Serbia and Russia, what a great topic to discuss with Dr. Vuk Vuksanovic who is a senior researcher at the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy and an associate at LSE IDEAS, a foreign policy think tank within the London School of Economics and Political Science. We divided this episode into two parts: "Energy relations" and "Political ties". Content 00:00 - Introduction 00:57 - Gazprom's role in the Serbian energy security 10:52 - Gazprom's investment in Serbia 12:14 - Diversification of Serbian gas supplies (Azerbaijan) 23:21 - Russian reaction to Azeri gas 25:02 - Serbian oil supplies, JANAF, DRUZHBA and Hungary 31:39 - EU, Druzhba and Russian oil exceptions 34:04 - Serbian, Hungarian and Russian energy union 35:08 - Why Serbia has no nuclear power plant? 38:43 - Does Russia control Serbia? 44:30 - limits of Russian influence in Serbia 48:52 - Russian "mutual consultations" on the Serbian foreign policy 51:44 - Russian soft power and the Wagner Group in Serbia 01:01:00 - Serbia's role between Russia and the West Martin Zubko https://martinzubko.com SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL If you enjoy my channel and have the means to support me, I have set up "Buymeacoffee" page. Any contribution would be greatly appreciated. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irthinker DISCLAIMER The views and opinions expressed on the "IR thinker" talk show are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of Martin Zubko. ------------------------ MUSIC CREDIT ------------------------ Infraction - No Copyright Music - Epic Heroic Trailer by Infraction [No Copyright Music]

On this episode of "IR thinker", I was curious about the role of students in international relations, their contribution to diplomacy and problem-solving platforms such as international institutions and professional organizations. Thus, I interviewed Max Browning from Scotland, recently awarded with the Schwarzman Scholars' scholarship for the best world future leaders. Content 00:00 - Introduction 02:00 - Why should students get engage in international relations? 04:00 - The difference between bachelor's degree and master's degree students 05:01 - How can students go international with their projects? 08:05 - How should students contact experts and senior managers? 09:26 - What about if students do not study international relations but they want to go international? 11:57 - Posh universities vs regular universities 14:17 - The most important skills for international students' projects 17:07 - How to develop leadership skills? 20:08 - The most difficult barriers to international student collaboration 24:31 - Should students involve lecturers and professors in their initiatives? 26:26 - How should international student initiatives start? 30:24 - The role of diaspora in international student projects 32:37 - Digital identity of students' projects 34:39 - Schwarzman Scholars' scholarship 36:42 - Why to go to study in China? 38:28 - Which courses will Max study? Who does teach in China? 40:49 - Who is going to study with Max? 42:07 - Challenges of studying and living in China 45:47 - Where will Max live in China? 46:50 - Do Chinese students develop international student initiatives? 48:37 - Will Max share his experience in China on social media? 49:28 - How to get an international scholarship? 51:27 - Max's future job Max Browning is the Founder and Chairman of One Scotland, a charitable initiative bringing future leaders together through cultural exchange and collaboration at universities in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling and Aberdeen. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a Double First in Chinese & Russian in 2022 and am now pursuing and MSc in East Asian Relations. In 2021, he had the privilege of attending the COP26 Blue Zone on behalf of the University of Edinburgh and spoke about the importance of building a global network of young changemakers. His other commitments include managing the Scottish Parliament's Cross Party Group on China; attending the China Scotland Business Forum; and advising the Scotland China Education Network. One Scotland Initiative https://www.one-scotland.com/ Schwarzman Scholars https://www.schwarzmanscholars.org/ Scottish Business Network https://www.sbn.scot/ Martin Zubko, a content creator https://martinzubko.com/ SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL If you enjoy my channel and have the means to support me, I have set up "Buymeacoffee" page. Any contribution would be greatly appreciated. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irthinker DISCLAIMER The views and opinions expressed on the "IR thinker" talk show are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of Martin Zubko. ------------------------ MUSIC CREDIT ------------------------ Infraction - No Copyright Music - Epic Heroic Trailer by Infraction [No Copyright Music]