's Cipollone & Nagel, Earnings from NatWest, Porsche, Sanofi, Eni, Saab, Procter & GambleClick for the Newsquawk Week Ahead.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

We discuss the European Council meeting and what’s on the agenda for today’s high-profile talks. Plus: Ramaphosa’s Asia tour, Germany takes on AI, the soft power of football and food news from Tokyo. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Max and Donatienne discuss the ongoing negotiations over the EU's next long-term budget and a recent call from the German government to establish a common European stock market. Then, they turn to a conversation with Jeremy Shapiro, Research Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, to discuss how European leaders have approached Trump. Have they avoided the worst-case scenario or is appeasement backfiring already?      (00:00) Intro  (00:52) EU Budget Fight  (11:40) Berlin Calls for European Stock Market  (17:11) Interview with Jeremy Shapiro    Learn more:   Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts 

Europe Editor Tony Connelly looks ahead as the Taoiseach attends a meeting of the European Council in Brussels with Ukraine loan and Israeli sanction discussion.

China published fourth plenum communique: approved five-year plan, and aiming for a 'big increase' in the level of tech self-reliance.European equities are mostly higher, whilst US equity futures are mixed; TSLA -3%, IBM -7.2%, Quantum stocks +10%.DXY is flat, Antipodeans lead whilst havens lag in quiet trade.Bonds are pressured as the risk tone sees pockets of improvement; decent UK auction sparked little move in Gilts at the time.New Russian sanctions push crude benchmarks higher, XAU continues to consolidate.Looking ahead, Existing Home Sales (Sep), EZ Consumer Confidence Flash (Oct), Canadian Retail Sales (Aug), Australian Flash PMIs (Oct), (Suspended Releases: US Weekly Claims), CBRT Policy Announcement, CCP 4th Plenum (20th-23rd), European Council (23rd-24th). Speakers including ECB's Lane, Fed's Bowman & Barr (Fed on Blackout). Earnings from Intel, American Airlines, Freeport McMoRan, Blackstone, T-Mobile US & Valero Energy.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

US-China frictions weigh on the risk tone; Bessent said they are contemplating the next move if talks don't work outDXY posts modest gains, EUR pressured, while Sterling remains lower but is off the worst levels on WednesdayFixed benchmarks struggled for direction, US 20yr was decentCrude supported by reports around Ukraine's use of Western long-range missiles, metals softerLooking ahead, highlights include US National Activity Index (Sep), Existing Home Sales (Sep), EZ Consumer Confidence Flash (Oct), Canadian Retail Sales (Aug), Australian Flash PMIs (Oct), (Suspended Releases: US Weekly Claims), CBRT Policy Announcement, CCP 4th Plenum (20th-23rd), European Council (23rd-24th), Speakers including ECB's Lane, Fed's Bowman & Barr (Fed on Blackout), Supply from UK & US.Earnings from Dassault, Orange, STMicroelectronics, Beiersdorf, Nokia, BE Semiconductor, Intel, American Airlines, Freeport McMoRan, Honeywell, Dow, Southwest Airlines, Blackstone, PG&E, T-Mobile US & Valero Energy.Click for the Newsquawk Week Ahead.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Russia continues to bombard Ukraine while looking to boost its propaganda budget. Then: JD Vance meets with Benjamin Netanyahu to assert the US’s commitment to the Gaza ceasefire. Plus: the fate of heritage crafts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Donald Trump tries to take credit for a ceasefire in Gaza, Israel continues to kill Palestinians. And as both Israeli and Palestinian captives are released, the glaring double standards in coverage lay bare how this genocide was allowed to go on for so long. Contributors:  Tahani Mustafa – Visiting Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations Mouin Rabbani – Co-editor, Jadaliyya Kenneth Roth – Former Executive Director, Human Rights Watch Oren Ziv – Journalist, +972 Magazine On our radar This year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Corina Machado, chose to dedicate her award to Donald Trump. Meenakshi Ravi reports on what motivated the Venezuelan opposition leader to pander to the United States president. All the president's women: the rise of the ‘womanosphere' For years, the right-wing media space has been dominated by men. But the 2024 election shone a light on a rising parallel force within Donald Trump's MAGA movement: the so-called "womanosphere". Across YouTube channels, social media and podcasts, conservative women are rebranding right-wing politics for a female audience. Featuring:  Annie Kelly – UK Correspondent, QAA Podcast Nicole Kiprilov – Republican Party strategist Eviane Leidig – Author, The Women of the Far Right

Chinese exports are booming—but ties with the U.S. are collapsing. Across Asia, from Beijing to Manila, Washington's shifting strategy under Trump is reshaping alliances and testing security guarantees that have underpinned the region for decades. Eric speaks with James Crabtree, a distinguished visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and the Asia Society, about how Asia's leaders are adapting to a world in flux: China's mix of confidence and anxiety amid its own economic slowdown How Trump's erratic policy is breaking apart the anti-China coalition Growing doubts in Tokyo, Seoul, and Manila about U.S. security guarantees Taiwan's precarious position and fears of being left alone Vietnam's balancing act between U.S. tariffs and China's dominance Why India is quietly building backup plans with Europe JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

Max and Donatienne discuss the recent Czech parliamentary election in which billionaire businessman and former prime minister Andrej Babis and his ANO party roared to a victory (01:00). They also cover last week's informal European Council summit in Copenhagen, where leaders met to discuss how to bolster the continent's security (07:33). Finally, they turn to a conversation with Ben McWilliams, affiliate fellow in the field of energy and climate policy with Bruegel, to discuss the European Union's energy and climate agenda (15:47).  Learn more:   Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts How Europe Can Defend Itself with Less America

Thema: Wie soll Europa auf Drohnen reagieren?

Can we talk about Trump's culture war, Putin's war on inclusivity, and just about everyone's unwillingness to pay teachers fair wages—and giggle throughout? You better believe it. Nina Lamparski is back in the hosting chair, and strap in, listeners, because this week's show is a *ride.* Our guest this week is the delightful and incisive political analyst Paweł Zerka of the European Council on Foreign Relations. Paweł returns to the podcast to tell us why Europe is living in a Truman-Show-style universe directed by Donald Trump and his international team. We pick Paweł's terrific brain about what our leaders can do to build upon the growing pro-European sentiment (really!) and engage with the US as its peer, not its lackey. Plus: Nina raises a glass of crémant to Luxembourgish teachers, who had what seems to us like a very swanky Good Week. And Dominic awards Bad Week to Eurovision, which seems to be crumbling whilst Russia's Intervision is back and creepier than ever. Mentioned in this episode:  The European Sentiment Compass 2025 from ECF and ECFR, “Reality show: Why Europe must not cave in Trump's culture war” culture war” Europeans jingles composer Jim Barne's Broadway(!) musical, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) This live blog from Czech Radio's Zlín service that tracked the movements of Emil the Elk all summer  This week's Inspiration Station recommendations are Twelve Months of Monastery Soups, a cookbook by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette, and Rejected: Designs for the European Flag by Jonas von Lenthe.   This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it's contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.   00:00:47 This podcast is co-hosted by a bionic woman 00:04:45 Good Week: Luxembourgish teachers 00:12:18 Bad Week: Eurovision 00:29:09 Interview: Paweł Zerka of the European Council on Foreign Relations 00:43:50 The Inspiration Station: The books Twelve Months of Monastery Soups and Rejected: Designs for the European Flag 00:50:14 Happy Ending: Central Europe adopts elk mascot Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | hello@europeanspodcast.com  

India's once-flourishing ties with Washington have soured in Trump's second term, marked by punishing tariffs and penalties over Russian oil. This turbulence reinforces New Delhi's instinct for “multi-alignment,” and the desire to hedge between great powers rather than bet on any single partner.Against this backdrop, a new paper by the journalist and analyst James Crabtree argues that now is the time for Europe to shine and to make the case that it is India's most promising alternative in a shifting global order. The paper is called, “Pivot to Europe: India's Back-Up Plan in Trump's World,” and it has just been published by the European Council on Foreign Relations, where James is a distinguished visiting fellow. James spent ten years as a journalist and foreign correspondent, notably for the Financial Times, where he served as the Mumbai bureau chief. He is the author of the much-celebrated book, The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India's New Gilded Age, published in 2018. He is currently a columnist for Foreign Policy and hard at work on a second book on the United States in Asia.James joins Milan on the show this week to discuss the turmoil in U.S.-India relations, the historical underperformance of Europe-India relations, the looming China challenge, and the factors which have made Europe a more “geopolitically serious” actor. Plus, the two discuss the nascent thaw in China-India ties and how Europe can avoid short-termism to forge stronger bonds with India over the long haul.Episode notes:1. James Crabtree, “Why India Should Not Walk Into the China-Russia Trap,” Foreign Policy, August 27, 2025.2. “India and the Reordering of Transatlantic Relations (with Tara Varma),” Grand Tamasha, March 11, 2025.

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Daniel Levy, President of the U.S./Middle East Project (USMEP). They discuss Levy's argument that the way that Israel withdrew Israeli settlements from Gaza in 2005 set the stage for today's genocide; as Levy put it in a recent +972 Magazine piece, the current Israeli paradigm is "not just separating from the Palestinians, relegated to shrinking Bantustans, but annihilating and erasing them." Moor and Levy also discuss the impact of Israel's attacks in Qatar this week both in the near and longterm, the need for Netanyahu to formally deny Israeli involvement in the assassination of Charlie Kirk, and shifting political approaches to Israel/Palestine.  Daniel Levy is the President of the U.S./Middle East Project (USMEP), which emphasizes the Palestine-Israel issue alongside regional conflicts, trends and geopolitics. From 2012 to 2016, Levy was Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Prior to that he was a senior Fellow and Director of the New America Foundation's Middle East Taskforce in Washington D.C. and a Senior Fellow at The Century Foundation in New York. Levy was a Senior Advisor in the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and to Justice Minister Yossi Beilin during the Government of Ehud Barak (1999-2001). He was a member of the official Israeli delegation to the Israel/Palestine peace talks at Taba under Barak and at Oslo B under Yitzhak Rabin (1994-95). Levy is a founder and Advisory Board member of Diaspora Alliance (combatting antisemitism and its conflation), a Council Member of the ECFR, and serves on the board of the European Middle East Project. He is a former Trustee of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund in New York and of the New Israel Fund, a co-founder of J Street, and a founding Editor of the Middle East Channel at foreignpolicy.com.  Ahmed Moor is a Palestinian-American writer born in Gaza and a 2025 Fellow at FMEP. He is an advisory board member of the US Campaign for Palestinian rights, co-editor of After Zionism (Saqi Books) and is currently writing a book about Palestine. He also currently serves on the board of the Independence Media Foundation. His work has been published in The Guardian, The London Review of Books, The Nation, and elsewhere. He earned a BA at the University of Pennsylvania and an MPP at Harvard University. Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.

All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file. - Palestine’s Stolen Future - The Genocide Budget (And How to Stop It) - Protest, Immigration Enforcement, and the Unhoused Community - The Minnesota Assassination & Evangelical Terrorism - Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #24 You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today! http://apple.co/coolerzone Sources/Links: Palestine's Stolen Future Raz Segal on genocide - https://jewishcurrents.org/a-textbook-case-of-genocide Omer Bartov on genocide – https://www.democracynow.org/2024/12/30/omer_bartov_israel_gaza_genocide Amos Goldberg on genocide - https://thefirethesetimes.com/2025/05/25/intent-holocaust-studies-and-the-gaza-genocide-w-amos-goldberg/ Khaled Elgindy on Biden’s “bear hug” - https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/10/10/biden-israel-hamas-war-gaza-us-policy/ Bezalel Smotrich on population transfer - https://www.timesofisrael.com/smotrich-says-gaza-to-be-totally-destroyed-population-concentrated-in-small-area/ Nissim Vaturi on population transfer - https://www.timesofisrael.com/occupy-expel-settle-minister-mks-at-far-right-rally-call-to-empty-gaza-of-gazans/ Arab Peace Initiative - https://www.kas.de/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=a5dab26d-a2fe-dc66-8910-a13730828279&groupId=268421 Arab Center Washington – “The Biden Administration and the Middle East in 2023” - https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/the-biden-administration-and-the-middle-east-in-2023/ Mike Huckabee on Palestinians - https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/12/politics/mike-huckabee-palestinian-comments-trump-israel-ambassador Steve Witkoff making deals with Hamas - https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hamas-says-witkoffs-gaza-ceasefire-proposal-must-lead-end-war-2025-05-31/ Adam Boehler “we are not an agent of Israel” - https://www.axios.com/2025/03/09/adam-boehler-hamas-israel-talks Philippe Lazzarini on Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/unrwa-commissioner-general-gaza-aid-distribution-has-become-death-trap Doctors without Borders on Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/siege-gaza-msf-denounces-new-aid-mechanism-proposed-us-and-israel Jake Woods, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, resigns - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/26/gaza-humanitarian-foundation-aid-group-jake-wood-resigns Saudi Minister on Two-State Solution - https://www.mofa.gov.sa/en/ministry/news/Pages/His-Highness-the-Foreign-Minister-A-Two-State-Solution-is-the-Only-Path-to-Achieving-a-Just-and-Lasting-Peace-in-the-Regio.aspx France & Saudi sponsor peace conference - https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-855969 Qatari foreign minister on Saudi sponsored peace conference - https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250613-qatar-france-fms-underscore-importance-of-upcoming-un-two-state-solution-conference-as-real-opportunity-for-peace/ The Oslo Accords and the Palestinian Authority background - https://www.palquest.org/en/highlight/31121/x-oslo-process-and-establishment-palestinian-authority Yitzhak Rabin’s final address to the Knesset - https://www.palquest.org/en/historictext/24965/yitzhaq-rabin%E2%80%99s-address-knesset-after-israeli-palestinian-agreement Mapping Palestinian Politics – European Council on Foreign Relations - https://ecfr.eu/special/mapping_palestinian_politics/plo/ “Abbas is America’s Man” - https://jewishcurrents.org/abbas-is-americas-man Tariq Dana – “Lost in Transition: The Palestinian National Movement After Oslo” - https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/from-the-river-to-the-sea-9781978752658/ Wendy Pearlman – “Violence, Nonviolence, and the Palestinian National Movement” - https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/violence-nonviolence-and-the-palestinian-national-movement/0F8D188C7D514D49F68D827066E0FABD BDS call - https://bdsmovement.net/pacbi/pacbi-call Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research – September 2023 poll - https://www.pcpsr.org/sites/default/files/Poll%2089%20English%20Full%20Text%20September%202023.pdf Interview with Ukrainian outlet “Commons” - https://commons.com.ua/en/intervyu-z-danoyu-el-kurd/ Protests against Hamas – July 2023 - https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/07/30/thousands-of-marchers-in-gaza-in-rare-public-display-of-discontent-with-hamas_6073136_4.html Protests against Hamas - https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/25/middleeast/anti-hamas-protests-gaza-intl-latam Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research – May 2025 poll - https://www.pcpsr.org/sites/default/files/Poll%2095%20press%20release%206May2025%20ENGLISH.pdf Changes in PLO structure and new Vice President role - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/08/palestinians-leader-mahmoud-abbas-president Polling on Hussein Al-Sheikh - https://pcpsr.org/sites/default/files/Poll%2092%20English%20full%20text%20July2024.pdf Palestinian National Conference - https://ncpalestine.org/ A Land for All - https://www.2s1h.org/en Israeli backed gangs in Gaza - https://zeteo.com/p/who-is-abu-shabab-meet-the-gaza-gangster The Genocide Budget (And How to Stop It) Trans Income Project: https://www.transincomeproject.org/donate https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/07/planned-parenthood-trump-lawsuit https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/one-big-beautiful-bill-medicaid-work-requirements-affordable-care-act-immigrants/#:~:text=The%20bill%20would%20require%20states%20that%20have,individual)%20and%20138%25%20of%20that%20amount%20($21%2C597).&text=The%20Senate%20bill%20would%20allow%20states%20to,who%20seek%20emergency%20room%20care%20for%20nonemergencies. https://www.chalkbeat.org/2025/05/16/school-choice-expansion-in-budget-bill-puts-federal-stamp-on-gop-priority/ https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/trumps-budget-bill-attack-public-schools-working-families-and-immigrants https://www.americanprogress.org/article/10-egregious-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-act/ https://time.com/7299514/bill-will-devastate-public-schools https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/the-senate-passed-a-federal-voucher-program-whats-in-it/2025/07 https://www.au.org/the-latest/articles/not-beautiful-trumps-budget-forces-a-national-voucher-plan-on-america/ https://www.npr.org/2025/05/23/nx-s1-5397175/trump-federal-voucher-private-school https://itep.org/trump-megabill-expensive-private-school-vouchers/ https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/how-trump-s-big-spending-bill-will-overhaul-repayment-for-millions-of-student-loan-borrowers/ar-AA1HXbVa?cvid=7271B17CDE424D63B5C23D6A3D1E71B7&ocid=msnHomepage https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-signs-big-tax-cut-spending-bill-law-july-fourth-ceremony-rcna216753 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/07/05/trump-budget-bill-states-border-security/84463777007/ https://newrepublic.com/post/197412/donald-trump-big-beautiful-budget-bill-devastating-poll https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/allocating-cbos-estimates-of-federal-medicaid-spending-reductions-across-the-states-senate-reconciliation-bill/ https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/how-might-federal-medicaid-cuts-in-the-senate-passed-reconciliation-bill-affect-rural-areas/ https://www.cbpp.org/research/medicaid-and-chip/senate-reconciliation-amendment-would-cut-hundreds-of-billions-more-from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/whats-in-trump-big-beautiful-bill-senate-version/ https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/house-reconciliation-bill-immigration-border-security/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/heres-whats-in-the-big-bill-that-just-passed-the-senate The Minnesota Assassination & Evangelical Terrorism 00155d0deff0 https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25976535-boelter-federal-affidavit/ https://web.archive.org/web/20250614161224/https://www.pguards.net/leadership-team https://youtu.be/Sh01z1t2l3w?si=vSme9mqCPmeDROqp https://www.startribune.com/timeline-how-an-early-morning-assault-against-minnesota-lawmakers-unfolded/601373039 https://www.startribune.com/melissa-hortman-shooting-vance-boelter-suspect/601373342 https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/vance-boelter-due-back-in-federal-court-thursday-afternoon/ https://www.wired.com/story/shooting-minnesota-melissa-hortman-vance-boelter/ https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/17/us/vance-boelter-minnesota-shooting-invs https://web.archive.org/web/20230723010430/https://www.redliongroupdrc.com/# Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #24 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.