Una Bergmane, Research Fellow at the Aleksanteri Institute at the University of Helsinki, discusses Baltic states' independence from the Soviet Union; democratization versus empire; viewing Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine through the echoes of Soviet history; the possiblity of a military clash between Russia and the Baltic countries; and the implications of performative insanity in Russian domestic rhetoric. “The question of Gorbachev’s relations with the Baltic republics [during the Per...
Nov 18, 2022•32 min•Ep. 111
Collin Koh, Research Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technology University, on maritime security concerns in South East Asia; tensions in the South China Sea; China's build-up of maritime forces; Singapore's security concerns; India's maritime power - as well as lessons learnt from the use of maritime force in the war in Ukraine, and whether Russia's invasion of Ukraine increases or decreases the likelihood that China might attempt to integrate Taiwan by forc...
Nov 13, 2022•30 min•Ep. 110
Mack Tubridy, Russia researcher, reflects on the response to Russia's invasion within Russia, impact of mobilization & tensions in Georgia following influx of Russian emigres. "The priority of the ruling elite in Russia is to maintain regime stability... Russia launching an invasion [against Ukraine] invites threats to regime stability" "A lot of people [in. Russia] who should in theory understand how Russia's political system works failed to understand... how serious Putin was about his int...
Nov 08, 2022•16 min•Ep. 109
Botakoz Kassymbekova, Lecturer in Modern History at Universitat Basel, discusses the Soviet Union as a colonial empire: forced resettlement, settler colonialism, humans as territory, the leagacies of colonialism today, and implications for the war in Ukraine. "The difference between settler colonial empires and extractive overseas empires lies in the relationship to land and labour… for settler colonial empires securing territory is the key purpose… in settler colonial empires in order to secure...
Nov 05, 2022•32 min•Ep. 108
Paul Lushenko, US Army Lieutenant Colonel, PhD student in International Relations and Deputy Director of the Tech Policy Institute at Cornell University, discusses drone warfare, the use of drones in counterterrorism operations, issues of legitimacy, and the use of drones by both Ukraine and Russia in the war in Ukraine. More about the Tech Policy Institute at Cornell : A research institute led by a group of social scientists interested in emerging technologies and quantitative methodology Paul ...
Oct 28, 2022•27 min•Ep. 107
Stephan Fruehling, Professor at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University, discusses nuclear threats and the war in Ukraine: Would Putin use a nuclear weapon? How can Russia be deterred? And how might the threat of nuclear weapons use - shift the calculus for China - as well as for small and middle powers? "Nuclear weapons actually aren't really that useful to win on the battefield where you have hugely dispersed forces...they're not going to shift the overal...
Oct 22, 2022•17 min•Ep. 106
Ian Garner, historian and translator of Russian wartime propaganda, discusses his forthcoming book Stalingrad Lives! that presents narrative wartime reporting on the Battle of Stalingrad, and considers national identity, wartime narratives, and how this legacy reverberates today in Putin's rhetoric around Russia's current war in Ukraine. "The overarching narrative of the battle [of Stalingrad]... is a quasi-religious narrative about death and sacrifice and resurrection...it doesn't just say that...
Oct 20, 2022•19 min•Ep. 105
Maksym Yali, Professor of International Relations at the National Aviation University on Kyiv, comments on why he believes Russia was likely behind the bombing of the bridge over the Kerch Strait that connects Crimea to Russia, and discusses the atmosphere and resolve in Kyiv following missile attacks on civilan targets and infrastructure. "Putin does this [the strikes] not to win because it's impossible to win in this way... he does it to intimidate people...but you think you can intimidate us ...
Oct 14, 2022•14 min•Ep. 104
Denis Kazakiewicz, data analyst and journalist, discusses Belarus and the war in Ukraine: Aleksandr Lukashenko's relationship with Putin, impacts of the war on the Belarusian population, significance of a recently-formed Belarusian-Russian joint military group, and how the war affects Lukashenko's grip on power. "With the joint military group, Lukashenko gave one more piece of sovereignty, of Belarus, to Russian control. What does joint military group actually mean? It means that there will be s...
Oct 11, 2022•22 min•Ep. 103
Azamat Junisbai, Professor of Sociology at Pitzer College, reflects on growing up an ethnic Kazakh in a Russian-dominated environment in Kazakhstan, Kazakh identity, the economic fallout of the breakdown of the Soviet Union, the legacy of Russian dominance, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the process of decolonizing one's own mind. "As an ethnic Kazakh growing up speaking Russian, I not only lost my language but I began to associate Kazakh with backwardness... how colonized you are in your own...
Oct 10, 2022•27 min•Ep. 102
Lisa Gaufman, Assistant Professor of Russian Discourse and Politics at the University of Groningen, discusses Putin's incoherent ideology and the impact of the mobilization on Putin's perceived legitimacy in Russia and future trajectory. 'There is no coherent ideology... Putin is trying to dress up his land grab into some kind of ideological padding that would resonate with some people who might still support him' 'Observing a lot of the blunders and the atrocities that the Russian army has infl...
Oct 05, 2022•19 min•Ep. 101
Temur Umarov, Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace , discusses Kazakhstan, its relations with Russia, and the war in Ukraine - why has Tokayev refused to support Russia's full-scale invasion? How has Russia's mobilization impacted Kazakhstan? How has the war impacted other Central Asian states? 'What Kazakhstan is doing right now [not supporting the war] is pretty risky. We have already seen that Russia is not happy with that... but Kazakhstan understands that it doesn't real...
Oct 04, 2022•21 min•Ep. 100
Janis Kluge, Senior Researcher at the SWP German Institute for International and Security Affairs, evaluates the impact of sanctions on Russia's economy, EU countries' decoupling from Russian energy imports, and the significance of recent 'leaks' in the Nord Stream pipelines. "The effect of sanctions is [often] slower than expected... but that does not mean that it is more benign." Follow Janis on twitter: @jakluge For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer...
Oct 01, 2022•23 min•Ep. 99
Ivan Klyszcz, research fellow at the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute and Doctoral Candidate at the University of Tartu, disucsses Putin's mobilization and the North Caucasus - Dagestan, Chechnya, protests and the possible impacts of mobilization. 'the mobilization puts tremendous pressure on the entire Putin system that has been ruling Russia for two decades now, because this system is premised on demobilizing people, making them apolitical and disengaged from the way the country is ruled...' ...
Sep 30, 2022•14 min•Ep. 98
Marnie Howlett, Lecturer in Politics at the University of Oxford, discusses findings from her team's latest public opinion survey research in Ukraine - conductin surveys during a full-scale war, sentiment in Ukraine on territory, sovereignty, Ukrainians categorical opposition to conceding territory or accepting Russian-backed control and implications of this for the war going forward. The survey data showed that "Ukrainians are categorically opposed... [to cede territory or accept a Russian-back...
Sep 27, 2022•16 min•Ep. 97
Oleksandr Seredyuk, graduate student at Ca'Foscari University of Venice and researcher with the Global Leaders in Unity and Evolvement think tank , discusses growing up in Ukraine, Russian colonialism, the war in Ukraine, and Russian disunity as Ukraine gains on the battelfield. Global Leaders in Unity and Evolvement: glueinstitute.org Follow the GLUE institute on twitter: @gloleaders Follow Oleksandr on twitter: @OSeredyuk For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer...
Sep 20, 2022•29 min•Ep. 96
Maxim Alyukov, Postdoctoral Fellow at the King's College London Russia Institute, and Andrei Semenov, Senior Researcher at the Center for Comparative Historical and Political Studies, discuss their recent report on Russian propaganda setbacks and the war in Ukraine, including a large-scale analysis of the differences between how Russian state media and Russian social media discuss the war in Ukraine. Report by Maxim Alyukov, Maria Kunilovskaya and Andrei Semenov: Propaganda Setbacks and Appropri...
Sep 17, 2022•20 min•Ep. 95
Oleksander Kraiev, Director of the North America Program at the Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council, comments on the counteroffensive with a view from Ukraine: restoring Ukraine's 1991 territorial borders, why taking back Crimea is increasingly realistic, Russia's logistical challenges, how Russian media channels are discussing the counteroffensive, and how Ukraine's more modern combat style compares to Russia's soviet-style approach. "If previously we were hoping for the plan minimum - to re...
Sep 15, 2022•17 min•Ep. 94
Oxana Shevel, Associate Professor of Political Science at Tufts University, discusses Ukrainian national identity, diversity, pluralism, changes since 2014 and since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 and optimism for Ukraine's future. Russia's annexation of Crimea and incursions into Urkaine in 2014 caused "the part of the country that was the most pro-Russian to get cut off from voting in Ukraine's elections" and at the same time "this open Russian aggression turned more people away from Rus...
Sep 11, 2022•18 min•Ep. 93
Nona Shahnazarian, Senior Research Fellow at the National Academy of Sciences in Yerevan, Armenia, comments on the impact of the war on Yerevan, including an influx of Russian citizens to Yerevan post-24-Feb, and discusses the trauma of loss, how the effects of conflict reverberate beyond the conflict itself. "trauma is not only a one-time event but also a process... it's deeply traumatic to be frustrated by the futility of trying to formulate acceptable reasons for the events that exploded [one...
Sep 10, 2022•14 min•Ep. 92
Maksym Yali, Professor of International Relations and Head of the Center for New World Order at the National Aviation University in Kyiv, discusses the state of a Ukrainian counteroffense - we might see the main strike in an unexpected place - cracks in Russian morale - the more strikes and 'accidental' explosions in Crimea and Bolgorod the more Russians realise that 'this is not only on TV but concerns them personally' - and comments on low expectations from the IAEA inspectors' visit to the Za...
Sep 04, 2022•12 min•Ep. 91
Alasdair McCallum, doctoral student at Monash University, discusses Russian civil and political opposition - and why we've seen a muted overt opposition: 'Putin's regime aims to mobilise some parts of the population and demobilise others' 'Whilst parts of society have been rendered passive... as the war continues it will be increasingly hard for these populations to stay untouched by the war... passivity is not going to be an option forever'. Alasdair McCallum on 'Much Azov About Nothing: How th...
Sep 03, 2022•18 min•Ep. 90
Marek Menkiszak, Head of the Russian Department at the OSW Center for Eastern Studies in Warsaw, analyzes Russia's miscalculations, misperceptions and strategic failures in the War in Ukraine. 'Russia's decision-making was driven by a mix of ignorance and arrogance... they simply do not understand the changes that have taken place over the last 30 years' 'Russians believe that the losses that Ukrainians are taking in the war will destroy their morale... but the consequences are directly the oppo...
Aug 29, 2022•30 min•Ep. 89
Maksym Yali, Professor of International Relations at the National Aviation University in Kyiv, discusses the mood in Ukraine on Independence Day, Ukrainian hits on military targets in Crimea and the expected mock trials of Azov defenders in Mariupol. Follow Maksym on twitter: @maksymyali For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer
Aug 24, 2022•12 min•Ep. 88
Maria Popova, Associate Professor of Politics at McGill Univeristy, discusses Ukraine, accession to the European Union, reforms, post-Soviet thinking and the aspirations of Russian imperial restoration - "when was the window closed on Russia being able to live peacefully with independent neighbours that pursue their own foreign and domestic policies?" Oxana Shevel and Maria Popova on Why Ukraine Belongs in the EU Maria Popova on Judicial Reform in Ukraine after the Euromaidan Revolution Maria Po...
Aug 23, 2022•26 min•Ep. 87
James Farwell, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, comments on implications of the Ukraine war for Turkey and Syria - as well as broader lessons for leadership discussed in James' book The Corporate Warrior - and how these might apply in the context of the current war. James Farwell - The Corporate Warrior: Successful Strategies from Military Leaders to Win your Business Battles Follow James on twitter: @jamespfarwell For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer...
Aug 22, 2022•16 min•Ep. 86
Tymofii Brik, Associate Professor and Rector at the Kyiv School of Economics, discusses Ukrainian society, the place of religion, diversity and pluralism, why there is no religious monopoly in Ukraine, and why the narrative of Ukraine as a divided society does not hold up to scrutiny. Tymofii also outlines the Ukrainian Global University iniative that he helped to establish post-24-Feb to assist Ukrainian university students affected by the war - to study overseas and return to Ukraine to help r...
Aug 19, 2022•29 min•Ep. 85
Christopher Faulkner, Assistant Professor at the United States Naval War College, discusses the Wagner Group: who are they? how are they connected to the Russian regime? what are their areas of operation? and what is the impact of their involvement in Ukraine? This was a fascinating discussion that made me think about the implications of private military contractors operating in theaters of war, and of Russia's denial of association with the Wagner Group - whilst encouraging their involvement on...
Aug 17, 2022•23 min•Ep. 84
Aleksandar Matovski, Assistant Professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School, breaks down the internal function of ' Popular Dictatorships ' - electoral autocracies - regimes in which authoritarian leaders need to maintain popular legitimacy to survive - and what this tells us about Putin, Russia and the war in Ukraine. Aleksandar outlines how Putin rose to power, how foreign crises intersect with Putin's popularity, and why we need to undertstand Russ...
Aug 06, 2022•28 min•Ep. 83
Retired four-star General of the US Air Force, General Philip Breedlove, who served as NATO Supreme Allied Commander to Europe from 2013 to 2016, discusses NATO's response to Russia's incursions into Ukrainian territory in 2014, whether weapons to Ukraine will make a difference, and what Ukraine needs for success. "Russia has kit, but lacks manpower; Ukraine has highly motivated personell but lacks kit... with the right amount of kit, delivered to the right place, at the right time - Ukraine can...
Aug 05, 2022•20 min•Ep. 82
