In this new episode of the Vienna Coffee House Conversations, IWM Permanent Fellow Ivan Vejvoda speaks with British journalist and author Tim Judah about his new book Life and Fate.
Tim Judah is a Special Correspondent for The Economist and a longtime commentator on Eastern Europe. Educated at the LSE, and Fletcher School at Tufts University, he has reported from global hotspots across the Balkans, Ukraine, Africa, and Asia.
In this Vienna Coffee House Conversation, Ivan Vejvoda speaks with Tim Judah about his new book Life and Fate, which examines demographic changes across Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. They discuss shrinking and aging populations, declining fertility, migration patterns, labor shortages, and the fiscal challenges these trends pose. Judah assesses policy efforts such as family incentives and immigration, and emphasizes the necessity of focusing on healthy life expectancy and technological adaptation. The conversation culminates in Judah’s reflections on Ukraine, based on his frontline reporting. He outlines the technological evolution of modern warfare—drones, automation, fiber-optic systems—and Ukrainian resilience and pragmatism. They conclude by considering what these trends mean for Europe’s future, including the role of the UK, EU accession, and the evolving concept of Europe itself.
Tim Judah was a 2018/19 Europe’s Futures Fellow.
Ivan Vejvoda is an IWM Permanent Fellow and Head of the Europe's Futures program, a joint initiative of the ERSTE Foundation and the IWM.
