Ukrainian Culture

Culture as a Battlefield: The Strategic Risks of Russia’s Cultural Offensive

Written by Elisa Garbil – 05.12.2025 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since 2014, has unfolded across multiple dimensions: military, economic, informational, and psychological. Yet one of its most significant and underexamined fronts is cultural. The Kremlin has reframed culture not as an organic expression of society but as a strategic tool where a weapon legitimises aggression,…

Olha Mukha

Olha Mukha

Olha Mukha, PhD, is a cultural analyst and philosopher, cultural manager, curator and expert on international communication and human rights. Known for her extensive work in cultural diplomacy and human rights. She is Co-Founder and Programme Director of the Ukrainian Association of Cultural Studies – Lviv and Head of Educational and International Department of Memorial…

Episode 294: Russian Culture War with Olha Mukha

Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil In this episode, we journey into the heart of a cultural battleground shaped by war, identity, and resistance with Olha Mukha. Our conversation unpacks how Ukraine’s cultural resilience has become a force of national survival, even as attempts at cultural erasure intensify. We explore grassroots efforts to preserve language, art, and memory,…

Episode 289: Trump & the World: The New Geopolitics of Trade, Technology, Energy and War with John Sitilides

Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil Dive into a high-stakes conversation with geopolitical strategist John Sitilides as he unpacks global risks! From shifting tariff strategies and corporate resilience to supply-chain de-risking, digital decoupling, sanctions, energy markets, and the future of the U.S. dollar. A must-listen for leaders navigating an increasingly divided world. John Sitilides is a professional…

John Sitilides

John Sitilides

John Sitilides is a professional keynote speaker on geopolitics at corporate, investor, and industry conferences, and before government, military and intelligence community audiences, on geopolitical risk management and the business impacts of international security policies, John Sitilides is Principal at Trilogy Advisors LLC in Washington, D.C., and is Senior Fellow for National Security at the…

Trump

Risk and Resilience in a Fragmenting Global Order

Written by Elisa Garbil – 24.11.2025 The era of seamless globalisation has entered a period of structural stress. What once appeared to be an inexorable process of economic integration is now fracturing into competing regional blocs and politicised supply chains. The assumption that trade would naturally expand, that borders would soften, and that efficiency would prevail over…

Episode 288: Human Trafficking with Ludmila Bogdan

Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil Human trafficking isn’t a single story, it’s a global web of exploitation that takes many forms. In this episode with Dr. Ludmila Bogdan, we explore the different types of human trafficking and the challenges in accurately estimating its scope. We dive into the contrasts between sex trafficking and labour trafficking, uncover…

Dr. Ludmila Bogdan

Dr. Ludmila Bogdan

Dr. Ludmila Bogdan is an independent researcher and policy consultant specializing in human trafficking, labor migration, and international security. Trained in diplomacy and political science, she combines rigorous academic research with hands-on policy work to bridge the gap between scholarship and real-world impact. Her research focuses on labor exploitation, migration governance, and human rights, offering…

People Walking

Bias in the Identification of Victims of Human Trafficking in the European Union

Written by Elisa Garbil – 21.11.2025 Human trafficking remains one of the most pressing human rights and security challenges in the European Union. Despite decades of legislation and anti-trafficking initiatives, significant gaps persist in the identification and assistance of victims. Statistical evidence from 2017 to 2018 demonstrates a disproportionate focus on female victims of sexual exploitation, leaving…

Ultra-Processed People - Chris van Tulleken

Ultra-Processed People: Why Do We All Eat Stuff That Isn’t Food … and Why Can’t We Stop? – Chris van Tulleken

Written by Elisa Garbil – 21.11.2025 Chris van Tulleken’s Ultra-Processed People is not merely a book about nutrition. It is a sweeping indictment of the industrial food system, an investigation into human physiology, an exploration of global economics, and, perhaps most importantly, a warning about systemic risks accelerating beneath society’s feet. As an infectious diseases doctor and…