Jo’s Blog
Your Man in Warsaw
a bit about me…
Originally from East Sussex in southern England, I am a freelance journalist, editor and speaker living in Warsaw with my three young kids and wife, Ola. I write for Deutsche Welle, the BBC, Anadolu Agency, the Daily Mirror and Politico Europe, among others, including Polityka, one of Poland’s most respected weekly current affairs magazines, and Poland Weekly. I have a PhD in politics from the London School of Economics and have written two books on Polish politics. I am also a moderator at business events in Poland, including the 2023 Karpacz Economic Forum and New Mobility Congress 2023 conference in Łódź. I also help The Daily Mirror, The Sun in the UK and NBC BayArea in the US as a local helper and occasional expert in Poland. I have copy-edited and translated for the Polish central bank, Gazeta Wyborcza, 24/7 agency, Warsaw University and others. I also teach politics occasionally at Warsaw University.
Interesting picks of the week
VIDEOS WORTH WATCHING
MY ARTICLES
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Broken silences
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Trump and all that
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Politico: Adam Bodnar – Polish justice minister at center of political battle
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DW: Global shipping on edge after Houthis seize Israeli vessels
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Anadolu Agency: After election loss, far-right Polish politician decries women’s right to vote
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DW: Swiss ‘water battery’ boosts Europe’s energy storage plans
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DW: Polish startup helps employers overcome paternal stereotypes
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Anadolu Agency: Europe must act quick to curb populist wave, warns Latvian foreign minister
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Anadolu Agency: Polish opposition weighs coalition options as ruling PiS falls short in election
MY VIDEOS
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Broken silences
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We were meant to be different
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TVPWorld: Talking Hamas
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PSPA: Moderating an e-mobility panel in Łódź
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TVP1: English breakfast?
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AlQAhera News: Ukraine, Poland, Russia…
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NBC Bay Area – What’s happening in Russia?
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Anadolu Agency: Polish Tatars on the Belarusian refugee crisis
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Anadolu Agency: Talking with ex-Ukraine president
MY BOOKS
Our Man in Warszawa: How the West Misread Poland
This book challenges some accepted thinking in the West about Poland and about the rise of Law and Justice (PiS) as the ruling party in 2015.
For more information, see https://ceupress.com/book/our-man-warszawa
Poland’s Memory Wars: Essays on Illiberalism
A volume of essays and interviews by Polish, British, and American academics and journalists providing an overview of current Polish politics.
For more information, see https://www.ceu.edu/article/2018-10-30/ceu-press-publish-polands-memory-wars-jo-harper
Nieliberalna rewolucja w Polsce
Autorzy książki tworzą eklektyczne grono naukowców, dziennikarzy i prawników. Część z nich mieszka i pracuje w Polsce, inni w Wielkiej Brytanii i w USA.
For more information, see https://scholar.com.pl/pl/glowna/3999-nieliberalna-rewolucja-w-polsce.html
Polens Streit um die Erinnerung
Damit ein besseres Verständnis von geschichtswissenschaftlichen Zusammenhängen im öffentlichen Leben und in der aktuellen Politik Polens möglich wird. For more information, see https://www.nomos-shop.de/tectum/titel/polens-streit-um-die-erinnerung-id-84089/
Nasz człowiek w Warszawie
An account of the Polish post-1989 transition and contemporary politics, written by a Brit living now in Poland. It challenges some accepted thinking in the West about Poland and about the rise of Kaczyński’s Law and Justice (PiS).
See more
Good grief, bad grief!
A guide to surviving everyday trauma in Poland.
Coming soon!