Podcasts about Nikita Khrushchev

The first man in space arrives in Cuba for a special visit. A passenger liner from the Soviet Union docks in Havana. But it's not carrying tourists. Out in the countryside a massive yet mysterious construction project begins. Stranger-than-fiction plans are put in motion as the CIA tries everything to assassinate Fidel. And as Khrushchev and Castro take the most daring of gambles, the whole world holds its breath… A Noiser podcast production. Narrated by Paul McGann. Featuring Alvaro Alba, Mervyn Bain, Carlos Eire, Peter Kornbluh, Alex von Tunzelmann, Ileana Yarza. This is Part 6 of 10. Written by Edward White | Produced by Ed Baranski and Edward White | Exec produced by Joel Duddell | Sound supervisor: Tom Pink | Sound design & audio editing by George Tapp, Matthew Peaty | Assembly editing by Dorry Macaulay, Anisha Deva | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Cian Ryan-Morgan | Recording engineer: Joseph McGann. Get every episode of Real Dictators a week early with Noiser+. You'll also get ad-free listening, bonus material and early access to shows across the Noiser podcast network. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started. Or go to noiser.com/subscriptions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A naked Nikita Khrushchev, 20,000 sonnets and Pterodactyl fodder. Great innings... Author and comedian Mark Steel has reincarnated as HOST this time around, and welcomes statistician and co-host of The Bugle podcast, Andy Zaltzman on to die for our Purgatory Season... Want the episodes ad free AND extra content from Mark Steel and Andy Zaltzman, PLUS everything from the Kathy Burke archive? 6 Feet Under steps away from fantasy and rifles through your real funeral tales. Head to wheretheresawilltheresawake.com to subscribe. AND If you've got a story for us, send it over to email@deathpodcast.com. A Sony Music Entertainment production.   Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

(Rec: 31/10/23) Nikita fattens up with hot dogs, does a trolley dash, there's Big Trak, peace corn, hat talk, and a flying wig in Hartlepool. Join the Iron Filings Society: https://www.patreon.com/topflighttimemachine and on Apple Podcast Subscriptions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The West's relationship with Russia has been utterly fascinating, confusing, maddening, and encouraging for more than a century. Sergey Radchenko (Distinguished professor at Johns Hopkins University) is the author of a new book called "To Run the World: The Kremlin's Cold War Bid for Global Power." It's just won the Lionel Gelber Prize, presented by the Munk School for Global Affairs, for the world's best English-language book on foreign affairs. He joins host Steve Paikin for a wide-ranging discussion on the making and breaking of the Soviet UnionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and much more content. Please listen to our Sino-Soviet primer episode for some background! Danny and Derek welcome back Jeremy Friedman, assistant professor in the Business, Government, and International Economy at Harvard, to talk about the Sino-Soviet Split. They lay out the state of play in the mid-1950s, the potential for détente, how the two powers are reconciling with their increasingly competing interests, the implications for the Soviet Union's image among other communists in the wake of Khrushchev's “secret speech”, theoretical transformations in what communism means during this period, how decolonization plays into the split, why Khrushchev pulled Soviet aid when China needed it most, and more through the mid-1960s. Grab a copy of Jeremy's book Shadow Cold War: The Sino-Soviet Competition for the Third World! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Please listen to our Sino-Soviet primer episode for some background!On this episode of American Prestige, Danny and Derek welcome back Jeremy Friedman, assistant professor in the Business, Government, and International Economy at Harvard, to talk about the Sino-Soviet Split. They lay out the state of play in the mid-1950s, the potential for détente, how the two powers are reconciling with their increasingly competing interests, the implications for the Soviet Union's image among other communists in the wake of Khrushchev's “secret speech”, theoretical transformations in what communism means during this period, how decolonization plays into the split, why Khrushchev pulled Soviet aid when China needed it most, and more through the mid-1960s.Grab a copy of Jeremy's book Shadow Cold War: The Sino-Soviet Competition for the Third World!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

(Rec: 17/10/23) Soviet in-flight entertainment, a moon gift, luncheon meat, mechanically-recovered food, Brenda's Sunak nickname, and Farage's TikTok. Join the Iron Filings Society: https://www.patreon.com/topflighttimemachine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(Rec: 10/10/23) Names, Elton John's car, little Rishi Sunak, Ken Burns documentaries, Beckham's pen, Camp David, and going to space. Join the Iron Filings Society: https://www.patreon.com/topflighttimemachine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Romania made headlines—and shocked the world—when it annulled a presidential election at the end of last year, citing evidence of foreign interference aimed at supporting a pro-Russian far-right candidate. It was a bold and necessary move, one that stands in stark contrast to what the U.S. should have done—and is now facing the consequences for not doing. But why would Romania take such a decisive stand? The answer lies in its history. Romania's Moscow-backed dictatorship was among the most brutal behind the Iron Curtain, a painful past that still unites much of the country today. In this week's episode, we delve into Romania's complex history, weaving in a personal story from Andrea's own family. Her father-in-law, Mihai Victor Serdaru, a medical student in 1956 Bucharest, attempted to lead a student protest in solidarity with the Hungarian Uprising next door. To help make sense of her years of research, Andrea turned to Dr. Corina Snitar, a historian and Lecturer in Central and Eastern European Studies at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Dr. Snitar is the author of Opposition, Repression, and Cold War: The 1956 Student Movement in Timișoara and contributed the chapter Women's Experiences of 1956: Student Protesters and Partisans in Romania to the book Women's Experiences of Repression in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The discussion of how to topple a dictator will continue in this week's bonus show for our Patreon community, where we'll dive into a lively book club salon for political scientist Gene Sharp's revolutionary handbook, From Dictatorship to Democracy. Sharp's work has inspired liberation movements worldwide, and we'll explore its urgent lessons for us today. Look for that on Friday. A huge thank you to everyone who supports the show. We could not make Gaslit Nation without you! “Just as military officers must understand force structures, tactics, logistics, munitions, the effects of geography, and the like in order to plot military strategy, political defiance planners must understand the nature and strategic principles of nonviolent struggle.” ― Gene Sharp, From Dictatorship to Democracy   Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!    Show Notes: 100 Organizations Supporting Trans People in All 50 States Discover the organizations working tirelessly to support trans people across the country and combat anti-trans legislation. Read more: https://www.them.us/story/orgs-fighting-back-anti-trans-legislation The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix Watch the powerful trailer for The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, a documentary about the life and legacy of a pioneering activist. Watch the trailer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pADsuuPd79E MAGA Influencer Ashley St. Claire Returns Her Tesla Ashley St. Claire calls out Elon Musk for being a deadbeat dad as she returns her Tesla. Watch the video: https://x.com/esjesjesj/status/1906741930467225671 Elon Musk Says His DOGE Role is Hurting Tesla's Stock Price In a candid interview, Elon Musk admits that his involvement with DOGE is impacting Tesla's stock price. Read more on CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elon-musk-doge-very-expensive-job-tesla-stock-down-wisconsin/ Donald Trump Gives DOGE Update as Musk Announces He'll Step Down in May Elon Musk confirms he'll step down from his role in May. Details on Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-gives-doge-update-elon-musk-says-hell-step-down-may-2053368 Trump Won't Rule Out a Third Term, Says 'There Are Methods' Donald Trump hints at the possibility of a third term in the White House, stating there are ways to make it happen. Read more on NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-third-term-white-house-methods-rcna198752 Dr. Corina Snitar's Bio Learn more about Dr. Corina Snitar, a respected scholar and educator in social and political studies. Read her bio: https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/staff/corinasnitar/ TeslaTakeDown.com Join the Tesla protest here! It's fun and easy. Learn more at TeslaTakeDown.com DOGE Hitler Youth DOGE Teen owns ‘Tesla.Sexy LLC' and worked at a startup that has hired convicted hackers. Experts question whether Edward Coristine, a DOGE staffer who has gone by “Big Balls” online, would pass the background check typically required for access to sensitive U.S. government systems. Read more on Wired: https://www.wired.com/story/edward-coristine-tesla-sexy-path-networks-doge/ Introducing ArchiveGate: Trump's Dangerous Attack on the National Archives  Listen to the episode: https://gaslitnation.libsyn.com/introducing-archivegate-trumps-dangerous-attack-on-the-national-archives MAGA Reddit Reacts to Trump Seeking a Third Term  Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/Conservative/comments/1jnkvv0/trump_teases_running_for_a_third_term_not_joking/ EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: April 7 4pm ET – Security Committee Presents at the Gaslit Nation Salon. Don't miss it!  Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon. Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon. Have you taken Gaslit Nation's HyperNormalization Survey Yet? Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community 

The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (Spanish: Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis (Russian: Карибский кризис, romanized: Karibskiy krizis), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of nuclear missiles in Italy and Turkey were matched by Soviet deployments of nuclear missiles in Cuba. The crisis lasted from 16 to 28 October 1962. The confrontation is widely considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into full-scale nuclear war.[1]

Welcome to part two of our series on Cold War history with Sergey Radchenko. Here's part one. In today's interview, we discuss… Khrushchev's removal from power and the transition to the Brezhnev era, How the USSR and China managed their relationships with Vietnam, Sino-Soviet border conflicts, Brezhnev's negative feelings toward China, and Nixon's rapprochement, Watergate and the inability of China or the USSR to understand American politics Why the Soviets decided to invade Afghanistan, Reagan's approach to negotiations and his relationship with Gorbachev, How to manage the containment paradox and unknown adversary motives when competing with China and Russia today. Co-hosting today is Jon Sine of the Cogitations substack. Outro music: ДДТ- Родина (DDT - Motherland) (YouTube Link) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Honeytrap is a Soviet/American spy romance set in 1959 between Daniel Hawthorne and Gennady Matskevich. Daniel and Gennady are charged with finding who is behind the attempted assassination of Nikita Khrushchev during his 12-day trip to America. As the bullet only hits the side of a train, the attempt is not well-known. What then ensues is basically an American roadtrip as Daniel and Gennady piece together clues. Unknown to Daniel, Gennady's boss instructs him to try and “honeytrap” him—essentially seducing Daniel for information or blackmail purposes.Support us on our Patreon!Visit our website for transcripts and show notes: reformedrakes.comFollow us on social media:Twitter: @reformedrakesInstagram: @reformedrakesBeth's TikTokChels' TikTokEmma's TikTokChels' SubstackEmma's SubstackThank you for listening!

Welcome to part two of our series on Cold War history with Sergey Radchenko. Here's part one. In today's interview, we discuss… Khrushchev's removal from power and the transition to the Brezhnev era, How the USSR and China managed their relationships with Vietnam, Sino-Soviet border conflicts, Brezhnev's negative feelings toward China, and Nixon's rapprochement, Watergate and the inability of China or the USSR to understand American politics Why the Soviets decided to invade Afghanistan, Reagan's approach to negotiations and his relationship with Gorbachev, How to manage the containment paradox and unknown adversary motives when competing with China and Russia today. Co-hosting today is Jon Sine of the Cogitations substack. Outro music: ДДТ- Родина (DDT - Motherland) (YouTube Link) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight on Veritas, our special guest is George Webb. For decades, the truth about Ukraine has been buried beneath propaganda, political maneuvering, and outright deception. The narrative we've been given is simple - Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim, and the West is simply defending democracy. But what if that's not the full story? What if this war was provoked, orchestrated, and prolonged by forces that never had Ukraine's best interests in mind? What if everything you've been told about this war is a lie? Tonight, we break it all down. This is not just another discussion about Ukraine. This is a deep, chronological, and no-holds-barred examination of the forces that shaped this conflict - from the creation of the Soviet Union to NATO's relentless march eastward, from the 2014 coup to the war in Donbass, and from Volodymyr Zelensky's meteoric rise to the manufactured hero he's become. We're going to ask the hard questions no one else dares to ask. Why did Khrushchev hand Crimea to Ukraine, and was it ever really Ukrainian? Did the U.S. actively sabotage peace negotiations to keep this war going? And is this war truly about democracy - or is it about world dominance? We'll expose how NATO's expansion was never about security, but about cornering Russia. How the 2014 coup wasn't about freedom, but about installing a puppet regime. How Zelensky wasn't a leader chosen by the people, but an actor groomed by an oligarch and backed by the West. And most importantly - who really benefits from this war? Because it's not the Ukrainian people. It's not the American taxpayer. And it's certainly not the families being torn apart by the bloodshed. No fluff. No spin. Just the cold, hard truth.

Sergey Radchenko's book, To Run the World: The Kremlin's Bid for Global Power, is a masterwork! In my mind, it's in pole position for best book of 2025. Sergey takes you into the mind of Soviet and Chinese leaders as they wrestle for global power and recognition, leaving you amused, inspired, and horrified by the small-mindedness of the people who had the power to start World War III. We get amazing vignettes like Liu Shaoqi making fun of the Americans for eating ice cream in trenches, Khrushchev pinning red stars on Eisenhower's grandkids, and Brezhnev and Andropov offering to dig up dirt on senators to help save Nixon from Watergate. Sergey earns your trust in this book, acknowledging what we can and can't know. He leaves you with a new lens to understand the Cold War and the new US-China rivalry — namely, the overwhelming preoccupation with global prestige by Cold War leaders. In this interview, we discuss… Why legitimacy matters in international politics, Stalin's colonial ambitions and Truman's strategy of containment, Sino-Soviet relations during the Stalin era and beyond, The history of nuclear blackmail, starting with the 1956 Suez crisis, Why Khrushchev couldn't save the Soviet economy. Co-hosting today is Jon Sine of the Cogitations substack. Outro music: Виталий Марков "Главное, ребята, сердцем не стареть" (YouTube Link) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sergey Radchenko's book, To Run the World: The Kremlin's Bid for Global Power, is a masterwork! In my mind, it's in pole position for best book of 2025. Sergey takes you into the mind of Soviet and Chinese leaders as they wrestle for global power and recognition, leaving you amused, inspired, and horrified by the small-mindedness of the people who had the power to start World War III. We get amazing vignettes like Liu Shaoqi making fun of the Americans for eating ice cream in trenches, Khrushchev pinning red stars on Eisenhower's grandkids, and Brezhnev and Andropov offering to dig up dirt on senators to help save Nixon from Watergate. Sergey earns your trust in this book, acknowledging what we can and can't know. He leaves you with a new lens to understand the Cold War and the new US-China rivalry — namely, the overwhelming preoccupation with global prestige by Cold War leaders. In this interview, we discuss… Why legitimacy matters in international politics, Stalin's colonial ambitions and Truman's strategy of containment, Sino-Soviet relations during the Stalin era and beyond, The history of nuclear blackmail, starting with the 1956 Suez crisis, Why Khrushchev couldn't save the Soviet economy. Co-hosting today is Jon Sine of the Cogitations substack. Outro music: Виталий Марков "Главное, ребята, сердцем не стареть" (YouTube Link) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dear One,Surviving times of absolute power requires a focus on absolute beauty. In 1887 Lord Acton writes a letter to Bishop Creighton regarding how to write historically and morally about the Inquisition. “I cannot accept your canon that we are to judge Pope and King unlike other men, with a favourable presumption that they did no wrong. If there is any presumption it is the other way against holders of power, increasing as the power increases. Historic responsibility has to make up for the want of legal responsibility. Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority. There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder of it.”Since the time I can remember having self-awareness, around 5, I have been present to the danger that we are in.  It just all seemed so obvious to me that this whole thing was a set up. Of course, as I colored in my wonder woman coloring book, I was listening to the women at the kitchen table, drinking wine, and smoking cigarettes late into the night, talking about revolution. Danger and power over paradigms.Yet this awareness goes further back than that, because as I breast fed, my mother was engaged in conversations of safety, of food, of welfare, of shelter, of care. Not just for herself, but for the other women in the community who had even less than we had. And it seemed we had so little, because we were on welfare, but then, because my mother and my grandmother were artists, we were surrounded by the beauty of their creations. They built a lot of all our furniture by hand with wood and sewed some of our clothing, and our bedspreads and embroidered our pillowcases.  Beauty goes a long way.I think my somatic memory goes even further back, because my mother was attacked when she was pregnant with me. Research from the womb shows that the fetus has awarenessess of the things that are happening around them, that they react to the energies and language, and physical environment, how the mother treats herself and is treated by others. How could that not be the case, yet it is only recently that prenatal studies have proven the impacts on the fetus.  I think I was born hypervigilant. I feel like I was born watching.Born watching bad men do bad things. To themselves and to others.There is a part of me that finds myself surprised about what's happening in the United States right now. Not because I ever trusted the government, but because the blatant arrogance and ugliness is being televised and tolerated. Yet that part of me that remembers, has been anticipating actions like this, that continue to erase anyone who is not the white male authority of the day, who declares himself in charge, regardless of the structures set up to protect us from such behavior. Of course the system was already broken. Of course, there was already corruption. Yet, in my view, what we are we are witnessing, and experiencing in our bodies, our hearts, our brains, our communities, our stories, is absolute power corrupting absolutely. Many of us may not have seen something like this in our lifetime. But it's happened before. Over and over and over and we never learn because the history of what happened is written by the conquerers. Of course since there are over our over 100 armed conflicts right now, we are certainly not the only place that is experiencing something like this. I think the irony is that the world and we, have viewed ourselves as somehow an elevated nation. Then there is this: "We do not have to invade the United States, we will destroy you from within." This is a quote attributed to the late Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev.This kind of dominance has been happening for over 10,000 years. Since the first people conquested, since the first oppressors oppressed others, since the first colonizers colonized land. It is worth noting that these were Tribes that were indigenous to their land, conquering other indigenous tribes, because if you go back far enough, we're all indigenous to earth.  Those with light skin only evolved into light skin about 8000 years ago. And yet it seems that those who became “whiter” developed theories of supremacy that have absolutely zero basis in anything whatsoever other than inventing systems of power.The loss of matrilineal cultures, the evolution to light skin, the fabrication of wars and borders, isn't actually very old. Yet the harm that was created and has never been healed and has shaped our lives and altered the fabric of creation - to such a degree that many of us barely recognize ourselves in this tragically unfolding story.  We are in shock again. The metal age invader blood in my bloodline, remembers things like this and how they begin. I am humming with the remembrance of violence.  This remembrance is why I do what I do in my work with women, art, story, and healing. We turn that humming into songs of resistance.  We make beauty out of what we have to work with. My grandmother assured me that we could definitely make a silk purse out of sow's ear.My family left Africa over 80,000 years ago and settled in the area of Ukraine, Ireland, and Scandinavia.  All of these places have been a part of being conquested and conquestIng just like most of the places on earth. We're not really talking about other people, these are our ancestors and there's no getting out of it, our global family is in pain. we are living out intergenerational trauma. There does not appear to be any logic or reason or therapy that can solve the minds of the men who declare themselves in charge.  Instead of a spear, it's a pen.A pen that creates orders that destroy lives and rewrite history. The reason for sharing this today is because I want you to take care of yourself. We have a long journey ahead at this time. I know that you can feel it in your bones. I know that so many of you are so worried. For good reason, and I'm asking you to turn toward beauty every single day anyway. The empaths Experience is registering such a high level of despair. The healers are inundated with the needs of other healers. Find your village. chop wood and carry water and bring your gifts, and do not turn away from the labor of the day. Listen to your elders right now if they are wise ones. Ensure that your little ones have plenty of art supplies, and lots of unstructured time with you. By unstructured time, I mean time that is not enforced by an agenda. Time where you let the elders and the children choose how the time is spent. For you, the women in my life, in my village, and on the edges of my village. I call you to gather and to really talk. Talk deep into the night at the kitchen table. Tell stories on walks in nature, come together in each other's art studios and paint and pray and gather your beautiful powers around you. As Alice Walker says, hard times require various dancing!  I had the pleasure of illustrating the cover and the images inside of that book of poems.I remember times like this vibrating in my bones. I think you probably do too, even if you have a different language for it.  you must do what you must do to care for yourself. Only you know what that is. Yet, it would be very helpful if you had a village, where you encouraged one another to care for yourselves. Today, walk outside and connect with the Earth beneath your feet. Connect with your head in the stars. And put your hands into the garden soil, or into the creative mediums, or into the making of soup. Create!  creating will offer you tools for reflection, and resilience and offer you the kind of joy that guides us through the hard times.  join the council of wise ones and become more wise  together. Surviving times of absolute power requires a focus on absolute beauty.beauty will be found every time you look for it, but you need to decide to look. I am.Thinking of you with love. This love, the most powerful frequency on earth, is real. Let's share our love. Shiloh Sophia ♥️Curate at www.MUSEA.org Sonoma, CaliforniaThis painting above was painted in Teotihuacan Mexico, it is called The Cosmic love affair between the sun and the moon Get full access to Tea with the Muse at teawiththemuse.substack.com/subscribe

RESUME ATMOSPHERIC BOMB TESTS?  ARE YOU NUTS?   We open with a beautiful poem from our Laureate MIMI GERMAN.   We then explore the origins of the 1963 Atomic Test Ban with the tragic tale of the premature death of Patrick Kennedy, the son of President John Kennedy and First Lady Jackie.   This terrible loss led directly to JFK agreeing with Nikita Khrushchev to ban nuclear explosions in the atmosphere.   We are then honored by the genius of ROBERT ALVAREZ, JOE MANGANO and KARL GROSSMAN on critical issues of radiation and health.   We celebrate a vital op ed on this by CHRISTIE BRINKLEY in the Kansas City Star, with McClatchy syndication.   We take a deep dive into the legendary “Baby Teeth” study, and Project 2025's insane push for more nuke testing.   We hear from PAUL NEWMAN warning about Christian Nationalists who want an Armageddon to fulfill Biblical prophecy.   A spiritual contribution comes from LYNN MYSTIC-HEALER, and from MELISSA, who asks “Is this even legal?”   From LISA WHITE we hear about the movement in Fresno for post-nuclear sanity.   “How Project 2025 Will Ruin Your Life” is a new radio show from LYNNE FEINERMAN alerting us to the Evangelical push for nuclear war.   Ontario's Doug Ford is exposed by MYLA RESON who questions his commitment to new nukes.   Reporting in from southern Ohio, PAT MARIDA and VINA COLLEY report from the Piketon-Portsmouth nuclear death plants & an upcoming 2/12 town hall.

A Golden Age Hollywood star in every sense, at just 16 Ruta Lee was  cast in the all-time great movie musical, 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers', subsequently becoming the designated smoldering beauty, spicy sexpot and fiery vixen in  iconic TV Westerns, mysteries and dramas of  the '50s and '60s. She is celebrating her 90th birthday in classic Ruta fashion: with a one-woman show, fabulously titled 'Consider Your Ass Kissed! This week she brings her legendary inside showbiz lore and boundless energy to the Media Path studio!Ruta's story begins with her Lithuanian background and parents who escaped the oppression of the Communist regime to Montreal, Quebec, where Ruta was born, singing and dancing. Her mother reached out to a Lithuanian priest in Los Angeles and thus began the plan to head for Hollywood.Ruta's Hollywood High training prepared her to land roles on The George Burns & Gracie Allen Show, The Roy Rogers Show and then iconic films including Funny Face with Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn and Sergeants Three with The Rat Pack! Ruta recounts her heroic efforts to extract her Grandmother from a Siberian internment camp. She took her request straight to Khrushchev! She tells us about her work with The Thalians, an organization founded by Hollywood actors to help children receive mental health care. Also, what is Audrey Hepburn's keep-slim advice? And what job yielded Ruta the most lucrative income? And with public speaking being our number one fear, Rick Mitchell joins us to talk about his new book, one of the most crucial reference guides of all time, 'How to Write a Funny Speech for a Wedding, Bar Mitzvah, Graduation & Every Other Event You Didn't Want to Go to in the First Place'!In recommendations-- Weezy: "Reality Winner Noir" - Reality (2023) on Max and Winner (2024) on HuluFritz: 'Nickel Boys' now streaming on PrimePath Points of Interest:Ruta Lee Consider Your Ass Kissed by Ruta LeeRuta Lee in“CONSIDER YOUR ASS KISSED”At The Purple Room in Palm Springs, Saturday & Sunday, March 29th and 30that The El Portal Theatre, Friday, May 30th, 2025Ruta Lee on WikipediaRuta Lee on FacebookThe ThaliansRick MitchellHow to Write a Funny Speech Buy LinksNickel Boys (2024)Reality (2023) on MaxWinner (2024) on HuluMedia Path Podcast

  A follower of JFK news & history, Jerry has always been interested in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Listening to a Jeffrey Sachs interview, Sachs recommended listeners purchase Gambling With Armageddon. Dr. Fresia's latest article, The Missile Crisis: Writing on the Wall featured at Kennedys & King. View here. Gambling with Armageddon by Martin Sherwin was the motivation for Gary's recent writings & research. Find here. American Prometheus, written by co-author Martin J. Sherwin, the inspiration for the movie Oppenheimer. Find here. Martin Sherwin sadly passed away on October 6th, 2021. Read More NY Republican Senator Kenneth B. Keating outed Russian offensive weapons directed towards the United States. Keating never gave up his source. The source's name was also deleted from secretly recorded Excom conversations. Excom was the Executive Committee that Kennedy organized to help him problem solve during the crisis. Sadly Robert Kennedy comes across as arrogant during the 13 days of meetings during the crisis. At one point, the stressed RFK concerned about his family wanted to go in & end the situation with Cuba by force. RFK was performing in a diplomatic manner through backdoor connections to Russia's Nikita Khrushchev Both McNamara & RFK were super loyal to JFK yet both flip flopped during this incredibly tense time. At other times, under pressure, the two men became hawkish. Initially it was agreed upon that the quarantine was the effective way to get in contact with Khrushchev. The longer the Cuban quarantine continued, the more likely it was that military intervention would be needed. Kennedy kept delaying matters, trying to fend the US war hawks off. Even if the Russians were to attack, the Generals were ordered not to fire back without JFK's permission. What do major corporations want? Is the government enabling corporations & their covert operations? Eisenhower gave the green light for the Lumbama assassination. Why did Eisenhower hate Kennedy so much? Eisenhower had plotted The Bay of Pigs Operation, which was a way to entrap Kennedy. The Bay of Pigs would fail unless there was no intervention of US military to help it along. Eisenhower were trying to figure out how to get rid of Castro & his government before Kennedy was elected. Eisenhower in has last year was suffering from heart troubles. Was he being manipulated before his death? Americans were dropping death charges to force the Russian subs to surface. When Russian submarines lost contact with Russia, one Russian Commander refused to launch any missiles. Gary reflects on the the history of CIA's William Harvey & how Kennedy exiled Harvey to Rome. Len notes that William Harvey is a person of interest in the JFK assassination. The Cubans & Russians were ordered to fire the missiles if the US attacked. Adlai Stevenson said from day one that he thought there was a diplomatic solution, blockade or quarantine. Stevenson told the Chief Admiral that he wasn't allowed to do anything without JFKs permission. Kennedy made great efforts to stall the military from a full on invasion of Cuba. Eisenhower is the one who really created the Bay of Pigs operation, not JFK. US intelligence reported that there were 10,000 troops in Cuba during the crisis, but there was 40,000! CIA Director John A. McCone was the 2nd person who went around discussing hidden missiles in Cuba. Kennedy first learned about the situation on October 15th. Why so late if reports were coming in during Sept.? When referring to his family, Kennedy had said "I'd rather have them Red, than dead." Watch Conversation with Martin Sherwin, Gambling with Armageddon 13 Days by Robert F. Kennedy - Find Here.  

Why do we, as humans, allow such individuals to hold such power over us? And at what cost? Our world is shaped by choices—some calculated, some reckless, most irreversible. From Kennedy and Khrushchev stepping to the brink of nuclear annihilation to Putin's recent invasion of Ukraine, leaders have made decisions that have altered the course of humanity. Never was this more true than in the Second World War—the deadliest conflict in human history. WWII transformed the world, reducing ancient cities to rubble, displacing millions, and ushering in the atomic age. At the centre stood six men: Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Emperor Hirohito. Their decisions—some brilliant, others catastrophic—reshaped nations and decided the fate of millions.In this gripping mini-series, Dan steps inside the war room and breaks down the key strategic moves made by these infamous leaders, with the help of Phillips O'Brien (esteemed professor of strategic studies at the University of St Andrews). They examine Hitler's fateful invasion of Russia, Churchill's attempts to preserve the British Empire, as well as Roosevelt's quiet manoeuvring and Hirohito's cautious influence.

As Nazi tanks roll toward Leningrad in August 1941, an unmarried nineteen-year-old ballerina gives birth to twin girls in the soon-to-be besieged city. Bereft of hope, the dancer—once a rising star at the Kirov—slashes her wrists, but her babies survive, rescued by the devoted friend who arrives just too late to save their mother. The friend, too, is a dancer with the Kirov, and her tutelage and self-sacrifice ensure that the girls, Maya and Natasha, become students at the Vaganova Academy after the Siege of Leningrad is broken. We meet the twins as they enter their senior year in 1958. At once inseparable and competitive, Maya and Natasha have developed quite different personalities, with Natasha the leader and future star, Maya her loyal follower. But as they turn seventeen, various factors pull them apart: boys; the changing climate of Khrushchev's USSR; and the approaching end to their schooling, which even in a state-run economy doesn't guarantee anyone a specific place in the world. But it's when the state declares that, in response to recent defections by artists to the West, only one member of any given family can join the Kirov Ballet that Maya and Natasha must confront the reality that one sister's success will come at the cost of the other's. How each of them responds to that challenge drives the rest of this thoroughly engrossing novel. And although neither girl really recognizes it until near the end of the book, the choices each makes are driven at least in part by their determination to fulfill the goals their mother never had the chance to achieve. Weaving together such disparate elements as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War competition that drove the exchange between the New York City Ballet's visit to Moscow and the Kirov's tour of the United States in 1962, the filming of Sergei Bondarchuk's monumental version of War and Peace, and the difficult yet rewarding training that produces elite dancers, Maya and Natasha (Mariner Books, 2025) explores the eternal bond between sisters while prompting readers to consider just how far they would go to achieve a cherished goal. Elyse Durham, a graduate of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College, lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with her husband, who is a Greek Orthodox priest. Maya & Natasha is her debut novel. 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

As Nazi tanks roll toward Leningrad in August 1941, an unmarried nineteen-year-old ballerina gives birth to twin girls in the soon-to-be besieged city. Bereft of hope, the dancer—once a rising star at the Kirov—slashes her wrists, but her babies survive, rescued by the devoted friend who arrives just too late to save their mother. The friend, too, is a dancer with the Kirov, and her tutelage and self-sacrifice ensure that the girls, Maya and Natasha, become students at the Vaganova Academy after the Siege of Leningrad is broken. We meet the twins as they enter their senior year in 1958. At once inseparable and competitive, Maya and Natasha have developed quite different personalities, with Natasha the leader and future star, Maya her loyal follower. But as they turn seventeen, various factors pull them apart: boys; the changing climate of Khrushchev's USSR; and the approaching end to their schooling, which even in a state-run economy doesn't guarantee anyone a specific place in the world. But it's when the state declares that, in response to recent defections by artists to the West, only one member of any given family can join the Kirov Ballet that Maya and Natasha must confront the reality that one sister's success will come at the cost of the other's. How each of them responds to that challenge drives the rest of this thoroughly engrossing novel. And although neither girl really recognizes it until near the end of the book, the choices each makes are driven at least in part by their determination to fulfill the goals their mother never had the chance to achieve. Weaving together such disparate elements as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War competition that drove the exchange between the New York City Ballet's visit to Moscow and the Kirov's tour of the United States in 1962, the filming of Sergei Bondarchuk's monumental version of War and Peace, and the difficult yet rewarding training that produces elite dancers, Maya and Natasha (Mariner Books, 2025) explores the eternal bond between sisters while prompting readers to consider just how far they would go to achieve a cherished goal. Elyse Durham, a graduate of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College, lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with her husband, who is a Greek Orthodox priest. Maya & Natasha is her debut novel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

As Nazi tanks roll toward Leningrad in August 1941, an unmarried nineteen-year-old ballerina gives birth to twin girls in the soon-to-be besieged city. Bereft of hope, the dancer—once a rising star at the Kirov—slashes her wrists, but her babies survive, rescued by the devoted friend who arrives just too late to save their mother. The friend, too, is a dancer with the Kirov, and her tutelage and self-sacrifice ensure that the girls, Maya and Natasha, become students at the Vaganova Academy after the Siege of Leningrad is broken. We meet the twins as they enter their senior year in 1958. At once inseparable and competitive, Maya and Natasha have developed quite different personalities, with Natasha the leader and future star, Maya her loyal follower. But as they turn seventeen, various factors pull them apart: boys; the changing climate of Khrushchev's USSR; and the approaching end to their schooling, which even in a state-run economy doesn't guarantee anyone a specific place in the world. But it's when the state declares that, in response to recent defections by artists to the West, only one member of any given family can join the Kirov Ballet that Maya and Natasha must confront the reality that one sister's success will come at the cost of the other's. How each of them responds to that challenge drives the rest of this thoroughly engrossing novel. And although neither girl really recognizes it until near the end of the book, the choices each makes are driven at least in part by their determination to fulfill the goals their mother never had the chance to achieve. Weaving together such disparate elements as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War competition that drove the exchange between the New York City Ballet's visit to Moscow and the Kirov's tour of the United States in 1962, the filming of Sergei Bondarchuk's monumental version of War and Peace, and the difficult yet rewarding training that produces elite dancers, Maya and Natasha (Mariner Books, 2025) explores the eternal bond between sisters while prompting readers to consider just how far they would go to achieve a cherished goal. Elyse Durham, a graduate of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College, lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with her husband, who is a Greek Orthodox priest. Maya & Natasha is her debut novel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/historical-fiction

This compelling episode of America at a Crossroads features Marvin Kalb, esteemed journalist, and former Moscow bureau chief, in conversation with Warren Olney, award-winning broadcaster.In "America's Continuing Anguish: Russia from Khrushchev to Putin," Kalb traces the complex and often tense relationship between the U.S. and Russia over the decades. From the Cold War to today's geopolitical challenges, how has Russia's leadership shaped global affairs—and where is it headed next?

Nina Khrushcheva, great grand-daughter of the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, and Professor of International Affairs at The New School in New York, says the West's response to Putin has strengthened him at home and abroad and warns against provoking him further.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Nina Khrushcheva, Professor of International Affairs, The New School, New York.Host: William Hague.Further listening: The underwater war against Russian sabotage.Photo: Matthew Sussman / The New School.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SO INTENSE!! Enemy at the Gates Full Reaction Watch Along: https://www.patreon.com/thereelrejects Follow Us On Socials:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/  Tik-Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thereelrejects?lang=en Twitter: https://x.com/thereelrejects Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ For our Historical / Drama entry this week, Andrew Gordon & Aaron Alexander Return to give their FIRST TIME Reaction, Commentary, Analysis, Breakdown, & Full Movie Spoiler Review for the epic World War II Drama which sees A Russian and a German sniper play a game of cat-and-mouse during the Battle of Stalingrad... Enemy at the Gates stars Jude Law (The Talented Mr. Ripley, Sherlock Holmes, Skeleton Crew) as Vasily Zaitsev & Ed Harris (Apollo 13, The Truman Show, A History of Violence) as Major Erwin König along with Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love, Hercules) as Commissar Danilov, Rachel Weisz (The Mummy, Black Widow, The Favourite) as Tania Chernova, Bob Hoskins (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Super Mario Bros) as Nikita Khrushchev, Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Pacific Rim, Fallout), Gabriel Thomson (The New Adventures of Pinocchio) as Sacha, & MORE! Andrew & Aaron REACT to all the Best Scenes & Most Intense Moments including the Battle of Stalingrad, Crossing the Volga, Do YOu Know How to Shoot?, Nikita Khruschev, Soup Time, Koulikov Jumps First, Trapped, Danilov's Sacrifice, Endgame, & Beyond! NOTE FOR YOUTUBE: All Footage Featured From "Enemy at the Gates" Is From A FICTIONAL Horror Movie. Any & All References To Violence Or "Mature Content" Is NOT Real #EnemyAtTheGates #MovieReaction #HistoricalTuesday #DramaTuesday #Stalingrad #TheBattleOfStalingrad #WorldWarII #TheaGreatWar #JudeLaw #EdHarris #RachelWeisz #JosephFiennes #WarMovie #WorldWar2 #WorldWarIIMovie Follow Aaron On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealaaronalexander/?hl=en Follow Andrew Gordon on Socials:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MovieSource Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/agor711/?hl=en Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Agor711 Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ Music Used In Manscaped Ad:  Hat the Jazz by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Head Editor: https://www.instagram.com/praperhq/?hl=en Co-Editor: Greg Alba Co-Editor: John Humphrey Music In Video: Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Follow TheReelRejects On FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM:  FB:  https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thereelrejects Follow GREG ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thegregalba Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We continue our textual analysis of the Gutian Resolution.Further reading:Stuart Schram, ed., Mao's Road to Power, vol. 3: From the Jinggangshan to the Establishment of the Jiangxi Soviets, July 1927-December 1930Pang Xianzhi and Jin Chongji, Mao Zedong: A Biography, vol. 1: 1893-1949Mao Zedong, “On Correcting Mistaken Ideas in the Party”“Bury the Slave Mentality Advocated by China's Khrushchov” in Peking Review (April 14, 1967)Some names from this episode:Liu Shaoqi, top level Communist Party leader attacked as China's Khrushchev during the Cultural RevolutionZhou Enlai, head of the Organization Department of the Central CommitteeLi Lisan, leading CommunistQu Qiubai, top leader of Communist Party from the summer of 1927 until the Sixth CongressHuang Chao, salt merchant who led a rebellion from 875-884Li Chuang (Li Zicheng), bandit leader who seized Beijing in 1644 and was later defeated by the ManchusHong Xiuquan, leader of the Taiping Revolution and claimed to be the younger brother of Jesus ChristChen Yi, member of Front Committee of Fourth Red ArmyEpisode artwork: Gutian villageSupport the show

I'm thrilled to launch a new trilogy of double episodes: a lecture series by Professor Sarah Paine of the Naval War College, each followed by a deep Q&A.In this first episode, Prof Paine talks about key decisions by Khrushchev, Mao, Nehru, Bhutto, & Lyndon Johnson that shaped the whole dynamic of South Asia today. This is followed by a Q&A.Come for the spy bases, shoestring nukes, and insight about how great power politics impacts every region.Huge thanks to Substack for hosting this!Watch on YouTube. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform.SponsorsToday's episode is brought to you by Scale AI. Scale partners with the U.S. government to fuel America's AI advantage through their data foundry. The Air Force, Army, Defense Innovation Unit, and Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office all trust Scale to equip their teams with AI-ready data and the technology to build powerful applications.Scale recently introduced Defense Llama, Scale's latest solution available for military personnel. With Defense Llama, military personnel can harness the power of AI to plan military or intelligence operations and understand adversary vulnerabilities.If you're interested in learning more on how Scale powers frontier AI capabilities, go to scale.com/dwarkesh.Timestamps(00:00) - Intro(02:11) - Mao at war, 1949-51(05:40) - Pactomania and Sino-Soviet conflicts(14:42) - The Sino-Indian War(20:00) - Soviet peace in India-Pakistan(22:00) - US Aid and Alliances(26:14) - The difference with WWII(30:09) - The geopolitical map in 1904(35:10) - The US alienates Indira Gandhi(42:58) - Instruments of US power(53:41) - Carrier battle groups(1:02:41) - Q&A begins(1:04:31) - The appeal of the USSR(1:09:36) - The last communist premier(1:15:42) - India and China's lost opportunity(1:58:04) - Bismark's cunning(2:03:05) - Training US officers(2:07:03) - Cruelty in Russian history Get full access to Dwarkesh Podcast at www.dwarkeshpatel.com/subscribe

In 1961, at the height of the Cold War, the fight against communism was in full swing. The CIA was deep into the politics of Central America, having already assisted some dictator-ish guys staying in power. The U.S. felt like it couldn't lose when it decided to "intervene". America was friendly with the current regime of Cuba, and it probably had nothing to do with all of the American corporations controlling most of Cuban industry. When Fidel Castro came into power as a result of one of the many Cuban revolutions, the U.S. was panicking because we didn't know which way he was leaning, Capitalist or Communist. With Cuba only being 90 miles from Florida, this was a cause for concern (not at all escalated by the Nukes we put in Turkey aimed at Russia). When the U.S. botched the first interactions with Fidel and issued economic sanctions, to be fair he seized a bunch of American corporation property in Cuba, he decided to just get what he needed from Russia, and boy were they excited, a communist friendly country 90 miles from the United States, oh the possibilities. Well because of this Uncle Sam decided Fidel had to go, so you do what any rational government would do. You find a bunch of exiled Cubans, train them as guerrilla fighters, teach them to pilot WW2 era bombers, secure them ships, and supply them with everything they need to invade Cuba and start a revolution to topple Castro. Can't miss plan...right?. Yeah not so much, find out how the JFK and the braintrust at the CIA oversaw one of the most embarrassing failures in recent history. Support the show

In his new book Ten Days in Harlem: Fidel Castro and the Making of the 1960s (Faber, 2020), Simon Hall, a Professor of Modern History at the University of Leeds, colorfully details an extraordinary visit by Fidel Castro to New York in the Autumn of 1960 for the opening of the UN General Assembly. Holding court from the iconic Hotel Theresa in Harlem, Castro's riotous stay in New York saw him connect with leaders from within the local African American community, as well as political and cultural luminaries such as Gamal Abdel Nasser, Nikita Khrushchev, Kwame Nkrumah and Allen Ginsberg. Through exploring the local and global impact of these ten days, Hall recovers Castro's visit as a critical turning point in the trajectory of the Cold War and the development of the 'The Sixties.' E. James West is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in American History at Northumbria University. He is the author of Ebony Magazine and Lerone Bennett Jr.: Popular Black History in Postwar America (Illinois, 2020). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

In his new book Ten Days in Harlem: Fidel Castro and the Making of the 1960s (Faber, 2020), Simon Hall, a Professor of Modern History at the University of Leeds, colorfully details an extraordinary visit by Fidel Castro to New York in the Autumn of 1960 for the opening of the UN General Assembly. Holding court from the iconic Hotel Theresa in Harlem, Castro's riotous stay in New York saw him connect with leaders from within the local African American community, as well as political and cultural luminaries such as Gamal Abdel Nasser, Nikita Khrushchev, Kwame Nkrumah and Allen Ginsberg. Through exploring the local and global impact of these ten days, Hall recovers Castro's visit as a critical turning point in the trajectory of the Cold War and the development of the 'The Sixties.' E. James West is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in American History at Northumbria University. He is the author of Ebony Magazine and Lerone Bennett Jr.: Popular Black History in Postwar America (Illinois, 2020). 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

In his new book Ten Days in Harlem: Fidel Castro and the Making of the 1960s (Faber, 2020), Simon Hall, a Professor of Modern History at the University of Leeds, colorfully details an extraordinary visit by Fidel Castro to New York in the Autumn of 1960 for the opening of the UN General Assembly. Holding court from the iconic Hotel Theresa in Harlem, Castro's riotous stay in New York saw him connect with leaders from within the local African American community, as well as political and cultural luminaries such as Gamal Abdel Nasser, Nikita Khrushchev, Kwame Nkrumah and Allen Ginsberg. Through exploring the local and global impact of these ten days, Hall recovers Castro's visit as a critical turning point in the trajectory of the Cold War and the development of the 'The Sixties.' E. James West is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in American History at Northumbria University. He is the author of Ebony Magazine and Lerone Bennett Jr.: Popular Black History in Postwar America (Illinois, 2020). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

In his new book Ten Days in Harlem: Fidel Castro and the Making of the 1960s (Faber, 2020), Simon Hall, a Professor of Modern History at the University of Leeds, colorfully details an extraordinary visit by Fidel Castro to New York in the Autumn of 1960 for the opening of the UN General Assembly. Holding court from the iconic Hotel Theresa in Harlem, Castro's riotous stay in New York saw him connect with leaders from within the local African American community, as well as political and cultural luminaries such as Gamal Abdel Nasser, Nikita Khrushchev, Kwame Nkrumah and Allen Ginsberg. Through exploring the local and global impact of these ten days, Hall recovers Castro's visit as a critical turning point in the trajectory of the Cold War and the development of the 'The Sixties.' E. James West is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in American History at Northumbria University. He is the author of Ebony Magazine and Lerone Bennett Jr.: Popular Black History in Postwar America (Illinois, 2020). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/latin-american-studies

In his new book Ten Days in Harlem: Fidel Castro and the Making of the 1960s (Faber, 2020), Simon Hall, a Professor of Modern History at the University of Leeds, colorfully details an extraordinary visit by Fidel Castro to New York in the Autumn of 1960 for the opening of the UN General Assembly. Holding court from the iconic Hotel Theresa in Harlem, Castro's riotous stay in New York saw him connect with leaders from within the local African American community, as well as political and cultural luminaries such as Gamal Abdel Nasser, Nikita Khrushchev, Kwame Nkrumah and Allen Ginsberg. Through exploring the local and global impact of these ten days, Hall recovers Castro's visit as a critical turning point in the trajectory of the Cold War and the development of the 'The Sixties.' E. James West is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in American History at Northumbria University. He is the author of Ebony Magazine and Lerone Bennett Jr.: Popular Black History in Postwar America (Illinois, 2020). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/caribbean-studies

The Jack Carr Book Club December Book of the Month is THE SHADOW OF WAR, a book that explores a pivotal moment in history through the masterful storytelling of Jeff Shaara.   In The Shadow of War, Shaara brings to life the intense and complex lead-up to the Cuban Missile Crisis. From the Russian engineers racing against time to construct missile facilities in Cuba, to the U.S. Navy commanders enforcing the "quarantine," to the behind-the-scenes decisions of JFK, Bobby Kennedy, and Nikita Khrushchev—this work offers a gripping, multi-perspective look at a crisis that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.   Meticulously researched and vividly written, The Shadow of War is not just a story of conflict but a study in leadership, strategy, and human resilience during one of the most dangerous standoffs in history. Jeff Shaara is a bestselling American author known for his historical novels that vividly bring pivotal moments of history to life. Jeff is a four-time recipient of the American Library Association's "William Young Boyd Award" for Excellence in Military Fiction for Gods and Generals, To the Last Man, The Frozen Hours, and most recently, The Eagle's Claw.  To learn more about Jeff, follow him on Facebook @jshaara or visit his website www.jeffshaara.com.  SPONSORS CRY HAVOC – A Tom Reece Thriller https://www.officialjackcarr.com/books/cry-havoc/  Bravo Company Manufacturing: Visit us on the web at http://jackcarr.co/bcm and on Instagram @BravoCompanyUSA.com  BCM Jack Carr MOD 4 pistol grip. Get yours here-https://bravocompanyusa.com/bcm-jack-carr-mod-4-pistol-grip-black/ SIG: Sig Sauer 1911 X. Learn more here-https://www.sigsauer.com/1911-xfull.html Jack Carr Gear: Explore the gear here - https://shop.officialjackcarr.com/ 

Marvin Kalb, author, professor and a legend in broadcasting, talks with Host Llewellyn King and Co-host Adam Clayton Powell III about the early 1960s, when he was Moscow correspondent for CBS News, and the confrontation between Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader, and President John F. Kennedy. It was "a different Russia," also the title of his new book, than the Putin-era one -- in which Putin, unlike Khrushchev, regularly turns his back on the West. Kalb also talks about the peril to democracies of a dearth of foreign correspondents.

RESTART NUCLEAR WEAPON ESCALATION IN THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR:  1/8:  Nuclear Folly: A History of the Cuban Missile Crisis, by Serhii Plokhy  https://www.amazon.com/Nuclear-Folly-History-Missile-Crisis/dp/0393540812/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Nearly thirty years after the end of the Cold War, today's world leaders are abandoning disarmament treaties, building up their nuclear arsenals, and exchanging threats of nuclear strikes. To survive this new atomic age, we must relearn the lessons of the most dangerous moment of the Cold War: the Cuban missile crisis. Serhii Plokhy's Nuclear Folly offers an international perspective on the crisis, tracing the tortuous decision-making that produced and then resolved it, which involved John Kennedy and his advisers, Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel Castro, and their commanders on the ground. In breathtaking detail, Plokhy vividly recounts the young JFK being played by the canny Khrushchev; the hotheaded Castro willing to defy the USSR and threatening to align himself with China; the Soviet troops on the ground clearing jungle foliage in the tropical heat, and desperately trying to conceal nuclear installations on Cuba, which were nonetheless easily spotted by U-2 spy planes; and the hair-raising near misses at sea that nearly caused a Soviet nuclear-armed submarine to fire its weapons. 1906 WAR OF THE WORLDS

RESTART NUCLEAR WEAPON ESCALATION IN THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR:  8/8:  Nuclear Folly: A History of the Cuban Missile Crisis, by Serhii Plokhy  https://www.amazon.com/Nuclear-Folly-History-Missile-Crisis/dp/0393540812/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Nearly thirty years after the end of the Cold War, today's world leaders are abandoning disarmament treaties, building up their nuclear arsenals, and exchanging threats of nuclear strikes. To survive this new atomic age, we must relearn the lessons of the most dangerous moment of the Cold War: the Cuban missile crisis. Serhii Plokhy's Nuclear Folly offers an international perspective on the crisis, tracing the tortuous decision-making that produced and then resolved it, which involved John Kennedy and his advisers, Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel Castro, and their commanders on the ground. In breathtaking detail, Plokhy vividly recounts the young JFK being played by the canny Khrushchev; the hotheaded Castro willing to defy the USSR and threatening to align himself with China; the Soviet troops on the ground clearing jungle foliage in the tropical heat, and desperately trying to conceal nuclear installations on Cuba, which were nonetheless easily spotted by U-2 spy planes; and the hair-raising near misses at sea that nearly caused a Soviet nuclear-armed submarine to fire its weapons. 1953 ON THE BEACH

RESTART NUCLEAR WEAPON ESCALATION IN THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR:  2/8:  Nuclear Folly: A History of the Cuban Missile Crisis, by Serhii Plokhy  https://www.amazon.com/Nuclear-Folly-History-Missile-Crisis/dp/0393540812/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Nearly thirty years after the end of the Cold War, today's world leaders are abandoning disarmament treaties, building up their nuclear arsenals, and exchanging threats of nuclear strikes. To survive this new atomic age, we must relearn the lessons of the most dangerous moment of the Cold War: the Cuban missile crisis. Serhii Plokhy's Nuclear Folly offers an international perspective on the crisis, tracing the tortuous decision-making that produced and then resolved it, which involved John Kennedy and his advisers, Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel Castro, and their commanders on the ground. In breathtaking detail, Plokhy vividly recounts the young JFK being played by the canny Khrushchev; the hotheaded Castro willing to defy the USSR and threatening to align himself with China; the Soviet troops on the ground clearing jungle foliage in the tropical heat, and desperately trying to conceal nuclear installations on Cuba, which were nonetheless easily spotted by U-2 spy planes; and the hair-raising near misses at sea that nearly caused a Soviet nuclear-armed submarine to fire its weapons. 1906 WAR OF THE WORLDS

RESTART NUCLEAR WEAPON ESCALATION IN THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR:  3/8:  Nuclear Folly: A History of the Cuban Missile Crisis, by Serhii Plokhy  https://www.amazon.com/Nuclear-Folly-History-Missile-Crisis/dp/0393540812/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Nearly thirty years after the end of the Cold War, today's world leaders are abandoning disarmament treaties, building up their nuclear arsenals, and exchanging threats of nuclear strikes. To survive this new atomic age, we must relearn the lessons of the most dangerous moment of the Cold War: the Cuban missile crisis. Serhii Plokhy's Nuclear Folly offers an international perspective on the crisis, tracing the tortuous decision-making that produced and then resolved it, which involved John Kennedy and his advisers, Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel Castro, and their commanders on the ground. In breathtaking detail, Plokhy vividly recounts the young JFK being played by the canny Khrushchev; the hotheaded Castro willing to defy the USSR and threatening to align himself with China; the Soviet troops on the ground clearing jungle foliage in the tropical heat, and desperately trying to conceal nuclear installations on Cuba, which were nonetheless easily spotted by U-2 spy planes; and the hair-raising near misses at sea that nearly caused a Soviet nuclear-armed submarine to fire its weapons. 1906 WAR OF THE WORLDS

RESTART NUCLEAR WEAPON ESCALATION IN THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR:  4/8:  Nuclear Folly: A History of the Cuban Missile Crisis, by Serhii Plokhy  https://www.amazon.com/Nuclear-Folly-History-Missile-Crisis/dp/0393540812/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Nearly thirty years after the end of the Cold War, today's world leaders are abandoning disarmament treaties, building up their nuclear arsenals, and exchanging threats of nuclear strikes. To survive this new atomic age, we must relearn the lessons of the most dangerous moment of the Cold War: the Cuban missile crisis. Serhii Plokhy's Nuclear Folly offers an international perspective on the crisis, tracing the tortuous decision-making that produced and then resolved it, which involved John Kennedy and his advisers, Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel Castro, and their commanders on the ground. In breathtaking detail, Plokhy vividly recounts the young JFK being played by the canny Khrushchev; the hotheaded Castro willing to defy the USSR and threatening to align himself with China; the Soviet troops on the ground clearing jungle foliage in the tropical heat, and desperately trying to conceal nuclear installations on Cuba, which were nonetheless easily spotted by U-2 spy planes; and the hair-raising near misses at sea that nearly caused a Soviet nuclear-armed submarine to fire its weapons. 2957 ZAOPERATION PLUMBOB

RESTART NUCLEAR WEAPON ESCALATION IN THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR:  5/8:  Nuclear Folly: A History of the Cuban Missile Crisis, by Serhii Plokhy  https://www.amazon.com/Nuclear-Folly-History-Missile-Crisis/dp/0393540812/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Nearly thirty years after the end of the Cold War, today's world leaders are abandoning disarmament treaties, building up their nuclear arsenals, and exchanging threats of nuclear strikes. To survive this new atomic age, we must relearn the lessons of the most dangerous moment of the Cold War: the Cuban missile crisis. Serhii Plokhy's Nuclear Folly offers an international perspective on the crisis, tracing the tortuous decision-making that produced and then resolved it, which involved John Kennedy and his advisers, Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel Castro, and their commanders on the ground. In breathtaking detail, Plokhy vividly recounts the young JFK being played by the canny Khrushchev; the hotheaded Castro willing to defy the USSR and threatening to align himself with China; the Soviet troops on the ground clearing jungle foliage in the tropical heat, and desperately trying to conceal nuclear installations on Cuba, which were nonetheless easily spotted by U-2 spy planes; and the hair-raising near misses at sea that nearly caused a Soviet nuclear-armed submarine to fire its weapons. 1955 OPERATION TEAPOT/BEE

RESTART NUCLEAR WEAPON ESCALATION IN THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR:  6/8:  Nuclear Folly: A History of the Cuban Missile Crisis, by Serhii Plokhy  https://www.amazon.com/Nuclear-Folly-History-Missile-Crisis/dp/0393540812/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Nearly thirty years after the end of the Cold War, today's world leaders are abandoning disarmament treaties, building up their nuclear arsenals, and exchanging threats of nuclear strikes. To survive this new atomic age, we must relearn the lessons of the most dangerous moment of the Cold War: the Cuban missile crisis. Serhii Plokhy's Nuclear Folly offers an international perspective on the crisis, tracing the tortuous decision-making that produced and then resolved it, which involved John Kennedy and his advisers, Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel Castro, and their commanders on the ground. In breathtaking detail, Plokhy vividly recounts the young JFK being played by the canny Khrushchev; the hotheaded Castro willing to defy the USSR and threatening to align himself with China; the Soviet troops on the ground clearing jungle foliage in the tropical heat, and desperately trying to conceal nuclear installations on Cuba, which were nonetheless easily spotted by U-2 spy planes; and the hair-raising near misses at sea that nearly caused a Soviet nuclear-armed submarine to fire its weapons. 1906 WAR OF THE WORLDS

RESTART NUCLEAR WEAPON ESCALATION IN THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR:  7/8:  Nuclear Folly: A History of the Cuban Missile Crisis, by Serhii Plokhy  https://www.amazon.com/Nuclear-Folly-History-Missile-Crisis/dp/0393540812/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Nearly thirty years after the end of the Cold War, today's world leaders are abandoning disarmament treaties, building up their nuclear arsenals, and exchanging threats of nuclear strikes. To survive this new atomic age, we must relearn the lessons of the most dangerous moment of the Cold War: the Cuban missile crisis. Serhii Plokhy's Nuclear Folly offers an international perspective on the crisis, tracing the tortuous decision-making that produced and then resolved it, which involved John Kennedy and his advisers, Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel Castro, and their commanders on the ground. In breathtaking detail, Plokhy vividly recounts the young JFK being played by the canny Khrushchev; the hotheaded Castro willing to defy the USSR and threatening to align himself with China; the Soviet troops on the ground clearing jungle foliage in the tropical heat, and desperately trying to conceal nuclear installations on Cuba, which were nonetheless easily spotted by U-2 spy planes; and the hair-raising near misses at sea that nearly caused a Soviet nuclear-armed submarine to fire its weapons. 1906 WAR OF THE WORLDS

Darrell Castle talks about the decision of President Biden to authorize Ukraine to fire U.S. made ATACMS missles deep into Russia putting The United States and NATO on a path of nuclear confrontation with Russia. Transcription / Notes ONLY 60 DAYS LEFT TO DESTROY THE WORLD Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today's Castle Report. This is Friday, the 22nd day of November in the year of our Lord 2024. I will be talking about the decision of President Biden or whatever cabal that runs this country, to authorize Ukraine to fire U.S. made ATACMS missiles deep into Russia. With only about 60 days left to serve the President has to work fast to get the United States into a nuclear confrontation with Russia. That will be his legacy I predict. Please remember that next week is Thanksgiving week so no Castle Report. I plan to spend some time with family just catching up and giving thanks for another year and I hope you will do something similar as well. I will start by giving you a quote from Dennis Kucinich who Had the best take on this decision: “When President Biden approved the use of supersonic Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to strike Russia, he placed in jeopardy the national security of the United States, the safety of our troops abroad and violated the U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8 which provides that only Congress can declare war.” “Biden has made a decision to insert the U.S. into an unambiguous, escalatory phase, using the territory of Ukraine to attack Russia directly with missiles which can reach 190 miles deep. This is an illegal act by the President which puts our nation on a path to war with Russia. The American people voted for Trump to end the wars. Biden apparently wants to end the world. Trump is listening to the American people. Biden is listening to NATO's malignant agenda.” Yes, apparently President Biden has decided, or someone decided for him, that the best memory the American people could have of his time in office should be that he started World War lll. I don't see any way to view this other than a direct attack by the U.S. on Russia. I hoped and prayed that I would live my life without experiencing war between two armed to the teeth nuclear powers so I suppose we are left with holding our breath for 60 days and praying for the forbearance of Vladimir Putin. This is reminiscent of the last time the U.S. and Russia stood toe to toe with nuclear war as a distinct possibility. In October of 1962 Russia placed offensive missiles just 90 miles from the U.S. border. The world was on a path of nuclear annihilation absent the wisdom of John Kennedy and the forbearance of Nikita Khrushchev. He could have launched those missiles and Kennedy could have refused any accommodation to Russia but cooler heads prevailed and Kennedy's legacy was assured. It's difficult to think of Kennedy without remembering those dark days. What a difference 62 years makes. In 1962 the world was literally living in terror hoping and praying that no nuclear missile would land in our cities. We dug shelters and put blankets over our windows to protect us from flying glass. Now the American media hardly even notices that the U.S. is using American missiles for direct attacks into Russia, thinking, I suppose, that it can be done without consequences. Trump made peace one of the primary facets of his campaign and subsequent election but Biden seems willing to do anything including provoke nuclear war to subvert the efforts of his opponent from achieving peace. Congress could and should act, but I doubt that it will do so for its own reasons but its failure is a glimpse into how far we have fallen. No President has the right to unilaterally order a missile attack against another country using only executive authority. It invites and begs for a retaliatory strike against the U.S. and/or its foreign assets. It should be and it is an impeachable offense, but Congress will ignore it because well,

Felice Gaer, esteemed Director of AJC's Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights, was an internationally respected human rights advocate who dedicated more than four decades to championing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and enforcing international commitments to prevent severe human rights violations globally. On November 9, Felice passed away after a prolonged battle with metastatic breast cancer. In honor of her legacy, we revisit her insightful conversation on People of the Pod, recorded last year during Women's History Month and on International Women's Day. As we remember and celebrate Felice's profound contributions, we share this interview once more. May her memory continue to be a blessing. __ Music credits: Drops of Melting Snow (after Holst, Abroad as I was walking) by Axletree is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License. Learn more about Felice Gaer: Felice Gaer, Legendary Human Rights Champion Who Inspired Generations of Global Advocates, Dies at 78 Listen – AJC Podcasts: The Forgotten Exodus: with Hen Mazzig, Einat Admony, and more. People of the Pod:  What the Election Results Mean for Israel and the Jewish People The Jewish Vote in Pennsylvania: What You Need to Know Sinwar Eliminated: What Does This Mean for the 101 Hostages Still Held by Hamas? Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. __ Transcript of Conversation with Felice Gaer: Manya Brachear Pashman:   This past weekend, AJC lost a phenomenal colleague. Felice Gaer, the director of American Jewish Committee's Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights, was an internationally renowned human rights expert who, for more than four decades, brought life and practical significance to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international commitments, to prevent grave human rights abuses around the world.  She died on November 9, following a lengthy battle with metastatic breast cancer. I had the honor of interviewing Felice last year during Women's History Month and on International Women's Day.  We bring you that interview now, as we remember Felice. May her memory be for a blessing.  _ Felice is with us now to discuss today's human rights challenges and the challenges she has faced as a woman in the Human Rights world.  Felice, welcome to People of the Pod.  Felice Gaer:   Thank you, Manya. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So let's start with the beginning. Can you share with our listeners a little about your upbringing, and how Jewish values shaped what you do today? Felice Gaer:   Well, I had a fairly ordinary upbringing in a suburb of New York City that had a fairly high percentage of Jews living in it–Teaneck, New Jersey. I was shaped by all the usual things in a Jewish home. First of all, the holidays. Secondly, the values, Jewish values, and awareness, a profound awareness of Jewish history, the history of annihilation, expulsion, discrimination, violence. But also the Jewish values of universality, respect for all human life, equality before the law, sense of realism, sense that you can change your life by what you do, and the choices that you make. These are all core Jewish values. And I guess I always have found the three part expression by Rabbi Hillel to sum up the approach I've always taken to human rights and most other things in life. He said, If I'm not for myself, who will be, and if I'm only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when? So that's a sense of Jewish particularism, Jewish universalism, and realism, as well. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You went to Wellesley, class of 1968, it's an all-women's college. Was there a strong Jewish presence on campus there at a time? And did that part of your identity even play a role in your college experience?  Felice Gaer :  Well, I left, as I said, a town that had a fairly sizable Jewish population. And I went to Wellesley and I felt like I was in another world. And so even as long ago as 1964-65, that era, I actually reached out to Hillel and participated in very minor activities that took place, usually a Friday night dinner, or something like that. But it really didn't play a role except by making me recognize that I was a member of a very small minority. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Here on this podcast, we've talked a lot about the movement to free Soviet Jewry. As you pursued graduate work at Columbia, and also during your undergrad days at Wellesley, were you involved in that movement at all? Felice Gaer:   Well, I had great interest in Russian studies, and in my years at Wellesley, the Soviet Union movement was at a very nascent stage. And I remember arguments with the Soviet Ambassador coming to the campus and our specialist on Russian history, arguing about whether this concern about the treatment of Soviet Jews was a valid concern.  The professor, who happened to have been Jewish, by the way, argued that Jews in the Soviet Union were treated badly, but so was everybody else in the Soviet Union. And it really wasn't something that one needed to focus on especially. As I left Wellesley and went to Columbia, where I studied political science and was at the Russian Institute, now the Harriman Institute, I found that the treatment of Soviet Jews was different in many ways, and the capacity to do something about it was serious.  We knew people who had relatives, we knew people who wanted to leave. The whole Soviet Union movement was focused around the desire to leave the country–not to change it–that was an explicit decision of Jewish leaders around the world, and in the Soviet Union itself. And so the desire to leave was something you could realize, document the cases, bring the names forward, and engage American officials in a way that the Jewish community had never done before with cases and examples demanding that every place you went, every negotiation that took place, was accompanied by lists of names and cases, whose plight will be brought to the attention of the authorities. And that really mobilized people, including people like me.  I also worked to focus on the agenda of internal change in the Soviet Union. And that meant also looking at other human rights issues. Why and how freedom of religion or belief was suppressed in this militantly atheist state, why and how freedom of expression, freedom of association, and just about every other right, was really severely limited. And what the international standards were at that time. After I left Columbia, that was around the time that the famous manifesto from Andrei Sakharov, the world famous physicist, Nobel Prize winner, was made public. It was around the time that other kinds of dissident materials were becoming better known about life inside the Soviet Union post-Khrushchev. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So you left Colombia with a master's degree, the Cold War ends, and you take a job at the Ford Foundation that has you traveling all around Eastern Europe, looking to end human rights abuses, assessing the challenges that face that region. I want to ask you about the treatment of women, and what you witnessed about the mistreatment of women in these regions. And does that tend to be a common denominator around the world when you assess human rights abuses? Felice Gaer:   Well, there's no question that the treatment of women is different than the treatment of men. And it's true all over the world. But when I traveled in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union in the height of those years, height of the Cold War, and so forth, the issues of women's rights actually weren't one of the top issues on the agenda because the Soviet Union and East European countries appeared to be doing more for women than the Western countries.  They had them in governance. They had them in the parliament. They purported to support equality for women. It took some years for Soviet feminists, dissidents, to find a voice and to begin to point out all the ways in which they were treated in the same condescending, patriarchal style as elsewhere. But in those years, that was not a big issue in the air.  It was unusual for me, a 20-something year old woman from the United States to be traveling around Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, meeting with high officials and others, and on behalf of the Ford Foundation, trying to develop programming that would involve people to people contacts, that would involve developing programs where there was common expertise, like management training, and things of that sort. And I was really an odd, odd duck in that situation, and I felt it. Manya Brachear Pashman:   I mentioned in my introduction, the Beijing World Conference on Women, can you reflect a little on what had a lasting impact there? Felice Gaer:   Well, the Beijing World Conference on Women was the largest, and remains the largest conference that the United Nations has ever organized. There were over 35,000 women there, about 17,000 at the intergovernmental conference. I was on the US delegation there.  The simple statement that women's rights are human rights may seem hackneyed today. But when that was affirmed in the 1995 Beijing Outcome Document, it was a major political and conceptual breakthrough. It was largely focused on getting the UN to accept that the rights of women were actually international human rights and that they weren't something different. They weren't private, or outside the reach of investigators and human rights bodies. It was an inclusive statement, and it was a mind altering statement in the women's rights movement.  It not only reaffirmed that women's rights are human rights, but it went further in addressing the problems facing women in the language of human rights.  The earlier world conferences on women talked about equality, but they didn't identify violations of those rights. They didn't demand accountability of those rights. And they said absolutely nothing about creating mechanisms by which you could monitor, review, and hold people accountable, which is the rights paradigm. Beijing changed all that. It was a violations approach that was quite different from anything that existed before that. Manya Brachear Pashman :  Did anything get forgotten? We talked about what had a lasting impact, but what seems to have been forgotten or have fallen to the wayside? Felice Gaer:   Oh, I think it's just the opposite. I think the things that were in the Beijing conference have become Fuller and addressed in greater detail and are more commonly part of what goes on in the international discourse on women's rights and the status of women in public life. And certainly at the international level that's the case.  I'll give you just one example, the Convention Against Torture. I mean, when I became a member of the committee, the 10 person committee, I was the only woman. The committee really had, in 11 years, it had maybe said, four or five things about the treatment of women. And the way that torture, ill treatment, inhuman, degrading treatment may affect women.  It looked at the world through the eyes of male prisoners in detention. And it didn't look at the world through the eyes of women who suffer private violence, gender based violence, that is that the state looks away from and ignores and therefore sanctions, and to a certain extent endorses.  And it didn't identify the kinds of things that affect women, including women who are imprisoned, and why and where in many parts of the world. What one does in terms of education or dress or behavior may lead you into a situation where you're being abused, either in a prison or outside of prison. These are issues that are now part of the regular review, for example, at the Committee Against Torture, issues of of trafficking, issues of gender based violence, the Sharia law, the hudud punishments of whipping and stoning, are part of the concern of the committee, which they weren't before. Manya Brachear Pashman:   In other words, having that woman's perspective, having your perspective on that committee was really important and really changed and broadened the discussion. Felice Gaer:   Absolutely. When I first joined the committee, the first session I was at, we had a review of China. And so I very politely asked a question about the violence and coercion associated with the population policy in China, as you know, forced abortions and things of that sort. This was a question that had come up before the women's convention, the CEDAW, and I thought it was only appropriate that it also come up in the Committee Against Torture.  In our discussion afterwards, the very stern chairman of the committee, a former constable, said to me, ‘You know, this might be of interest to you, Ms. Gaer, but this has nothing to do with the mandate of this committee.' I explained to him why it did, in some detail. And when I finished pointing out all of those elements–including the fact that the people carried out these practices on the basis of state policy–when I finished, there was a silence.  And the most senior person in the room, who had been involved in these issues for decades, said, ‘I'm quite certain we can accommodate Ms. Gaer's concerns in the conclusions,' and they did.  That's the kind of thing that happens when you look at issues from a different perspective and raise them. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You talked about being an odd duck in your 20s, as a woman traveling around Eastern Europe, trying to address these challenges. I'm curious if that woman in her 20s would have been able to stand up to this committee like that, and give that thorough an explanation? Or did it take some years of experience, of witnessing these issues, perhaps being ignored?  Felice Gaer:  Well, I think as we go through life, you learn new things. And I learned new things along the way. I learned about the universal norms, I learned about how to apply them, how they had been applied, and how they hadn't been applied. And in that process, developed what I would say is a sharper way of looking at these issues.  But the Bosnian conflict in particular, made the issue of gender based violence against women, especially in war, but not only in war, into a mainstream issue, and helped propel these issues, both inside the United Nations and outside, the awareness changed.  I remember asking the International Red Cross representatives in Croatia, just across the border from Bosnia, if they had encountered any victims of gender based violence or rape, and they said, ‘No.' And I said, ‘Did you ask them about these concerns?' And they sort of looked down and looked embarrassed, looked at each other and looked back at me and said, ‘Oh.' There were no words. There were no understandings of looking at the world this way. And that has changed. That has changed dramatically today. I mean, if you look at the situation in Ukraine, the amount of gender based violence that has been documented is horrifying, just horrifying, but it's been documented. Manya Brachear Pashman   So is the world of human rights advocacy male-dominated, female-dominated, is it fairly balanced these days? And has that balance made the difference in what you're talking about? Felice Gaer:   You know, I wrote an article in 1988, the 40th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, about why women's rights weren't being addressed. And one of the points I drew attention to was the fact that the heads of almost all the major organizations at the time were all male. And that it wasn't seen as a concern. A lot of that has changed. There's really a real variety of perspectives now that are brought to bear. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So we've talked a lot about the importance of [a] woman's perspective. Does a Jewish perspective matter as well? Felice Gaer:   Oh, on every issue on every issue and, you know, I worked a great deal on freedom of religion and belief, as an issue. That's a core issue of AJC, and it's a fundamental rights issue. And it struck me as surprising that with all the attention to freedom of religion, the concern about antisemitic acts was not being documented by mainstream human rights organizations. And it wasn't being documented by the UN experts on freedom of religion or belief either. I drew this to the attention of Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, who was recently ending his term as Special Rapporteur on Freedom of religion or belief. And he was really very struck by this. And he went, and he did a little bit of research. And he found out that since computerized records had been prepared at the United Nations, that there had been no attention, no attention at all, to cases of alleged antisemitic incidents. And he began a project to record the kinds of problems that existed and to identify what could be done about it. We helped him in the sense that we organized a couple of colloquia, we brought people from all over the world together to talk about the dimensions of the problem and the documentation that they did, and the proposals that they had for addressing it. And he, as you may recall, wrote a brilliant report in 2019, setting out the problems of global antisemitism. And he followed that up in 2022, before leaving his position with what he called an action plan for combating anti semitism, which has concrete specific suggestions for all countries around the world as to what they can do to help combat antisemitism and antisemitic acts, including and to some extent, starting with adopting the working definition on antisemitism of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, but also activities in in the area of education, training, training of law enforcement officials, documentation and public action. It's a real contribution to the international discourse and to understanding that freedom of religion or belief belongs to everyone. Manya Brachear Pashman:   And do you believe that Dr. Shaheed's report is being absorbed, comprehended by those that need to hear it that need to understand it? Felice Gaer   I've been delighted to see the way that the European Union has engaged with Dr. Shaheed and his report has developed standards and expectations for all 27 member states, and that other countries and other parts of the world have done the same. So yeah, I do think they're engaging with it. I hope there'll be a lot more because the problem has only grown. Manya Brachear Pashman:   On the one year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, JBI issued a report that sounded the alarm on the widespread violations committed against Ukrainians, you mentioned the amount of gender based violence Since that has taken place, and the other just catastrophic consequences of this war. Felice, you've been on the front row of Eastern European affairs and human rights advocacy in that region. From your perspective, and I know this is a big question: How did this war happen? Felice Gaer:   I'll just start by saying: it didn't start in 2022. And if you have to look at what happened, the events of 2014, to understand the events of 2022. Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, or even during the breakup, there was a period where the 15th constituent Union republics of the Soviet Union developed a greater national awareness, really, and some of them had been independent as some of them hadn't been, but they developed a much greater awareness. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the 15 countries, including Russia, as one of the 15, became independent entities. And aside from having more members in the United Nations and the Council of Europe and places like that, it led to much more robust activity, in terms of respecting human rights and other areas of endeavor in each of those countries.  The situation in Russia, with a head of state who has been there, with one exception, a couple of years, for 20 years, has seen an angry desire to reestablish an empire. That's the only thing you can say really about it.  If they can't dominate by having a pro-Russian group in charge in the country, then there have been invasions, there have been Russian forces, Russia-aligned forces sent to the different countries. So whether it's Georgia, or Moldova, or Ukraine, we've seen this pattern.  And unfortunately, what happened in 2022, is the most egregious and I would say, blatant such example. In 2014, the Russians argued that it was local Russian speaking, little green men who were conducting hostilities in these places, or it was local people who wanted to realign with Russia, who were demanding changes, and so forth. But in the 2022 events, Russia's forces invaded, wearing Russian insignia and making it quite clear that this was a matter of state policy that they were pursuing, and that they weren't going to give up.  And it's led to the tragic developments that we've all seen inside the country, and the horrific violence, the terrible, widespread human rights violations. And in war, we know that human rights violations are usually the worst.  And so the one good spot on the horizon: the degree to which these abuses have been documented, it's unprecedented to have so much documentation so early in a conflict like this, which someday may lead to redress and accountability for those who perpetrated it. But right now, in the middle of these events, it's just a horror. Manya Brachear Pashman:   What other human rights situations do we need to be taking more seriously now? And where has there been significant progress? Felice Gaer:   Well, I'll talk about the problem spots if I may for a minute. Everyone points to North Korea as the situation without parallel, that's what a UN Commission of Inquiry said, without parallel in the world. The situation in Iran? Well, you just need to watch what's happened to the protesters, the women and others who have protested over 500 people in the streets have died because of this. 15,000 people imprisoned, and Iran's prisons are known for ill treatment and torture.  The situation in Afghanistan is atrocious. The activities of the Taliban, which they were known for in the 1990s are being brought back. They are normalizing discrimination, they are engaged in probably the most hardline gender discrimination we've seen anywhere where women can't work outside the home, girls can't be educated, political participation is denied. The constitution has been thrown out. All kinds of things. The latest is women can't go to parks, they can't go to university, and they can't work for NGOs. This continues. It's a major crisis.  Well, there are other countries, from Belarus, to Sudan to Uzbekistan, and China, that we could also talk about at great length, lots of problems in the world, and not enough effort to expose them, address them and try to ameliorate them. Manya Brachear Pashman   So what do we do about that? What can our listeners do about that, when we hear this kind of grim report? Felice Gaer:   Work harder. Pay attention when you hear about rights issues. Support rights organizations. Take up cases. Seek redress. Be concerned about the victims. All these things need to be done. Manya Brachear Pashman:   I don't know how you maintain your composure and your cool, Felice, because you have faced so much in terms of challenges and push back. So thank you so much for all you have done for women, for the Jewish people, and for the world at large. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Felice Gaer:   Thank you, Manya.

Why did the Soviet Union collapse? Which lessons from Cold War history are relevant for China's future? To discuss the successes, failures, and strategies of Soviet leaders, ChinaTalk interviewed Yakov Feygin. Feygin is the author of Building a Ruin: The Cold War Politics of Soviet Economic Reform, which examines how various Soviet leaders, institutions, and economists attempted to boost Soviet growth and national power.  Co-hosting today is Jon Sine, writer of the Cogitations substack. We discuss: The strengths and limitations of the Stalinist economic model, Khrushchev's shift to “peaceful competition” with capitalism, Alternative policy paths that could have saved the Soviet Union, How technological optimism shaped Soviet reform efforts, inspiring the CCP in the process, Parallels between the institutions of the Soviet Union and those of contemporary China, The battle between political scientists and historians when analyzing the political economy of authoritarian states. Outro music: Building a Ruin - Skyclad (Youtube link) Links to all the books and papers referenced in this show are available on the ChinaTalk substack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comDavid is an old friend, a long-time writer at The Atlantic, and a contributor to MSNBC. He's the author of 10 books, including Trumpocalypse and Trumpocracy.For two clips of our convo — on the way Biden has empowered Trump, and the outlook that won the Cold War — pop over to our YouTube page. Other topics: Frum writing a memoir on being a Cold War baby; raised in Toronto — a city “filled with exiles and refugees” from both sides of that conflict; torture under Pinochet; how global security made Frum a conservative; the Nazis; the distinction between authoritarians and totalitarians; the Stasi in East Germany; the Netflix docu-series on the Cold War; the hubris of the West; the US condoning the coup against Allende; Khrushchev wanting to “bury” the West; JFK scared by Soviet growth; the Cuban Missile Crisis; the genius of Reagan and Thatcher to let the USSR implode; Gorbachev; the US neutralizing the nuclear stockpile after 1989; luring Russian scientists; the enduring influence of the KGB on Putin; the invasion of Crimea; Russia's historic claims on Ukraine; Putin's drive to revive an empire; today's hot war with a nuclear power; the likely fate of Ukraine; how the EU is economically depressed; the migrant crisis there; Merkel's role; Brexit; China lifting millions from poverty and fueling global trade; today's cold war with China; the Birther slur; Trump's wall; threats of mass deportation; asylum seekers vs. illegal immigrants; Biden's recent executive order; how both Frum and I are immigrants; how the Trump show is boring after a decade; Clinton's “I'm With Her” vs. Harris dulling identity politics; today problems vs. tomorrow problems; Washington leaving the presidency; Trump's deranged psyche; and the death of Frum's daughter Miranda.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy (the first 102 are free in their entirety — subscribe to get everything else). Coming up: Musa al-Gharbi on wokeness, Walter Kirn on Republican voters, Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy on animal welfare, Anderson Cooper on grief, John Gray on, well, everything, and Sam Harris for our quadrennial chat before Election Day. After the election we have Peggy Noonan on America, Christine Rosen on humanness in a digital world, and Mary Matalin on anything but politics. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

Soviet espionage existed in the United States since the U.S.S.R.'s founding and continued until its dissolution in the 1990s. It reached its height in World War 2 and the early Cold War, especially to steam atomic weapon's technology (revealed to the public with the trials and executions of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, two Americans who fed intelligence back to the Soviets).The funnel for Americans into Soviet espionage was the Communist Party USA (CPUSA), a movement that attracted egalitarian idealists and bred authoritarian zealots. Throughout its history, the American Communist Party attracted a variety of seemingly contradictory people. Democratic, reform-minded individuals who wanted to end inequality worked alongside authoritarians and ideologues who espoused Soviet propaganda. These factions reached loggerheads following Nikita Khrushchev's revelation of Joseph Stalin's crimes, leading to the organization's decline into political irrelevance.   To look at this history is today's guest, Maurice Isserman, author of “Reds: The Tragedy of American Communism.”