Podcast appearances and mentions of samuel ramani

Israel has attacked Iranian military and nuclear sites, claiming Tehran was close to producing a nuclear weapon. Tehran says it's a declaration of war. So, how far will it go with its response? And what does it all this mean for its nuclear ambitions? In this episode: Ellie Geranmayeh, Senior policy fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations. Ali Vaez, Director of the Iran Project, International Crisis Group. Samuel Ramani, Defense Analyst, Royal United Services Institute. Host: Cyril Vanier Connect with us:@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

US and Ukrainian officials are meeting today in Saudi Arabia for talks about a ceasefire with Russia. To discuss the prospects for peace, Ukranian MP Kira Rudik, Samuel Ramani, Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and BBC's James Waterhouse.

Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will go for talks with the US this week in Saudi Arabia. Dr. Samuel Ramani, Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, previews the meeting.

Day 997.Today, we assess the state of the Russian army, hear new revelations from inside the Biden administration, and look deeper at the impact of this war in other theatres, such as Korea and Africa.Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Assistant Comment Editor). @FrancisDearnley on X.Roland Oliphant (Senior Foreign Correspondent). @RolandOliphant on X.With thanks to Dr Samual Ramani of the Royal United Services Institute and Oxford University. @SamRamani2 on X. Dr Samuel Ramani's latest book is Putin's War on Ukraine:https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/putins-war-on-ukraine/Articles Referenced:The best books on Ukraine in 2024, from Chernobyl to Zelensky (Ada Wordsworth in The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/non-fiction/best-ukraine-books-2024-zelenskyy/Record Death Toll: What We Know About Russia's Losses in Ukraine by November (BBC):https://www.bbc.com/russian/articles/cjr4zy2nye5oThe ‘Deathonomics' Powering Russia's War Machine (Wall Street Journal):https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/russia-ukraine-war-military-death-pay-6cfe936e?mod=Searchresults_pos6&page=1Biden's escalation paralysis has devastated Ukraine (The Hill):https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/4988504-biden-administration-ukraine-war/Former Governor Confirms Russian Military Engaged in Looting in Kursk Region Villages (Meduza):https://meduza.io/news/2024/11/14/byvshiy-gubernator-podtverdil-chto-rossiyskie-voennye-zanimalis-maroderstvom-v-selah-kurskoy-oblastiPutin cuts payments for wounded in war against Ukraine (Kyiv Independent)https://kyivindependent.com/putin-approves-reduction-of-payments-for-injured-in-war-against-ukraine/?mc_cid=f0af270ac7&mc_eid=08d0680a95In echo of Soviet era, Russians are informing on each other over Ukraine (Reuters)https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/more-russians-denounce-each-other-over-ukraine-echo-soviet-era-2024-11-15/Subscribe to The Telegraph: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No refuge for enemies in Hezbollah strongholds. That's Israel's warning after bombing a residential suburb of Beirut. Dozens of people have been killed, including top commanders of the group. So what does this mean for Hezbollah and the region?  In this episode: Nicholas Noe, Editor-in-chief, Mideastwire.com.  Sami Nader, Director, Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs. Samuel Ramani, Associate Fellow, Royal United Services Institute. Host: James Bays  Connect with us:@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

The head of the CIA, Bill Burns has described Vladimir Putin as a bully who presents the greatest threat to world peace. The idea that Russia and China may partner to launch a joint provocation is a particular concern for the US and its allies. In this podcast, Samuel Ramani from the defence think tank RUSI provides his assessment of the risks associated with the so-called "no limits" partnership between China and Russia. The presenter is the usual host, Duncan Bartlett.

In this extended Frontline conversation, Dr Samuel Ramani from RUSI discusses Ukraine's incursion into Kursk - and analyses the strategic moves, historical context, and potential scenarios ahead.The World in 10 is the Times' daily podcast dedicated to global security. Expert analysis of war, diplomatic relations and cyber security from The Times' foreign correspondents and military specialists. Watch more: www.youtube.com/@ListenToTimesRadio Read more: www.thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:...Daria Lysenko and a snippet of her feature interview on the Nash Holos YouTube Channel: This week Ukrainian media expert and journalist Roman Kabachiy, shares his insights with her on the documentary "20 Days in Mariupol," which received an Oscar at this year's Academy Awards but was cut out of the international broadcast. He also describes the challenges facing Ukrainian cinema during wartime....Taras Shevchenko, Poet of Ukraine ...Knyzhka Corner Book Review: Putin's War on Ukraine – Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution by Samuel Ramani ...News from Ukraine courtesy The Kyiv Independent....Ukrainian Proverb of the Week...Other items of interest...Great Ukrainian music!Your host: Pawlina.The Vancouver edition of Nash Holos airs Saturdays at 6pm PST on air at AM1320 CHMB and streaming live at the CHMB website. www.am1320.com.The Nanaimo edition airs Wednesdays at 11am PST on CHLY 101.7FM, broadcasting to the north and central Vancouver Island, Gulf Islands, Sunshine Coast, northwest Washington State and Greater Vancouver listening areas.For audio archives, transcripts and information about the show, visit our website.Podcast feed here:Visit our YouTube channel for interviews and more.Daria's interview discussing Ukrainian cinema todayFollow us on Facebook and Instagram.Other links:The Kyiv Independent20 Days in Mariupol Support the show on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode:...Ukrainian Jewish Heritage: The history of Purim and how it is being observed in Ukraine today...Daria Lysenko and a snippet of her feature interview on the Nash Holos YouTube Channel: This week Ukrainian media expert and journalist Roman Kabachiy, shares his insights with her on the documentary "20 Days in Mariupol," which received an Oscar at this year's Academy Awards but was cut out of the international broadcast. He also describes the challenges facing Ukrainian cinema during wartime....Knyzhka Corner Book Review: Putin's War on Ukraine – Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution by Samuel Ramani ...News from Ukraine courtesy The Kyiv Independent....Ukrainian Proverb of the Week...Other items of interest...Great Ukrainian music!Your host: Pawlina.The Vancouver edition of Nash Holos airs Saturdays at 6pm PST on air at AM1320 CHMB and streaming live at the CHMB website. www.am1320.com.The Nanaimo edition airs Wednesdays at 11am PST on CHLY 101.7FM, broadcasting to the north and central Vancouver Island, Gulf Islands, Sunshine Coast, northwest Washington State and Greater Vancouver listening areas.For audio archives, transcripts and information about the show, visit our website.Podcast feed here:Visit our YouTube channel for interviews and more.Daria's interview discussing Ukrainian cinema todayFollow us on Facebook and Instagram.Other links:The Kyiv Independent20 Days in Mariupol Support the show on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

World leaders blame Vladimir Putin for the death of his most outspoken critic. Will the unexplained passing in prison of Alexey Navalny change anything in Russia? Or will the voices of dissent become too afraid to challenge the power of the Kremlin? In this episode: Vladimir Sotnikov, Associate Professor, International Relations, Higher School of Economics University.  Samuel Ramani, Associate Fellow, Royal United Services Institute. Peter Nikitin, Russian Pro-Democracy Activist and Lawyer. Host: Adrian Finighan  Connect with us:@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

In Episode 194 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg reviews Russia in Africa: Resurgent Great Power or Bellicose Pretender? by Samuel Ramani. Oxford scholar Ramani traces the history from Imperial Russia's Cossack adventures in Djibouti to the contemporary Wagner Group operations in Sudan, the Sahel nations, and across the African continent. Is Russia truly a Great Power that can challenge the traditional colonial and neo-colonial powers on the continent, or is it a “pretender” which is at this moment assuming a particularly bellicose posture to compensate for its lack of structural imperial power? And does it make a difference? Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/countervortex Production by Chris Rywalt We ask listeners to donate just $1 per weekly podcast via Patreon -- or $2 for our new special offer! We now have 59 subscribers. If you appreciate our work, please become Number 60!

Eight years after annexing Crimea, Russia embarked on a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. For Vladimir Putin, this was a legacy-defining mission--to restore Russia's sphere of influence and undo Ukraine's surprisingly resilient democratic experiment. Yet Putin's aspirations were swiftly eviscerated, as the conflict degenerated into a bloody war of attrition and the Russian economy faced crippling sanctions. How can we make sense of his decision to invade? Samuel Ramani's Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution (Hurst, 2023) argues that Putin's policy of global counter-revolution is driven not by systemic factors, such as preventing NATO expansion, but domestic ones: the desire to unite Russians around common principles and consolidate his personal brand of authoritarianism. This objective has inspired military interventions in Crimea, Donbas and Syria, and now all-out war against Kyiv. Ramani explores why Putin opted for regime change in Ukraine, rather than a smaller-scale intervention in Donbas, and considers the impact on his own regime's legitimacy. How has Russia's long-term political and foreign policy trajectory shifted? And how will the international response reshape the world order? AJ Woodhams hosts the "War Books" podcast. You can subscribe on Apple here and on Spotify here. War Books is on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Eight years after annexing Crimea, Russia embarked on a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. For Vladimir Putin, this was a legacy-defining mission--to restore Russia's sphere of influence and undo Ukraine's surprisingly resilient democratic experiment. Yet Putin's aspirations were swiftly eviscerated, as the conflict degenerated into a bloody war of attrition and the Russian economy faced crippling sanctions. How can we make sense of his decision to invade? Samuel Ramani's Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution (Hurst, 2023) argues that Putin's policy of global counter-revolution is driven not by systemic factors, such as preventing NATO expansion, but domestic ones: the desire to unite Russians around common principles and consolidate his personal brand of authoritarianism. This objective has inspired military interventions in Crimea, Donbas and Syria, and now all-out war against Kyiv. Ramani explores why Putin opted for regime change in Ukraine, rather than a smaller-scale intervention in Donbas, and considers the impact on his own regime's legitimacy. How has Russia's long-term political and foreign policy trajectory shifted? And how will the international response reshape the world order? AJ Woodhams hosts the "War Books" podcast. You can subscribe on Apple here and on Spotify here. War Books is on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

Eight years after annexing Crimea, Russia embarked on a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. For Vladimir Putin, this was a legacy-defining mission--to restore Russia's sphere of influence and undo Ukraine's surprisingly resilient democratic experiment. Yet Putin's aspirations were swiftly eviscerated, as the conflict degenerated into a bloody war of attrition and the Russian economy faced crippling sanctions. How can we make sense of his decision to invade? Samuel Ramani's Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution (Hurst, 2023) argues that Putin's policy of global counter-revolution is driven not by systemic factors, such as preventing NATO expansion, but domestic ones: the desire to unite Russians around common principles and consolidate his personal brand of authoritarianism. This objective has inspired military interventions in Crimea, Donbas and Syria, and now all-out war against Kyiv. Ramani explores why Putin opted for regime change in Ukraine, rather than a smaller-scale intervention in Donbas, and considers the impact on his own regime's legitimacy. How has Russia's long-term political and foreign policy trajectory shifted? And how will the international response reshape the world order? AJ Woodhams hosts the "War Books" podcast. You can subscribe on Apple here and on Spotify here. War Books is on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

Eight years after annexing Crimea, Russia embarked on a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. For Vladimir Putin, this was a legacy-defining mission--to restore Russia's sphere of influence and undo Ukraine's surprisingly resilient democratic experiment. Yet Putin's aspirations were swiftly eviscerated, as the conflict degenerated into a bloody war of attrition and the Russian economy faced crippling sanctions. How can we make sense of his decision to invade? Samuel Ramani's Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution (Hurst, 2023) argues that Putin's policy of global counter-revolution is driven not by systemic factors, such as preventing NATO expansion, but domestic ones: the desire to unite Russians around common principles and consolidate his personal brand of authoritarianism. This objective has inspired military interventions in Crimea, Donbas and Syria, and now all-out war against Kyiv. Ramani explores why Putin opted for regime change in Ukraine, rather than a smaller-scale intervention in Donbas, and considers the impact on his own regime's legitimacy. How has Russia's long-term political and foreign policy trajectory shifted? And how will the international response reshape the world order? AJ Woodhams hosts the "War Books" podcast. You can subscribe on Apple here and on Spotify here. War Books is on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

Eight years after annexing Crimea, Russia embarked on a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. For Vladimir Putin, this was a legacy-defining mission--to restore Russia's sphere of influence and undo Ukraine's surprisingly resilient democratic experiment. Yet Putin's aspirations were swiftly eviscerated, as the conflict degenerated into a bloody war of attrition and the Russian economy faced crippling sanctions. How can we make sense of his decision to invade? Samuel Ramani's Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution (Hurst, 2023) argues that Putin's policy of global counter-revolution is driven not by systemic factors, such as preventing NATO expansion, but domestic ones: the desire to unite Russians around common principles and consolidate his personal brand of authoritarianism. This objective has inspired military interventions in Crimea, Donbas and Syria, and now all-out war against Kyiv. Ramani explores why Putin opted for regime change in Ukraine, rather than a smaller-scale intervention in Donbas, and considers the impact on his own regime's legitimacy. How has Russia's long-term political and foreign policy trajectory shifted? And how will the international response reshape the world order? AJ Woodhams hosts the "War Books" podcast. You can subscribe on Apple here and on Spotify here. War Books is on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/russian-studies

Eight years after annexing Crimea, Russia embarked on a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. For Vladimir Putin, this was a legacy-defining mission--to restore Russia's sphere of influence and undo Ukraine's surprisingly resilient democratic experiment. Yet Putin's aspirations were swiftly eviscerated, as the conflict degenerated into a bloody war of attrition and the Russian economy faced crippling sanctions. How can we make sense of his decision to invade? Samuel Ramani's Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution (Hurst, 2023) argues that Putin's policy of global counter-revolution is driven not by systemic factors, such as preventing NATO expansion, but domestic ones: the desire to unite Russians around common principles and consolidate his personal brand of authoritarianism. This objective has inspired military interventions in Crimea, Donbas and Syria, and now all-out war against Kyiv. Ramani explores why Putin opted for regime change in Ukraine, rather than a smaller-scale intervention in Donbas, and considers the impact on his own regime's legitimacy. How has Russia's long-term political and foreign policy trajectory shifted? And how will the international response reshape the world order? AJ Woodhams hosts the "War Books" podcast. You can subscribe on Apple here and on Spotify here. War Books is on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/national-security

Eight years after annexing Crimea, Russia embarked on a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. For Vladimir Putin, this was a legacy-defining mission--to restore Russia's sphere of influence and undo Ukraine's surprisingly resilient democratic experiment. Yet Putin's aspirations were swiftly eviscerated, as the conflict degenerated into a bloody war of attrition and the Russian economy faced crippling sanctions. How can we make sense of his decision to invade? Samuel Ramani's Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution (Hurst, 2023) argues that Putin's policy of global counter-revolution is driven not by systemic factors, such as preventing NATO expansion, but domestic ones: the desire to unite Russians around common principles and consolidate his personal brand of authoritarianism. This objective has inspired military interventions in Crimea, Donbas and Syria, and now all-out war against Kyiv. Ramani explores why Putin opted for regime change in Ukraine, rather than a smaller-scale intervention in Donbas, and considers the impact on his own regime's legitimacy. How has Russia's long-term political and foreign policy trajectory shifted? And how will the international response reshape the world order? AJ Woodhams hosts the "War Books" podcast. You can subscribe on Apple here and on Spotify here. War Books is on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/eastern-european-studies

Eight years after annexing Crimea, Russia embarked on a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. For Vladimir Putin, this was a legacy-defining mission--to restore Russia's sphere of influence and undo Ukraine's surprisingly resilient democratic experiment. Yet Putin's aspirations were swiftly eviscerated, as the conflict degenerated into a bloody war of attrition and the Russian economy faced crippling sanctions. How can we make sense of his decision to invade? Samuel Ramani's Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution (Hurst, 2023) argues that Putin's policy of global counter-revolution is driven not by systemic factors, such as preventing NATO expansion, but domestic ones: the desire to unite Russians around common principles and consolidate his personal brand of authoritarianism. This objective has inspired military interventions in Crimea, Donbas and Syria, and now all-out war against Kyiv. Ramani explores why Putin opted for regime change in Ukraine, rather than a smaller-scale intervention in Donbas, and considers the impact on his own regime's legitimacy. How has Russia's long-term political and foreign policy trajectory shifted? And how will the international response reshape the world order? AJ Woodhams hosts the "War Books" podcast. You can subscribe on Apple here and on Spotify here. War Books is on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eight years after annexing Crimea, Russia embarked on a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. For Vladimir Putin, this was a legacy-defining mission--to restore Russia's sphere of influence and undo Ukraine's surprisingly resilient democratic experiment. Yet Putin's aspirations were swiftly eviscerated, as the conflict degenerated into a bloody war of attrition and the Russian economy faced crippling sanctions. How can we make sense of his decision to invade? Samuel Ramani's Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution (Hurst, 2023) argues that Putin's policy of global counter-revolution is driven not by systemic factors, such as preventing NATO expansion, but domestic ones: the desire to unite Russians around common principles and consolidate his personal brand of authoritarianism. This objective has inspired military interventions in Crimea, Donbas and Syria, and now all-out war against Kyiv. Ramani explores why Putin opted for regime change in Ukraine, rather than a smaller-scale intervention in Donbas, and considers the impact on his own regime's legitimacy. How has Russia's long-term political and foreign policy trajectory shifted? And how will the international response reshape the world order? AJ Woodhams hosts the "War Books" podcast. You can subscribe on Apple here and on Spotify here. War Books is on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eight years after annexing Crimea, Russia embarked on a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. For Vladimir Putin, this was a legacy-defining mission--to restore Russia's sphere of influence and undo Ukraine's surprisingly resilient democratic experiment. Yet Putin's aspirations were swiftly eviscerated, as the conflict degenerated into a bloody war of attrition and the Russian economy faced crippling sanctions. How can we make sense of his decision to invade? Samuel Ramani's Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution (Hurst, 2023) argues that Putin's policy of global counter-revolution is driven not by systemic factors, such as preventing NATO expansion, but domestic ones: the desire to unite Russians around common principles and consolidate his personal brand of authoritarianism. This objective has inspired military interventions in Crimea, Donbas and Syria, and now all-out war against Kyiv. Ramani explores why Putin opted for regime change in Ukraine, rather than a smaller-scale intervention in Donbas, and considers the impact on his own regime's legitimacy. How has Russia's long-term political and foreign policy trajectory shifted? And how will the international response reshape the world order? AJ Woodhams hosts the "War Books" podcast. You can subscribe on Apple here and on Spotify here. War Books is on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep 033 – Nonfiction. Why did Putin opt for regime change in Ukraine, rather than a smaller-scale intervention in Donbas? Samuel Ramani joins me to discuss his new book, "Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution."Support local bookstores & buy Samuel's book here:https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9781787388512Subscribe to the War Books podcast here:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@warbookspodcastApple: https://apple.co/3FP4ULbSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3kP9scZFollow the show here:Twitter: https://twitter.com/warbookspodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/warbookspodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/warbookspodcast/

In the final episode of our first season, we return to the topic we started Season 1 of the podcast with: China and how Beijing sees the world post-February 2022. Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, Western capitals, especially Washington and London, have been watching ties between Russia and China closely, attempting to decipher any signs of disagreement or even disapproval between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.  We discuss how China views the invasion of Ukraine, the ties between China and Russia and above all how both countries view the EU, NATO, and the transatlantic alliance.  Joining Bronwen Maddox on the show this week is Yu Jie, a Senior Research Fellow with our Asia-Pacific programme; Samuel Ramani, a tutor of international relations at the University of Oxford and author of the book Putin's War on Ukraine and Marcin Kaczmarski, a Lecturer in Security Studies at the University of Glasgow. Read our expertise: China's new scientists How to end Russia's war on Ukraine Ukraine is disappointed after the NATO summit – but not discouraged Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you get your podcasts. Please listen, rate, review and subscribe. Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by John Pollock. Sound by Matthew Docherty and Abdul Boudaif.

Samuel Ramani teaches politics and international relations at Oxford. He's the author of Russia in Africa and Putin's War on Ukraine.His articles appear in a range of top-tier publications. He's often on the BBC and other international broadcast media. His Twitter feed is granular and prolific.He joins host Cliff May to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine and its footprint in Africa.

Samuel Ramani teaches politics and international relations at Oxford. He's the author of Russia in Africa and Putin's War on Ukraine.His articles appear in a range of top-tier publications. He's often on the BBC and other international broadcast media. His Twitter feed is granular and prolific.He joins host Cliff May to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine and its footprint in Africa.

Amid a slew of headlines highlighting Vladimir Putin's efforts to expand Russia's footprint in Africa since the beginning of the Ukraine war, a certain narrative is emerging regarding Moscow's aims, tactics, and results in this crucial but often neglected region. Is Russia's presence in Africa a threatening menace or merely an empty gesture? As it turns out, it is neither, argues Samuel Ramani, author of the excellent "Russia in Africa: Resurgent Great Power or Bellicose Pretender?" Emphasizing the long established playbook and historical memory of the Soviet Union's support of decolonization and anti-apartheid stance, Ramani speaks with Robert Amsterdam about the underpinnings of current Russian policy in Africa, based on cyclical themes abandonment and return. Beyond the recent high profile engagements of Wagner Group in countries such as the Central African Republic, Amsterdam and Ramani discuss the strategic shortcomings of Western sanctions policies, competition and cooperation with China, and intra-elite maneuvering following Yevgeny Prigozhin's criticism of Russian military leadership.

It's the seventh day of violence in Sudan. Hundreds are reported dead and while civilians flee the capital, two generals - one a former warlord - are fighting for control of the country. So who are these men? And what does a hoard of gold and Putin's private army have to do with the conflict?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Guests: Dallia Abdelmoniem, baker and Sudanese political commentator; Dr Samuel Ramani, politics and international relations tutor, university of Oxford and author of Russia in Africa.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: BBC, France 24, Channel 4, Al Jazeera, Sky, Global news, African Biographies, CNN, Democracy Now, MiddleEastEye, CBC News, CNA, WION, NTVUganda, EWTN, Reuters, Africa News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Even as Vladimir Putin massed close to 200,000 troops on Ukraine's border in February 2022, many experts claimed it was a bluff. At worst he would take the Donetsk and Luhansk regions but a full-scale invasion could only fail in the long term and the Russian president wasn't stupid. How to explain his decision? Did Russia feel besieged by NATO's eastern expansion and did Putin himself feel threatened by internal challengers?  No, writes Samuel Ramani in Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution (Hurst, 2023) "The primary motivation for Putin's invasion of Ukraine was to overturn the 2014 Euro-Maidan revolution and its outcomes. Putin's counterrevolutionary agenda stemmed from his desire to reassert Russia's hegemony over Ukraine and promote his brand of illiberalism within the post-Soviet space." A tutor in politics and international relations at Oxford and an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, Samuel Ramani works at the intersection between Russian domestic politics, national identity and foreign policy-making and is a frequent contributor to Foreign Policy, the Washington Post, Newsweek, the BBC, and CNN. *His book recommendations are Weak Strongman: The Limits of Power in Putin's Russia by Timothy Frye (Princeton University Press, 2021) and How to Fight a War by Mike Martin (Hurst, 2023) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the Twenty-Four Two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Even as Vladimir Putin massed close to 200,000 troops on Ukraine's border in February 2022, many experts claimed it was a bluff. At worst he would take the Donetsk and Luhansk regions but a full-scale invasion could only fail in the long term and the Russian president wasn't stupid. How to explain his decision? Did Russia feel besieged by NATO's eastern expansion and did Putin himself feel threatened by internal challengers?  No, writes Samuel Ramani in Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution (Hurst, 2023) "The primary motivation for Putin's invasion of Ukraine was to overturn the 2014 Euro-Maidan revolution and its outcomes. Putin's counterrevolutionary agenda stemmed from his desire to reassert Russia's hegemony over Ukraine and promote his brand of illiberalism within the post-Soviet space." A tutor in politics and international relations at Oxford and an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, Samuel Ramani works at the intersection between Russian domestic politics, national identity and foreign policy-making and is a frequent contributor to Foreign Policy, the Washington Post, Newsweek, the BBC, and CNN. *His book recommendations are Weak Strongman: The Limits of Power in Putin's Russia by Timothy Frye (Princeton University Press, 2021) and How to Fight a War by Mike Martin (Hurst, 2023) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the Twenty-Four Two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

Even as Vladimir Putin massed close to 200,000 troops on Ukraine's border in February 2022, many experts claimed it was a bluff. At worst he would take the Donetsk and Luhansk regions but a full-scale invasion could only fail in the long term and the Russian president wasn't stupid. How to explain his decision? Did Russia feel besieged by NATO's eastern expansion and did Putin himself feel threatened by internal challengers?  No, writes Samuel Ramani in Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution (Hurst, 2023) "The primary motivation for Putin's invasion of Ukraine was to overturn the 2014 Euro-Maidan revolution and its outcomes. Putin's counterrevolutionary agenda stemmed from his desire to reassert Russia's hegemony over Ukraine and promote his brand of illiberalism within the post-Soviet space." A tutor in politics and international relations at Oxford and an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, Samuel Ramani works at the intersection between Russian domestic politics, national identity and foreign policy-making and is a frequent contributor to Foreign Policy, the Washington Post, Newsweek, the BBC, and CNN. *His book recommendations are Weak Strongman: The Limits of Power in Putin's Russia by Timothy Frye (Princeton University Press, 2021) and How to Fight a War by Mike Martin (Hurst, 2023) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the Twenty-Four Two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

Even as Vladimir Putin massed close to 200,000 troops on Ukraine's border in February 2022, many experts claimed it was a bluff. At worst he would take the Donetsk and Luhansk regions but a full-scale invasion could only fail in the long term and the Russian president wasn't stupid. How to explain his decision? Did Russia feel besieged by NATO's eastern expansion and did Putin himself feel threatened by internal challengers?  No, writes Samuel Ramani in Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution (Hurst, 2023) "The primary motivation for Putin's invasion of Ukraine was to overturn the 2014 Euro-Maidan revolution and its outcomes. Putin's counterrevolutionary agenda stemmed from his desire to reassert Russia's hegemony over Ukraine and promote his brand of illiberalism within the post-Soviet space." A tutor in politics and international relations at Oxford and an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, Samuel Ramani works at the intersection between Russian domestic politics, national identity and foreign policy-making and is a frequent contributor to Foreign Policy, the Washington Post, Newsweek, the BBC, and CNN. *His book recommendations are Weak Strongman: The Limits of Power in Putin's Russia by Timothy Frye (Princeton University Press, 2021) and How to Fight a War by Mike Martin (Hurst, 2023) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the Twenty-Four Two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

Even as Vladimir Putin massed close to 200,000 troops on Ukraine's border in February 2022, many experts claimed it was a bluff. At worst he would take the Donetsk and Luhansk regions but a full-scale invasion could only fail in the long term and the Russian president wasn't stupid. How to explain his decision? Did Russia feel besieged by NATO's eastern expansion and did Putin himself feel threatened by internal challengers?  No, writes Samuel Ramani in Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution (Hurst, 2023) "The primary motivation for Putin's invasion of Ukraine was to overturn the 2014 Euro-Maidan revolution and its outcomes. Putin's counterrevolutionary agenda stemmed from his desire to reassert Russia's hegemony over Ukraine and promote his brand of illiberalism within the post-Soviet space." A tutor in politics and international relations at Oxford and an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, Samuel Ramani works at the intersection between Russian domestic politics, national identity and foreign policy-making and is a frequent contributor to Foreign Policy, the Washington Post, Newsweek, the BBC, and CNN. *His book recommendations are Weak Strongman: The Limits of Power in Putin's Russia by Timothy Frye (Princeton University Press, 2021) and How to Fight a War by Mike Martin (Hurst, 2023) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the Twenty-Four Two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/eastern-european-studies

Even as Vladimir Putin massed close to 200,000 troops on Ukraine's border in February 2022, many experts claimed it was a bluff. At worst he would take the Donetsk and Luhansk regions but a full-scale invasion could only fail in the long term and the Russian president wasn't stupid. How to explain his decision? Did Russia feel besieged by NATO's eastern expansion and did Putin himself feel threatened by internal challengers?  No, writes Samuel Ramani in Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution (Hurst, 2023) "The primary motivation for Putin's invasion of Ukraine was to overturn the 2014 Euro-Maidan revolution and its outcomes. Putin's counterrevolutionary agenda stemmed from his desire to reassert Russia's hegemony over Ukraine and promote his brand of illiberalism within the post-Soviet space." A tutor in politics and international relations at Oxford and an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, Samuel Ramani works at the intersection between Russian domestic politics, national identity and foreign policy-making and is a frequent contributor to Foreign Policy, the Washington Post, Newsweek, the BBC, and CNN. *His book recommendations are Weak Strongman: The Limits of Power in Putin's Russia by Timothy Frye (Princeton University Press, 2021) and How to Fight a War by Mike Martin (Hurst, 2023) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the Twenty-Four Two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even as Vladimir Putin massed close to 200,000 troops on Ukraine's border in February 2022, many experts claimed it was a bluff. At worst he would take the Donetsk and Luhansk regions but a full-scale invasion could only fail in the long term and the Russian president wasn't stupid. How to explain his decision? Did Russia feel besieged by NATO's eastern expansion and did Putin himself feel threatened by internal challengers?  No, writes Samuel Ramani in Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution (Hurst, 2023) "The primary motivation for Putin's invasion of Ukraine was to overturn the 2014 Euro-Maidan revolution and its outcomes. Putin's counterrevolutionary agenda stemmed from his desire to reassert Russia's hegemony over Ukraine and promote his brand of illiberalism within the post-Soviet space." A tutor in politics and international relations at Oxford and an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, Samuel Ramani works at the intersection between Russian domestic politics, national identity and foreign policy-making and is a frequent contributor to Foreign Policy, the Washington Post, Newsweek, the BBC, and CNN. *His book recommendations are Weak Strongman: The Limits of Power in Putin's Russia by Timothy Frye (Princeton University Press, 2021) and How to Fight a War by Mike Martin (Hurst, 2023) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the Twenty-Four Two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even as Vladimir Putin massed close to 200,000 troops on Ukraine's border in February 2022, many experts claimed it was a bluff. At worst he would take the Donetsk and Luhansk regions but a full-scale invasion could only fail in the long term and the Russian president wasn't stupid. How to explain his decision? Did Russia feel besieged by NATO's eastern expansion and did Putin himself feel threatened by internal challengers?  No, writes Samuel Ramani in Putin's War on Ukraine: Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution (Hurst, 2023) "The primary motivation for Putin's invasion of Ukraine was to overturn the 2014 Euro-Maidan revolution and its outcomes. Putin's counterrevolutionary agenda stemmed from his desire to reassert Russia's hegemony over Ukraine and promote his brand of illiberalism within the post-Soviet space." A tutor in politics and international relations at Oxford and an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, Samuel Ramani works at the intersection between Russian domestic politics, national identity and foreign policy-making and is a frequent contributor to Foreign Policy, the Washington Post, Newsweek, the BBC, and CNN. *His book recommendations are Weak Strongman: The Limits of Power in Putin's Russia by Timothy Frye (Princeton University Press, 2021) and How to Fight a War by Mike Martin (Hurst, 2023) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the Twenty-Four Two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Featured Speakers: Dr. Dania Thafer, Dr. Cinzia Bianco, Dr. Samuel Ramani, and Eugene Chausovsky. Synopsis: As the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches its first anniversary, the Gulf states have played a variety of roles in the conflict, both directly and peripherally. By providing drones and missiles to the Russian military, Iran has established itself as the Gulf's most direct participant in the conflict, and the only country in the region whose leadership has openly sided with the Kremlin. By contrast, all six of the GCC states immediately voted to condemn the invasion at the United Nations General Assembly, and most have provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine over the past year. However, the GCC's approaches to the conflict have varied by nation; while Kuwait and Qatar have vocally condemned Russia, the other four members of the bloc have preserved relatively cordial ties with Moscow, with the United Arab Emirates in particular emerging as an outlet for Russian finance. Much of the Gulf has continued to cooperate with Russia under the OPEC+ oil alliance, and Saudi Arabia and the UAE have worked to organize prisoner exchanges between the two sides, buying them goodwill in both Moscow and Kyiv and strengthening their soft-power credentials. Constrained by geopolitical considerations, the Western nations have adopted a nuanced approach toward the Gulf throughout the conflict. In the days following the invasion in February 2022, the United States and the European Union strongly pressured the six GCC states to condemn Russia at the General Assembly. After they did so, the West largely refrained from heavy-handed pressure on the Gulf to comply with sanctions on Moscow. Concurrently, Europe sought to increase its imports of oil and natural gas from the Gulf in order to offset sanctioned Russian hydrocarbons. However, after the OPEC+ decision in late 2022 to cut oil production in order to preserve high prices, a number of Western officials vocally condemned what they perceived as financial opportunism within the GCC states. In the second year of the war, with both the military outcome and its global financial impacts uncertain, the Gulf's importance in the conflict will only grow. What factors motivate the Gulf states' stances on the ongoing war? Why have some GCC nations condemned Russia and supported Ukraine more explicitly than others? How have the GCC states' relations with Russia changed over the last year? Can Saudi Arabia and the UAE preserve their cordial relations with Moscow if hostilities escalate? How can the West (and Russia) encourage the Gulf nations to adopt a Ukraine policy closer to their interests?

From the outset of the Russian invasion, one of Ukraine's key concerns was that its Western allies would eventually feel war fatigue. But nearly a year into the conflict, there's no sign of slowed support for Kyiv. Several Western nations announced a new wave of military aid this week. But what about support for the Kremlin? Who are its allies and what form does their support take? For more, Samuel Ramani, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, joined us on Perspective. 

RUSI associate fellow Samuel Ramani joins Arab Digest editor William Law to discuss Putin's flagging image in the Middle East, how his stratagems in Libya and Syria are playing out, relations with the Israelis as Netanyahu returns, Türkiye's role in getting grain moving again and how the Middle East is weighing up its relationship with a leader who in provoking a war has stumbled badly. Sign up NOW at ArabDigest.org for free to join the club and start receiving our daily newsletter & podcasts.

Misha Glenny explores the world of rare earth metals. In this final episode he hears how Russia's interest in Ukraine might be partially motivated by its huge mineral deposits. Guests: Rob Muggah is a co-founder of SecDev, a Canadian data, science and open intelligence company focused on mitigating risks and strengthening resilience. Dr Samuel Ramani teaches politics and international relations at Oxford University and is the author of two upcoming books on Wagner's activities. Dr Julie Klinger, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences at the University of Delaware and author of Rare Earth Frontiers: From Terrestrial Subsoils to Lunar Landscapes. Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Hugh Levinson Sound engineer: James Beard Production coordinator: Janet Staples

Russia has accused Ukrainian special services of killing the daughter of a prominent Russian philosopher. Darya Dugina was the daughter of ultra-nationalist philosopher Alexander Dugin. She was killed by a car bomb in Moscow over the weekend. Ukrainian officials have denied any involvement in the explosion. Royal United Services Institute Russian politics expert Samuel Ramani spoke to Susie Ferguson.

Featured Speakers: Ambassador Patrick Theros (moderator), Dr. Mark N. Katz, Dr. Samuel Ramani, Dr. Diana Galeeva and Rauf Mammadov.   Synopsis:   Russia's military operation in Ukraine, the largest in Europe since WWII, has thrown the entire world into disarray. Russian armed forces invaded Ukraine on February 24 from three directions and as of this writing were advancing across the country. This invasion will certainly have especially dire consequences for the security of Europe. The current crisis threatens to throw global oil and gas markets into turmoil, with indirect effects on the Gulf region. The already uncertain energy market, partly resulting from tensions over Ukraine, has now seen oil prices cross the $100 per barrel mark. Some observers predict much higher prices, especially in Europe. Even before the Russian invasion, President Joe Biden reportedly discussed with the Qatari Emir plans to supply Europe with Qatari LNG to decrease European dependence on Russian gas. While oil producers, particularly in the GCC, stand to benefit from the steep price increase, energy importing countries of the region, and beyond, are likely to suffer.   The invasion of Ukraine affects most of the world and the Gulf states will not avoid consequences. The GCC states depend on Washington for their security and defense, both directly and through arms sales. However, Russia has become an important trade partner for the GCC. Iraq as well, have deepened their trade and security ties with Moscow. The crisis threatens to undermine the GCC balancing act between Washington and Moscow. This dilemma explains most of the statements coming from GCC officials which have called for de-escalation. On the other hand, Iran has a different stake in the crisis. Tehran and the P5+1 are in the final stages of the JCPOA and many analysts predicted that the current crisis could give the Iranian negotiators leverage since the West would benefit from a de-escalation of tensions. The US and its European allies do not want potential confrontation with Iran to distract from the challenge in Europe. Moreover, should a JCPOA agreement end America's sanctions against Iranian oil exports, Tehran has the potential to ease Europe's energy crisis should Russian supplies stop. According to Bloomberg, Iran has 103 million barrels in floating storage that could move to Europe almost immediately and can add another 1.3 million barrels/day in production within a short time, making a major dent in world oil prices. Yet, Tehran has already sided with Moscow by adopting the Russian claims that the crisis was caused by “NATO's provocative actions,” according to the Iranian foreign minister tweet on February 25, 2022. On the other hand, it appears that Russia continues to cooperate with the US on bringing JCPOA talks to a successful end.   What options do the GCC states have in this crisis? How can they distance themselves from the consequences of Europe's worst conflict since WWII? Can the West exploit the relations with the GCC states to weaken Russia's position? How does the crisis affect JCPOA negotiations and Iran's perception of its interests vis-a-vis the US and Russia?

Arab Digest editor William Law's guest this week is Samuel Ramani. Their conversation focusses on how the Ukraine war is playing out for Vladimir Putin's ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. As Putin continues his war of attrition against a European nation, Middle Eastern countries are weighing up how a Russian drawdown of troops in Syria might serve to tilt the scales either away from or towards Iran. Sign up NOW at ArabDigest.org for free to join the club and start receiving our daily newsletter & podcasts.

Russia's relations with Africa are under even greater scrutiny in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine and amid the mixed reaction of African states toward the new war in Europe. Over recent years, Moscow has bolstered ties with countries all over the continent, particularly those plagued by internal violence and disillusioned with Western powers. Russia remains a leading arms supplier and Russian private military contractors continue to expand their presence, most recently in Mali. Whether Russia is successfully pursuing a broader strategy, or merely engaging in tactical power plays, remains a matter of debate. Russia has long sought a naval base on the Red Sea and wields its permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for influence on the continent. This week on The Horn, Alan is joined by Samuel Ramani, author of an upcoming book on Russia in Africa. They talk about Russia's historic goals and current strategy on the continent, differing reactions to the invasion of Ukraine, and why some African leaders pursue closer relations with Russia. They also discuss the new significance of African relations for Moscow today and how the war in Ukraine is already changing power dynamics on the continent. For more on the Ukraine War, check out Crisis Group's extensive analysis on our Ukraine country page. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Alex Thomson, Channel 4's Chief Correspondent & Samuel Ramani, Associate Fellow at The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies

Ramani is a tutor in the Department of Political Science at Oxford and a member of the Royal United Services Institute in London. He’s been to Russia and Ukraine many times in the course of getting his DPhil — the Oxford equivalent of a PhD — in International Relations. He has studied Russia’s wars in Chechnya and Syria, and has two books in the works — one on Russia in Africa and another on the current war in Ukraine. At just 28, Ramani is a bit of a phenom. I wanted a deep dive on the subject of Putin’s Russia, and was not disappointed. I learned a huge amount, and I think you will too. Get full access to The Weekly Dish at andrewsullivan.substack.com/subscribe

I interviewed Dr. Samuel Ramani about how the 2022 invasion of Ukraine fits into the broader picture of Russian politics and Russian interventions. Rahami recently finished his dissertation on the politics of Russian military interventions, and has an interesting perspective.

Velina's Talk with Samuel Ramani

Samuel Ramani is a politics and international relations tutor at the University of Oxford, where he completed his DPhil. An associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, he contributes regularly to Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, BBC World Service, Al Jazeera English and CNN International. He tweets as @samramani2.

Samuel Ramani is a politics and international relations tutor at the University of Oxford, where he completed his DPhil. An associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, he contributes regularly to Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, BBC World Service, Al Jazeera English and CNN International. He tweets as @samramani2.

In today's episode, Dr. Samuel Ramani and Kyle Walter talk about the ongoing situation between Ukraine & Russia, the postponement of elections in Libya, as well as the latest from the crisis in Ethiopia.Timestamps:00:45 The threat of a Russian Invasion of Ukraine16:05 Interview with Michael Kofman, Director, Russia Studies @ CNA27:38 Postponement of Libyan Elections38:45 Interview with Jalel Harchaoui, Senior Fellow, GI-TOC & Libya Analyst55:42 On the crisis in Ethiopia1:07:25 Wins & Losses1:16:13 Sam's Take

Arab Digest editor William Law welcomes back the geopolitical analyst and commentator Samuel Ramani to discuss how, in the past decade, Russia has consistently played a strong hand in the Middle East, buttressing relations with MENA states and presenting itself as an honest disputes mediator while exploiting anxieties and uncertainties to advantage as America continues to pull away from its longstanding role as the region's guarantor of security. Sign up NOW at Arabdigest.org for free to join the club and start receiving our daily newsletter & podcasts.

Check out the snippet from the forthcoming Balance of Power Podcast, featuring Samuel Ramani and Kyle Walter.  The first episode goes live January 10, 2022.Dr. Samuel Ramani holds a PhD from the University of Oxford in International Relations and is currently an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI).Kyle Walter holds an MSc in Russian and East European Studies from St. Antony's College, Oxford and works on global threat analysis in the private sector.You can follow them @SamRamani2 and @KyleWalterIR on Twitter, and the podcast at @tboppodcast.

Featured Speakers: Ambassador Patrick Theros (moderator), Ambassador Javid Ahmad, Dr. Iulia-Sabina Joja, Obaidullah Baheer, and Dr. Samuel Ramani. The recent collapse of the Afghan government and the rise of the Taliban to power in Kabul has created a new challenge for the Gulf states. For the last four decades, Afghanistan has played a crucial role in Gulf security and factored into their relations (or rivalry) with the United States.  Regional powers such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE or Qatar, have long involved in Afghanistan since the 1970s. Now, the rise of radicals to power in Kabul and the debacle of the American departure have provoked concerns about the region's security and the spillover of instability into Gulf countries. Increasingly widespread evidence that the Taliban maintains ties to al-Qaeda and has not moderated its behavior only adds to Gulf leaders' anxiety. While Iran's history and geography make the rise of the Taliban to power especially worrisome to the country's leadership, Tehran has shown flexibility in dealing with the group in recent years, perhaps anticipating a Taliban victory. For their part, each of the GCC states has maintained different policies, interests, and levels of contact with the group. Doha hosted a Taliban representation office for over a decade based on the US request to facilitate the talks between Washington and the group. Now the Qataris are leveraging their years of interaction with the Taliban to facilitate communication between the Taliban and many Western states. On the other hand, the UAE and Saudi Arabia kept only irregular communications with the Taliban, preferring stronger relations with the Afghan government; they now find themselves at a disadvantage after the collapse of the Ghani government. Both Abu Dhabi and Riyadh must now scramble to establish relationships with the new power in Kabul. How do we expect the Taliban government to interact with the Gulf states, as well as the rest of Afghanistan's neighborhood? Which Gulf states will feel the greatest impact of the Taliban victory? Will Gulf states use Afghanistan as a battlefield for their rivalry as they have in other countries on their doorsteps? How will the developing situation in Afghanistan affect US interests and its future presence in the Gulf?

This episode examines Russia's emerging strategy for the Red Sea, looking not only at Moscow's efforts to establish a military base in Sudan, but also its plans to use its regional presence to project influence into Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean. Dr Samuel Ramani, tutor in politics and international studies at the University of Oxford, discusses why Russia is paying growing attention to the strategic and increasingly unstable Red Sea region, as well as what Moscow's expanding security presence means for the countries of the Red Sea and the Euro-Atlantic community, with host Dr Neil Melvin, Director RUSI International Security Studies.

China's Belt & Road Initiative is back in the spotlight. Indeed, it looks as if Central Asia is poised to make a return to the centre of China's strategic affairs and foreign policy planning more broadly. The fall of Kabul to the Taliban last weekend raises a number of geo-political questions, not least how - or indeed whether - China will look to capitalise on the withdrawal of the US from a key country within its sphere of influence. Chinese foreign policy experts often like to suggest that there is opportunity to be found in a crisis, but how Beijing will interact with the Taliban will surely be a stern test of their mantra that where there is a '危' there is also a '机'. Afghanistan boasts natural resources, can act as a conduit to Pakistan and out to open for water for Chinese exports destined to traverse the Belt & Road Initiative, and provides an opportunity for China to showcase its capabilities as a mediator on the world stage. Conversely, it also represents a geo-political headache, testing China's relationships with almost all of its neighbours, not to mention Russia and the US. Dr Samuel Ramani is a tutor of politics & international relations at the University of Oxford, where he received his DPhil in March 2021. He is a specialist on post-1991 Russian foreign policy with a particular focus on Russia's engagement with the Middle East, Africa, and the Indo-Pacific Region. Sam spoke to the CBBC's Joe Cash on why he believes that China is well placed to manage the relationship with its new neighbour. The views expressed in the China Business Brief podcast are those of invited contributors and not necessarily those of the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC). We do not accept any liability if the podcast is used for an alternative purpose from which it is intended, nor to any third party in respect of this podcast.

Samuel Ramani, a tutor at the University of Oxford and expert on Russia and Africa, explains why international mediation on the Nile Dam talks may continue to flounder; why the UAE has been an ‘exceptional actor' in the GERD negotiations; the linkages between the Persian Gulf and Red Sea security; the relative interests and influence of the US, Russia and China in Africa; and more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Arab Digest editor William Law in conversation with Samuel Ramani, a geopolitical analyst and non-resident fellow at Gulf International Forum. Their conversation explores the extraordinary gains Russia has made in positioning itself as a player of consequence in the Middle East. Showing a deft hand and adroit manouevring Vladimir Putin, in a few short years, has realised the dream of Catherine the Great to establish Russia in the Middle East and North Africa as a Mediterranean power to be reckoned with.

Russia is planning to lease a naval base in Sudan for at least 25 years. Aditya Pareek talks to Aditya Ramanathan about Moscow's underlying ambitions, the geopolitics driving this move, and the state of Russia's fleet, especially its flagship Admiral Kuznetsov.Samuel Ramani analyses Russia's Sudan plans:https://rusi.org/commentary/russia-port-sudan-naval-base-power-play-red-seaA new biography of legendary Soviet admiral, Sergey Georgyevich Gorshkov:https://www.usni.org/press/books/admiral-gorshkovYou can follow Aditya Ramanathan on Instagram: - @adityaramanathan(https://instagram.com/adityaramanathan?igshid=1n9tu2eipxqez)You can follow Aditya Pareek on Instagram: - @cabin_marine(https://instagram.com/cabin_marine?igshid=xcxww006mtv4)You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.