logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2021
19m 44s

Standoff at the Belarus border

Al Jazeera
About this episode

People seeking to migrate through Belarus and Poland are stuck at the border, and neither country wants them. EU officials have called it “weaponization of migrants” by Belarus, but for the people at the border, the geopolitical dispute is about to get worse – winter is coming. Why has this group of migrants become the center of a standoff and what will happen as temperatures drop?

In this episode: 

  • Anna Alboth, Minority Rights Group International (@MinorityRights)
  • Aryan, a migrant in Belarus
  • Hanna Liubakova (@HannaLiubakova), journalist and non-resident fellow at Atlantic Council
  • Joanna Hosa (@joannahosa), European Council on Foreign Relations 

Connect with The Take: 

Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod)

Up next
Yesterday
Is direct action for Palestine 'terrorism'? The UK says it is
The UK has outlawed Palestine Action, grouping it with ISIL and al-Qaeda. Supporters of the group now risk up to 14 years in prison, and arrests of protesters opposed to the listing have already begun. What does the decision reveal about the UK’s approach to protest and civil dis ... Show More
20m 40s
Jul 9
What would happen if coral reefs disappeared?
Coral reefs are dying at a record speed, putting a backbone of global food chains at critical risk. More than 80 percent of coral reefs are now hit by mass bleaching. Reefs feed millions, protect coasts and shape economies. What happens when they vanish – and is the world doing e ... Show More
21m 14s
Jul 8
Netanyahu meets Trump: could a Gaza ceasefire deal emerge?
Could Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s third trip to the United States during President Donald Trump's administration mean a ceasefire in Gaza is close at hand? As Netanyahu lands in Washington, DC, for a week of discussions on topics such as Gaza and Iran, what pressu ... Show More
21m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2021
How Belarus Manufactured a Border Crisis
For three decades, President Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus, a former Soviet nation in Eastern Europe, ruled with an iron fist. But pressure has mounted on him in the past year and a half. After a contested election in 2020, the European Union enacted sanctions and refused to re ... Show More
27m 52s
Nov 2021
Crisis on Europe's doorstep: When migration becomes a weapon
Last week tensions at the border between neighbouring Poland and Belarus escalated as thousands of people, looking to start a new life in the West, were stranded in desperate conditions. Belarus has been accused of 'weaponising' the plight of migrants in a geopolitical standoff b ... Show More
25m 36s
Sep 2023
Visa-for-bribes scandal rocks Poland — reaction and analysis
In this episode of EU Confidential, we discuss an alleged bribery scheme to hand out Polish visas, which is rocking the country just weeks before general elections. Host Suzanne Lynch talks to POLITICO's Jan Cienski about the illegal scheme, which was operating from within the Mi ... Show More
34m 6s
Nov 2021
The refugees caught in a political chess game
A border between Poland and Belarus which has been at the centre of a geopolitical conflict is now quiet. Thousands of asylum-seekers, many of them fleeing conflict zones in the Middle East, were trapped in Belarus hoping to cross over into Poland. On Thursday, Belarussian author ... Show More
18m 5s
Jul 2023
Why is Poland Reinforcing its Border With Belarus?
Sign up to Nebula to get the ad-free access to the full Daily Briefing every single day: https://go.nebula.tv/thedailybriefing Welcome to the TLDR News Daily Briefing In today’s episode, we discuss why Poland is increasing police presence on their border. Also, we look at the rio ... Show More
9m 19s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami