Sarah Chayes, a seasoned corruption analyst and author of "Everybody Knows: Corruption in America," teams up with Tom Burgis, a Guardian investigations correspondent known for "Kleptopia." They dive into the international web of corruption and its chilling effects on democracy. The duo discusses how kleptocracies thrive through global networks, enabling widespread abuses of power. They emphasize the urgent need for accountability and highlight the role individuals can play in resisting corruption, fostering a culture of integrity.
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Corruption in Afghanistan
Sarah Chayes's interest in corruption started in Afghanistan while running a radio station.
Locals complained about a U.S.-backed militia extorting them, highlighting corruption's impact.
insights INSIGHT
Corruption as an Operating System
Corruption isn't isolated incidents; it's an operating system of networks spanning sectors.
These networks blend public, private, and criminal elements, wielding power for self-enrichment.
insights INSIGHT
Impacts of Corruption
State capture and corruption have far-reaching impacts like environmental damage and migration.
These issues become global crises due to corruption's influence on resource management and governance.
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How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took on the West
Catherine Belton
In 'Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took on the West', Catherine Belton provides a comprehensive and chilling account of Vladimir Putin’s rise to power. The book reveals how Putin, along with a small group of KGB men, seized control of Russia, looted the country, and built a new league of loyal oligarchs. Belton’s research, based on exclusive interviews with key insiders, exposes the intricate network involving politicians, organized crime, and sympathetic journalists that helped Putin consolidate his power. The book also details how Putin’s regime subverted Russia’s economy and legal system, suppressed independent voices, and launched covert influence operations abroad, extending their reach into Western markets and institutions.
Everybody Knows, Corruption in America
Everybody Knows, Corruption in America
Sarah Chayes
Cuckooland
Cuckooland
Where the Rich Own the Truth
Tom Burgis
Thieves of State
Sarah Chayes
Desperate for a fresh pod over the holidays? We’re tiding you over the Christmas-New Year gap with some shows you might have missed from the wider Podmasters universe. Today, enjoy this edition of our geopolitics weekly This Is Not A Drill.
On this edition… Corruption, bribery and cronyism aren’t just criminal matters. International alliances of corrupt states and their enablers are undermining democracies and international law, creating a world without rules where everything and anyone can be bought. From Putin’s gangster state to COVID corruption and favouritism in the UK, the West’s response has been feeble.
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Written and presented by Emma Beals. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production
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