This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

Russia’s newly-belligerent stance has rocked the democratic West on its heels, from the annexation of the Crimea to the sponsoring of extremist digital disinformation to – almost certainly – the stacking of elections in the US and UK. And it all stems from the paranoid, Machiavellian, espionage-steeped mindset of one man: Vladimir Putin. On this edition, Arthur talks to exiled journalists, foreign correspondents including Luke Harding of The Guardian and Russia analysts to unpick the question that baffles even Russians themselves: What does Putin want?Пожалуйста, наслаждайтесь нашим подкастом. Спасибо! “There was no liberal Putin. There was no ‘white album’.” – LUKE HARDING “Russia is the world champion at national suicide. It’s a deeply, deeply self-destructive country.” – PETER POMERANTSEV “Putin doesn’t even see Ukraine as a country… They think, this was always ours, what is the US doing interfering?” – ARTYOM LISS “The plan is to make Russia great again… Neither London nor Washington nor Paris has come up with an adequate way to deal with him.” – LUKE HARDING Want to support us, get episodes early and extra content? Support us on Patreon and back us from just £3 per month now.DOOMSDAY WATCH был написан и представлен Артуром Снеллом, а продюсером - Робином Либерном - с ассистентом продюсера Джейкоба Арчболда. Мелодия и оригинальная музыка написаны Полом Хартноллом. Редактор группы - Эндрю Харрисон. DOOMSDAY WATCH - это продукция Podmasters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of the podcast that looks at the threats to global stability that they’re not telling you about – the mind behind the unstoppable rise of China.Who is Xi Jinping? What are the forces that shaped China’s paramount leader? Will his psychological make-up, and his belief that his country has been robbed of its rightful place, lead inexorably to confrontation with the West? And what does Thucydides have to do with it? Arthur talks to experts and China insiders to ask: are we on the brink of World War Xi?  “China and Russia have greatly expanded their roles as great powers. We are now in an era where the dragons are back.” – David Kilcullen “In Xi’s mind, China was great until colonialism and imperialism brought it low. His goal is to make China great again.” – Cindy Yu  “Where could it begin? Perhaps with the Chinese military chomping at the bit for conflict and a worried, fearful Chinese government indulging them just to preserve their loyalty.” – Kori Schake “Xi has been waiting his whole life to return China to great power status. This could be his moment” – Arthur Snell Want to support us, get episodes early and extra content? Support us on Patreon and back us from just £3 per month now.DOOMSDAY WATCH was written and presented by Arthur Snell, and produced by Robin Leeburn – with assistant production from Jacob Archbold. Theme tune and original music by Paul Hartnoll. The group editor is Andrew Harrison. DOOMSDAY WATCH is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The world has never stood as close to the apocalypse as it does today. Hosted by ARTHUR SNELL, a former British diplomat and counter-terrorism operative who has seen service in Yemen, Helmand and Zimbabwe, DOOMSDAY WATCH meets experts and eyewitness for an unflinching look at the threats that conventional media ignores. On this first edition: Is a toxic combination of extreme partisanship, detached elites and Trump’s incitement driving the world’s greatest democracy to a second Civil War?• “This is the story of a great project that has torn itself apart from the inside.” – ARTHUR SNELL• “At what point do we stop saying this is a democratic country?” – BRIAN KLAAS• “Where there is anger and polarised states, democracy may not work any more.” – JACK GOLDSTONEWant to support us, get episodes early and extra content? Support us on Patreon and back us from just £3 per month now.DOOMSDAY WATCH was written and presented by Arthur Snell and produced by Robin Leeburn – with assistant production from Jacob Archbold. Theme tune and original music is by Paul Hartnoll. The group editor is Andrew Harrison. DOOMSDAY WATCH is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices