The second episode of my new podcast, “Loosely Eastern Europe” is now up on Spotify and SoundCloud! Let me know in the comments if I should start uploading it to other streaming platforms as well. For this episode, I speak with Marco Nemeth, a journalist, author of Europa v Kocke…

As a graduate student of the political history of the 20th century, I have been reading extensively about the Cold War period. Upon reading some of the literature, I stumbled on the many ways the USSR’s former General Secretary, Nikita Khrushchev (Secretary from 1953–64), wished to reconcile with the West…

In the words of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, “It began with Crimea; it will end with Crimea.” Fortifications are set up across Crimean shores from Yalta, Feodosiya, and Sevastopol to Berdiansk, and elsewhere. These are meant to deter a Ukrainian invasion. Polls have hinted that a large majority of…

Back in the summer of 2022, I attended a Prague Security Studies Institute summer school in collaboration with NATO. One of the many issues we discussed with leading experts on Russia is that many in the West have become fatigued with constant news of Ukraine. Like many of you, when…

In the first episode of my podcast, “Loosely Eastern Europe,” I talk to the UN Youth Delegate of Slovakia, Michal Salini. We talk about his mandate and responsibilities as the UN Youth Delegate, and his experience working with the youth in Slovakia. Then we talk about the work Michal has…

My podcast, “Loosely Eastern Europe” is officially out! Loosely Eastern Europe is an idea long in the making I’ve had on political reporting on the region with those who specialize in the region to highlight an oft-overlooked part of EU affairs. It’s meant to make an unknown (and therefore seemingly…

In a previous blog post, I have written about the prevalence of disinformation narratives in East-Central Europe. The question I hoped to answer (or begin to answer) is why disinformation narratives are so effective in the region. In this post, I want to continue where I left off, namely in…

It’s hard to say why someone believes disinformation or misinformation in the first place. It might be because of poor education, a poor economy even, or just malicious intent. I don’t know if we’re that simple as human beings to attribute beliefs with attitudes more generally. …

Everyone’s talking about tanks. After nearly a year of gruesome fighting, Ukrainians are finally being given the tanks they’ve needed for some time now. The first battalion will include 40 tanks, including German Leopard 2A6s, which are meant to go up to 50 miles an hour and were originally designed…