Defense and Democracy Dialogue: Why We Fight
The Defense and Democracy Dialogue is a podcast from the Center for the Study of Democracy that examines how democracies are being challenged beyond the battlefield — through cyberattacks, strategic corruption, AI-enabled influence operations and energy coercion aimed at NATO and EU states. Each episode brings together military leaders, policymakers and security experts to discuss how democracies can defend themselves and Europe's Eastern flank. The show also features conversations with leading security voices and sessions recorded at the annual Why We Fight conference in Sofia.
Епизоди
Why We Fight 2026 | Securing NATO’s Eastern Flank
🛡️ In this session from CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue: Why We Fight, Velislava Petrova-Chamova, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, Marius-Gabriel Lazurca, Presidential Adviser for National Security of Romania, and Ruslan Stefanov, Program Director at CSD, discuss how NATO can strengthen deterrence and defense along its Eastern Flank.The panel examines the security challenges facing Bu
Why We Fight 2026 | Nordic Total Defense: Why Some Societies Never Surrender
🛡️ In this session from CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue: Why We Fight, Todor Tagarev, former Minister of Defense of Bulgaria, Kirsti Pohjankukka, Ambassador of Finland to Bulgaria, and Øistein Knudsen, National Civil Defense Commissioner and Chief of Civil Defense of Norway, discuss what the Nordic model of total defense can teach NATO allies about turning military deterrence into resilience
Why We Fight 2026 | Defending the Core: Combatting Corruption to Secure Democratic Decision-Making
🏛️ In this session from CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue: Why We Fight, Ruslan Stefanov, Program Director at CSD, Erlin Agich, Associate Anti-Corruption Officer at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and Preslav Tonkov, Senior Advisor for Global Analytics at Gallup, discuss how corruption threatens the integrity of democratic decision-making and what it takes to defend it
Why We Fight 2026 | Fighting Forward in Information Warfare
🧠 In this session from CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue: Why We Fight, Zlatin Krastev, Cyber Ambassador at Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mira Suchowiejko-Opolska of the Department of Strategic Communication and International Disinformation Counteraction at Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Brigadier General Giuseppe De Magistris of Italy’s Arma dei Carabinieri, Co-Director of
Why We Fight 2026 | Offshore Finance and Russian Strategic Corruption
💰 In this session from CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue: Why We Fight, Tihomira Kostova, Senior Analyst in CSD’s Geoeconomics Program, Elżbieta Kaca, Head of the International Sanctions Project at the Polish Institute of International Affairs, and Nicola Yankov, Managing Partner at Expat Capital and Senior Associate Fellow at CSD, discuss how offshore finance has become essential infrastructur
Why We Fight 2026 | Clean Governance: A Law Enforcement Priority
⚖️ In this address from CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue: Why We Fight, Georgi Kandev, Secretary General of Bulgaria’s Ministry of Interior, speaks on clean governance as a law enforcement priority and the role of law enforcement institutions in countering corruption and protecting the integrity of democratic decision-making.#CSDimpact
Why We Fight 2026 | Securing the Full Tech Stack: The Pax Silica Initiative
🔐 In this session from CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue: Why We Fight, Boyko Karadzhov, CTO of Payhawk, Stephen Ezell, Vice President of Global Innovation Policy at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, and Rigel Robinson of the Bay Area Council discuss how democracies can secure the full technology stack, from critical minerals and semiconductors to AI infrastructure.The panel
Why We Fight 2026 | AI-Enabled Influence Operations: Detection and Mitigation Strategies
🤖 In this session from CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue: Why We Fight, Carl Miller, Fellow and Co-Founder of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at Demos, Gloria Trifonova, Defense Analyst at CSD, and Rositsa Dzhekova, Director of CSD’s Democracy Shield Task Force, discuss an emerging shift in foreign information manipulation: operations that no longer target people directly, but the A
Why We Fight 2026 | Rebuilding the Energy-Industrial Backbone
⚡ In this session from CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue: Why We Fight, Traicho Traikov, Minister of Energy of Bulgaria, Marius Koeppen, Senior Analyst in CSD’s Energy and Climate Program, and Kalina Tsolova, Analyst in CSD’s Energy and Climate Program, discuss how Europe can rebuild the energy and industrial base that underpins its economic security and defense.The panel examines how EU energy
Why We Fight 2026 | Powering the AI Energy Grid and Economic Competitiveness
⚡ In this session from CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue: Why We Fight, Martin Vladimirov, Director of CSD’s Energy and Climate and Geoeconomics Program, Malwina Qvist, Nuclear Energy Program Director at Clean Air Task Force, and Stephen Comello, Executive Vice President of the Energy Futures Initiative, discuss how AI is becoming a major driver of electricity demand and turning power availabil
Why We Fight 2026 | Secure Energy, Enforced Sanctions, and Gas Markets
⚡ In this session from CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue: Why We Fight, Nadejda Gantcheva, Coordinator of CSD’s Energy and Climate Program, Luke Wickenden, Europe-Russia Energy and Sanctions Analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, and Kiril Temelkov, Deputy Minister of Energy of Bulgaria, discuss Bulgaria’s shift from short-term energy crisis management to long-term system r
