Silicon Curtain

After the first anniversary of the full-scale war, a febrile and impatient media is asking the question “when will the war end” with greater frequency. There are many reasons for this – of course a concern for the loss of life, the destruction, and the economic pain. But also, war fatigue, misunderstanding the combatant’s motivations and actions, and a general lack of historical perspective, leading them to misunderstand the mechanics and practice of warfare. My guest this week is Hein Goemans, an expert in war termination theory (in other words, how wars end). He explains that “It’s going to take a lot more dying and destruction before both sides are prepared to make a deal, or even start defining what a deal could like”. So is there any clear end to this war in sight, or are the two sides too far apart, with radically different objectives. ---------- SPEAKER: Hein Goemans, professor at the University of Rochester in the United States. His academic specialism is war termination theory. Hein is a specialist in the politics of war, war termination and territorial disputes. His first book, War and Punishment (2000), and asks what keeps wars going and what makes them stop, and focuses on the role of leaders in war termination – with an empirical focus on World War I. His second book, Leaders, and International Conflict (2011) and focuses on the role of leaders in war initiation, a very relevant area of study in the context of the Ukraine war. Goemans' publications have appeared in the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and other publications. Goemans has discussed his work on war termination in the context of the war in Ukraine in articles in The New Yorker and the Monkey Cage as well as in international media, such as the BBC's The Inquiry, Cable News CBC, Euronews, CNN Portugal, France 24, and other outlets as well as in print media such as The Financial Times, Der Spiegel, and Die Zeit. ---------- LINKS: https://www.ft.com/content/b3f7ea51-dcc2-4011-b3ac-45faabdc35c7 Ukraine series: how long will the war last? What history tells us about why some conflicts endure, and others end quickly. https://www.rochester.edu/college/faculty/hgoemans/ https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691049441/war-and-punishment ----------

The Putin regime has been widely exploiting the vulnerabilities of global social media platforms, using bots and trolls to promote specific stories and narratives. But Russian propaganda does not work how most people think it does. The interventions of the trolls and agitators often fail to directly promote pro-regime narratives in political discussions but do succeed in distracting people from having open discussions that are critical of the state. Welcome to the counter-intuitive world of Russian disinformation operations, populated by a rogue’s gallery of toxic yet highly effective propagandists. ---------- SPEAKER: Julia Davis is a Columnist at The Daily Beast and internationally known Writer and Investigative Journalist. She is also a Washington Post Contributor, National Security & Foreign Policy Reporter, and Analyst with Russian Media Monitor. Julia Davis has a broad background as a National Security, Counterterrorism, and Immigration Expert. She is a former federal officer, having served with the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection. She writes as an Investigative Reporter, exposing Russian propaganda, discussing foreign policy, international and domestic affairs, and other issues. Julia’s reports have been featured by CNN, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Business Insider, Newsweek, The Hill, and multiple other media outlets. ---------- LINKS: Julia Davis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliadavisnews/ Julia Davis on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JuliaDavisNews Russian Media Monitor: http://www.russialies.com/

Russia is tearing itself away from modern civilization and its associated values, norms and comforts. Putin and his coterie of incompetent sycophants seem to be happily destroying the foundations of everything that has been built in the past 30 years. Instead, he’s embracing an alternative future tied to eastern despotism as a vassal state of China – a source of assets to be mined, without any value-added production. What demons have resurfaced from Russia’s past, and what is driving a form of sado-masochistic self-destruction and flagellation, that seems to be propelling Russia backwards in a painful civilisational decline. And where will this out-of-control Troika stop – possibly at an era that pre-dates Peter the Great’s efforts to punch a window onto Europe in the façade of Russia’s feudal-military despotism, established by the khans of the Mongol Horde. But what is the role of such a state in the modern world? ---------- SPEAKER: Alexander Etkind is a historian and cultural scientist. Alexander Etkind was born in 1955 in St. Petersburg, Russia, and is a professor at CEU Vienna. His book Russia against Modernity is forthcoming with Polity Press. He was formerly a professor of history and the Chair of Russia-Europe relations at the European University Institute in Florence. He is fellow of the European Institute for International Law and International Relations. He completed his B.A. and M.A. in 1978 in Psychology and English at Leningrad State University. Etkind taught at the European University at St. Petersburg then at Cambridge University where he was also a fellow of King's College. He was a visiting fellow at New York University, Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin, and other places. Etkind's research focuses on European and Russian intellectual history, memory studies, natural resources and the history of political economy, empire and colonies in Europe, and Russian politics, novels, and film in the 21st century. His has written many compelling books, including Russia Against Modernity, Rethinking the Gulag and Nature's Evil: A Cultural History of Natural Resources. ---------- LINKS: Alexander Etkind on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sasha_Etkind Alexander Etkind on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Etkind Alexander Etkind at the Moscow Times: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/author/alexander-etkind-2 ---------- BOOKS: Russia Against Modernity (2023) Rethinking the Gulag: Identities, Sources, Legacies (2022) Nature's Evil: A Cultural History of Natural Resources (2021) Eros Of the Impossible: The History of Psychoanalysis In Russia (2019) Development and Dystopia: Studies in Post-Soviet Ukraine and Eastern Europe (2018) War and Memory in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus (2017) Cultural Forms of Protest in Russia (2017) Warped Mourning: Stories of the Undead in the Land of the Unburied (2013) Internal Colonization: Russia's Imperial Experience (2011) Remembering Katyn (2013) ----------

Through the winter, Ukrainian and Western officials had warned Russia was preparing to launch a new offensive. Apparently, it was “mustering forces beyond the Urals”, according to General Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s army chief. Rumours circulated, that Russian forces, bolstered by Belarussian divisions, could even try to storm Kyiv once more. Russia had gathered half a million fresh mobilised troops and would “make a push” around the anniversary of the war, suggested the defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov. But it seems that Russia’s offensive began weeks ago, around the meat grinder of Bakhmut, and is already running out of steam – a damp squib. Intercepted communications and the ravings of angered mil bloggers suggest Russia is running out of ideas and ammunition. Now it seems is the turn of Ukraine to strike back. But when, where, and how hard will they hit the Russians? ---------- SPEAKER: Ben Hodges is a retired United States Army officer, who became commander of United States Army Europe in November 2014, and held that position for three years until retiring from the United States Army in January 2018. Ben Hodges has been Senior Advisor to Human Rights First since June 2022 and also serves as NATO Senior Mentor for Logistics. Until recently Ben Hodges was the Pershing Chair in Strategic Studies, at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, specialising in NATO, the Transatlantic relationship and international security. ---------- LINKS: Ben Hodges - Twitter: https://twitter.com/general_ben Ben Hodges - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Hodges Ben Hodges - CEPA: https://cepa.org/author/ben-hodges/ Ben Hodges - New Statesman: https://www.newstatesman.com/the-weekend-interview/2023/02/ben-hodges-hope-russians-west-loses-will-keep-supporting-ukraine Ben Hodges - The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/b/ba-be/ben-hodges/ Ben Hodges - Defence IQ: https://www.defenceiq.com/contributor/ben-hodges Ben Hodges - BBC HardTalk interview: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/n3ct0c38 Ben Hodges - Globsec: https://www.globsec.org/who-we-are/our-people/lieutenant-general-ben-hodges Ben Hodges - Atlantic Council Q&A: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/content-series/ac-turkey-defense-journal/qa-with-lieutenant-general-retired-ben-hodges/ ----------

It’s my great pleasure to speak with Ian Garner today, on the terrifying topic of indoctrination ot Russia’s youth. We’ll be exploring themes covering in his forthcoming book: Z Generation: Into the Heart of Russia’s Fascist Youth. Ian Garner is an historian and expert on Russian war propaganda. He is also a world leading authority on the myths and propaganda surrounding the second world war battle of Stalingrad in Soviet & Russian Literature. Ian has been interviewed for the Washington Post, Rolling Stone, New York Times, BBC, VICE News, Mashable, and many other media channels. He is also a prolific commentator on Twitter – so please check out his feed – it’s entertaining as well as insightful. Welcome to the Silicon Curtain podcast. If you enjoy the material we create, then please like, and subscribe to help boost the popularity of our videos in YouTube. ---------- BOOKS: Stalingrad Lives: Stories of Combat and Survival (2022) Z Generation: Into the Heart of Russia's Fascist Youth (2023) Read more at: https://www.igarner.net/ Follow Ian at: https://twitter.com/irgarner

The KGB was the main security agency for the Soviet Union. It emerged as a direct successor of preceding agencies such as the Cheka, GPU, OGPU, NKGB, NKVD and MGB, and was nominally attached to the Council of Ministers. It was the chief government agency of carrying out internal security, foreign intelligence, counterintelligence, and secret-police functions. Did it morph into the current FSB, or is that a different beast? Did any of the culture, traditional and methods of the KGB pass to its descendant agency and operatives? What can we know for sure of this brutal and secretive organ of power, and what relation does it have to Putin and his kleptocratic regime? Dr Yuri Felshtinsky is a prominent author, historian, and journalist, and expert on Russia and the former Soviet Union. He has appeared in print, TV, and radio interviews worldwide, and is widely known as co-author of the book “Blowing Up Russia” with Alexander Litvinenko, a former Lieutenant Colonel in the FSB who was poisoned with radioactive polonium in London in 2006. His latest book – “Blowing up Ukraine: The Return of Russian Terror and The Threat of World War III”, was researched before the invasion of Ukraine and is the first comprehensive investigation into the lethal methods Russia has used since 1999 to take over Ukraine – culminating in the full-blown unprovoked war in 2022 and mounting atrocities. ---------- BOOKS: Blowing up Ukraine: The Return of Russian Terror and The Threat of World War III (2022) Blowing up Russia: The Book that Got Litvinenko Murdered (2019) The Putin Corporation: The Story of Russia's Secret Takeover (2012) Lenin And His Comrades: The Bolsheviks Take Over Russia 1917–1924 (2010) ----------

GUEST: Anastasia Edel - writer and social historian. ---------- Until February 2022, the war in Ukraine could be dismissed by some as a “quarrel in a faraway country, between people of whom we know nothing”, especially if they had been influenced by aggressive Russian propaganda and the techniques of hybrid information warfare. But in 2022 the war became full scale, and the propagandistic subterfuge far less effective. The West had believed that mutually beneficial commercial activity created a guarantee against a full-scale war in Europe, that would see hundreds of thousands of dead and wounded; that a Russian elite with financial, property and commercial interests in Europe would not risk it all for an imperial adventure or fall in behind the desperate acts of a genocidal autocrat. But once again, we entirely failed to predict or understand Russia’s actions. The trauma and misfortune Russia has wrought on its peaceful, democratic neighbour is reminiscent of WWII - but will the leaders that unleashed this barbarism go the same way as the Nazi elite in 1945? ---------- SPEAKER: Anastasia Edel is a Russian-born American writer and social historian. She is the author of Russia: Putin’s Playground, a concise guide to Russian history, politics, and culture. Her writing has appeared in the New York Review of Books, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Project Syndicate, Quartz, and World Literature Today. She teaches history at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at University of California, Berkeley. ---------- LINKS: Twitter: @AEdelWriter Staring Down the Black Hole of Russia’s Future https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/03/10/russia-ukraine-putin-war-future/ ----------

The rise of the internet in the 21st century has been accompanied by unprecedented levels of polarisation, division, and weaponised information. At the same time democracies around the world are being hit by a huge range of different, and rapidly evolving hostile state activities. The focus of this channel is primarily Russia, but this problem is not confined to countries that oppose Russia’s expansionism and influence in Europe and the US. This is a global problem, with many countries learning and adopting the techniques of digital manipulation for electoral advantage. Once the ‘technology’ and methodology of malign influence through social platforms has been developed, it can be used by local as well as international players, to undermine opponents and their values, and democratic institutions. ---------- SPEAKER: Phumzile Van Damme is an Award-Winning Counter-Electoral Disinformation Expert, digital rights activist, Changemaker, and authority on Platform Accountability. Van Damme is a consultant in South African and former Member of Parliament representing South Africa’s official opposition, the Democratic Alliance and described as a “Young MP with a mission.” She was first elected at the 2014 South African general election and re-elected in 2019. She served as a Whip in the National Assembly and was the Shadow Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Committee. She also serves on boards and advisory councils of organisations dedicated to fighting disinformation and online violence against women and holding social media companies for harms emanating from their platforms. Van Damme has received many accolades for her achievements and work, such as the 2022 Vital Voices Global Leadership Award, Forbes Magazine Top 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa, 2019/20 Vital Voices fellowship, and 2021/Munich Security Conference Young Leader. ---------- LINKS: https://twitter.com/zilevandamme https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phumzile_van_Damme https://www.linkedin.com/in/phumzile-van-damme/ https://www.vitalvoices.org/fellow/phumzile-van-damme/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adDXhacRlds https://www.independent.co.uk/author/phumzile-van-damme ----------

Today I am discussing the mechanics and narratives of Russian hybrid information warfare with Oleksandra Tsekhanovska – revisiting themes we first discussed about 4 or 5 months ago. Ukraine remains one of the main targets of Russian disinformation operations, but we now see a strong divergence in propaganda narratives aimed at Ukraine, the West, the global South and other areas. Oleksandra Tsekhanovska was Head at Hybrid Warfare Analytical Group, UCMC (Ukraine Crisis Media Centre), working to build trust-based partnerships that enhance Ukraine’s resilience to cyber warfare and disinformation. She is an information security expert with focus on Russia. Oleksandra has acted as Chief Consultant to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on strategic matters of Information security.

WARNING - poor quality video quality - but audio and insights are great. Ukraine and Russia have arguably been very different for centuries, but in modern times the greatest split came when Ukraine gained its independence on 24 August 1991. Since then that independence has bene reinformed by a wave of revolutions that have gradually transformed Ukraine into a pluralistic, young democracy, with a vibrant civil society. But also, their approach to historical memory has been radically different, and the willingness to face up to the traumas of the past, or to bury them and deny them for expediency and to consolidate power in the present. Today I’m speaking to David Satter, journalist, and historian with unique insights into how the deformation and repression of the past, is having terrible consequences for present day Russia. David has written extensively about Russia and the Soviet Union, especially the decline and fall of the USSR and rise of post-Soviet Russia. David Satter became the first American journalist to be expelled from Russia since the Cold War in December 2013. This was perhaps not a surprising move, given that his books have covered topics such as the FSB’s role in the apartment bombings that brought Putin to power, and the criminalization of Russia under Boris Yeltsin. David’s core theme is why a pluralist and progressive state did not emerge from the collapse of the Soviet Union, and how this understanding guides it’s current policies and actions. From 1976 to 1982 David was the Moscow correspondent of the Financial Times, and then became a special correspondent on Soviet affairs for The Wall Street Journal. He is currently a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a fellow of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. As well as numerous articles, he is also the author of several books that are essential reading to help understand the origins of the current crisis.