On the night of June 3rd to the early hours of June 4th, 1989, the People’s Liberation Army moved in to clear Tiananmen Square, resulting in what became known globally as the Tiananmen Massacre. How did China get to that point? What led to this confrontation between the state and the protesters? What really happened in Tienanmen Square 36 years ago? Was there an organized pro-democracy movement? Why did the Communist party respond so brutally? Was it avoidable? How events at Ti...

US & China: The Great Powers Competition China is considered the number one challenge facing the United States today. Within the U.S., there is bipartisan consensus that China poses a serious threat. Under the Trump 2.0 administration, very high tariffs on Chinese goods have been announced. What is the rationale behind these tariffs? Can a meaningful trade agreement with China be reached? Which sectors are most critical in U.S.–China trade relations? Are rare earth elements truly that i...

As we are traversing a very fluid geopolitical period Japan has its own security challenges to tackle. Japan relies on the US for its military security, has a complicated relationship with China, strongly advocates free maritime routes, and seeks collaboration with Europe to uphold liberal values. From Greek ships built in Japan, to Greek yoghurt in Osaka and the popularity of Manga in Greece, Japan is related to our country in many ways. To gain a better understanding on Japan we have inv...

The collection and analysis of digital data influences nearly every aspect of modern life, from fundamental marketing techniques and cutting-edge healthcare innovations to the development of bioweapons. What distinguishes the methods used by U.S. and Chinese companies in gathering data? Why does China hold a competitive edge in this domain? Can that edge be mitigated? Moreover, how is Greece impacted by these global dynamics? To explore these pressing questions, we are honored to host Dr. Ayn...

Οι σχέσεις Ευρώπης και Κίνας είναι εξαιρετικά πολύπλοκες και πολυδιάστατες. Η Ευρώπη διατηρεί μια σχέση αλληλεξάρτησης με την Κίνα, καθώς εξαρτάται σε μεγάλο βαθμό από αυτήν για κρίσιμα υλικά, όπως οι σπάνιες γαίες, ενώ το καθημερινό εμπόριο μεταξύ ΕΕ και Κίνας ανέρχεται στα 2,3 δισεκατομμύρια ευρώ. Παρά ταύτα, οι ευρωπαϊκές χώρες δεν μοιράζονται ενιαία στρατηγική για την προσέγγιση της Κίνας. Οι επιδεινούμενες σχέσεις ΗΠΑ-Κίνας, καθώς και γεωπολιτικοί παράγοντες όπως ο πόλεμος στην Ου...

Civil Society and Authoritarianism in China How does civil society function in a country like China, where even the term "non-governmental organization" cannot be used because it clashes with the regime? Can an organization defend, for example, human rights or LGBTQ rights? Civil society emerged in Communist China in the 1980s, influenced by Western ideas, but it evolved very differently. The state exercises strict control and supervision over social organizations. Mr. Cyril P...

Title: China: The Red Capitalist In the last 40 years, China has transformed itself from a poor country into an upper-middle-income country. At the same time, about 150 Chinese companies are on the Fortune 500 list—half of them state-owned. A country with a communist regime has managed to become rich and participate competitively in the global economic and commercial arena. How has this happened? How does China's state capitalism work, and how does it differ from Western capitalis...

China and the Asia-Pacific: A Good Neighbor or an Aspiring Hegemon? In the West, when we talk about the China region, we tend to think of Taiwan. However, the broader China region, the Asia-Pacific—excluding India—is the world's largest economic area and plays a key role in China's global standing. How do China's commercial, political, and economic relations function with countries like Taiwan, Japan, and Indonesia? For example, while there is tension between Taiwan and China, Tai...

Human Rights in China and the responsibility of the West/ IDIS- China Program What is the current state of human rights in China? To what extend have they deteriorated under the rule of Xi Jinping? How does that affect the West? Are western countries sometimes complicit and what should be done? To discuss about the current state of human rights in China we spoke with Ms. Eva Pils, Professor of Law at King’s College London, and one of the leading experts with extensive research ex...

US- China Relations: strategic competitors or outright enemies? US-China relations are among the most important bilateral relations in the world, as noted by United States secretary of state Anthony Blinken in 2023. Is China America's rival or enemy? What are the three main issues that the US government is monitoring regarding China? What will happen to Taiwan? How is the European Union positioned in relation to China and the US? How does China interact with authoritarian regime...

On October 7th, 2023, Hamas launched a horrendous attack on Israel in years killing about 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials. One a half month after the attack the war in Gaza continues and a severe humanitarian crisis is unfolding. Close to 13,000 people have been killed by the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, according to Palestinian officials. On November 21st Israel and Hamas agreed a deal for the release of 50 civilian hostages in Gaza in exchange...

How technology affects our lives? How is the digital public space changing? What are the new forms of communication? Should we be afraid of technology? How does it affect the conduct of wars? These are some of the issues discussed with renowned philosopher, cultural theorist and media scholar Pierre Lévy. The discussion was held at Delphi, one the side of the 1st Delphi Dialogues on “Technology and Democracy” organized by the European Cultural Centre οf Delphi (ECCD) https://eccd....

On the 28th of May 2023 Erdogan won the presidential elections of Turkey, extending his rule to the third decade. In his victory speech he claimed Turkey won. Gilles Kepel, one of the most estimated experts on Islam and the Middle East explains to Marilisa Anastasopoulou and “Ti Kosmos” Podcast what these elections really mean for Turkey. Professor Keppel talks about what is at stake internally, how ideology has been more important than economy and portrays how now Turkey ...

The world is watching. For many the upcoming elections the 14th of May are the most important of the year. How important are they for the future of Turkey? What is their significance? Will Turkey change its foreign policy if the opposition wins? How democratic is Turkey? We discuss these issues with the esteemed analyst and professor at Kadir Has University in Istanbul, Mr. Soli Özel. This podcast is hosted by Marilisa Anastasopoulou. The discussion took place during the VIII Del...

How do modern dictators operate? Why has Putin opted for old-style fear dictatorship? Is Erdogan a modern dictator? What do the two men have in common? What is the future of democracy? Marilisa Anastasopoulou hosts Daniel Treisman, “modern” dictatorship expert and discuss how Putin and Erdogan have ruled for the last two decades and what they have in common. Moreover, they talk about democracies, spin and fear dictatorships in the world today and what are the current tren...

While Ukraine has managed to win this war in the “hearts and minds of the people” (predominantly of the West) analysts argue it’ s going to be a long war. Michael C. Kimmage, professor of History at the Catholic University of America, author of the book “The Abandonment of the West”, and regular contributor at the Foreign Affairs is our guest in this “Ti kosmos” podcast. Issues discussed: What are the scenarios for the end of the crisis? Will there be an escalation or a ...

Ένα χρόνο μετά την εισβολή της Ρωσίας στην Ουκρανία οι σχέσεις Κίνας- Ρωσίας βρίσκονται στο προσκήνιο. Η Δύση ανησυχεί για περαιτέρω σύσφιξη των σχέσεων Κίνας - Ρωσίας. Οι ΗΠΑ προειδοποιούν ότι η Κίνα μπορεί να δώσει οπλικά συστήματα στη Ρωσία για να τα χρησιμοποιήσει στον πόλεμο στην Ουκρανία. Μέχρι που μπορεί να φτάσει η σχέση Κίνας- Ρωσίας; Είναι πράγματι μία φιλία «δίχως όρια»; Ο Δρ. Γιώργος Τζογόπουλος, λέκτορας στο Πανεπιστήμιο της Ευρώπης, senior fellow στο ΕΛ...

To understand the current situation, after almost a year from the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Ti kosmos Podcast, in cooperation with the Institute of International Relations (IDIS)*, invited Mr. Alexander Cooley, one of the leading experts in the studies of Russia and Eurasia. This podcast is co-hosted by Ms. Ino Afentouli, Executive Director of IDIS, and journalist & researcher, Marilisa Anastasopoulou. The discussion addresses issues such as: •How have expectations cha...

The war in Ukraine has radically changed the European security landscape. European and Euro-Atlantic institutions face unprecedented challenges as a conflict by conventional and hybrid means is being waged in the heart of the European continent with no end in sight. The implications of the war for the EU and NATO and the consequences for peace, stability, and security in Greece and the wider region of Southeast Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean were the focus of discussions at the intern...

“If you think in sort of pictures, you can think of Russia as sort of a hurricane in international affairs, but you should think of China as sort of the climate change in terms of the scale and the magnitude of China's ability to change the international order, if Western countries and other likeminded allies do not put some limits on what China can do.” (Ben Schreer, IISS) While in Europe the war in Ukraine attracts most attention, the US focuses on China and rings the bell of concern to it...