What's on the menu for this week's podcast brief

A rundown of what you're getting this week.

This week’s Euroscopic podcast brief will be out soon. For those already hungry for it (or actually like to read), here’s what’s on the menu:

Amuse-bouche

It “snowed” in Germany, while much of central and northern Europe keeps getting slammed by rain and gale-force winds. Slovenia has had what its PM is calling the worst natural disaster in the small country’s history.

Starter

Funny how weather and climate events don’t really seem to budge the politics needle. Germany’s Greens gained nothing after the massive floods in 2021 — smack in the middle of campaign season. Are Europe’s green parties dropping the ball or do voters really not care that much?

A new study is out linking heat and conflict. I mean, duh?

Primo

You know where it’s hot and conflict is simmering? Niger. The regional economics group, ECOWAS, is threatening military action if the recent coup isn’t reversed. Or, at least, Nigeria’s president is threatening military action. Now let’s see which side blinks first — and which leads to fewer awful, unintended consequences.

Secondo

But why worry about a conflict so far away when Europe still has one right here? Ukraine remains top news, of course, but is anyone else getting the feeling that it is slightly less top news than it used to be? Kinda lame of Western media and policy talking heads to talk up the big counteroffensive for months, only to say, “Nothing to see here!” when the slog is tougher and slower than all that speculation envisaged.

In war, treat all information as propaganda. Events are likely to stay as bad as they are. Fingers crossed they don’t get worse. Any NATO leader thinking of admonishing Ukraine for its strategic choices on the battlefield can expect to hear in response: “Remind me again when the last time was you fought the Russians?”

Nachtisch

Spain is still trying to form a government, and developments can be hard to keep up with, if not a little nutty. Perhaps they would be less nutty if there had been less mis- and disinformation ahead of the vote, as documented by Spanish democracy and transparency NGOs.

It doesn’t bode well for European Parliament elections coming up next year, especially if far-right parties remain ascendant as they currently are. Germany’s iteration, the AfD, agreed not to do away with the European Union overall, but simply remake it as an occidental “federation.” Who said extremists couldn’t compromise!

The irony here — aside from a Eurosceptic party having an EU position at all — is that a federation is exactly what many Europhiles would like to see. It sure would make Brussels more effective than the hodgepodge confederacy it currently sits on top of.

Doggy bag

Meanwhile, William is watching the real-time disintegration of Germany’s Left — another foreboding sign of a general creep to the right. And Martin is keeping an eye on the Dutch.

Still hungry?

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