Shows
Uncommon Decency107. France: What the Hell Happened? with Mujtaba Rahman & François HubletWhat France has just lived through can only be described by the words of Vladimir Lenin: “there are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen”. In just a month, the country's political landscape was upended by Emmanuel Macron’s shock decision to dissolve the National Assembly after his party, Ensemble, trailed behind the right-populist Rassemblement National by seventeen points in elections to the European Parliament on June 9th. In the week that followed, the left managed to unite once again, as in the 1930s Front Populaire, despite having spent the European race t...2024-07-1045 minUncommon Decency102. Woke America, Anti-Woke Europe? with Yascha Mounk & Pierre ValentinChina might be the world’s factory, but America remains the earth’s cultural hegemon. And perhaps its greatest export of the last decade has been “wokeism” or “wokeness”. Once inhabiting the fringiest recesses of American academia, the past decade has seen the global dissemination of concepts like "cultural appropriation", "systemic racism", "critical race theory", "intersectionality"—and they haven't spared Europe. Thus, our aim this week is to take the time to define wokeism, explore the concept from its roots in critical theory to its manifestations in contemporary discourse, dissect the complex tapestry of its adjacent theoretical constructs, and explore how it...2024-03-2146 minUncommon Decency102. Woke America, Anti-Woke Europe? with Yascha Mounk & Pierre ValentinChina might be the world’s factory, but America remains the earth’s cultural hegemon. And perhaps its greatest export of the last decade has been “wokeism” or “wokeness”. Once inhabiting the fringiest recesses of American academia, the past decade has seen the dissemination of concepts like "cultural appropriation", "systemic racism", "critical race theory", "intersectionality"—globally, including in Europe. Thus, our aim this week is to take the time to define wokeism, explore the concept from its roots in critical theory to its manifestations in contemporary discourse, dissect the complex tapestry of its adjacent theoretical constructs, and explore how it...2024-03-0646 minUncommon Decency99. The Left-Right Divide: A Eulogy? with Rob Ford & François HubletIn 1789, members of the newly-created National Assembly in Paris split between those for whom the king should retain an absolute veto, sitting to the Assembly President's right, and those who thought he shouldn't, sitting to his left. The primordial version of our structuring political cleavage was born: the party of order vs. the party of progress. This left-right divide has served as the founding metaphor of modern European politics. More than two centuries later, many are penning the obituary of that division. In 2017, the election of Emmanuel Macron against Marine le Pen seemed to usher a new cleavage, loosely d...2024-01-2449 minUncommon Decency77. How the Muslim Brotherhood Cracked the EU, with Florence Bergeaud-Blackler & Tommaso Virgili«With your democratic laws we will colonize you, and with our koranic laws we will dominate you». This rather bellicose warning for Europeans came from a 2002 speech by Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, one of the key intellectual leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). It’s a great insight on what the MB is—a strictly religious and conservative reaction to modernity that was launched in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan El-Banna. It’s also an insight into its modus operandi. The MB works in the shadows and builds its strength slowly through a complex maze of sister organisations to push its narrative and its...2023-02-1543 minUncommon Decency76. Putin's Eyes and Ears: Into Russia's Spy-State, with Andrei Soldatov"The Soviet State Security Service is more than a secret police organization, more than an intelligence and counter-intelligence organization. It is an instrument for subversion, manipulation and violence, for secret intervention in the affairs of other countries”. Those were the words of Allen Dulles, the long-time head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), but they may just as well describe the security services of today's Russia. Welcome back to a new season of Uncommon Decency where this week, we are starting with a conversation about the Chekhist state that Russian President Vladimir Putin has created. Joining us for this ep...2023-02-0841 minUncommon Decency75. 2022—Year in Review [BONUS]It’s that time of the year again—a time to look back on the year lapsed and make resolutions for the coming one. At episode 75, Uncommon Decency readies to enter its third calendar year—we launched in October 2020—with a potent mix of hope and derision. For the first time this year, we are greeting 2023 with a very special series of Uncommonly Decent awards and gifts. Who claims our “Brutus” award for betrayal of the year—Rishi Sunak, Giuseppe Conte or the Pakistani military? Who’s our “Gorbachev” spectacular collapse of the year—Liz Truss, BoJo, Putin or the European Parliamen...2023-01-0459 minUncommon Decency74. Europe First, with Barbara Moens & Stanley PignalIt was the opening shot of what the Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) editorial board fears may become a protracted climate trade war between the European Union (EU) and the United States. In a notorious departure from standard EU lip service to free trade, late last week French President Emmanuel Macron urged fellow European leaders anew to match the Biden administration’s round of green subsidies pork-barrelled into the Inflation Reduction Act. Unhelpfully acronymized as IRA, that legislative package was signed into law in August. As part of it, the US Treasury will be offering tax breaks and other mark...2022-12-2249 minUncommon Decency73. "It's the Economy, Stupid!": European Debt & Deficit Targeting, with Rebecca Christie"Within our mandate, the European Central Bank (ECB) is ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro, and believe me, it will be enough." By uttering those three words, Mario Draghi saved the Eurozone from collapsing, thereby ushering Europe’s monetary policy into the 21st century. European fiscal policy, meanwhile, has not quite caught up. To this day, it still sticks with the treaty-enshrined limits to member-states' debt and deficit--the European Stability Mechanism (ESM)--albeit with varying degrees of fidelity. These days, the European Commission is proposing a new economic governance framework that would give member states gr...2022-12-1446 minUncommon Decency72. Biden vs Europe: Trade Wars & Confronting China [BONUS]"I think this administration—and President Biden personally—is very much attached to Europe, but when you look at the situation today, there is indeed a de-synchronization.” In an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes, French President Emmanuel Macron highlighted the growing tension in the transatlantic relationship as the United States and Europe rift apart in a number of areas such as economics and energy. The EU has raised concerns that the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a major package of legislation signed into law by President Biden earlier this year, will severely damage European industry through its use of subsidies and tax cred...2022-12-0751 minUncommon Decency71. China's Balkans Strategy, with Valbona Zeneli & Damir MarusicOn May 7, 1999, five bombs rained down from U.S. jets on the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, as part of NATO’s air campaign to halt the deadly assault by the forces of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic on ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. Nearly a quarter of a century later, China is transforming the site of its bombed former embassy into an expansive cultural center, set to be one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Once opened, the center will serve not only as a potent symbol of China’s growing presence in the Werstern Balkans, but also of the...2022-11-3040 minUncommon Decency70. The Rise and Fall of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, with Adam Zamoyski & Norman DaviesIn 1791, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth adopted one of the world’s most avant-garde constitutions, one establishing a progressive constitutional monarchy. And yet in 1795, the Commonwealth altogether disappeared, partitioned between Prussia, Austria and Russia. This contrast between the Commonwealth’s seemingly advanced regime and its total collapse in four years has earned it the neglect of historians. Yet for nearly four centuries, it stayed a major actor in central European politics, controlling at its peak somewhere between a third and a fourth of the European landmass, with liberal political and religious rights for its time and vibrant intellectual, economic and cultural cond...2022-11-2340 minUncommon Decency69. Midterms and Ukraine [BONUS]“I think people are going to be sitting in a recession and they’re not going to write a blank check to Ukraine. They just won’t do it.” With those words, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy sparked significant panic in European capitals, with foreign diplomats fearing that a Republican victory in the midterms would lead to diminished US support for Ukraine. Yet the red wave didn’t materialize for McCarthy and the GOP. As we recorded this episode, the House had still not been called either way. Nevertheless, the election results do raise important questions for Europe as it thinks...2022-11-1642 minUncommon Decency68. European Superstate or European Disunion? with Stefan Auer & Glyn MorganHere is a double paradox: The European Union’s (EU) set of founding principles—its telos, so to speak—are undergoing a two-track inversion. The block was initially designed to slide gently towards federalization whilst remaining a largely toothless actor on the world stage. And yet the opposite has happened: the EU has since grown into a powerful geopolitical player of its own that is internally at peace with the present deadlock of integration. Sometime between the eurozone crisis of the early 2010s and Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the EU’s entire architecture has been turned inside out. Schol...2022-11-0946 minUncommon Decency67. The Second Collapse of the Russian Empire, with Angela Stent & Mark Galeotti« Anyone who doesn’t regret the passing of the Soviet Union has no heart. Anyone who wants it restored has no brains.” When a fresh-faced Vladimir Putin made those comments back in 2000, Russia had only recently lost its Soviet Empire and endured a series of violent conflicts within the borders of the Federation, most notably in Chechnya. Just like the rest of Europe lost its colonies in the latter half of the 20th century, Russia was forced then to lose large chunks of its imperial Soviet possessions. But over the last two decades, Vladimir Putin nonetheless managed to maintain a str...2022-11-0241 minUncommon Decency66. Going Nuclear, with Olga Oliker & Bruno Tertrais"This is not a bluff. And those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the weathervane can turn and point towards them.” With those words, Russian President Vladimir Putin renewed fears across the globe that Russia could employ nuclear weapons in its war with Ukraine. As we edited this episode, Russia conducted its annual nuclear exercises, drills that had added resonance given the Kremlin’s implied threats to use nuclear force in the conflict in Ukraine. But how likely is Putin to use nuclear weapons? And how would Russia use one in the war? To answ...2022-10-2855 minUncommon Decency65. The Erdogan Doctrine, with Ryan Gingeras"Greece, look at history, go back in time; if you go too far, the price will be heavy. We only have one sentence for Greece, do not forget Izmir”. After months of hostile aerial and naval encounters between Greek and Turkish armed forces, Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave this remarkable speech last September. By referring to the 1922 burning of the Greek Anatolian city of Izmir by the Turkish army, Erdogan's threat to Greece was crystal clear. It's a snapshot of a foreign policy decried as revanchist by its critics, and as logically assertive by its supporters, but one that from the...2022-10-1944 minUncommon Decency64. Ukrainian Explosions, Tory Implosion [BONUS]The war in Ukraine keeps looming over Europe's geopolitical landscape, with sanctions, energy price caps, and weapons supplies dominating debates at EU Council meetings. Ukraine's recently successful counter-offensive warrants a check-in on the war itself, and what it means for the continent's geopolitical standing as old Europe fades in influence, and new Europe’s voice grows louder. The UK, one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters, elected a new Prime Minister and was plunged into economic crisis almost immediately. Why did Liz Truss and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng opt for their economic strategy? Can the Conservatives rebound before the next election? Or w...2022-10-1245 min
Uncommon DecencyIreland's Call“Civil war politics ended a long time ago in our country, but today it ends in our parliament.” Thus welcomed Leo Varadkar—the former and future Irish Taoiseach—the new coalition between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. Ireland has been marked by division, between both the Republic's pro- and anti-treaty parties and the North and South on the island itself. Economic progress has brought with it a shift to more progressive values, and this has sparked unprecedented political change. What does this mean for the Emerald Isle, and what can Europe and the world learn from Ireland’s success? This week...2022-10-0657 minUncommon Decency62. Forza Meloni, with Alessandra Bocchi & Thomas Fazi“To you, who have been born in Italy, God has allotted, as if favouring you specially, the best-defined country in Europe”. Thus wrote Giuseppe Mazzini in his landmark essay Duties of Country (1860). Mazzini believed that Italy was unified by geography and language, and that through unification, Italians would gain the power to improve their economic and social conditions. Today Italians remain united by language and geography, but they are dissatisfied and disillusioned with their politics. This weekend’s election saw the lowest turnout of any Italian election in history. Fratelli d’Italia’s Giorgia Meloni is poised to become the next P...2022-09-281h 03Uncommon Decency61. Season 5 Warm-Up [BONUS]Your favorite euro-realist podcast is gearing up for a new season. In the meantime, here’s a short State-of-the-Union primer where we take stock of what we have accomplished over the past 2 years and map out what we intend to achieve in the coming one. On the agenda: our new co-host Julian, our revamped Patreon system (a way to raise the required funds to finance our project whilst offering our Patreons some juicy extra content) and our first-ever Uncommonly Decent job posting. See you soon!2022-09-2705 minUncommon Decency60. Season Finale: Macron Forever! with Elisabeth Zerofsky & John Lichfield In the spring of 2017, Emmanuel Macron upended France’s political system by breaking ranks with a socialist administration and running for President as the leader of a new party that bore his initials, En Marche! Five years after that victory, Macron has again triumphed against Marine Le Pen in the runoff of the presidential race. To be sure, turnout was historically low, and Le Pen climbed from 34% to 41.5% of the vote. Yet Macron is the only French president in 20 years to win a reelection bid. Furthermore, his towering standing in the French political landscape seems matchless. The two traditional go...2022-04-271h 05Uncommon Decency59. Churchill, Brexit and Europe, with Andrew RobertsSir Nicholas Soames, the grandson of Winston Churchill, claimed during the 2016 referendum on Brexit that "the last thing on earth Churchill would have been is an isolationist. "Oui”, I think he would have wanted to stay in the EU”. On the other hand, David Davis, the leading pro-Brexit politician, argued that this vision of Churchill as a remainer was in "defiance of history. Winston Churchill”, Davis went on, "saw a very good argument for some sort of a United States of Europe. But he never wanted us, Britain, to be a part of it. That's the key point.” As part of...2022-04-2052 minUncommon Decency58. Franco-Hungarian Post-Election War Room [BONUS]In numerous ways, Hungary and France couldn’t be more different from one another. Hungary is a landlocked set of hills and plains in south Central Europe, flanked to the North and East by the Carpathian mountain range, and to the West and South by the Drava river. It is a meagre remnant of its former self, having lost two thirds of its territory in the 1920 Trianon Treaty upon losing the First World War. France is a hexagon almost seven times the size, bathed by the Atlantic ocean and the Mediterranean sea. The contrast is even starker in demography th...2022-04-1352 minUncommon Decency57. 1848: A European Revolution? with Christopher M. Clark & Jonathan SperberOn January 29, 1848, at the Assemblée Nationale in Paris, the liberal intellectual and MP Alexis De Tocqueville rose to proclaim: "Gentlemen, I believe that we are at this moment sleeping on a volcano [...] Do you not feel—what shall I say?—as it were a gale of revolution in the air?” Within weeks, Tocqueville’s prediction came to pass—and more. Throughout 1848, nearly all of Europe revolted. The French ousted King Louis-Phillipe, the last in their history, the Austrians got the aging, arch-conservative Chancellor Metternich to retire, and Hungary attempted to become an independent nation. German and Italian idealists saw this as...2022-04-061h 16Uncommon Decency56. National Conservatism After Ukraine, with Sebastian Milbank [BONUS]"Politics in America, Britain, and other Western nations", reads the blurb for the Edmund Burke Foundation’s National Conservatism series of conferences, "have taken a sharp turn toward nationalism—a commitment to a world of independent nations”. In the US and the UK, this inflection point crystallized in 2016 with the result of the Brexit referendum and the election of Donald Trump. In continental Europe, the torch has been picked up by an arc of national-populist parties, from Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz to Spain’s Vox, Italy’s Fratelli d’Italia and Poland’s Law & Justice Party. The latest such NatCon confer...2022-03-3056 minUncommon Decency55. Henry Kissinger, European with Gérard Araud & Jérémie Gallon"A country that demands moral perfection in its foreign policy”, wrote Henry Kissinger, "will achieve neither perfection nor security". In an era where few countries have the means to back their moral postures on foreign policy, the statesman’s comments should not fall on deaf ears. Kissinger knows a thing or two about the inefficiency of empty posturing. Born in 1923 in Weimar Germany, he left his country of birth in 1938 for the United States. Months later, the Allies were trounced by the might of the Nazi war-machine. Young Kissinger brought with him many things from old Europe—a German accent...2022-03-231h 02Uncommon Decency54. Waging Jihad in Today's Europe, with Hugo Micheron & Petter NesserFrance looks back on November 13, 2015 with a mix of pain and horror. That day, a group of ISIS-trained jihadists launched coordinated attacks on the Bataclan nightclub, the Stade de France, and a handful of Parisian cafés. The onslaught left 130 dead, shell-shocked French public opinion, and forced a reckoning across Europe about the threat from radicalization. In September 2021, the French Republic trialed Salah Abdeslam, the only author of the November 2015 attacks to have survived, along with 20 other defendants. The months-long case was an opportunity to serve justice for the victims and to better understand how a slaughter of such s...2022-03-161h 05Uncommon Decency53. Ukraine—It's the Energy, Stupid! with Nick Butler & Simone TagliapietraMere hours after Russian tanks rolled over Ukraine’s borders, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made this chilling statement : « We buy 50% of our coal from Russia. If we exclude Russia from the SWIFT payment system, the lights in Germany will go out. » In our 44th episode a few weeks ago (« Europe Braces for Winter »), we wondered whether soaring energy prices could lead to mass blackouts, but we never expected that problem to be soon compounded by Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. This naked act of aggression has starkly highlighted Europe's energy dependence on Russia, which provides nearly half of our g...2022-03-0949 minUncommon Decency52. Ukraine—Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again [BONUS]"The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear”. This oft-quoted passage from Antonio Gramsci’s Prison Notebooks sounds eerily apt to describe Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine over the past week and its shock effect on the so-called rules-based international order. We at Uncommon Decency began our journey into podcasting a little over a year ago with an episode titled "Europe’s Paradise Lost". In it, our esteemed friend Ben Haddad warned us that Europe had been enjoying a geopol...2022-03-0255 minUncommon Decency51. The Euro at 20: Doomed to Succeed? with Barry Eichengreen & Jean Pisani-FerryIn 1997, the Chicago School guru and Nobel laureate Milton Friedman eerily foresaw the challenges that a common European currency would eventually face through the following decade. “The drive for the euro”, he wrote that year for Project Syndicate, “has been motivated by politics, not economics. The aim has been to link Germany and France so closely as to make a future European war impossible, and to set the stage for a federal United States of Europe. I believe that adoption of the euro would have the opposite effect. It would exacerbate political tensions by converting divergent shocks into divisive politi...2022-02-231h 09Uncommon Decency50. Bonapartist Macron, Zemmourist France [BONUS]Charles de Gaulle famously asserted that the French presidential election was an “encounter between a man and the people.” This inherently Bonapartist spirit of the Fifth Republic lives on to this day, as illustrated recently by Emmanuel Macron’s diplomatic offensive on behalf of the European Union (EU) over Russia’s military build-up along Ukraine’s border. In the span of just a few days, the swashbuckling French president met with both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, hoping to simultaneously deescalate the perilous chicken game unfolding on the Ukrainian plains whilst also casting himself as a capable diplomatic entrepreneur ahead of t...2022-02-1652 minUncommon Decency49. Can Orbán Be Defeated? with Boris Kálnoky & Dalibor RoháčWhen exactly are electoral observation missions warranted in a democracy? Hungarians are heading to the polls on April 3rd this year, and a substantial share of the opposition to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán seems to fear that the election will be neither free nor fair. Last month, a coalition of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) officially requested that a team of election monitors be sent by the OSCE, which quickly acquiesced. Their call for applications, should you wish to help combat electoral fraud and ensure equal access to balloting, is open until February 11. By calling external observers, m...2022-02-091h 09Uncommon Decency48. Is Portugal Governable? with António Costa Pinto & Peter Wise"Ó mar salgado, quanto do teu sal São lágrimas de Portugal!” “O salty sea, so much of whose salt Is Portugal tears!” Verses like this one by the acclaimed 20th century poet and critic Fernando Pessoa were somberly recited in his native Portugal throughout the 2010s, as the country went through a bruising cycle of financial insolvency, economic downturn and fiscal austerity. Amidst the gloomiest outlook since the advent of democracy in 1974, Pessoa’s melancholic poetry mirrored the mood of the crisis-stricken nation. Fast forward to this year, and the socialist government of Prime Minister António Costa has pulled o...2022-02-021h 03Uncommon Decency47. Ukraine—Not All Quiet on the Eastern Front, with Michael Kimmage & Vladislav Davidzon“When asked what’s the biggest geopolitical threat facing the United States, you said Russia—not Al-Qaeda, Russia. The 1980’s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back. The Cold War has been over for twenty years.” The seasoned politicos in our audience might recognize Barack Obama’s quip on former Governor Mitt Romney in a 2012 presidential election debate, back when America hoped to “reset” its relationship with Russia whilst pivoting towards the Asia-Pacific. Two years later, Russia annexed Crimea and sent “little green men” to back Ukrainian separatists, leaving that country in a state of perpetual civil war since. Ove...2022-01-261h 05
Uncommon Decency46. Is the Eurocracy Woke? with Rodrigo Ballester & Brice CouturierIf the European Commission (EC) had to be described in a single word, “technocracy" would come fittingly close. Commissioners and EU civil servants are selected on the basis of subject matter expertise to carry out the thanklessly tiresome tasks of patching together the bloc’s budget, governing the single market and negotiating trade deals on behalf of the 27 member states. Culture wars, on the contrary, are too scrappy, too militant for the EU’s executive arm to get embroiled in. Or are they? The notion that the Great Awokening unfolding across the West since the death of George Floyd on pol...2021-12-151h 16Uncommon Decency46. Is the EU Woke? with Rodrigo Ballester & Brice CouturierIf the European Commission (EC) had to be described in a single word, “technocracy" would come fittingly close. Commissioners and EU civil servants are selected on the basis of subject matter expertise to carry out the thanklessly tiresome tasks of patching together the bloc’s budget, governing the single market and negotiating trade deals on behalf of the 27 member states. Culture wars, on the contrary, are too scrappy, too militant for the EU’s executive arm to get embroiled in. Or are they? The notion that the Great Awokening unfolding across the West since the death of George Floyd on pol...2021-12-151h 16
Uncommon Decency45. French Electoral War Room: Zemmour, Pécresse and the French Right [BONUS]“Democracy always includes a form of incompleteness, it is not self-sufficient. The terror during the French Revolution dug an imaginary emotional, collective void: the king is no longer there!”. Thus spoke then Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron in 2015. The French have tried to replace the king ever since the death of Louis the XVIth in 1793. General de Gaulle bequeathed to France its presidentialist system, essentially giving the citizenry the right to crown their chosen king every 5 years. De Gaulle’s heirs on the center-right have since tried to honor this legacy but were blindsided in 2017 by Macron’s win, failing to make...2021-12-081h 01Uncommon Decency45. French Electoral War Room: Zemmour, Pécresse and the French Right [BONUS]“Democracy always includes a form of incompleteness, it is not self-sufficient. The terror during the French Revolution dug an imaginary emotional, collective void: the king is no longer there!”. Thus spoke then Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron in 2015. The French have tried to replace the king ever since the death of Louis the XVIth in 1793. General de Gaulle bequeathed to France its presidentialist system, essentially giving the citizenry the right to crown their chosen king every 5 years. De Gaulle’s heirs on the center-right have since tried to honor this legacy but were blindsided in 2017 by Macron’s win, failing to make...2021-12-081h 01
Uncommon Decency44. Europe Braces for Winter, with Aitor Hernández-Morales & Thomas Pellerin-CarlinBut for a handful of hardcore survivalists, the announcement caught most EU watchers flat-footed. Klaudia Tanner, Minister of Defense in the now disbanded Kurz government, alerted her Austrian compatriots earlier this month of the possible need to stockpile food if the blackouts that many fear end up materializing. Others have been hedging their bets for a while, too. Earlier in May this year, Spain’s Minister for Ecological Transition Teresa Ribera penned a letter to Frans Timmermans, the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, pleading for EU-wide legislation to prevent power outages from disproportionately hitting the...2021-12-011h 11Uncommon Decency44. Europe Braces for Winter, with Aitor Hernández-Morales & Thomas Pellerin-CarlinBut for a handful of hardcore survivalists, the announcement caught most EU watchers flat-footed. Klaudia Tanner, Minister of Defense in the now disbanded Kurz government, alerted her Austrian compatriots earlier this month of the possible need to stockpile food if the blackouts that many fear end up materializing. Others have been hedging their bets for a while, too. Earlier in May this year, Spain’s Minister for Ecological Transition Teresa Ribera penned a letter to Frans Timmermans, the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, pleading for EU-wide legislation to prevent power outages from disproportionately hitting the...2021-12-011h 11
Uncommon Decency43. Whither the Primacy of EU Law? with Nicole Scicluna & Paul Craig“The judges of the nation are only the mouth that pronounces the words of the law, inanimate beings, who can moderate neither the strength nor the severity of the law.” When Montesquieu wrote these words in The Spirit of the Laws in 1748, he laid out the ideal framework for the interaction between lawmakers and judges. Montesquieu’s ideal vision contrasts with the messy reality of the judiciary, which has to deal with unclear laws or even contradictory ones, a tension enhanced by the emergence of a new legal order, the EU. Since the 1960s, the primacy of EU law emerge...2021-11-241h 01Uncommon Decency43. Whither the Primacy of EU Law? with Nicole Scicluna & Paul Craig“The judges of the nation are only the mouth that pronounces the words of the law, inanimate beings, who can moderate neither the strength nor the severity of the law.” When Montesquieu wrote these words in The Spirit of the Laws in 1748, he laid out the ideal framework for the interaction between lawmakers and judges. Montesquieu’s ideal vision contrasts with the messy reality of the judiciary, which has to deal with unclear laws or even contradictory ones, a tension enhanced by the emergence of a new legal order, the EU. Since the 1960s, the primacy of EU law emerge...2021-11-241h 01Uncommon Decency42. Of Barbed Wire, Sleaze and Blackouts [BONUS]Europe—that is to say, a continent far surpassing the European Union (EU) in size and historical depth—is in the midst of several crises, each testing its resolve and resilience in different ways. The political class, to begin with, is no longer trusted to carry out its duty honorably by the majority of European societies. This past week, the United Kingdom has further aggravated this sense of disillusion by providing the latest ethical scandal or “sleaze”, in Westminster jargon. A slate of senior Tory Members of Parliament (MPs), Sir Geoffrey Cox among them, are alleged to have trespassed the limi...2021-11-1749 min
Uncommon Decency42. Of Barbed Wire, Sleaze and Blackouts [BONUS]Europe—that is to say, a continent far surpassing the European Union (EU) in size and historical depth—is in the midst of several crises, each testing its resolve and resilience in different ways. The political class, to begin with, is no longer trusted to carry out its duty honorably by the majority of European societies. This past week, the United Kingdom has further aggravated this sense of disillusion by providing the latest ethical scandal or “sleaze”, in Westminster jargon. A slate of senior Tory Members of Parliament (MPs), Sir Geoffrey Cox among them, are alleged to have trespassed the limi...2021-11-1749 minUncommon Decency41. Between Social Democracy and Neoliberalism, with Konrad H. Jarausch & Sheri BermanIn the summer of 1941, as Italy warred its way to a series of territorial annexations in east Africa and the Mediterranean, a little-known anti-fascist activist by the name of Altiero Spinelli languished in prison, his restless mind fantasizing about Europe’s postbellum future. Named the Ventotene Manifesto after the island where Spinelli was jailed, the resulting document would become the blueprint of the European Federalist Movement (EFM) founded two years later, a call for the nations of the Old Continent to forfeit their sovereignty and give way to a European federation under socialist principles. 80 years into the integration project that...2021-11-1051 min
Uncommon Decency41. Between Social Democracy and Neoliberalism, with Konrad H. Jarausch & Sheri BermanIn the summer of 1941, as Italy warred its way to a series of territorial annexations in east Africa and the Mediterranean, a little-known anti-fascist activist by the name of Altiero Spinelli languished in prison, his restless mind fantasizing about Europe’s postbellum future. Named the Ventotene Manifesto after the island where Spinelli was jailed, the resulting document would become the blueprint of the European Federalist Movement (EFM) founded two years later, a call for the nations of the Old Continent to forfeit their sovereignty and give way to a European federation under socialist principles. 80 years into the integration project that...2021-11-1051 minUncommon Decency40. France's Darkest Hour, with Michael S. Neiberg & Julian JacksonIn the immediate aftermath of World War II, the wartime memoirs of French historian Marc Bloch were published posthumously as Strange Defeat (1946), after the Gestapo tortured and ultimately killed their author for his resistance to Nazi occupation. To characterize France’s defeat in the summer of 1940 as “strange”, however, would be a vast understatement. In the short span of six weeks through May and June that year, the entire paradigm through which Britain and America were approaching the nascent world conflict was turned on its head, argues Michael S. Neiberg in When France Fell (2021). In it, he describes the state...2021-11-0358 min
Uncommon Decency40. France's Darkest Hour, with Michael S. Neiberg & Julian JacksonIn the immediate aftermath of World War II, the wartime memoirs of French historian Marc Bloch were published posthumously as Strange Defeat (1946), after the Gestapo tortured and ultimately killed their author for his resistance to Nazi occupation. To characterize France’s defeat in the summer of 1940 as “strange”, however, would be a vast understatement. In the short span of six weeks through May and June that year, the entire paradigm through which Britain and America were approaching the nascent world conflict was turned on its head, argues Michael S. Neiberg in When France Fell (2021). In it, he describes the state...2021-11-0358 minUncommon Decency39. Strategic Autonomy, Revisited, with Sophie Pedder & Benjamin Haddad“France does not know it, but we are at war with America. It’s a permanent war, an economic war, one seemingly without deaths and yet a war to death.” This quote from former French President François Mitterrand illustrates the ancestral gallic defiance toward the US “hyperpower,” one that continues to inform French strategic thinking. So when the US entered secret negotiations with Australia and the UK to launch the AUKUS defense partnership—thus scuttling France’s 90-billion dollar submarine contract with Australia—Mitterrand’s warnings turned prophetic. Even the usually diplomatic Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves le Drian spoke of “a s...2021-10-2753 min
Uncommon Decency39. Strategic Autonomy, Revisited, with Sophie Pedder & Benjamin Haddad“France does not know it, but we are at war with America. It’s a permanent war, an economic war, one seemingly without deaths and yet a war to death.” This quote from former French President François Mitterrand illustrates the ancestral gallic defiance toward the US “hyperpower,” one that continues to inform French strategic thinking. So when the US entered secret negotiations with Australia and the UK to launch the AUKUS defense partnership—thus scuttling France’s 90-billion dollar submarine contract with Australia—Mitterrand’s warnings turned prophetic. Even the usually diplomatic Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves le Drian spoke of “a s...2021-10-2753 minUncommon Decency38. A Storm Named Éric Zemmour, with Anne-Élisabeth Moutet & John LichfieldIn our electoral war room eight months ago, we at Uncommon Decency argued that the French political landscape ahead of the presidential race next May was ripe for a populist upset. In other words, that the scores of pollsters predicting a Macron-LePen runoff contest could be proved wrong by France’s ever so facetious electorate. That upset might just have a name now: Eric Zemmour. A former political journalist and a Tucker Carlsonesque talking head, the right-wing intellectual has published his third bestselling essay, his public meetings quickly morphing into campaign rallies. Of Algerian Jewish stock, Zemmour has found hi...2021-10-201h 05
Uncommon Decency38. A Storm Named Éric Zemmour, with Anne-Élisabeth Moutet & John LichfieldIn our electoral war room eight months ago, we at Uncommon Decency argued that the French political landscape ahead of the presidential race next May was ripe for a populist upset. In other words, that the scores of pollsters predicting a Macron-LePen runoff contest could be proved wrong by France’s ever so facetious electorate. That upset might just have a name now: Eric Zemmour. A former political journalist and a Tucker Carlsonesque talking head, the right-wing intellectual has published his third bestselling essay, his public meetings quickly morphing into campaign rallies. Of Algerian Jewish stock, Zemmour has found hi...2021-10-201h 05
Uncommon Decency37. Germany Beyond Merkel, with Jana Puglierin & Tom NuttallOnce nicknamed the Scholzomat for his robotic approach to politics, Olaf Scholz led Germany’s social democrats to an unlikely electoral victory on the 26th of September, stunning Germans and outside observers alike. Sholz is now in a strong position to become chancellor of Germany, but given the electoral fragmentation of the Bundestag, he will need to rely on the support of two other parties in what has been dubbed a "traffic light coalition”, with the “red” SPD, the “yellow” liberals of the FDP and the Greens. With Merkel’s center-right CDU out of office for the first time since 2005, wh...2021-10-1357 minUncommon Decency37. Germany Beyond Merkel, with Jana Puglierin & Tom NuttallOnce nicknamed the Scholzomat for his robotic approach to politics, Olaf Scholz led Germany’s social democrats to an unlikely electoral victory on the 26th of September, stunning Germans and outside observers alike. Sholz is now in a strong position to become chancellor of Germany, but given the electoral fragmentation of the Bundestag, he will need to rely on the support of two other parties in what has been dubbed a "traffic light coalition”, with the “red” SPD, the “yellow” liberals of the FDP and the Greens. With Merkel’s center-right CDU out of office for the first time since 2005, wh...2021-10-1357 minUncommon Decency36. Finding Europe, with Pierre Manent & Luuk van MiddelaarCasting about for a definition of Europe, the eminent French poet and essayist Paul Valéry told a student audience in Zurich, circa 1922: « Any people and land that has been successively Romanized, Christianized, and as regards to the mind, disciplined by the Greeks, is absolutely European.” Laid waste by deathly totalitarian ideologies, then hoisted back to relevance on the strength of its collective impetus, Europe’s soul-searching has continued into the new century. Do Europeans simply inhabit their corner of the Eurasian landmass, or are they stewards of a unique culture that sets them apart? With its societies more divers...2021-07-211h 03
Uncommon Decency36. Finding Europe, with Pierre Manent & Luuk van MiddelaarCasting about for a definition of Europe, the eminent French poet and essayist Paul Valéry told a student audience in Zurich, circa 1922: « Any people and land that has been successively Romanized, Christianized, and as regards to the mind, disciplined by the Greeks, is absolutely European.” Laid waste by deathly totalitarian ideologies, then hoisted back to relevance on the strength of its collective impetus, Europe’s soul-searching has continued into the new century. Do Europeans simply inhabit their corner of the Eurasian landmass, or are they stewards of a unique culture that sets them apart? With its societies more divers...2021-07-211h 03Uncommon Decency35. Scottish Independence, Revisited, with Alex Massie & Ben JacksonFootball’s oldest international fixture, Scotland-England games have routinely showcased a fever pitch of politically-infused rivalry, and this year’s Euro 2021 proved no exception. Not only were the Scots ecstatic to draw against their English “Auld Enemy” at Wembley in their first major tournament since the 1998 World Cup—many of them even cheered Italy’s narrow win in the final. At odds with its laureate reputation for orderly behavior, the so-called Tartan Army of Scottish fans can still at times be heard jeering at “God Save the Queen”—an unmistakable testament to the pervasive influence of politics on football. Back in 2014, 55.3...2021-07-141h 00
Uncommon Decency35. Scottish Independence, Revisited, with Alex Massie & Ben JacksonFootball’s oldest international fixture, Scotland-England games have routinely showcased a fever pitch of politically-infused rivalry, and this year’s Euro 2021 proved no exception. Not only were the Scots ecstatic to draw against their English “Auld Enemy” at Wembley in their first major tournament since the 1998 World Cup—many of them even cheered Italy’s narrow win in the final. At odds with its laureate reputation for orderly behavior, the so-called Tartan Army of Scottish fans can still at times be heard jeering at “God Save the Queen”—an unmistakable testament to the pervasive influence of politics on football. Back in 2014, 55.3...2021-07-141h 00Uncommon Decency34. Immigration, Islam and the Erosion of Women's Rights, with Ayaan Hirsi AliListeners may recall the clash between two of Western liberalism’s sacred cows that unfolded in France last year as part of the so-called “affaire Mila”. This 16-year-old online socialite was met with a ghastly downpour of abuse upon sharing on Instagram her dislike of Islamic mores. So far, so reprehensible, you may think. Except that Mila’s impetuous words of blasphemy were soon invoked by hordes of anonymous users who subjected her to an open season of misogynistic and sexually predatory abuse, against which France’s politically correct ethos, always mindful to eschew charges of Islamophobia, seemed despairingly unable to...2021-07-0748 min
Uncommon Decency34. Immigration, Islam and the Erosion of Women's Rights, with Ayaan Hirsi AliListeners may recall the clash between two of Western liberalism’s sacred cows that unfolded in France last year as part of the so-called “affaire Mila”. This 16-year-old online socialite was met with a ghastly downpour of abuse upon sharing on Instagram her dislike of Islamic mores. So far, so reprehensible, you may think. Except that Mila’s impetuous words of blasphemy were soon invoked by hordes of anonymous users who subjected her to an open season of misogynistic and sexually predatory abuse, against which France’s politically correct ethos, always mindful to eschew charges of Islamophobia, seemed despairingly unable to...2021-07-0748 minUncommon Decency33. Europe in the Age of Great Power Competition, with Hubert Védrine & Kishore Mahbubani“It was the rise of Athens and the fear it instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable”. Writing over 24 centuries ago about the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides’ timeless commentary speaks to the tension arising when an emerging power threatens to overtake an established one, raising the odds of open conflict. Just like Sparta and Athens rallied neighboring city-states into their colliding orbits, the US and China, increasingly locked in great power competition, have their eyes set on Europe. The lingering doubts over the EU’s Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) with China, put on hold last month by the Parliament (EP), lay...2021-06-3054 min
Uncommon Decency33. Europe in the Age of Great Power Competition, with Hubert Védrine & Kishore Mahbubani“It was the rise of Athens and the fear it instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable”. Writing over 24 centuries ago about the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides’ timeless commentary speaks to the tension arising when an emerging power threatens to overtake an established one, raising the odds of open conflict. Just like Sparta and Athens rallied neighboring city-states into their colliding orbits, the US and China, increasingly locked in great power competition, have their eyes set on Europe. The lingering doubts over the EU’s Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) with China, put on hold last month by the Parliament (EP), lay...2021-06-3054 minUncommon Decency32. Germany—Green Is the New Black? with Reinhard Bütikofer MEP & Sudha David-WilpAcross most of Europe, Green parties are middling political forces, periodic junior partners in coalitions or the occasion to cast a protest vote for disgruntled left-wingers. And yet in prosperous Germany, Annalena Baerbock could well be Angela Merkel’s successor at the chancellorship. Formed at the dawn of the environmental and anti-nuclear geist of the 70s, the party was in principle opposed to capitalism, NATO and the very idea of having armed forces (Bundeswehr). Fast forward to today and the the Greens have become mainstream and established. In ten of the sixteen länders, they are junior coalition partners wit...2021-06-2351 min
Uncommon Decency32. Germany—Green Is the New Black? with Reinhard Bütikofer MEP & Sudha David-WilpAcross most of Europe, Green parties are middling political forces, periodic junior partners in coalitions or the occasion to cast a protest vote for disgruntled left-wingers. And yet in prosperous Germany, Annalena Baerbock could well be Angela Merkel’s successor at the chancellorship. Formed at the dawn of the environmental and anti-nuclear geist of the 70s, the party was in principle opposed to capitalism, NATO and the very idea of having armed forces (Bundeswehr). Fast forward to today and the the Greens have become mainstream and established. In ten of the sixteen länders, they are junior coalition partners wit...2021-06-2351 min
Uncommon Decency31. Britain's Worker-Led Realignment, with Paul Embery & Nick Timothy CBEListeners may recall Peter Mandelson, the veteran UK Cabinet Secretary appointed EU Commissioner for Trade in the late 2000s upon helping orchestrate Labour’s social-liberal pivot as one of Tony Blair’s “spin doctors”. Mandelson’s incarnation of the party’s notorious “Third Way” didn’t just owe to his Europhile credentials and support for Blairite programs. By racking up a string of landslide victories in the northeastern constituency of Hartlepool, his career showcased Labour’s potential to press ahead with market-based and socially progressive reforms whilst retaining its historic foothold in working-class communities. Fast forward to May 6th this year, and the p...2021-06-1656 minUncommon Decency31. Britain's Worker-Led Realignment, with Paul Embery & Nick Timothy CBEListeners may recall Peter Mandelson, the veteran UK Cabinet Secretary appointed EU Commissioner for Trade in the late 2000s upon helping orchestrate Labour’s social-liberal pivot as one of Tony Blair’s “spin doctors”. Mandelson’s incarnation of the party’s notorious “Third Way” didn’t just owe to his Europhile credentials and support for Blairite programs. By racking up a string of landslide victories in the northeastern constituency of Hartlepool, his career showcased Labour’s potential to press ahead with market-based and socially progressive reforms whilst retaining its historic foothold in working-class communities. Fast forward to May 6th this year, and the p...2021-06-1656 min
Uncommon Decency30. France's Forever Wars in the Sahel, with Gérard Araud & Michael ShurkinJanuary 2013. Making its way through the dunes of the Sahel desert, a column of pick-up trucks is spotted approaching Mali’s capital city of Bamako. The jihadists at the wheel, some of the region’s most dangerous, have sensed an opportunity amidst the country’s civil war. At the demand of its government, France launches Operation Serval and swiftly annihilates the coup plotters. This spectacular success of a counterinsurgency later gave way to Operation Barkhane, a longer-term effort to stabilize the larger Sahel, a region as vast as Europe itself, and prevent it from becoming a terrorist safe haven on the...2021-06-091h 02Uncommon Decency30. France's Forever Wars in the Sahel, with Gérard Araud & Michael ShurkinJanuary 2013. Making its way through the dunes of the Sahel desert, a column of pick-up trucks is spotted approaching Mali’s capital city of Bamako. The jihadists at the wheel, some of the region’s most dangerous, have sensed an opportunity amidst the country’s civil war. At the demand of its government, France launches Operation Serval and swiftly annihilates the coup plotters. This spectacular success of a counterinsurgency later gave way to Operation Barkhane, a longer-term effort to stabilize the larger Sahel, a region as vast as Europe itself, and prevent it from becoming a terrorist safe haven on the...2021-06-091h 02Uncommon Decency29. Europe's Pirate State, with Hanna Liubakova & Vladislav DavidzonOn May 23rd, a Ryanair plane flying from Athens to Vilnius is instructed by a military jet to land in Minsk as it enters Belarusian airspace, on account that Hamas has a bomb planted on board. One passenger in particular couldn’t be fooled. Blogger Roman Protasevich, now jailed in his home country, is one of many political opponents to have fled Lukashenko’s brutal repression. The strongman’s authoritarian grip on the country has steadily risen since taking office in 1994, but the presidential race that rigged 80.1% of the vote in his favour last August has proved an inflection point...2021-06-0251 min
Uncommon Decency29. Europe's Pirate State, with Hanna Liubakova & Vladislav DavidzonOn May 23rd, a Ryanair plane flying from Athens to Vilnius is instructed by a military jet to land in Minsk as it enters Belarusian airspace, on account that Hamas has a bomb planted on board. One passenger in particular couldn’t be fooled. Blogger Roman Protasevich, now jailed in his home country, is one of many political opponents to have fled Lukashenko’s brutal repression. The strongman’s authoritarian grip on the country has steadily risen since taking office in 1994, but the presidential race that rigged 80.1% of the vote in his favour last August has proved an inflection point...2021-06-0251 min
Uncommon Decency28. Europe's Supranational Ideology, with Anna Wellisz & John O'Sullivan CBEAs a generation, the under-30s in Europe have been fed by the textbook a worldview that sees the European Union (EU) as the sole conduit for enlightened, pacified and efficient relations among the nations of the continent. “Ideals” or “values” is the preferred term for those at the helm of the institutions sprung from these beliefs and a worrying lot of the public they’ve conscripted into them. That may be a distinction in kind with the deathlier forms of zealotry that the EU has replaced, but not in the degree to which said ideology is embraced. One belief sys...2021-05-261h 12Uncommon Decency28. Europe's Supranational Ideology, with Anna Wellisz & John O'Sullivan CBEAs a generation, the under-30s in Europe have been fed by the textbook a worldview that sees the European Union (EU) as the sole conduit for enlightened, pacified and efficient relations among the nations of the continent. “Ideals” or “values” is the preferred term for those at the helm of the institutions sprung from these beliefs and a worrying lot of the public they’ve conscripted into them. That may be a distinction in kind with the deathlier forms of zealotry that the EU has replaced, but not in the degree to which said ideology is embraced. One belief sys...2021-05-261h 12
Uncommon Decency27. Europe's Next Refugee Crisis [BONUS]If the West relies on external shocks to border up, Covid may be falling the test of criticality. If anything, the pandemic is exposing Europe's southern frontier as shockingly porous. As many as 8.000 migrants, predominantly Moroccan, have illegally reached the EU enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla over a record span of two days, swimming around the 20-feet, barbed wire fencing that Spain built in the 1990s to prevent stampedes, or walking the same route at low tide. The Spanish right cries out invasion whilst accusing Moroccan authorities of stoking the inflow. The southern neighbor's failure to police its side...2021-05-2039 minUncommon Decency27. Europe's Next Refugee Crisis [BONUS]If the West relies on external shocks to border up, Covid may be falling the test of criticality. If anything, the pandemic is exposing Europe's southern frontier as shockingly porous. As many as 8.000 migrants, predominantly Moroccan, have illegally reached the EU enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla over a record span of two days, swimming around the 20-feet, barbed wire fencing that Spain built in the 1990s to prevent stampedes, or walking the same route at low tide. The Spanish right cries out invasion whilst accusing Moroccan authorities of stoking the inflow. The southern neighbor's failure to police its side...2021-05-2039 min
Uncommon Decency26. Israel at 73 [In Memoriam Sarah Halimi], with Einat Wilf & Simone Rodan-BenzaquenA fog of war clouds the Israeli airspace as this episode goes to press. The country’s ability to secure its citizens is once again being put to the test by the more than 1,000 rockets fired by Hamas from Gaza over the past 40 hours. This reawakened quagmire sits awkwardly with the pacifying facade deployed a year ago by the Abraham accords normalizing ties with a select few Arab nations. A few weeks ago, France’s high court ruling in the Sarah Halimi case had the effect of reconnecting Israel’s “right to exist” with its commitment to secure Jews worldwide...2021-05-1259 minUncommon Decency26. Israel at 73 [In Memoriam Sarah Halimi], with Einat Wilf & Simone Rodan-BenzaquenA fog of war clouds the Israeli airspace as this episode goes to press. The country’s ability to secure its citizens is once again being put to the test by the more than 1,000 rockets fired by Hamas from Gaza over the past 40 hours. This reawakened quagmire sits awkwardly with the pacifying facade deployed a year ago by the Abraham accords normalizing ties with a select few Arab nations. A few weeks ago, France’s high court ruling in the Sarah Halimi case had the effect of reconnecting Israel’s “right to exist” with its commitment to secure Jews worldwide...2021-05-1259 min
Uncommon Decency25. Greece's European Bicentennial, with Stathis Kalyvas, Thanos Veremis & John Psaropoulos“Fair Greece! Sad relic of departed worth! Immortal, though no more! Though fallen, great!” Lord Byron published these lines in 1818 not knowing what a major figure in Greece's History he was destined to become. Three years before dying in its shores in 1824, the Greeks rose up against the Ottoman Empire to seize their national independence. The plight of the country of Plato and Pericles moved thousands of Europeans, including Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, and other luminaries. Well-read in the classics, this romantic generation saw the events of 1821 as a historic opportunity to repay Europe’s cultural and intellectual debt to Hel...2021-05-0559 minUncommon Decency25. Greece's European Bicentennial, with Stathis Kalyvas, Thanos Veremis & John Psaropoulos“Fair Greece! Sad relic of departed worth! Immortal, though no more! Though fallen, great!” Lord Byron published these lines in 1818 not knowing what a major figure in Greece's History he was destined to become. Three years before dying in its shores in 1824, the Greeks rose up against the Ottoman Empire to seize their national independence. The plight of the country of Plato and Pericles moved thousands of Europeans, including Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, and other luminaries. Well-read in the classics, this romantic generation saw the events of 1821 as a historic opportunity to repay Europe’s cultural and intellectual debt to Hel...2021-05-0559 min
Uncommon Decency24. Inside the Jihad of Propaganda, with Jesse Morton & Hugo Micheron“That is the secret of propaganda: those who are to be persuaded by it should be completely immersed in its ideas, without ever noticing that they are being so”. These principles outlined by Hitler's master propagandist, Joseph Goebbels, continue to guide the propagators of hate in our times, albeit in service of a wholly new totalitarian ideology. At times vicious, at times more insidious, radical Islamist propaganda has taken the world by storm. From the execution of American hostages in orange suits to the pictures of a dreamland Caliphate where worthy men and women raise joyful families in faitful obse...2021-04-281h 08Uncommon Decency24. Inside the Jihad of Propaganda, with Jesse Morton & Hugo Micheron“That is the secret of propaganda: those who are to be persuaded by it should be completely immersed in its ideas, without ever noticing that they are being so”. These principles outlined by Hitler's master propagandist, Joseph Goebbels, continue to guide the propagators of hate in our times, albeit in service of a wholly new totalitarian ideology. At times vicious, at times more insidious, radical Islamist propaganda has taken the world by storm. From the execution of American hostages in orange suits to the pictures of a dreamland Caliphate where worthy men and women raise joyful families in faitful obse...2021-04-281h 08
Uncommon Decency23. China—Who Let the Wolves Out? with Janka Oertel & Antoine Bondaz"The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must". If you've ever been introduced to a History of global power balances, this quote from the Melian dialogue in Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War may ring familiar. And yet mighty states and alliances, at odds with this realist mantra, do not always muscle their way diplomatically to get what they want. Sometimes they may opt to lay low and bid for their time. This was admittedly the tenor of China’s policy for years following the Tiananmen Square massacre. But a marked and rapid shift towa...2021-04-211h 03Uncommon Decency23. China—Who Let the Wolves Out? with Janka Oertel & Antoine Bondaz"The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must". If you've ever been introduced to a History of global power balances, this quote from the Melian dialogue in Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War may ring familiar. And yet mighty states and alliances, at odds with this realist mantra, do not always muscle their way diplomatically to get what they want. Sometimes they may opt to lay low and bid for their time. This was admittedly the tenor of China’s policy for years following the Tiananmen Square massacre. But a marked and rapid shift towa...2021-04-211h 03
Uncommon Decency22. Napoleon The Great... European? with Michael Broers & Adam Zamoyski“I saw the Emperor – this world-soul – riding out of the city on reconnaissance. It is indeed a wonderful sensation to see such an individual, who, concentrated here at a single point, astride a horse, reaches out over the world and masters it." You might recognize Hegel’s description of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Corsican-born French emperor, ruler of Europe's fate for nearly two decades. Why on earth are my two favorite European podcasters riffing on Napoleon, I hear you ask? Partly because this year marks the 200th anniversary of his death in exile at Saint Helena. But more fundamentally, a connecti...2021-04-141h 07Uncommon Decency22. Napoleon The Great... European? with Michael Broers & Adam Zamoyski“I saw the Emperor – this world-soul – riding out of the city on reconnaissance. It is indeed a wonderful sensation to see such an individual, who, concentrated here at a single point, astride a horse, reaches out over the world and masters it." You might recognize Hegel’s description of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Corsican-born French emperor, ruler of Europe's fate for nearly two decades. Why on earth are my two favorite European podcasters riffing on Napoleon, I hear you ask? Partly because this year marks the 200th anniversary of his death in exile at Saint Helena. But more fundamentally, a connecti...2021-04-141h 07
Uncommon Decency21. The New Polish Question, with Adam Zamoyski & Marek MatraszekPiotr S. Wandycz, the Yale historian, reflected once that “what to the Poles was the Polish cause, to the outside world was the Polish question”. To be sure, he was writing in 1980 about the successive European conferences of territorial partition, from Vienna in 1815 to Potsdam in the immediate post-war. But this axiom sounds perhaps more prescient than ever since Poland’s much-touted entry into the pacified end-of-History after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Speaking of a “new Polish question” sounds provocative at best, and at worst a parti pris for the national conservative persuasion of the PiS party currently...2021-03-311h 14Uncommon Decency21. The New Polish Question, with Adam Zamoyski & Marek MatraszekPiotr S. Wandycz, the Yale historian, reflected once that “what to the Poles was the Polish cause, to the outside world was the Polish question”. To be sure, he was writing in 1980 about the successive European conferences of territorial partition, from Vienna in 1815 to Potsdam in the immediate post-war. But this axiom sounds perhaps more prescient than ever since Poland’s much-touted entry into the pacified end-of-History after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Speaking of a “new Polish question” sounds provocative at best, and at worst a parti pris for the national conservative persuasion of the PiS party currently...2021-03-311h 14Uncommon Decency20. Getting to Holland, with Rem Korteweg & Simon KuperIn The Origins of Political Order (2011), Fukuyama described the problem of creating modern political institutions as one of “getting to Denmark”. The country, in his own words at the time, was “a mythical place known for its stable, democratic, peaceful, prosperous and inclusive institutions”. A few miles south of Denmark lie the Netherlands, a country that last week renewed Mark Rutte’s mandate to lead a coalition, from a somewhat reshuffled Parliament this time. Our two guests this week highlight a gradual shift in the core of Dutch politics towards a blend of fiscal hawkishness, moderate Euroscepticism and even a less lib...2021-03-2454 minUncommon Decency19. The Post-Covid Economy—Recovery or Renewal? with Bertrand Badré & Martin SandbuAs President Biden tours the American heartland touting his administration’s 1.9 trillion USD Covid-19 relief package laced with numerous tax tweaks and giveaways, we are convening two economic scholars to explore the confusing in-between that both America and the EU find themselves in—Bertrand Badré, who wrote Do We (Seriously) Wish to Change the World? (2020) upon serving as World Bank MD, and Martin Sandbu, the Financial Times' European Economics Commentator. On one hand, the imperative to relieve businesses, families and governments of the prolonged financial shock to their finances. On the other, the luring temptation to remake the economy on he...2021-03-1751 minUncommon Decency18. 2022 French Electoral War Room [BONUS]The forthcoming 2022 French presidential race is, already this early, slated to be one of the most uncertain in Fifth Republic history. In the latest rounds of polling, voting intention gaps between the two candidates most guaranteed a pulpit at the runoff have narrowed down to the demographic size of Marseille. Apart from Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, who will be running in the first round, what are the core cleavages shaping up to be, and what will each candidate’s pitch be to a French electorate reaching peak levels of both distrust and disillusion? We have dedicated this bo...2021-03-1046 minUncommon Decency17. Friendly Economic Fire, with Frédéric Pierucci & Laurent Cohen-TanugiThis show has said its piece about Europe's inimical tendency to freeload on everything American, from defense spending to woke historical revisionism. But if there ever was an American Trap, Frédéric Pierrucci knows what it feels like being inside. Hell, he wrote a memoir about it (2019), but the book's title alone can't do justice to what it felt like being locked up behind the freezing bars of a maximum-security prison in Rhode Island. Frédéric was an Alstom senior executive, and his falling into the throes of a late 1970s US law written to combat corporate mone...2021-03-0359 minUncommon Decency16. A Very British Divorce, with Mujtaba Rahman & Charles GrantAfter almost 4 years since 17 million Brits voted for this outcome, the UK has finally divorced from the European supranational behemoth. The year-end deal on the new trade rapport between the two sides of the Channel was elusive, but the sighs of relief in Whitehall and the Berlaymont have been music to each other’s ears. With two of the most insightful Brexit watchers in the market—Charles Grant, the 22-year President of the Center for European Reform (CER) and Mujtaba Rahman of Eurasia Group, NYU Stern and SciencesPo—, we bring to you a retrospective on the chaotic last 3.5 years of end...2021-02-2459 minUncommon Decency15. The Italian Malaise, with Alessandra Bocchi & Christopher CaldwellLuigi Barzini, the Italian social critic, wrote in his 1964 American bestseller about his home country that "the Italian way of life cannot be considered a success except by temporary visitors. It solves no problems. It makes them worse". Is the Italian political imagination as fractious as we tend to think? Was Matteo Salvini's clarion call to close Europe's borders a harbinger of a new immigration politics across Europe? If so, what are other canaries in the Italian coalmine that may augur tide changes across the Old World? Chris Caldwell and Alessandra Bocchi have both been more than temporary visitors...2021-02-171h 02
Uncommon Decency14. Europe Bows to Pax Sinica, with Reinhard Bütikofer MEP & François GodementEurope's year-end investment accord with China was, to say the least, controversial on a number of fronts. The draft of the so-called CAI fails to even mention China's exploitation of its Uyghur minority, a concession made in the narrow-minded interest of securing market access for a segment of the European corporate establishment that has been revealed as wielding undue influence over foreign policy. Furthermore, the deal presented the new Biden administration with a fait accompli that upsets its plans of building a common transatlantic front to hold China accountable for its abuses, without so much as a advance notice...2021-02-101h 05Uncommon Decency14. Europe Bows to Pax Sinica, with Reinhard Bütikofer MEP & François GodementEurope's year-end investment accord with China was, to say the least, controversial on a number of fronts. The draft of the so-called CAI fails to even mention China's exploitation of its Uyghur minority, a concession made in the narrow-minded interest of securing market access for a segment of the European corporate establishment that has been revealed as wielding undue influence over foreign policy. Furthermore, the deal presented the new Biden administration with a fait accompli that upsets its plans of building a common transatlantic front to hold China accountable for its abuses, without so much as a advance notice...2021-02-101h 05Uncommon Decency13. A Transatlantic Fracture Over Speech? with Frances G. Burwell & Jacob MchangamaIn the wake of the Capitol-storming mob of January 6th, a flurry of contradictory reactions from European officials followed, first warning about the viral potential of misinformation to spread on social media, and then against its deliberate taming by online platforms. Was this merely a symptom of the elusive equilibrium between speech freedoms and a sane public square increasingly convened by big tech, or is there a deeper parting of ways between America and Europe at the intersection of civil liberties and technoogy? As the transatlantic alliance grapples with the limits to free speech, we convened a discussion on...2021-02-031h 07Uncommon Decency12. An Old Spectre Haunts Europe, with Simone Rodan-Benzaquen & Günther JikeliAn old spectre is haunting Europe—in fact, it’s as old as Europe itself, but given that it manifests itself in varied forms throughout History, the latest ones have become harder to identify each time. What is driving the ongoing spike in antisemitism across Europe? Who are the perpetrators of recent attacks, what motivates them, and in what ways are they different from past forms? How are identity politics and the Israel-Palestinian conflict playing into this worrying trend? To discuss all this we have with us two leaders in the study of—and the fight against—antisemitism. Simone Rodan-Be...2020-12-181h 09Uncommon Decency11. What US Media Gets Wrong About France, with Anne-Élisabeth Moutet & Agnès PoirierWhilst France undergoes a genuine introspection over how to tackle Islamic separatism in the wake of renewed terrorism, US media have taken to portraying “laïcité" in a strikingly one-sided way, as some sort of thin veil for islamophobia. Where does this skewed lens come from? Why do foreign correspondents, particularly from American outlets, insist on catering to the woke sensibilities of their domestic audience by conveying only one side of the story, however narrowly espoused across France? This latest episode isn’t really a debate in itself but an attempt to give our English-speaking audience what hasn’t been aff...2020-12-111h 07Uncommon Decency10. What Europe Can Expect From Joe Biden, with Daniel FriedAfter a tiresome four years of petty spats over trade and defense spending, transatlantic relations seem off to a reset with Joe Biden in the White House—but what exactly can Europeans expect from an administration that Daniel Fried calls the “most pro-European since George H. W. Bush’s" in the late 80s? Ambassador Fried is a longtime career diplomat who most recently coordinated sanctions policy across the US government, and previously focused on European affairs as Assistant Secretary of State and US Ambassador in Warsaw. Hear us discuss with him the thorny concept of “strategic autonomy” and how together...2020-12-0454 min
Uncommon Decency9. What Is European "Strategic Autonomy"? [BONUS]A debate has been raging over recent weeks in Brussels and across European capitals, one that many in our non-European audience may find somewhat confusing at times. What is European "strategic autonomy"? The term is being used by French President Emmanuel Macron to promote his vision of a Europe willing and able to wield power on its own, both in terms of defense and security—through increased military spending and enhanced NATO cooperation—and economics—as a way for the EU to rise to the challenge of the Sino-American strategic rivalry and find ways to carve out an economic role o...2020-11-2750 min