This week on “What Rough Beast,” we talk to Molly McKew, information warfare expert and author of the Great Power newsletter, about Russia's influence operations and the war in Ukraine. We discuss:
* How Russia has been systematically manipulating American politics since the 1980s through oligarchs, soft power investments, and psychological operations
* Why Trump's decades-long fascination with Russia makes him vulnerable to manipulation by Putin's regime
* The disturbing speed with which Americans can be radicalized online—from wellness enthusiasts to conspiracy theorists in months
* How Russian disinformation exploits America's lack of firm national identity, making us uniquely susceptible to foreign influence campaigns
* The reality on the ground in Ukraine under Trump's envoys, and why treating the war like a "real estate deal" fundamentally misunderstands what's at stake
* Why Americans across the political spectrum are unprepared for the collapse of institutional protections and the shift toward authoritarianism
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