230. Russia, Ukraine, and the West | Frederick Kagan

This episode was recorded on February 27, 2022. Dr. Frederick W. Kagan is a former professor of history with a Ph.D. in Russian and Soviet military history from Yale. He is also a celebrated author and the director of the American Enterprise Institute's Critical Threats Project.  In this episode, I discuss the nature of the conflict that has taken the world by storm over the last 5 days—Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine and the ongoing resistance of its citizens. Dr. Kagan is a wealth of information on military history, geopolitics, Putin's relationship with the USSR (which his father helped defend) and Ukrainian sovereignty, and other aspects of what’s most certainly a moment in human history that won’t be forgotten soon. Find more Dr. Frederick Kagan: https://understandingwar.org and https://criticalthreats.org For regular updates on the situation in Ukraine: https://understandingwar.org or https://criticalthreats.org/analysis/ukraine-conflict-updates Ways to help: https://linkedin.com/posts/nataliya-bugayova-97469a1a_wwwstopputinnet-activity-6903830899821985793-Z_qb An excellent discussion of the evolution of Putin’s attitudes toward the West: https://understandingwar.org/report/how-we-got-here-russia-kremlins-worldview __________________________ Chapters __________________________ [0:00] Intro [2:32] Current Situation [4:55] Motivations for Expansion [6:25] Russia & the West: A Brief History  [10:47] Russian Ideology  [18:09] The Bolshevik Revolution Today [21:59] History of Putin, Russia, & NATO [31:33] Putin in Power [01:00:25] Why Now?  [01:04:30] Putin Subverts Expectations [01:07:30] Biden, Hybrid Warfare, & Propaganda [01:10:17] Putin’s Invasion: a Tactical Perspective [01:15:30] Ukranian Response [01:16:40] International Response & Russian Allies [01:19:00] SWIFT Ban [01:24:30] Protests [01:27:50] A Way Forward? [01:31:00] UnderstandingWar.org [01:31:50] WWIII [01:35:39] Repercussions of a Russian attack on NATO [01:38:58] Defense Budgets [01:39:10] Outro #Ukraine #Russia #Putin #VolodymyrZelenskyy #JordanPeterson