The Right Wing in Postcommunist Europe
On this episode of American Prestige, Maria Snegovaya discusses the rise of the populist right in postcommunist Europe.

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On this episode of American Prestige, Danny and Derek welcome to the pod Maria Sengovaya, senior fellow at the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, to talk about her book When Left Moves Right: The Decline of the Left and the Rise of the Populist Right in Postcommunist Europe. The explore what changed for the working class in Eastern Europe after the fall of communism, cases of the Left moving Right in Hungary and Poland, the role of austerity, the characterization of right wing parties vs. the reality, how left wing and centrist parties can offer meaningful alternatives to the Right, and more.
More of Maria’s work:
- “Populism and the Decline of Social Democracy” (with Sheri Berman), Journal of Democracy
- “How Ex-Communist Left Reformed and Lost,” West European Politics
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When Left Moves Right
On this episode of American Prestige, we’re joined by Maria Snegovaya, senior fellow at the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, to talk about her book When Left Moves Right: The Decline of the Left and the Rise of the Populist Right in Postcommunist Europe. We explore what changed for the working class in Eastern Europe after the fall of communism, the cases of the left moving right in Hungary and Poland, the role of austerity, the characterization of right-wing parties vs. the reality, how left-wing and centrist parties can offer meaningful alternatives to the right, and more.
More of Maria’s work:
- “Populism and the Decline of Social Democracy” (with Sheri Berman), Journal of Democracy
- “How Ex-Communist Left Reformed and Lost,” West European Politics

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.
Warner Brothers shamefully won’t consider Danny and Derek’s aggressive offer. In this week’s news: U.S.-Iran nuclear talks resume in Geneva amid reports that the White House is weighing strike options (0:54), plus Trump claims in his State of the Union that Iran is building nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (9:58); on the fourth anniversary of the Ukraine invasion, the EU fails to advance new Russia sanctions and a Ukraine loan package due to Hungarian interference (12:28); fighting again intensifies in the eastern DRC (15:53); Mexican authorities kill alleged cartel leader El Mencho, triggering widespread violence (18:49); the Committee to Protect Journalists reports a record number of media workers killed in 2025, mostly killed by Israel (22:07); the UAE backs construction of Israeli-controlled camps in Rafah (23:25); the U.S. extends consular services to West Bank settlements (25:34); the so-called Islamic State declares a “new phase” of operations in Syria (27:37); Pakistan launches cross-border strikes into Afghanistan amid renewed tensions (29:16); the RSF massacres civilians in North Darfur (31:44); a diplomatic spat erupts between Washington and Paris over rhetoric on left-wing violence (33:22); Cuba faces a firefight off its coast and limited U.S. easing of fuel restrictions for private firms (35:44); Trump proposes sending a hospital ship to Greenland (38:51); and the Supreme Court overturns Trump’s tariffs as the administration moves to reimpose duties via alternative means (41:14).
Grab a copy of Danny and Michael Brenes’ edited volume Cold War Liberalism: Power in a Time of Emergency. Use the discount code BESSNER26.
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