Ria Laenen Offers a Non-Eurocentric View on the Unraveling World Order and Europe’s Misjudgment of Putin

In this episode, Ria Laenen discusses her recently published and already widely acclaimed book on the history of global politics since World War II, Een heel klein beetje vrede (A Tiny Bit of Peace). She answers questions from Lien Verpoest, professor of the history of international relations at KU Leuven, about whether we are witnessing a major historical shift and when the post-World War II world order began to unravel.

Ria Laenen, a senior lecturer in East European, Eurasian, and international politics at KU Leuven, argues that while Europe spent decades underestimating Russia’s authoritarian leader, Vladimir Putin, it now appears to be overestimating his power. Offering a rare non-Eurocentric perspective on current affairs, she is a vital voice in today’s geopolitical discourse.