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

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Chapters

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[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