Dear friends of My Country Talks,

Hello and welcome to our May newsletter. Earlier this month, we launched a special edition of "Deutschland spricht" focused on the war in Ukraine, which will be running for the coming weeks thanks to our new rolling system. We also bring you an update on our new event “Czechia Talks”, as well as podcast and article recommendations from the team.

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Germany Talks about Ukraine

Rarely have so many political certainties been broken in Germany as in the past two months. German MPs have decided to supply heavy weapons to Ukraine, the German government wants to provide 100 billion euros for the military, even nuclear energy is up for debate again. Ever since we started with the first edition of "Deutschland spricht" in 2017, questions about Germany’s relationship with Russia have been the most divisive. Now, the war in Ukraine has upended decades of German policy towards Russia and beyond.

That’s why ZEIT ONLINE, together with FAZ and the Freie Presse, have started a new round of "Deutschland spricht" focused on Ukraine. Participants who sign up will debate eight controversial questions:

• Does Germany need to arm itself?
• Is it right for Germany to supply heavy weapons to Ukraine?
• Should Germany stop importing Russian gas immediately?
• Was it wrong to stop investing in nuclear energy?
• Should mandatory military conscription be reintroduced?
• Should Ukraine become a member of the EU?
• Should the costs of war be financed with a tax on the rich?
• Should there be a speed limit on German highways?

As the war and its aftermath unfolds, we will update the discussion questions to reflect the current situation. This year, "Deutschland spricht" participants have the opportunity to meet different people and have several conversations throughout the program. 

Click here to answer the questions and sign up for a debate.

Česko si povídá

We are excited to announce our partnership with Hate Free Culture, a Czech initiative to reduce hatred in society. "Česko si povídá" or "Czechia Talks" launched last week, and already more than 2,800 participants have signed up to have a conversation with their political opposite. Participants are being asked to give their opinion some of the country's most controversial questions - from education to climate change to the Czech Republic's future in the EU. 

If you or a friend would like to join the debate, registrations are open until the end of May.

 Visit the Hate Free Culture website for more information

The program was featured on the national news - click here or the image below to watch the video (in Czech)

Stories to fill your weekend

Biased reporting 

In Ethiopia, one of the biggest humanitarian crises is unfolding. According to the UN Human Rights Office, more than 500.000 civilians have been killed in the region of Tigray - and yet, there has been almost no coverage about this man-made catastrophe in Western media. Read the full ctitique from David Volodzko in a recent article for The Atlantic. 

If you’re looking for more news from the region, check out NPR’s work covering the conflict, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Innovative audio

"This is What a Generation Sounds Like" is a new audio series from The Europeans podcast and Are We Europe, long-time friends of MCT. The producers of the series have worked closely with eight young journalists to help them tell their own stories about issues affecting all of Europe today. The latest episode is produced by Mohamed, who talks about his life as undocumented immigrant in The Netherlands.