War & Peace

In this episode of War & Peace, Olga Oliker and Alissa de Carbonnel are joined by Joshua Kucera, Crisis Group’s Senior Analyst for the South Caucasus, to discuss the increasingly difficult situation facing people displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh in Armenia after Azerbaijan regained control of the territory in a rapid 2023 offensive. They unpack the refugees’ mounting challenges–from insecure housing after cuts to government assistance to discrimination–and their growing frustration with Armenia’s government. They also examine the role refugees from Karabakh might play in Armenia’s 2026 elections and peace efforts with Azerbaijan, their hopes of return, and what the EU can do to help Yerevan respond.For more, check out our Armenian-Azerbaijani Conflict and Europe & Central Asia pages. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of War & Peace, Elissa and guest host Alissa de Carbonnel are joined by Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women representative for Ukraine, about how the war in Ukraine has shaped and amplified gender inequalities in Ukraine and how women and women’s organisations are responding. They discuss the mood in Ukraine as it enters its fourth winter of full-scale war and the toll the conflict is taking on women from higher rates of sexual and gender-based violence, mounting mental health pressures and economic insecurity. They explore how women are navigating both the challenges and opportunities the war has created, how the Ukrainian government is addressing these issues, and how women’s organisations are affected by aid cuts. As Crisis Group marks its 30th anniversary, they also discuss how women’s roles in politics and peacemaking in Ukraine and beyond are evolving amid a global pushback against gender equality and women’s rights.For more, check out our Gender and Conflict and Ukraine pages. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of War & Peace, Olga and guest host Alissa de Carbonnel are joined by Bob Deen, Head of the Security Unit at the Clingendael Institute, to assess the state of diplomacy aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. They discuss why peace efforts by the U.S. and others have struggled to gain traction, and what diplomacy can realistically achieve in the near term. They also look at Kyiv’s attempts to build broader global support for a peace initiative and which countries are best positioned to play a constructive role. They also consider the roles that international organisations such as the OSCE and UN might play in shaping a settlement in Ukraine and how these institutions could fit into a future European security order.Note: This episode was recorded before President Trump’s call with President Putin last week, their announcement of a planned summit in Budapest, and Trump’s White House meeting with President Zelenskyy.This episode was made possible through extra-budgetary funding from the OSCE. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE.For more, check out our Ukraine and Europe & Central Asia pages. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of War & Peace, Olga and Elissa speak with Valery Kavaleuski, former Belarusian diplomat and Executive Director of the Euro-Atlantic Affairs Agency, about Minsk’s evolving foreign policy and how it is constrained by enduring Russian influence. They discuss the joint Russian-Belarusian military exercise Zapad 2025, which took place just after 19 Russian drones crossed into Poland, heightening tensions between NATO and Moscow. They unpack Belarus’ continued participation in the Vienna Document, its recent engagement with Washington, which seems to have led to prisoner releases in exchange for sanctions relief, and whether the EU and its members should adopt a more pragmatic approach when engaging with Minsk. They also look at the future of Belarus’ domestic politics, the prospects for dialogue between the opposition and the Lukashenka government, and what a post-Lukashenka Belarus might look like.For more, check out our Belarus and Europe & Central Asia pages. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of War & Peace, Olga Oliker speaks with Hanna Notte, Director for Eurasia at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and a non-resident Senior Associate at CSIS, about Russia’s changing role in the Middle East. They discuss how Moscow is responding to the fall of Assad in Syria and the twelve-day war between Israel (and the U.S.) and Iran. They explore how Russia’s relationships with regional capitals are evolving, what Middle Eastern states hope to gain from partnership with Moscow and the prospects for U.S.-Russia cooperation in the region. For more, check out our Middle East and Europe & Central Asia page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.