The Eastern European Transatlantic Network

On this episode, Declan is joined by Parsa Makvandi, a PhD student at the Queen's University, to discuss the deep divisions within the Iranian diaspora movement in Canada. Delving into how online rhetoric has motivated real world violence this coversation provides a historical overview of the Pahlavist movement and the response to rising tides of intercomunal violence by the Canadian security apparatus. To learn more and keep up with the EETN, follow us on social media and check out the website listed below: X (Twitter) - EETN LinkedIn - EETN Instagram - EETN Bluesky - EETN Website - EETN (Carleton University)

On this episode, Declan is joined by Santeri Kytöneva, a PhD student at the University of Helsinki, to discuss how and why the Russian Military clergy support and justify the invasion of Ukraine. Delving into the thought leaders and systemic gains of the Russian Orthodox Church, this episode introduces the complex web of connections between the church and the regime. To learn more and keep up with the EETN, follow us on social media and check out the website listed below: X (Twitter) - EETN LinkedIn - EETN Instagram - EETN Bluesky - EETN Website - EETN (Carleton University)

On this episode of the EETN Podcast, Declan sits down with Isaac Steinmeyer, a Master’s student and researcher at the University of Helsinki, to discuss how authoritarian states have weaponized INTERPOL's Red Notice System. Established to share arrest warrants across international borders, the Red Notice system has been used by authoritarian states to prosecute dissidents living abroad, trapping them in a cycle of legal problems. This episode examines how Tajikistan is using this system and why Canada is uniquely vulnerable to this form of repression. To learn more and keep up with the EETN follow us on social media and check out the website listed below: X (Twitter) - EETN LinkedIn - EETN Instagram - EETN Bluesky - EETN Website - EETN (Carleton University)

As the world turns to the Arctic as a region of increased securitization, its monolithic popular perception makes its sustainable development nearly impossible. How can we understand the High North in all its complexities and develop it in line with the people that call it home? This week Declan is joined by Dr. Romain Chuffart, the President and Managing Director of The Arctic Institute, to discuss the history of Indigenous rights in the High North and a path forward that works for all peoples. Weaving in threads of the climate crisis, increased securitization, and Traditional ways of life, this conversation aims to provide a path forward and a language to discuss this region. To learn more and keep up with the EETN follow us on social media and check out the website listed below: X (Twitter) - EETN LinkedIn - EETN Instagram - EETN Bluesky - EETN Website - EETN (Carleton University)

Russian mis- and disinformation occupied a prominent place in discussions about the war in Ukraine, but have you ever wondered how and why they are so effective? This week, Declan is joined by Dr. Juris Pupcenoks to examine how narratives are crafted and disseminated in Russia and internationally. To learn more and keep up with the EETN follow us on social media and check out the website listed below: X (Twitter) - EETN LinkedIn - EETN Instagram - EETN Bluesky - EETN Website - EETN (Carleton University)

Over the past decade, China has expanded its presence in the Caucasus, improving infrastructure, establishing business interests, and expanding the trading potential of the region. The middle path, a key cog in the Belt and Road Initiative, connects east and west, opening new avenues for Chinese-European trade. On this episode, Declan sits down with Paul Gosselin to discuss how and why this middle corridor is becoming increasingly more important in Beijing and what Canada can do to engage more deeply in the region to both combat and cooperate with China in the Caucasus. To learn more and keep up with the EETN follow us on social media and check out the website listed below: X (Twitter) - EETN LinkedIn - EETN Instagram - EETN Bluesky - EETN Website - EETN (Carleton University)

Canada sits in a precarious position between Europe and the United States. Declan sits with Dr. Alexander Moens to discuss the moves taken by the Carney government to align itself for the world to come. To learn more and keep up with the EETN follow us on social media and check out the website listed below: X (Twitter) - EETN LinkedIn - EETN Instagram - EETN Bluesky - EETN Website - EETN (Carleton University)

The European Arctic has always been a space of opportunity and overlapping jurisdictions. In this episode, Declan is joined by Dr. Andreas Raspotnik, Director of the High North Center, to discuss how the High North presents opportunities and complications for the EU. They discuss how economic and hard security concerns are reshaping the return of focus to the region and how a more holistic understanding could produce a more robust defence. To learn more and keep up with the EETN follow us on social media and check out the website listed below: X (Twitter) - EETN LinkedIn - EETN Instagram - EETN Bluesky - EETN Website - EETN (Carleton University)

The war in Ukraine has entered its 5th year of conflict with little hope of it ending soon. In this episode, we look at the internal decisions being made by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the appointment of Chrystia Freeland. Declan is joined by Kim Nesbitt, EETN editor and PhD candidate, to examine what changes made by Zelenskyy to his inner circle could mean for a post-war Ukraine. To learn more and keep up with the EETN follow us on social media and check out the website listed below: X (Twitter) - EETN LinkedIn - EETN Instagram - EETN Bluesky - EETN Website - EETN (Carleton University)

The war in Ukraine has entered its 5th year of conflict with little hope of it ending soon. On this episode, we highlight the voices of resistance and resilience in Ukraine and in the diaspora. First, Declan is joined by Albina Kovalyova , a documentarian and award-winning journalist to discuss “Kharkev War Diaries.” A BBC Eye Investigation, it tells the story of three residents of Kharkev who remained in the city. Next, we sat down with Valeriia Gusieva, a Ukrainian-Canadian and former EETN research assistant, to discuss her profile of a former classmate fighting on the front lines and the feelings of the diaspora. To learn more and keep up with the EETN follow us on social media and check out the website listed below: X (Twitter) - EETN LinkedIn - EETN Instagram - EETN Bluesky - EETN Website - EETN (Carleton University)

With brewing tensions over American threats to annex Greenland, Declan sits down with Dr. Paal Sigurd Hilde to discuss its importance to Arctic security and what this means for NATO. Dr. Hilde is a professor and researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies. His research focuses on Arctic defence policy, NATO, and Nordic and international defence cooperation. He presented at Carleton University on the complex history of NATO in the Arctic. Further Reading: Jacobsen, Marc, Ole Wæver, and Ulrik Pram Gad. Greenland in Arctic Security: (De)securitization Dynamics under Climatic Thaw and Geopolitical Freeze. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2024. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/book.119444 . Tamnes, Rolf. The United States and the Cold War in the High North. Dartmouth: University of Michigan Press, 1991. To learn more and keep up with the EETN follow us on social media and check out the website listed below: X (Twitter) - EETN LinkedIn - EETN Instagram - EETN Bluesky - EETN Website - EETN (Carleton University)

The Canadian government has recently called for NATO to “devote more focus to defence in the Arctic”. In the lecture, Professor Paal Hilde from the Norwegian Defence University College will outline the history of the Arctic’s place in NATO deterrence and defence and give his thoughts on the opportunities and challenges for further engagement of the Alliance in the region. Dr. Paal Sigurd Hilde is a professor of war studies at the Institute for Defence Studies (IFS), which is part of the Norwegian Defence University College. He earned his DPhil at the University of Oxford in 2003. His main research interests include Norwegian security and defence, NATO and Arctic security. Paal has worked on policy planning and NATO at the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, led the secretariat of two government-appointed commissions and is, amongst others, the inaugural Norway Chair at the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies.

EETN Event: NATO at a Crossroads: Present Challenges and Future Trajectories Hosted in partnership between the EETN, Carleton University, and the NATO Association of Canada, this event brings together academics and policymakers to examine NATO’s current challenges and future trajectory in light of shifting global security dynamics. Discussions will focus on the war in Ukraine, renewed great-power competition, the crisis of arms control, and debates over burden-sharing and European strategic autonomy. By combining scholarly and policy perspectives, the event will explore the alliance’s evolving role in transatlantic security and its implications for member states, including Canada’s commitments to defence modernization, Arctic security, and collective deterrence. Panel 1: Academic Perspectives Dr. Benjamin Zyla (Professor, University of Ottawa) Dr. Christian Leuprecht (Professor, Royal Military College and Queen’s University) Dr. David Sichinava (Adjunct Research Professor; Carleton University) Dr. Ann Fitz-Gerald (Professor and Director of the Balsillie School of International Affairs) Dr. Luca Ratti (Professor; University of Rome III, joining remotely) Dr. Mihai Sebe (Lecturer, University of Bucharest and Head of the European Affairs Department; European Institute of Romania, joining remotely) Dr. Antonia Colibasanu (Senior Fellow; Foreign Policy Research Institute, joining remotely) Panel 2: Policy Perspectives Kerry Lynn Nankivell (Director, NATO and Europe, ADM(Pol), Department of National Defence) H.E. Witold Dzielski (Ambassador; Embassy of Poland) Eric Laporte (Executive Director; Global Affairs Canada) BGen (retired) Scott McKenzie (Director General, Canadian Joint Operations Command)

We have seen a much more aggressive posture from US peace negotiators under US President Donald Trump. This podcast will move past the headlines to ask how shifting conceptions and goals of peace talks mean for the rules-based order and the historical legacies that have informed this current moment. To discuss this and more, Declan is joined by Dr. Jean-François Ratelle, an adjunct professor and researcher at the University of Ottawa, who this summer published a policy memo detailing the ramifications of the Washington accords and examining the ways its signing signifies a new era in conflict resolution. To learn more and keep up with the EETN follow us on social media and check out the website listed below: X (Twitter) - EETN LinkedIn - EETN Instagram - EETN Bluesky - EETN Website - EETN (Carleton University)

The COVID-19 Pandemic has birthed a new generation of conspiracy theories - ones that are unique and others that feed on historical legacies. On this episode of the EETN podcast, Declan is joined by Dr. Margarita Zavadskaya, a professor and researcher at The Finnish Institute of International Affairs and the University of Helsinki. Their conversation examines how COVID conspiracies have exposed deteriorating institutional trust in Russia and the ways that these conspiracies are being exported to the Western world. Much of this conversation is based on two publications - "Demographic Attributes and Attitudes of COVID-19-skeptics in Russia," Problems of post-communism . "Politics of the Pandemic: Blame Game and Governance in Russian and Central-Eastern Europe." To learn more and keep up with the EETN follow us on social media and check out the website listed below: X (Twitter) - EETN LinkedIn - EETN Instagram - EETN Bluesky - EETN Website - EETN (Carleton University)

This episode of the EETN podcast explores the goals and accomplishments of the Network's mentorship program. Working across international borders and academic disciplines, the program forged partnerships between young scholars and students and experts within their field. Dr. Jeff Sahadeo begins by explaining what the program accomplished this year, before we hear from Marika Barbieri-Antonoglou, a member of the first cohort and her mentor, Dr. Jean-François Ratelle, about their experiences. To learn more and keep up with the EETN follow us on social media and check out the website listed below: X (Twitter) - EETN LinkedIn - EETN Instagram - EETN Bluesky - EETN Website - EETN (Carleton University)

As part of our mentorship program, Declan sat down with Eva Gaigalniece, a PhD candidate at the University of Latvia, researcher of radicalization, and journalist. They examined how the war in Ukraine has provoked rising radicalization in Latvia's Russian-speaking minority population. Building on her policy memo , Eva outlines how radicalization happens and what the Latvian government is doing to combat this worrying trend. To learn more and keep up with the EETN follow us on social media and check out the website listed below: X (Twitter) - EETN LinkedIn - EETN Instagram - EETN Bluesky - EETN Website - EETN (Carleton University)

As part of our mentorship program, Declan sat down with Marika Barbieri-Antonoglou, an undergraduate student at the University of Ottawa. They discussed the policy memo , published earlier this month, where Marika explored how Russian "doppleganger" campaigns contributed to influencing voter preferences by amplifying anti-EU and anti-Ukrainian support narratives in the lead-up to the 2024 European Parliamentary Elections. To learn more and keep up with the EETN follow us on social media and check out the website listed below: X (Twitter) - EETN LinkedIn - EETN Instagram - EETN Bluesky - EETN Website - EETN (Carleton University)

In January, Declan sat down with Dr. Stanislav Budnitsky, a Visiting Assistant Professor of Russian and Eurasian Studies at Colgate University, to discuss how Russia is harnessing humour as a weapon of war. It breaks down the insidious ways that Russian propaganda campaigns harness humour, pranks, and the internet to aid their war in Ukraine. To learn more and keep up with the EETN follow us on social media and check out the website listed below: X (Twitter) - EETN LinkedIn - EETN Instagram - EETN Bluesky - EETN Website - EETN (Carleton University)

Declan is joined by Dr. Ryhor Nizhnikau, a Senior Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, to dissect how Moldova, Ukraine, and Belarus have responded to changing EU and Russian policy in the face of unpredictability. This conversation foregrounds the recent histories of these three nations and how that has informed the present moment. To learn more and keep up with the EETN follow us on social media and check out the website listed below: X (Twitter) - EETN LinkedIn - EETN Instagram - EETN Bluesky - EETN Website - EETN (Carleton University)