Radio Re:volt

More countries around the world are shifting away from liberal democracies toward electoral democracies. This process of democratic erosion has already been experienced in some European countries and is currently turning into a global phenomenon. Israel is one of the few countries in the Middle East where free and fair elections are still in place, and the judicial system has traditionally preserved its impartiality. Until 2023, Israel had been defined as a liberal democracy since 1973. However, in 2024, the V-Dem Democracy Report changed Israel’s status from a liberal democracy to an electoral democracy. At Radio Revolt, we are starting a new series of shows aimed at understanding the reasons behind democratic backsliding in Israel, with contributions from scholars, jurists, and ordinary citizens. In this series, we will examine why such a significant change has occurred in the country. In this episode, I invited Professor Raphael Cohen-Almagor, a prominent Israeli academic, to provide an overview of democratic backsliding. He discusses the characteristics of Israeli democracy, recent judicial reforms, the relationship between democracy in Israel and the occupation of the West Bank, and, finally, how peace between Palestine and Israel might be possible.

In dieser Ausgabe von Radio Revolt hört ihr eine Sendung, die im Rahmen eines gemeinsamen Workshops von Radio Helsinki und der HALLE FÜR KUNST Steiermark entstanden ist. Die Teilnehmer*innen haben am 11. November 2025 die aktuellen Ausstellungen Diego Bianchi: Errores Irreales und Celina Eceiza: Ofrenda besucht, eine Führung bekommen und sich anschließend intensiv mit den Arbeiten auseinandergesetzt. Im Beitrag bekommt ihr zuerst Auszüge aus der Führung von Caro aus der HALLE FÜR KUNST zu hören. Danach folgen Gespräche und Diskussionen der Workshop-Gruppe über ihre Eindrücke: Wie Bianchi mit Körperbildern und Fundobjekten arbeitet, welche Gefühle und Fragen seine Installationen auslösen – und wie Eceizas weiche, atmende Stoffarchitekturen Räume völlig neu erfahrbar machen. Die Sendung zeigt, wie Kunst wirken kann, wenn man sich Zeit nimmt, sie gemeinsam zu betrachten, darüber zu sprechen und die eigenen Gedanken zu teilen. Beide Ausstellungen sind noch bis 18. Januar 2026 in der HALLE FÜR KUNST Steiermark zu sehen. Der Eintritt ist frei.

In this episode of Radio Revolt, host Fatih Kalkan delves into one of the most intricate  geopolitical regions in the world, which is the East Mediterranean. Once the energy sources first found in the early 1990s, the region expected to become a potential hub for peace and cooperation through shared energy resources, contrarily, the region has instead become an arena for growing competition and mistrust among neighbouring states Diverging national interests, exclusionary energy projects such as the EastMed pipeline, and the failure of liberal internationalist approaches have turned energy from a peace-building opportunity into a source of conflict. Countries like Turkey, Greece, Israel, and Cyprus have become entangled in a web of disputes over maritime borders, exclusive economic zones, and security alliances. To unpack these complex layers, Kalkan is joined by Prof. Zuhal Mert Uzuner from Marmara University, an expert in Greek–Turkish relations and East Mediterranean politics. Together, they explore the geopolitical narratives driving the region — from the centrality of the Cyprus question and the breakdown of Turkish–Israeli cooperation to the growing strategic autonomy debate surrounding Turkey’s Blue Homeland (Mavi Vatan) doctrine. The conversation examines how geography, history, and national identity shape regional rivalries: why the Black Sea remains relatively stable while the Mediterranean faces perpetual tension; how schoolbooks, media, and literature reinforce national myths; and why every decade brings a new crisis without resolving the old ones. Through these discussions, the programme offers listeners a nuanced understanding of how energy, identity, and strategic ambition intersect to redefine power politics in the East Mediterranean.

Why does a leader who consistently loses elections remain at the helm of the opposition? In this episode, we dive deep into the political paradox of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu,  who is the longest serving opposition leader in Turkey between 2010 and 2023, and what his enduring leadership reveals about the crisis of opposition in competitive authoritarian regimes like Turkey. Professor Behlül Özkan joins us to discuss his enlightening new article “Competing Against Erdoğan, Collaborating with the State,” where he argues that Kılıçdaroğlu’s success strategy to the power in politics wasn’t built on mass support, but on state-aligned strategy and bureaucratic inertia. We explore how the opposition failed to challenge Erdoğan’s dominance, why internal democracy matters, and what lessons Turkey’s experience holds for other democracies facing authoritarian backslide. Tune in for a candid conversation that rethinks opposition politics from the inside out.