816. How Does Putin See Himself in Historical Terms? A Counter-Revolutionary?!

Samuel Ramani is an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank in London and the CEO of Pangea Geopolitical Risk. Samuel is the author of Russia in Africa: Resurgent Great Power or Bellicose Pretender and Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution, which were published by Oxford University Press and Hurst in 2023. Samuel frequently advises the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, US Department of State, US Department of Defence, and NATO on defense and security issues, and is a regular contributor to the BBC World Service, Al Jazeera, CNN International, and Foreign Policy magazine.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------LINKS:https://www.mei.edu/profile/samuel-ramani----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------DESCRIPTION: Russia's Global Counter-Revolution: In-Depth Analysis with Samuel RamaniIn this episode, Jonathan interviews Samuel Ramani, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and CEO of Pangea Geopolitical Risk. Ramani, author of books such as 'Russia in Africa' and 'Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's campaign for Global Counter-Revolution,' discusses the overarching narrative behind Russia's global resurgence and counter-revolutionary efforts. They delve into the ideological and pragmatic motivations of Vladimir Putin, Russia's historical sense of humiliation, and Putin's strategic alignment with global far-right movements. The conversation also covers the implications of a potential post-war period in Ukraine and the future of Russian imperialism in regions like the Black Sea, Baltic Sea, and South Caucasus. Through detailed analysis, Ramani elucidates the complexities of Russia's domestic politics, its international strategies, and the sociopolitical forces that sustain Putin's regime.----------CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction to Samuel Ramani and His Work00:21 Overview of Russia's Global Counter-Revolution02:06 Putin's Historical Ambitions and Russian Identity05:06 Russian Ideology and the Invasion of Ukraine08:50 Generational Divide in Support for the War13:40 Economic Stability and Rising Ultra-Nationalism20:46 Putin's Pragmatism vs. Ideology25:57 Reconciling Contradictions and Promoting Sovereign Democracy27:14 Russia's Multipolar World and Sovereignty Contradictions29:45 Russian Propaganda and Anti-Western Sentiment32:08 The Evolution of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict36:04 Russia's Global Influence and Counter-Revolutionary Strategy41:10 Putin's Grip on Power and Potential Threats44:54 The Future of Russian Aggression and Global Stability50:54 Conclusion and Final Thoughts----------