Gabrielius Landsbergis has had a front-row seat to history, both as an observer, as a child growing up in a prominent Lithuanian family as the country regained its independence from Soviet occupation, and as a politician and diplomat, making an impact on the world stage himself, via his values-driven diplomacy.

After finishing his four-year term as foreign minister, Gabrielius reflects with WOW about the onslaught of challenges that democracy is facing both in the U.S. and around the world. The situation is serious - events playing out now will determine our shared future. That's all the more reason that moral values and the transatlantic alliance must remain central to the ongoing fight for freedom and against repression.

When Maskym Eristavi was a small boy in eastern Ukraine, his father gave him the gift of a tape recorder. What ensued was a passion for asking questions and recording the personal stories of the people around him. There were colorful memories of weddings and birthdays, but there were also silent gaps where relatives vanished without a trace, and their narratives along with them. 

Ever since, Max has spent his life detangling his authentic personal story from the web of Ukraine’s official history as dictated by Moscow imperial rule. With the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, resistance has become a full-time job. 

Hungary's Katalin Cseh knows a thing or two about opposing strongmen. She founded one of the first opposition parties to the country's perpetual prime minister, Viktor Orban, served as a Member of the European Parliament, and is currently an MP in the Hungarian National Assembly. She's been pushing back against authoritarianism in her own country for over 15 years, and she's now worried the Orban regime's playbook is being exported as a blueprint for illiberal regimes around the world, including to the U.S. Katalin has some clear advice for people about how to manage these attacks on liberal democracy, and an inspiring message about civic engagement, solidarity, and making a difference together.

What does it mean to grow up together with your country? Ask Martin Laine, an investigative reporter who was born two years after his country, Estonia, began to build back from a half-century of communist control. The country is now a robust democracy, but Martin doesn't take it for granted. "Democracy is something that's constant, and has to be protected constantly," he says.

Natalie Kocab is a writer, musician, and, more recently, a passionate pro-democracy activist. Born to an American mother and a Czech father in communist Czechoslovakia, she straddled two incredibly diverse worlds while growing up in a dissident family. In conversation with Weight of the World, Natalie talks about her unique childhood, her evolution to activism, the all-too-familiar red flags of authoritarianism she sees in the U.S. today, and the importance of uniting at a grass roots level to defend democracy.

Born in 1984, growing up under Uncle Enver in Communist-era Albania, it took an American to ask him for the first time what he thought about things. 

Petr Kolář is one of the Czech Republic’s foremost diplomats, having served as ambassador to the United States, Russia, Sweden, and Ireland. He is currently an advisor to the Czech president, Petr Pavel. In conversation with Weight of the World, he talks about his personal and professional ties to America, the threat of rising authoritarianism, and what we all must do to safeguard democracy and the transatlantic alliance.

Weight of the World is a media and public events platform aimed at bringing together  European voices of solidarity at a time when humanitarian values and historic alliances are under assault.