Podcasts about Viktor Yanukovych

Ukrainian politician who was the President of Ukraine

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Best podcasts about Viktor Yanukovych

Latest podcast episodes about Viktor Yanukovych

Black Op Radio
#1242 – Author & Researcher Jim DiEugenio

Black Op Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2025 56:37


  Author & Researcher Jim DiEugenio Jim is often on Black Op Radio to promote the JFK research published at Kennedys and King. John Washburn has written an impressive 3 part original series on the Tippit murder. Washburn used the testimony from Dallas Police officers to prove that the "official" Tippit story is false. Why did the Dallas Police Department need to create stories about Tippit's murder? The Warren Commission tried to hide internal dissent among the members about the "official" results. Not all WC members were aligned with what Allan Dulles & John J. McCLoy were saying. Richard Russell, Cooper & Boggs were the first people to publicaly break away from the Warren Commission. Paul Abbott has written a story about Leon Hubert & Burt Griffin with deep concerns about the Ruby investigation. The connections between Jack Ruby & Lee Oswald were not thoroughly investigated by the Commission. Johnny Cairns has written a long review on Larry Hancock & Boylan release "The Oswald Puzzle". Donald Trump & Zelensky battled it out in the White House last week. Watch Here. Len & Jim discuss the latest book by Scott Horton, "Provoked". Find Here. Reading "Provoked" inspired Jim to publish a 4 part series on his Substack. View here. Len listens to Mike Benz, Jeffrey Sachs, Col. Douglas MacGregor, Scott Horton, Joe Rogan etc... To understand what's happening now, you almost need to unlearn everything you've been told. Horton writes that the US organized coupes against Belarus & Georgia during the George Bush administration. These were not spontaneous uprisings, these were American sponsored events, pouring tens of millions into the area. The "Orange Revolution" in Ukraine was to get rid of the 4th Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych. Mike Benz refers to these events as "Rent-A-Riot" as people are paid to portray themselves as protesters. USAID has financed a lot of these NGOs that have been causing chaos around the world. What is the point of taking NATO & starting the colour revolutions right on the border of Russia? With the fall of the U.S.S.R., were the Neocons preparing for a Cold War II? Kennedy created USAID to help struggling countries with democracy & to compete with Russia. What USAID turned into was a far cry from what Kennedy envisioned, turning into a money laundering mechanism. One of the big arguments that Kennedy had was with John Foster Dulles who threatened to cut off foreign aid. Elon Musk was recently on the Joe Rogan Experience. Watch here. In Canada, the government has removed American made liquor off the shelves. Canadians have no interest in joining a country 36 Trillion in debt. There were at least 11 former FBI agents policing Twitter before Elon took it over. Why did the FBI & Twitter owners strive so hard to cover up the Hunter Biden fiasco? #BidensLapTopMatters Jim answers letters from Black Op Radio listeners! Thank you to everyone who writes in! The Epstein files are controversial, upsetting people as they are very redacted. Will this happen to the JFK files? We can have huge conspiracies in Watergate, Iran Contra, etc. but not in the JFK assassination? The Oswald Puzzle: The Pieces That Won't Fit - Part 2 Fair Play for Burt Griffin and Leon Hubert of the Warren Commission? The Death of Tippit - Part 1 The Death of Tippit - Part 2 Jeffrey Sachs (@JeffreyASachs) / X Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) / X Douglas Macgregor (@DougAMacgregor) / X Joe Rogan (@joerogan) / X  

Let's Know Things
Ukraine Conflict Implications

Let's Know Things

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2025 21:13


This week we talk about Euromaidan, minerals deals, and propaganda.We also discuss European security, NATO, and the western-led world order.Recommended Book: Storm Front by Jim ButcherTranscriptIn February of 2014, pro-Russian protests racked parts of southeastern Ukraine and Russian soldiers, their uniforms and weapons stripped of flags and other identifying markers, occupied another part of Ukraine called Crimea.This was seemingly in response to Ukraine's overthrow of its pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych, who was toppled as part of the Euromaidan protests, which were themselves a response to Yanukovych deciding to aim for closer ties with Russia, rather than signing an association agreement with the EU, which would have committed Ukraine to several EU-oriented reforms, related to corruption, among other things, while also giving Ukrainians many new rights, including visa-free movement and access to the European Investment Bank, beginning a few years later, in 2017.This sudden pivot away from the EU and toward Russia didn't go down well with the Ukrainian public, which had repeatedly shown it wanted to lean toward the west, and the Euromaidan protests were focused on weeding out government corruption; the existing government was accused of being all sorts of corrupt, and had also been accused of human rights abuses and allowing Russian oligarchs undo influence at the highest rungs of power; Yanukovych was in Russia's pocket, basically, and his overthrow made Russia worry that they would lose control of their neighbor.So Russia moved in to take part of Ukraine, basically uncontested, both internally and externally—a lot of other governments made upset noises about this, but Russia gave itself cover by removing their flags from their personnel, and that gave them the ability to paint everything that happened as a natural uprising from within Ukraine, the people wanting freedom from their Ukrainian oppressors, and Russia was just supporting this cry to overthrow oppressive tyrants, because they're very nice and love freedom.For the next eight years, the Ukrainian government fought separatist forces, funded and reinforced by the Russian government, in the southeastern portion of their country, while Russia expanded their infrastructure in Crimea, which again, they stole from Ukraine early on, and where they previously leased vital naval facilities from Ukraine; and those facilities are assumed to be a big part of why all this went down the way it did, as without said naval facilities, they wouldn't have a naval presence in the Black Sea.Then, in February of 2022, after a multi-month buildup of troops and military hardware along their shared border, which they provided all sorts of excuses for, and which many commentators and governments around the world excused as just a bunch of saber-rattling, nothing to worry about, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, initially aiming for a blitzkrieg-like assault that was meant to take Ukraine's capital city, Kyiv, and decapitate the country's government within just days, at which point they could replace the government with someone who's working for them, another puppet they controlled.As of the day I'm recording this, in early March of 2025, the war is still ongoing, though. And in the years since it began, it's estimated that more than a million people have been killed or injured, while entire cities across Ukraine have been leveled and tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees have fled Russia's forces as they've raped and pillaged and murdered their way across the Ukrainian countryside, those refugees leaving for destinations around the world, but creating a refugee crisis in nearby European nations like Poland and Germany, in particular.There's been a lot of back and forth in this conflict, Russia initially thought to have a massive upper hand, probably winning within days, as intended, but then Ukraine held fast, Russia redeployed its troops and armor, Ukraine got some remarkable counter-attacks in, and then Russia started to reset its economy to allow for a more drawn-out conflict.As of early 2025, Russia is once against considered to have the upper-hand, and though Ukraine has been holding the line even in the most under-assault regions in the eastern portion of its territory, and has in recent weeks managed to take some Russian-held territory back, Russia's comparably larger number of troops, its recent resupply of soldiers from North Korea, its larger economy and number of supply chains, and its relationships with entities like China and Iran, in addition to North Korea, all of which have been supplying it with things it needs to keep the war effort going, at length, have all conspired to put Ukraine on the back foot.Additionally, Ukraine is struggling, after this many years of total war, to refill empty boots and make do with whatever their allies can and will offer them, in terms of money, weapons, but also the basics, like food and fuel. They've been able to shore-up some limited aspects of their economy, and have innovated like crazy when it comes to things like drones and other fundamentals of asymmetric, defensive warfare, but right now at least, the larger forces swirling around in the geopolitical realm are making life difficult for Ukraine, and for those who are still supporting them.And that's what I'd like to talk about today; the continuing conflict in Ukraine, but especially what's happening on the sidelines, beyond the battle itself—and how those sideline happenings might lead to some fundamental changes in how Europe is organized, and the makeup of the modern world order.—At this point I've done probably half a dozen or more episodes on this conflict; it's long-lasting, it's big, it's important locally, but also globally, and it's been informing both geopolitical and economic outcomes since day one.Today I'd like to talk about some recent happenings, most of them from the past few months, that could prove impactful on the eventual outcome of this conflict, and might even determine when that end of fighting arrives.And at the center of these happenings is recently reelected US President Trump, who has always had a, let's call it unusual, public appreciation for Russian President Putin, and the strongman image he and other global authoritarians wield, while at the same time not being a big fan of Ukrainian President Zelensky—perhaps in part because Trump called Zelensky back in 2019 to try to get him to come up with evidence supporting a debunked conspiracy theory about his opponent, Joe Biden's administration, related to alleged impropriety in US-Ukrainian relations.Zelensky could find no such evidence, and when he told Trump there was nothing to be found, Trump blocked payments on $400 million worth of military aid for Ukraine, holding it hostage until Zelensky came up with what he wanted. This became a big scandal only after the fact, and before it could be made public or became known by congress via a whistleblower complaint, Trump released the money. This led to a formal impeachment inquiry into Trump later that year, which led to his impeachment for abusing his power and obstructing Congress—but he was then acquitted by the Republican-led Senate.This, it's thought, may have colored Trump's behavior toward Zelensky when the two men sat down, alongside several other US officials, including US Vice President JD Vance, to discuss a potential mineral deal between the US and Ukraine, which was based on an earlier deal that the Ukrainian government dismissed.The original deal basically required that Ukraine exploit its mineral wealth and put half of the money it makes from those minerals into a fund that would be used to pay the US back for the military assistance it's provided so far, to the tune of $500 billion; which is quite a lot more than the $175 billion or so the US has spent on this conflict since Russia invaded, only $128 billion of which has directly aided the Ukrainian government, as opposed to funding US activities associated with the war, or supporting other affected countries thereabouts.So originally the US asked for more than double what's been provided so far, in return, paid for by Ukraine's mineral wealth, which includes a lot of the types of rare earth minerals that are vital for common modern technologies, like computers, batteries, and solar panels.That didn't fly, mostly because it didn't contain a security guarantee for Ukraine—the US saying it would protect them if necessary, basically, in exchange for this huge sum of money—so the new deal asked for $500 billion be placed in a fund, and that fund would be jointly controlled by the US and Ukraine, the funds used to rebuild the country after the war.50% of all revenues from Ukrainian natural resources newly exploited after the war, so not from existing mines and ports and such, would be put into this fund. Like the first time around, this deal didn't include a security agreement from the US, but the general idea was that this fund would incentivize new investment in the area, and because Ukraine has a lot of unexploited mineral wealth, this could give the US a new source for these sorts of valuable raw materials that are currently mostly controlled by China, but which the US government is attempting to claim more of, now that it's realized it's way behind on locking down sources of these really important things.At the meeting where this second deal was meant to be signed, though, Zelensky flying to the US to sit down with Trump to make it happen, the President and Vice President more or less verbally attacked Zelensky, criticizing him for not being more overtly grateful, and telling him he was wrong when he said that Russia started the war by invading Ukraine.It was all pretty bizarre, and even folks in Trump's own party seemed pretty puzzled by the whole thing, some of them calling it embarrassing, as Trump and Vance were basically parroting Putin's propaganda that no one actually believes because they ignore easily verifiable facts.In any event, this led to a lot of fallout between the US and Ukrainian governments, with Trump suggesting he would lean more heavily on Ukraine to get them to accept peace on Russia's terms, because the Ukrainians couldn't see reason and accept his version of reality, essentially.Trump has also suggested that he's been talking a lot with Putin, and that he believes Putin wants peace, and it's time to end the war. Putin, for his part, has not seemed inclined to give up anything in order to achieve peace, and Russian attacks on Ukraine have increased in scale since Trump came into office, and even more so after talks about a supposed peace agreement began.All of which has had implications on the ground.In Ukraine, Ukrainian soldiers have had to operate with fewer resources, as Trump cut off additional funding and supply shipments, post-meeting. He recently ordered that the US not share intelligence with them, too, and they cut off the sharing of satellite imagery, which Ukraine has used to great effect to strike Russian targets from a distance.This has also had implications across Europe, though, as while Ukraine is being invaded now, there are concerns that if Putin gets away with taking part or all of Ukraine, he'll go for other previous Soviet assets, next, maybe starting with the Baltic nations—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—and then tearing off chunks of Poland, Finland, or other neighbors that were previously part of the Soviet Union, like eastern Germany.The European Union, despite a fair bit of warning about Trump's stance on the issue, and the possibility that he would return to office, has been seemingly dumbstruck by Trump's sudden pivot away from supporting Ukraine, and away from NATO more broadly, toward a stance that favors Russia, instead. European governments have been scrambling to come up with an aid package that will replace some of what the US would have given, and have started sharing more intelligence, as well, including satellite imagery.It won't be easy, though, as the US versions of these things, from monetary resources to eyes in the sky vastly outshine what even the combination of British, French, and German assets can offer—at least at this stage. And the US has traditionally handled the lion's share of spending and building in these areas, shouldering the majority of NATO spending, because, well, it could, and that was a major premise of the post-WWII, western-led world order. The US said it would protect global capitalist democracies with its military might and nukes, if necessary, and European nations have been generally happy with this setup as it has generally allowed European governments to spend less money on their militaries and more on other stuff.That state of affairs seems to have ended, or at the very least become too unreliable to bet on, though, so EU nations are attempting to fill in the gaps left by the suddenly less-reliable-seeming US government, not just for Ukraine, but for themselves, as well.Poland's president recently announced that he wants to develop nuclear weapons and wants every adult male to undergo military training, so the country can field an army 500,000-strong.The French president has said he wants to extend his country's nuclear umbrella—guaranteed deterrence, basically, using nuclear weapons—to the whole of the EU. France has far fewer nukes than the US and Russia, but this captures a sense of the moment in the Union, where a bunch of currently underfunded militaries are realizing they might not be able to rely on the US in a pinch. And while they collectively have a lot more people and resources than Russia, Russia is fully mobilized and has shown itself to be willing to attack sovereign nations, whenever it pleases, caring a lot less for the human lives it spends, in the process, than is typical in western-style democracies.Even short of full-scale, out of nowhere invasions, Russia could pose a threat to European governments via asymmetrical routes. It's been seemingly approving all sorts of espionage operations meant to increase immigration arrivals in European nations where immigration is already a hot-button issue, nudging politics to the far-right, and it's allegedly been attacking infrastructure, in terms of hacking and just blowing stuff up, in order to sow discord and fear.As I mentioned earlier, too, part of Germany was previously held by the Soviet Union, and that same part of the country has recently voted heavily in favor of the country's furthest-right party, which wants stronger ties with Russia. So while conventional military issues are at the forefront of discussion, right now, Russia's long history of asymmetric warfare is also getting a fair bit of attention, as it could conceivably use these groups as a casus belli to attack, carving off pieces of its European neighbors and slowly incorporating them into its sphere of influence, similar to what it did in Ukraine, beginning in 2014; if eastern Germany supports Russia, it could fund and in other ways support uprising efforts in these regions, creating chaos and potentially even breaking off separatist states that would pull those regions into Russia's orbit.It's a tumultuous moment in this part of the world, then, in part because of the conflict that's still ongoing—a much larger and more powerful nation having invaded its smaller, less-powerful neighbor. But it's also tumultuous because of the implications of that conflict, especially if Russia comes out on top. If they win, there would seem to be a far greater chance of their deciding to keep the ball rolling, replicating a model that worked (without significant long-term consequences) across more neighboring nations.And if they can do that before Europe reinforces itself—assuming that's what the EU does, as it can be difficult to get a bunch of people with a bunch of at times competing interests to agree on anything, and even more so when said agreement involves both money and potentially sending civilians into harm's way—if Russia can get there before a new, restructured and reinforced Europe emerges, we could see another, similar conflict soon, and this one could be even more successful than the last, if Russia tweaks its formula to make it more effective, and European governments succumb to war weariness, exhausted by the war in Ukraine, in the meantime.Show Noteshttps://www.cfr.org/article/how-much-us-aid-going-ukrainehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump%E2%80%93Ukraine_scandalhttps://www.csis.org/analysis/breaking-down-us-ukraine-minerals-dealhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/08/world/europe/ukraine-russia-north-korea-kursk.htmlhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/03/08/zelensky-trump-fallout-ukraine/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/04/world/europe/ukraine-us-trump-military-support.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/us/politics/ukraine-zelensky-trump-russia.htmlhttps://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-dobropillya-us-intelligence-3d0bad105a93933e9cdaca5cf31fcf74https://mwi.westpoint.edu/no-substitute-for-victory-how-to-negotiate-from-a-position-of-strength-to-end-the-russo-ukraine-war/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-leaders-cautiously-welcome-macrons-nuclear-umbrella-offer-2025-03-06/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/world/europe/bulgarians-guilty-spying-russia-uk.htmlhttps://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/08/europe-scrambles-to-aid-ukraine-after-us-intelligence-cutoff-00219678https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9wpy9x890wohttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/keith-kellogg-ukraine-intelligence-sharing-pause/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8yz5dk82wohttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/world/us-ukraine-satellite-imagery.htmlhttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c05m907r39qohttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/us/politics/trump-russia-sanctions-tariffs.htmlhttps://www.csis.org/analysis/ukraines-future-vision-and-current-capabilities-waging-ai-enabled-autonomous-warfarehttps://www.politico.eu/article/donald-tusk-plan-train-poland-men-military-service-russiahttps://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/03/08/poland-says-it-plans-to-give-every-adult-male-military-traininghttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/world/europe/ukraine-trump-minerals.htmlhttps://apnews.com/article/ten-days-that-upended-us-support-for-ukraine-8930c01a15910a7ad8a7f7c7fac9ba3ahttps://www.wsj.com/world/white-house-and-ukraine-close-in-on-deal-for-mineral-rights-e924c672https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/ukraine-us-still-ironing-parts-191805611.htmlhttps://www.reuters.com/business/us-could-cut-ukraines-access-starlink-internet-services-over-minerals-say-2025-02-22/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/world/europe/ukraine-minerals-deal.htmlhttps://www.cnn.com/2025/02/26/europe/ukraine-us-mineral-resources-deal-explained-intl-latam/index.htmlhttps://www.spglobal.com/commodity-insights/en/news-research/latest-news/electric-power/122624-eu-moving-to-develop-infrastructure-for-nuclear-energy-expansion-officialshttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-07/european-stocks-see-most-inflows-in-decade-amid-defense-splurgehttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/business/ai-summit-paris.htmlhttps://apnews.com/article/germany-ukraine-debt-brake-economy-military-spending-74be8e96d8515ddddd53a99a69957651https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/03/03/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-drones-deaths.html?unlocked_article_code=1.2U4.b15Z.1EA4tDb_37Bqhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/world/europe/ukraine-russia-eastern-front-line.htmlhttps://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/military-balance/2025/02/combat-losses-and-manpower-challenges-underscore-the-importance-of-mass-in-ukraine/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-7-2025https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euromaidanhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union%E2%80%93Ukraine_Association_Agreementhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_Warhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine_(1_January_2025_%E2%80%93_present) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

Daily News Brief by TRT World

*Qatar calls for safeguards for all Israeli nuclear facilities Qatar reiterated its call for intensified international efforts Saturday to subject all of Israel's nuclear facilities to the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Qatar's Ambassador Jasim Yacoub Al Hammadi highlighted “the need for the international community and its institutions to uphold their commitments under resolutions of the UN Security Council, which called on Israel to subject all of its nuclear facilities to IAEA safeguards.” He also highlighted “the urgency for the international community and its institutions to take decisive action to compel Israel to implement international resolutions, recognise the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state. *Russia says France has repeatedly lied Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has accused France of lying and violating international agreements, including the implementation of the Minsk agreements for a settlement in Ukraine and violated security guarantees given to Viktor Yanukovych, a former Ukrainian president. He stressed: "France, like other countries, didn't fulfill its guarantees. It was a real lie," adding that when French President Emmanuel Macron accused Russia of posing a threat to Europe, he did not mention France's mistakes. The Minsk Agreements were meant to resolve the Crimea crisis in 2014, as well as Eastern Ukraine. *Arab League denounces attack on security forces in Syria The Arab League condemned acts of violence and attacks on government security forces to fuel internal tensions and threaten civil peace in Syria. It expressed "condemnation of violence, attacks on government security forces, and reckless killings, threaten civil peace, and exacerbate the challenges Syria is facing at this critical stage."​​​​​​​ The Arab League emphasised that "such circumstances require a focus on policies and measures that strengthen and safeguard stability and civil peace to thwart any plans aimed at destabilising Syria and undermining its chances for recovery." *North Korea unveils nuclear-powered submarine for the first time North Korea has unveiled for the first time a nuclear-powered submarine under construction, a weapons system that can pose a major security threat to South Korea and the US. The naval vessel appears to be a 6,000-ton-class or 7,000-ton-class one which can carry about 10 missiles, South Korean submarine expert said, adding the use of the term “the strategic guided missiles” meant it would carry nuclear-capable weapons. *Un warns South Sudan's peace process at risk amid growing violence A recent surge in violence and escalating political tensions in South Sudan are putting a fragile peace process in jeopardy, a UN human rights commission warned. "We are witnessing an alarming regression that could erase years of hard-won progress," Yasmin Sooka, chairperson of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, said. She urged leaders to "urgently refocus on the peace process, uphold the human rights of South Sudanese citizens, and ensure a smooth transition to democracy."

War College
‘Putin's Revenge.' Lucian Kim on Why Russia Invaded Ukraine

War College

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2025 51:48


Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comIt's hard to read the mind of a dictator, but that doesn't mean it's not worth trying.When Russian President invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, there were a million columns, videos and podcasts explaining “the real reason” for such a “crazy” move.Well, anyone who tells the story from February 2022 is missing decades of Russian interference in Ukraine, with low points coming during the Orange Revolution of 2005 and then in 2014. The Euromaidan protests ended with the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych and Russia's annexation of Crimea.But what made Putin take that next step eight years later?Lucian Kim is a journalist with vast experience in the region, working in Berlin and as NPR's bureau chief in Moscow. If you can trust anyone to know what brought the world to war, it's him—hell, he wrote a book on the subject: Putin's Revenge: Why Russia Invaded Ukraine.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gaslit Nation
Syria Surprise!

Gaslit Nation

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 4, 2024 39:15


In this week's Gaslit Nation, Andrea and Terrell answer listeners' questions about Syria, Ukraine, and Georgia–and urgent lessons for us here at home.  Take a look at what's happening in countries like Georgia and Syria—resistance movements are growing against oppressive, authoritarian regimes backed by Russia. It's a struggle for freedom and self-determination, and it's all part of the same global fight. Americans can't keep pretending that foreign conflicts are somehow detached from our own issues. What's happening abroad affects us too, whether we like it or not. In Georgia, for example, the situation mirrors what's happening in Ukraine: ordinary citizens are pushing back against corrupt governments and trying to secure their future with the European Union. Meanwhile, in Syria, a surprise push by a rebel alliance has liberated several key areas from Assad's brutal dictatorship, propped up by Russia and Iran. Assad and his family fled to Russia, joining Ukraine's Trump, Viktor Yanukovych.  The left needs to take a long, hard look at the atrocities Russia is committing—not just in Ukraine, but around the world. And let's not forget that Ukrainians are fighting for their own agency, their right to choose their future, in a way that should inspire us all.  This week's bonus show, for subscribers at the Truth-teller ($5/month) level and higher, answers questions from our listeners at the Democracy Defender ($10/month) and higher, and looks at the potential for Trump to start an actual war with Mexico. To hear all bonus shows, be sure to subscribe!  Thank you to everyone who supports the show–we could not make Gaslit Nation without you!  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, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit! Show Notes:   Red Lines: Documentary on Syria: https://iwonder.com/titles/red-lines-ad98aab62542ea8d524fed6dd51fcb76   Philip Obaji Jr.:  https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-putins-private-army-ordered-soldiers-to-torture-me/   Warnings from Syria: https://gaslitnation.libsyn.com/warnings-from-syria-on-how-to-stop-putin-in-ukraine   In sweeping advance, rebels control parts of Sryia https://www.npr.org/2024/12/01/nx-s1-5211885/in-sweeping-advance-rebels-control-parts-of-sryia   Who Are the Rebels Leading the Offensive in Syria? The group now advancing, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, says it wants to replace the Assad government with one inspired by Islamic principles. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/02/world/middleeast/syria-rebels-hts-who-what.html   Trump Orders Withdrawal of U.S. Troops From Northern Syria https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/13/us/politics/mark-esper-syria-kurds-turkey.html   Commentary The US will become ‘minority white' in 2045, Census projects https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-us-will-become-minority-white-in-2045-census-projects/   Donald Trump Has 'Obligations' to Those Who Brought Him to Power—Putin Ally https://www.newsweek.com/vladimir-putin-nikolai-patrushev-donald-trump-russia-1984360   Why Six Countries Account for Most Migrants at the U.S.-Mexico Border Migrants and displaced people from across the world are arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border in droves. More than half come from six Latin American countries, where worsening violence, poverty, and other factors are pushing them to leave. https://www.cfr.org/article/why-six-countries-account-most-migrants-us-mexico-border   Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People--And the Fight to Resist It https://bookshop.org/p/books/minority-rule-ari-berman/19994801?ean=9780374600211   If Anyone Can Save the Democrats, It's Ben Wikler https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/02/opinion/ben-wikler-dnc-chair.html

Shadow Warrior by Rajeev Srinivasan
Ep. 141: Narrative building on Canada by Five Eyes, and the clear and present danger of regime change in India

Shadow Warrior by Rajeev Srinivasan

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2024 14:32


The podcast above was made by the Google Gemini AI via notebookLM.A version of this essay was published by firstpost.com at https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/shadow-warrior-narrative-building-of-west-and-the-threat-of-regime-change-13827231.htmlWhile we can all laugh at the absurdities mouthed by Justin Trudeau in his crusade against India and Hindus, there are meta-questions that really beg for an answer: what the heck is going on? Who is behind all this? Why now? What other precedents do we look at? What do we see as immediate fallout?I am a student of narrative building. I wrote of information warfare a couple of months ago in https://rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/p/ep-131-information-warfare-narrative and pointed out that this particular method of creation of narratives, while it has long been popular, now functions at warp speed, and the targets of such narratives often get blind-sided, or worse.I spoke of the sudden U-turns that ended up deposing erstwhile friends like Saddam Hussein and Manuel Noriega; and I pointed out that something along those lines had happened with Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh in August. There are other examples: for instance, the Maidan Revolution courtesy Victoria Nuland that ended up in the overthrow in Ukraine of Viktor Yanukovych, the installation of Vladimir Zelensky, and… well, you know the rest. There is a pattern: you unilaterally label somebody a terrorist, and then you proceed to topple him/her. In the old American idiom, “give a dog a bad name, and hang him”. With our supine obeisance to Big Tech and Western media, and thus the gaslighting, we (that is, anybody other than the elites running the West) just believe this, and blame ourselves for not noticing this all along. Total mind-control, in other words.That makes me quite nervous about what's going on with the Canadians. It's true that the Trudeaus, pere et fils, have simply ignored the Khalistani terror problem, both before and after the tragic downing of Air India Kanishka, Flight 182, almost 40 years ago, and the deaths of 329 people. Since those 329 were mostly brown people, it appeared to be not an issue. There was dissenting opinion: the Major Commission report from 2021 https://www.majorcomm.ca/en/reports/finalreport.html  excoriated the Canadian government for incompetence and complacency. Here is an excerpt.But nobody has ever been brought to book for the bombing. And this has gotten worse over time: Khalistanis like US citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun regularly threaten to blow up Air India planes, and warn that this will happen on specific occasions where he suggests people should avoid flying on Air India. These are acts of transnational terror and intimidation, but he gets a pass.Maybe it's a coincidence, but after Trudeau's outburst earlier this week, there have been at least a dozen incidents of bomb threats against Indian-owned aircraft. One circumpolar Air India Delhi-Chicago flight ended up landing in an obscure Canadian airport in Iqualuit in the Great White North because of an online bomb threat. It's possible that Khalistanis are involved.Furthermore, there is some kind of a summons issued against Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in a lawsuit filed by Pannun (who is a lawyer himself) in the comical case of an alleged plot to bump him off, wherein an alleged Indian operative allegedly tried to pay an alleged hitman money to do the deed. The latest round of the hoo-haa has Canadians targeting Home Minister Amit Shah. Dutifully, the Washington Post with its old US State Department links has made a whole series of serious allegations, which would be funny if they weren't noir. The fact that the Ministry of External Affairs reacted sharply to this circus, alas, does not mean there is some new-found spine, but simply that the bureaucrats were peeved that one of them, the senior IFS officer who was Ambassador to Canada, was humiliated. Normally, most bureaucrats have children in the US, or are eyeing lucrative Western sinecures. They tend not to do anything that might damage their personal interests. But this time it IS different. Things are coming to a head. The sum and substance is that, after the long-running attack on social media on Hindus as ‘pajeets' and ‘street defecators', now the stage is set to declare “the Modi regime” a “rogue government”, as though fascist, brutal, anti-minority, and other epithets they habitually use were not enough. The next step would be regime change, of course. Is India prepared to defend itself?All this is strictly from the Deep State playbook, so a priori I would blame either Foggy Bottom or Langley, but right now, in the middle of a grueling Presidential election? Don't they have bigger fish to fry? So I started to wonder if it was some other entity that had prodded Trudeau. It was interesting to see the closed ranks among the Five Eyes, which is to say English-speaking white countries or Anglosphere. Keir Starmer of the UK, again dutifully, supported Trudeau with alacrity, so much so that I began to wonder if this assault on India is actually a British plot, considering two things.Brits must have been really annoyed that an Indian-origin PM, Rishi Sunak, ruled them for a while, and they think India is insufficiently respectful of the British King, who, oddly enough, is Canada's Head of State, and probably Australian and New Zealand's as well. Maybe they blame India for Chagossians finally getting out of brutal colonial control (which by the way means the end of the grandly named “British Indian Ocean Territories”) which has an impact on the US naval base at Diego Garcia, for which Chagos islanders had been displaced. The Five Eyes have exalted opinions of themselves. For instance, one of the Biden administration's many unfathomable decisions was to downgrade the sensible Quad (the brainchild of Abe Shinzo) and instead plump for AUKUS (which is all, well, white) with the remarkable story of wanting British technology transfer to Australia re submarines. Let me repeat that: British. Technology. Transfer. And here I was, thinking the objective was to contain a rampaging China!Then there are other little episodes that need to be remembered. Sheikh Hasina stated that the US wanted an island near Chittagong for a naval base, and more alarmingly, that there was a plan for a Christian Zo state that would include territories in India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. This is again a Deep State modus operandi, see East Timor and South Sudan. Furthemore, the US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, has been hyperactive in “sub-national diplomacy” along with other US officials, meeting a Tamil supremacist M K Stalin one day, doling out funds paying special attention to the restive Northeast the next day.Not content with that, here's more from the energetic Garcetti:Assuming these tweets are authentic, things do look a little bleak for India and the “Modi regime” at the moment. Balkanizing India has long been a goal of the Deep State, reflecting the wishes of its proxies in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. I hate to be a Cassandra, but a rising and strong India is not on the agenda of anybody but Indians, and that too only some Indians. Others, and you know who they are, are quite happy to revert to the status quo of the pre-1991 era, when India, the alleged socialist paradise, steadily lost ground and became poorer and poorer relative to other countries.These are dangerous times. I have been nervous about Deep State intent since the days of Madeleine Albright and Robin Raphel, and I am concerned about the coming Kamala Harris Presidency (yes, she will be POTUS). I am worried about a faction of the US establishment that is congenitally anti-India. Given the looming threat of China, I would much prefer a good working relationship between the US and India, my two favorite countries, and I'd like to take the protestations of common interests (including a very large purchase of Predator drones by India) at face value, but as Ronald Reagan said memorably, “Trust, but verify”. 1325 words, 17 Oct 2024 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/subscribe

Democracy That Delivers
Collectively Combating Kleptocracy - Ukraine: EuroMaidan and the Revolution of Dignity

Democracy That Delivers

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2024 33:19 Transcription Available


Beginning in November of 2013, then President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych withdrew from a long-desired and promised EU trade agreement in the interest of consolidating a kleptocratic regime with Russia. The events ignited a series of both violent and non-violent large-scale protests in Kyiv, spanning many months. The protests, named ‘Euromaidan' shifted the tide in Ukrainian politics and represented one of Ukraine's largest ever collective action movements against corruption and kleptocracy.   Vladimir Dubrovsky is this episode of Collectively Combating Kleptocracy's guest, joining CIPE's ACGC Program Manager Izabela Chmielewska, to discuss his personal insights into the Euromaidan protests. Vladimir has extensive experience working as a senior economist at Case Ukraine and as a chief expert at the Economic Expert Platform; and a rich experience working in macroeconomics, political institutional economics and governance and anti-corruption. Vladimir outlines the historical and political background leading up to the protests and uses his experience and insight to explore the events' tipping points and mobilization mechanisms. He also discusses the outcome of the protest, noting the shift in collective action narrative in Ukraine, the existing needs for reform and the unification of civil society in response to recent conflicts.   

Gaslit Nation
How to Stop Trump from Stealing the Election

Gaslit Nation

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2024 44:39


Days before the 2016 election, Rudy Giuliani went on Fox News promising a "big surprise," emphasizing his point with a Crypt Keeper cackle. "We've got a couple of things up our sleeves that should turn this around." The vast majority of the polls had Hillary Clinton comfortably winning. Paul Manafort, the Kremlin's longtime operative in Ukraine and Trump's longtime friend and neighbor, had laid low in recent weeks following a bombshell report out of Ukraine that he took millions of dollars in off-the-books payments from Ukrainian kleptocrat and wannabe strongman Viktor Yanukovych. However, Manafort broke his silence days before the election and wrote on Twitter: "Battleground states moving to Trump en masse. Media not liking the pattern. By Sunday, Trump will be over 270 in polls." But the polls said no such thing. Why were Giuliani and Manafort suddenly so confident Trump would pull off an upset? The 400-page Mueller Report and the bipartisan Senate Intelligence report both exposed how the Trump campaign and the Kremlin came to power in 2016: through pumping out disinformation to suppress the vote, cyberattacks stealing sensitive data, and hacking the voting systems of all 50 states. That very illegal strategy has been in play ever since and is mainstream for the MAGA fascist movement openly trying to overthrow our democracy and install a Christian nationalist dictatorship, with Trump as their long-awaited strongman, a perfect God's imperfect vessel. This special episode of Gaslit Nation looks at the ways Trump is trying to steal the election and what must be done to stop him. This is an episode you're going to want to share with your family and friends. Terrell Starr of the Black Diplomats Podcast and Substack also joins the show to discuss the US election in the context of global affairs. This week's bonus show, available to subscribers at the Truth-teller ($5/month) level and higher, answers questions from our listeners at the Democracy Defender ($10/month) level and higher, including on how to hold Rupert Murdoch accountable and reasons why Ukraine must join NATO. Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you! Join the conversation with a community of listeners at Patreon.com/Gaslit and get bonus shows, all episodes ad free, submit questions to our regular Q&As, get exclusive invites to live events, and more! Subscribe today at Patreon.com/Gaslit!  Book Launch Reception for In the Shadow of Stalin: The Story of Mr. Jones – Sept 16 Monday September 16th 7pm at the Ukrainian Institute of America join us for a wine reception and live taping of Gaslit Nation with Terrell Starr for the launch of the graphic novel adaptation of Andrea's film Mr. Jones! Get in free by subscribing at the Truth-teller level or higher on Patreon! Indivisible x Gaslit Nation Phonebank Party! — August 15 at 7pm ET Every third Thursday through election day and on election eve in November we're calling voters in Republican-hostage states in the Midwest with Indivisible to ensure a Democratic Senate. Sign up here to join us: https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/628701/ Sister District x Gaslit Nation Phonebank Parties! – Every Wednesday in October!  Every Wednesday through October, we're phone-banking with Sister District, calling voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Georgia. Sign up here to join us: https://www.mobilize.us/sisterdistrictnyc/event/642096/ Show Notes: Clip: “‘Trump's Project 2025 leader Kevin Roberts: “We are winning… In ways that the other side doesn't yet know… We're not gonna tell you everything that's coming… [Get] ready to fight'' https://x.com/KamalaHQ/status/1816573433741795598 Clip: Trump: 'You won't have to vote anymore my beautiful Christians' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngy_VknAfXw Clip: Venezuela elections could end Maduro's rule https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-6PSFBwNt4 Clip: Maduro Wins Venezuela Election, Opposition Rejects Poll Results https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIfBk9F7rWU Clip: Giuliani hinted at 'a pretty big surprise' days before the FBI announcement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDY4tSibYpo Clip: ““To all the athletes who could not come and be here because Russia killed them. I dedicate this to them.” Olga Kharlan after winning bronze at the Paris #Olympics.” https://x.com/United24media/status/1818200501890023865 Clip: “.@jemelehill “Do you think Donald Trump is afraid to debate you? @KamalaHarris: “He should be.” https://x.com/notcapnamerica/status/1818039705038110886 A data tool being used to challenge voter registrations is raising many concerns https://www.npr.org/2024/06/04/nx-s1-4991945/voter-registration-mass-challenges-georgia The Georgia Voting Machine Theft Poses a Direct Threat to the 2024 Election https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/10/georgia-trump-vote-theft-2024-election.html Trump allies breach U.S. voting systems in search of 2020 fraud ‘evidence' https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-election-breaches/ Georgia Senate Democrats: “What the hell is this, @GaSecofState? Canceling voters?! This tool empowers conspiracy theorists and other bad actors to deny Georgians the right to vote. We demand this be taken down immediately.” #gapol #gasenatedems https://x.com/GASenateDems/status/1817949715234717988 Should Ukraine join Nato? Open letter We don't agree that Nato membership for Ukraine would provoke a conflict with Russia https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/27/ukraine-nato-membership?fbclid=IwY2xjawEUeM1leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHQwuQZWseMmw8DF1C22ycT-d_bF-QPnEra88QCrAIlFgf8Kev-uDxqNPpQ_aem_qbpdJm26_W-KofKewkUVUw  Inside Ziklag, the Secret Organization of Wealthy Christians Trying to Sway the Election and Change the Country https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-ziklag-secret-christian-charity-2024-election Manafort tweets for the first time since being ousted from Trump campaign https://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/paul-manafort-first-tweet-since-leaving-trump-230735 He Confirmed Russia Meddled in 2016 to Help Trump. Now, He's Speaking Out Trump viewed the 2017 intel report as his 'Achilles heel.' The analyst who wrote it opens up about Trump, Russia and what really happened in 2016 https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/cia-ica-report-author-trump-russia-1235067814/ Cyberattack hits Georgia county at center of voting software breach State officials in Georgia have severed Coffee County's access to statewide election systems while the breach is being addressed. https://cyberscoop.com/cyberattack-hits-georgia-county-at-center-of-voting-software-breach/ Voting experts warn of ‘serious threats' for 2024 from election equipment software breaches https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/voting-experts-warn-of-serious-threats-for-2024-from-election-equipment-software-breaches  Election officials prepare for a range of threats in 2024, from hostile countries to conspiracy theorists https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/election-officials-prepare-for-a-range-of-threats-in-2024-from-hostile-countries-to-conspiracy-theorists Securing the 2024 Election Facebook X LinkedIn Federal, state, and local officials must work together to safeguard the democratic process. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/policy-solutions/securing-2024-election Voters are being told that the election system is both under attack and vulnerable to manipulation. https://theintercept.com/2024/03/06/homeland-security-us-elections/ Georgia election officials withheld evidence in voting machine breach, group alleges A filing accuses county election officials of withholding records related to unauthorized copying of voting software by Trump allies in 2021. https://cyberscoop.com/georgia-election-officials-withheld-evidence-in-voting-machine-breach-group-alleges/ How DEF CON's election hackers are trying to protect themselves There may be lessons for 2024 election workers in the precautions taken at the conference to protect election security researchers from harassment. https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/13/def-cons-election-hackers-2024-00110981  Electronic pollbook security raises concerns going into 2024 https://apnews.com/article/arizona-united-states-government-2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-los-angeles-651d0e923973daf28ff3b9d6105b4d74  Cyberattack forces Georgia county to sever connection to state voter registration system https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/26/politics/georgia-coffee-county-cyberattack-voter-system/index.html The Coalition of Good Governance on the Coffee County, GA April 2024 Cyberattack and Government Response https://myemail-api.constantcontact.com/And-Now--a-Fourth-Coffee-County-Breach--.html?soid=1109272168263&aid=ToQ-Ima3GxI

RevDem Podcast
Ukraine Will Not Slide into Authoritarianism - A Conversation with Pat Cox

RevDem Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2024 39:26


In this conversation, Pat Cox reflects on the new term of the European Parliament and the importance of the rise of the Right in the Union and its member states. He also discusses his work in Ukraine after 2012 – when he led a mission to free political prisoners imprisoned by President Viktor Yanukovych – as well as in more recent years when he has co-directed the Jean Monnet Dialogues which aim to build consensus between the main political parties represented in the Ukrainian Parliament. Pat Cox was President of the European Liberal Democrat Group between 1998 and 2002 and served as President of the European Parliament from 2002 until 2004. In what turned out to be the final phase of the Santer Commission in early 1999, he played a decisive role in establishing parliamentary accountability of the executive. Since 2015, he has been President of the Jean Monnet Foundation for Europe.

Sin Maquillaje, Altagracia Salazar
Felix Bautista y el robo al crédito por una ley.

Sin Maquillaje, Altagracia Salazar

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2024 29:37


Cuando yo leo un titular que dice fulano rompe el silencio o fulano explota de inmediato asumo que es un esfuerzo de influencer cualquiera por explotar el morbo ordinario de la población en su búsqueda de Likes. Por eso no me extrañó que el senador Felix Bautista rompiera el silencio el 31 de mayo pasado cuando aparentemente empezó su tour de prensa que sigue hasta el día de hoy. El esfuerzo mediático ha llevado al senador de San Juan todos los días a algún medio de comunicación con su respectiva declaración y nota de prensa que luego es reproducida en algún digital e incluso uno que otro impreso. La ofensiva mediática de Bautista en este momento es un tema que interesa a la sociedad dominicana porque cuando el río suena, agua trae. El senador Félix Bautista terminó en el puesto número cuatro de la votación organizada por la organización alemana Transparencia Internacional para elegir al máximo representante de la «Gran Corrupción» en el mundo. El entonces secretario de Organización del Partido de la Liberación Dominicana obtuvo 9,786 votos; el expresidente ucraniano Viktor Yanukovych, 13,210; la compañía petrolera brasileña Petrobras, 11,900 y el expresidente panameño Ricardo Martinelli, 10, 166. Hoy el senador suena por la aprobación de la nueva ley de cámara de cuentas que como decenas de otras leyes se atribuye Bautista que es el senador más trabajador del congreso. No le gana ni Felo Flores. Lo que no dice la nota de prensa del senador es que la ley que se aprobó no es ni remotamente el texto que él presentó al hemiciclo y que los senadores de mayoría oficialista aprobaron, como aprobaron ayer el código penal, sin leerlo. La nueva ley de Cámara de Cuentas recibió modificaciones más importantes que el texto original sobre todo por las observaciones del poder ejecutivo. El Congreso Nacional convirtió en ley la propuesta de reforma de la Cámara de Cuentas, el 26 de julio del 2023 y la remitió al Poder Ejecutivo para su promulgación u observación. Fue devuelta al Congreso Nacional el 9 de enero del presente año 2024 con una serie de cambios. En las observaciones, el presidente Luis Abinader propuso modificaciones para evitar enfrentamientos entre los cinco miembros titulares del Pleno de la Cámara de Cuentas, así como el endurecimiento de las penas a los funcionarios que cometan corrupción.Además, cambiar el artículo 31 del proyecto para que las sesiones solo sean legítimas si están presentes tres de los cinco miembros titulares, mientras que en las extraordinarias deberán asistir cuatro funcionarios. Otra modificación del Ejecutivo dispone que las agendas de las sesiones en la Cámara de Cuentas podrán ser modificadas con el voto favorable de tres miembros titulares. En la ley aprobada se dejaba abierto el concepto y disponía que el orden del día podría ser cambiado por las dos terceras partes de los miembros. Cuando usted conoce todas las modificaciones entiende cómo es posible que el cuarto hombre más corrupto del mundo sea quien ha presentado el proyecto de ley para la entidad que debe controlar la administración de las cuentas públicas. Y es verdad, estalló Felix Bautista.

Witness History
Ukraine's 'museum of corruption'

Witness History

Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2024 10:08


In February 2014, Ukraine's ousted president, Viktor Yanukovych fled the country.His estate was abandoned by security guards, so for the first time ordinary people got to see inside Mezhyhirya, the extraordinarily extravagant home of the former president.Denys Tarakhkotelyk was one of those early visitors, and went on to take charge of the estate. He tells Gill Kearsley his remarkable story, and how the house became known as a ‘museum of corruption'.(Photo: People wander around President Viktor Yanukovych's Mezhyhirya estate. Credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

The Slavic Connexion
Liberty After Liberalism: Post-Maidan Transformations in Ukrainian Media

The Slavic Connexion

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2024 57:51


On this episode, Taras Fedirko from the University of Glasgow joins us on the Forty Acres to share the multilayered story of post-Soviet media in Ukraine and its dramatic transformations from Kravchuk to Zelenskyy. ABOUT THE GUEST Dr. Taras Fedirko is a Lecturer in Organized Crime and Corruption at the University of Glasgow. His current research focuses on the political economy of war in Ukraine since 2014, with a particular interest in the transformative effects of war, e.g. in the new elites and political alliances that emerged from the war in Donbas and are currently leading the response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Check out his website: https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/staff/tarasfedirko/ PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on April 15, 2024 at the William C. Powers Student Activity Center at The University of Texas at Austin. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Assistant EP/Host: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Assistant Producer: Basil Fedun Assistant Producer: Eliza Fisher Social Media Manager: Faith VanVleet Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce SlavX Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Audio Editor I: Ben Geraci Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Audiorezout, Beat Mekanik, Alex Productions, Ketsa Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@MSDaniel) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/9/9a59b135-7876-4254-b600-3839b3aa3ab1/P1EKcswq.png Special Guest: Taras Fedirko.

New Books Network
Ilmari Käihkö, "'Slava Ukraini!': Strategy and the Spirit of Ukrainian Resistance 2014–2023" (Helsinki UP, 2023)

New Books Network

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2024 90:19


In wake of the Maiden Revolution of 2013-14, the pro-Russian government of Ukraine under Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown in place of a regime seeking a more pro-Western orientation. Russia in response occupied the Crimea and helped instigate numerous pro-Russian separatist movements in the eastern regions of the country, leading to the creation of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic in the Donbas region. Faced with both external and internal threats to its national sovereignty, thousands of Ukrainians formed themselves up into volunteer units to help meet these challenges. Although having an ambiguous legal status, these volunteer units did prove relatively effective on the battlefield given the situation. These units helped galvanize Ukraine with a new generation of national heroes whose legacy is still shaping the nation in light of the 2022 Russian invasion. Ilmari Käihkö provides a detailed look into these volunteer units and their legacy in "Slava Ukraini!": Strategy and the Spirit of Ukrainian Resistance, 2014-2023 (Helsinki University Press, 2023). Ilmari Käihkö is an associate professor of War Studies at the Swedish Defense University, and a veteran of the Finnish Defense Forces. His research focuses on cultural sociology of war, underpinned by ethnographic study of contemporary war and warfare. Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar whose research areas are related to Civilizational Analysis, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, military history, War studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, as well as Russian and East European history. 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

New Books in Military History
Ilmari Käihkö, "'Slava Ukraini!': Strategy and the Spirit of Ukrainian Resistance 2014–2023" (Helsinki UP, 2023)

New Books in Military History

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2024 90:19


In wake of the Maiden Revolution of 2013-14, the pro-Russian government of Ukraine under Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown in place of a regime seeking a more pro-Western orientation. Russia in response occupied the Crimea and helped instigate numerous pro-Russian separatist movements in the eastern regions of the country, leading to the creation of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic in the Donbas region. Faced with both external and internal threats to its national sovereignty, thousands of Ukrainians formed themselves up into volunteer units to help meet these challenges. Although having an ambiguous legal status, these volunteer units did prove relatively effective on the battlefield given the situation. These units helped galvanize Ukraine with a new generation of national heroes whose legacy is still shaping the nation in light of the 2022 Russian invasion. Ilmari Käihkö provides a detailed look into these volunteer units and their legacy in "Slava Ukraini!": Strategy and the Spirit of Ukrainian Resistance, 2014-2023 (Helsinki University Press, 2023). Ilmari Käihkö is an associate professor of War Studies at the Swedish Defense University, and a veteran of the Finnish Defense Forces. His research focuses on cultural sociology of war, underpinned by ethnographic study of contemporary war and warfare. Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar whose research areas are related to Civilizational Analysis, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, military history, War studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, as well as Russian and East European history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

New Books in Russian and Eurasian Studies
Ilmari Käihkö, "'Slava Ukraini!': Strategy and the Spirit of Ukrainian Resistance 2014–2023" (Helsinki UP, 2023)

New Books in Russian and Eurasian Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2024 90:19


In wake of the Maiden Revolution of 2013-14, the pro-Russian government of Ukraine under Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown in place of a regime seeking a more pro-Western orientation. Russia in response occupied the Crimea and helped instigate numerous pro-Russian separatist movements in the eastern regions of the country, leading to the creation of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic in the Donbas region. Faced with both external and internal threats to its national sovereignty, thousands of Ukrainians formed themselves up into volunteer units to help meet these challenges. Although having an ambiguous legal status, these volunteer units did prove relatively effective on the battlefield given the situation. These units helped galvanize Ukraine with a new generation of national heroes whose legacy is still shaping the nation in light of the 2022 Russian invasion. Ilmari Käihkö provides a detailed look into these volunteer units and their legacy in "Slava Ukraini!": Strategy and the Spirit of Ukrainian Resistance, 2014-2023 (Helsinki University Press, 2023). Ilmari Käihkö is an associate professor of War Studies at the Swedish Defense University, and a veteran of the Finnish Defense Forces. His research focuses on cultural sociology of war, underpinned by ethnographic study of contemporary war and warfare. Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar whose research areas are related to Civilizational Analysis, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, military history, War studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, as well as Russian and East European history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/russian-studies

New Books in Eastern European Studies
Ilmari Käihkö, "'Slava Ukraini!': Strategy and the Spirit of Ukrainian Resistance 2014–2023" (Helsinki UP, 2023)

New Books in Eastern European Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2024 90:19


In wake of the Maiden Revolution of 2013-14, the pro-Russian government of Ukraine under Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown in place of a regime seeking a more pro-Western orientation. Russia in response occupied the Crimea and helped instigate numerous pro-Russian separatist movements in the eastern regions of the country, leading to the creation of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic in the Donbas region. Faced with both external and internal threats to its national sovereignty, thousands of Ukrainians formed themselves up into volunteer units to help meet these challenges. Although having an ambiguous legal status, these volunteer units did prove relatively effective on the battlefield given the situation. These units helped galvanize Ukraine with a new generation of national heroes whose legacy is still shaping the nation in light of the 2022 Russian invasion. Ilmari Käihkö provides a detailed look into these volunteer units and their legacy in "Slava Ukraini!": Strategy and the Spirit of Ukrainian Resistance, 2014-2023 (Helsinki University Press, 2023). Ilmari Käihkö is an associate professor of War Studies at the Swedish Defense University, and a veteran of the Finnish Defense Forces. His research focuses on cultural sociology of war, underpinned by ethnographic study of contemporary war and warfare. Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar whose research areas are related to Civilizational Analysis, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, military history, War studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, as well as Russian and East European history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/eastern-european-studies

New Books in Ukrainian Studies
Ilmari Käihkö, "'Slava Ukraini!': Strategy and the Spirit of Ukrainian Resistance 2014–2023" (Helsinki UP, 2023)

New Books in Ukrainian Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2024 90:19


In wake of the Maiden Revolution of 2013-14, the pro-Russian government of Ukraine under Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown in place of a regime seeking a more pro-Western orientation. Russia in response occupied the Crimea and helped instigate numerous pro-Russian separatist movements in the eastern regions of the country, leading to the creation of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic in the Donbas region. Faced with both external and internal threats to its national sovereignty, thousands of Ukrainians formed themselves up into volunteer units to help meet these challenges. Although having an ambiguous legal status, these volunteer units did prove relatively effective on the battlefield given the situation. These units helped galvanize Ukraine with a new generation of national heroes whose legacy is still shaping the nation in light of the 2022 Russian invasion. Ilmari Käihkö provides a detailed look into these volunteer units and their legacy in "Slava Ukraini!": Strategy and the Spirit of Ukrainian Resistance, 2014-2023 (Helsinki University Press, 2023). Ilmari Käihkö is an associate professor of War Studies at the Swedish Defense University, and a veteran of the Finnish Defense Forces. His research focuses on cultural sociology of war, underpinned by ethnographic study of contemporary war and warfare. Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar whose research areas are related to Civilizational Analysis, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, military history, War studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, as well as Russian and East European history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books in European Politics
Ilmari Käihkö, "'Slava Ukraini!': Strategy and the Spirit of Ukrainian Resistance 2014–2023" (Helsinki UP, 2023)

New Books in European Politics

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2024 90:19


In wake of the Maiden Revolution of 2013-14, the pro-Russian government of Ukraine under Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown in place of a regime seeking a more pro-Western orientation. Russia in response occupied the Crimea and helped instigate numerous pro-Russian separatist movements in the eastern regions of the country, leading to the creation of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic in the Donbas region. Faced with both external and internal threats to its national sovereignty, thousands of Ukrainians formed themselves up into volunteer units to help meet these challenges. Although having an ambiguous legal status, these volunteer units did prove relatively effective on the battlefield given the situation. These units helped galvanize Ukraine with a new generation of national heroes whose legacy is still shaping the nation in light of the 2022 Russian invasion. Ilmari Käihkö provides a detailed look into these volunteer units and their legacy in "Slava Ukraini!": Strategy and the Spirit of Ukrainian Resistance, 2014-2023 (Helsinki University Press, 2023). Ilmari Käihkö is an associate professor of War Studies at the Swedish Defense University, and a veteran of the Finnish Defense Forces. His research focuses on cultural sociology of war, underpinned by ethnographic study of contemporary war and warfare. Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar whose research areas are related to Civilizational Analysis, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, military history, War studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, as well as Russian and East European history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gaslit Nation
Zelensky vs. Orban [TEASER]

Gaslit Nation

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2023 28:57


In a year of hellfire, there were some signs of hope, including Ukraine moving closer to joining the European Union. Countless Ukrainians gave their lives for this, beginning with around 100 pro-democracy protesters killed by the riot police of Viktor Yanukovych, the Ukrainian Trump brought to power by longtime Kremlin operative Paul Manafort.  Even Viktor Orban, the wannabe strongman of Hungary, couldn't stop Ukraine from moving closer to its long held and long sacrificed for European dreams. This special bonus show is a roast of Orban by Andrea and Terrell Starr of the Black Diplomats podcast. Zelensky recently got into Orban's face, reminding us again that he's a streetfighter showing the world how to stand up to bullies. Watch the infamous video clip of that here. This international humiliation of Orban was followed by even more humiliation as EU leaders asked Orban to leave the room so they could unanimously vote on Ukraine moving forward in the process for membership. Orban left the room, and the vote passed. This lively discussion is a reminder that bullies can be contained.  To our Patreon community at the Truth-teller level and higher, save the date for our January 18th 8 pm ET Quit Twitter Social Media Workshop. If you hate social media, if you miss Old Twitter before Apartheid Barbie Musk deliberately destroyed it, if you want to elevate your voice for those who need your solidarity and support, then this is the workshop for you! We'll be joined by organizer Rachel Brody who helps various campaigns with their social media strategy and helps lead the statewide coalition to replace Jay Jacobs, the useless chair of the New York state Democratic Party who, from George Santos to Republican control of the House running through New York, has cost this country so much. This is an event not to miss! To get access, subscribe to the show at the Truth-teller level or higher on Patreon.com/Gaslit  Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you!  

World Alternative Media
EXPOSED! UKRAINE'S 2014 FALSE FLAG! - Trial Proves 2014 Ukraine Coup Was False Flag Operation!

World Alternative Media

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2023 28:15


ORDER QUALITY MEAT TO YOUR DOOR HERE: https://wildpastures.com/promos/save-20-for-life/bonus15?oid=6&affid=321 Save 20% and get $15 off your FIRST order! Support your local farms and stay healthy! GET HEIRLOOM SEEDS & NON GMO SURVIVAL FOOD HERE: https://heavensharvest.com/ USE Code WAM to get FREE shipping in the United States! HELP SUPPORT US AS WE DOCUMENT HISTORY HERE: https://gogetfunding.com/help-wam-cover-history/ GET YOUR APRICOT SEEDS at the life-saving Richardson Nutritional Center HERE: https://rncstore.com/r?id=bg8qc1 BUY GOLD AND SILVER HERE: https://kirkelliottphd.com/wam/ Buy HEALTHY coffee with your day's worth of antioxidants HERE: https://www.r1kln3trk.com/3PC4ZXC/FFJPPD/ Josh Sigurdson reports on the shocking information coming out of the Ukraine trial on the 2014 Maidan Massacre as evidence shows the event was a false flag by the opposition in order to cause chaos, get Viktor Yanukovych out of office and imprison or exile innocent patsies. It turns out in Ukraine's own trial in Kiev, the turn of events that lead to Zelensky eventually getting into power were completely faked. President Viktor Yanukovych who famously wanted peace with Russia was ousted due to the death of countless protesters who were shot from the rooftops of buildings run by the opposition party. Evidence was covered up and witnesses were muzzled or disappeared. As the trial continues to prove this coverup, it's likely much of the public will finally learn the truth about the coup in 2014. Clear evidence shows Russia was not involved, however, the United States among other western countries WERE indeed involved in the coup as many of us had predicted since 2014. In fact the US government had admitted to being involved, but this means they were also involved in murdering innocent Ukrainians so that they could play out the script that has lead to today as war rages. Much like Pearl Harbor, 9/11, October 7th and other major false flag events, they've lead to chaos and war. Will people continue to fall for these proxies? Stay tuned for more from WAM! GET AN EXTENDED FREE TRIAL FOR ICKONIC WHEN YOU SIGN UP HERE: https://www.ickonic.com/affiliate/josh10 BUY YOUR PRIVATE CLEARPHONE HERE: https://www.r1kln3trk.com/3PC4ZXC/F9D3HK/ LION ENERGY: Never Run Out Of Power! PREPARE NOW! https://www.r1kln3trk.com/3PC4ZXC/D2N14D/ GET VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS FROM DR. ZELENKO HERE: https://zstacklife.com/?ref=WAM GET TIM'S FREE Portfolio Review HERE: https://bit.ly/redpilladvisor And become a client of Tim's at https://www.TheLibertyAdvisor.com STOCK UP ON STOREABLE FOODS HERE: http://wamsurvival.com/ OUR GOGETFUNDING CAMPAIGN: https://gogetfunding.com/help-keep-wam-alive/ OUR PODBEAN CHANNEL: https://worldaltmedia.podbean.com/ Find us on Vigilante TV HERE: https://vigilante.tv/c/world_alternative_media/videos?s=1 FIND US on Rokfin HERE: https://rokfin.com/worldalternativemedia FIND US on Gettr HERE: https://www.gettr.com/user/worldaltmedia See our EPICFUNDME HERE: https://epicfundme.com/251-world-alternative-media JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER HERE: https://www.iambanned.com/ JOIN our Telegram Group HERE: https://t.me/worldalternativemedia JOIN US on Rumble Here: https://rumble.com/c/c-312314 FIND WAM MERCHANDISE HERE: https://teespring.com/stores/world-alternative-media FIND OUR CoinTree page here: https://cointr.ee/joshsigurdson JOIN US on SubscribeStar here: https://www.subscribestar.com/world-alternative-media We will soon be doing subscriber only content! Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/WorldAltMedia Help keep independent media alive! Pledge here! Just a dollar a month can help us alive! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2652072&ty=h&u=2652072 BITCOIN ADDRESS: 18d1WEnYYhBRgZVbeyLr6UfiJhrQygcgNU World Alternative Media 2023

The Farm Podcast Mach II
WACL Redux: Far West Ltd and the Origins of WWIII Part IX w/ Recluse

The Farm Podcast Mach II

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2023 70:19


ar West Ltd., World Anti-Communist League (WACL). private military companies (PMCs), private intelligence companies (PICs), Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists -Bandera faction (OUN-B), Banderites, Stephan Banderas, Banderite links to Far West, Banderite infiltration of Ukraine's government, Mykola Lebed, Prolog Research Corporation, Roman Kupchinsky, Oleksandr Skipalskyi, Vladimir Filin, GUR (Ukraine's military intelligence), SBU (Ukraine's CIA), Orange Revolution, Viktor Yushchenko, Kateryna Yushchenko, Lev Dobriasnky, Roman Zvarych, 2008 Russo-Georgian War, John McCain, Barack Obama, 2008 US presidential election, Far West's links to both candidates in 2008 US election, Joe Biden, Robert Gates, Wagner Group, Euromaiden, Paul Manafort, Angola, UNITA, Jonas Savimbi, Executive Outcomes, southern Africa in Reagan-Bush years, Manafort's role in Africa, Oleg Deripaska, Manafort's role in Ukraine, Polina Yumasheva, Tayana Yumasheva, Boris Yeltsin, the Yeltsin "Family," Dmitry Firtash, Viktor Yanukovych, Rosukrenergo, Yulia Tymoshenko, Semyon Mogilevich, Robert Maxwell, Svoboda party, Chechnyan Wars, Abkhazia region of Georgia, Robert Kagan, Victoria Nuland, Mikheil Saavashvili, David J. Kramer, Project for a New American Century, Paula Dobriansky, Randy Scheunemann, Christopher Steele, Steele dossier, Kramer's role in leaking Steele dossier, Russiagate, Fusion GPS, Glenn Simpson, Fiona Hill, Fritz Ermarth, Al Gore, Al Gore's Russiangate (1999) and Far West's role, Burisma, PrivatGroup, Ihor Kolomoyskyi, Oleksandr Turchynov, Petro Poroshenko, Kaalbye Group, Zelensky, Cofer Black, Erik Prince, Blackwater, Hunter Biden, Arkady Babchenko, Vyacheslav Pivovarnik, Vladislav Surkov, false flag, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner "coup," Obama's détente with Russia sabotaged, Trump's set-upMusic by: Keith Allen Dennishttps://keithallendennis.bandcamp.com/Additional Music by: Chay & the Hostageshttps://chaythehostages.bandcamp.com/track/bluephoria Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Libertarian Institute - All Podcasts
Chris Rock’s New Special Exposes His Political Ignorance

The Libertarian Institute - All Podcasts

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2023 3:33


A common claim among Democrats is that, "It's not that people don't want to be educated, they just haven't been given the opportunity, thus government spending on education needs to increase." If there were ever a group of people capable of "educating" themselves it would be American celebrities. Yet it seems as though there is a secret contest among them to see who could be the most historically, economically, and philosophically illiterate. The most recent example comes from Chris Rock's "Selective Outrage" Netflix special where he says, "It's the Royal Family...they invented colonialism." Here is a brief list of empires who engaged in Colonialism before the Royal Family did: Marhasi Empire Islamic Empires Akkadian Empire Hittite empire Assyrian Empire Roman Empire Babylonian Empire Persian Empire Shang Dynasty Egyptian Empire Zhou Dynasty Macedonian Empire Qin Dynasty Han Dynasty Armenian Empire Xin Dynasty Gallic Empire Hunnic Empire Latin Empire Mongol Empire Other examples from Rock's "Selective Outrage": January 6th "You see the Capitol riots? White men trying to overthrow the government, that they run!" - Chris Rock It does not occur to the Social Justice Race Essentialist mind that people who are the same race (and gender) have differing ideas on what is just or unjust. Just because two people are of the same race and gender, it in no way means the person (or group) with power is acting on behalf of those who share their gender or race. It's akin to saying: "How did a war occur in China between Mao's Communists and Chiang's Nationalists? They were all Chinese! How was there a Russian Civil War between Reds and Whites? They were all Russian!" Ukraine "America's in horrible shape. We got it worse, than Ukraine. Yeah I said it...Ukraine is united, and America is clearly divided." - Chris Rock I guess after Rock researched the stark contrast between Ukrainian separatists in the Donbas supporting Viktor Yanukovych and those in 2014 supporting Petro Poroshenko leading to an eight-year civil war killing 14,000 people, Rock came to the conclusion that like White men, all Ukrainians are on the same page. I was not aware that Volodymyr Zelenskyy was on the same page with the people who he enslaved via conscription to fight in his military, the political parties he banned, and the media he nationalized. Jim Crow Rock makes a great point at the end about the evils of Jim Crow Laws which forbid Blacks from seeing White dentists. It's pure evil for a third party to forcibly restrict two consenting parties from engaging in a mutually beneficial voluntary economic exchange. This is the central goal of the Libertarian Institute, and on this issue we stand firmly with Chris Rock!

Con Men Podcast
Operation Gladio and the Ukraine War #60

Con Men Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2023 91:11


The war in Ukraine is a complicated situation. Unlike what you hear from the MSM, the war in Ukraine was not unprovoked. In 2014, NATO and the United States government organized a coup d'état in Ukraine and helped install a new government. The Maiden Revolution was a a real insurrection that resulted in deaths of 50 people and the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych. The coup is very reminiscent of Operation Gladio, which is a 'clandestine stay behind' military, that was developed during the Cold War. Listen to the episode to learn more!If you like the show, please help us out by sharing the show with your friends or family. The best way to reach us is through Instagram. Then links are posted down below.-----------------Follow us:Instagram @Con_Men_Podcast,Twitter- @Conmenpodcast1--------------We are also streaming on all podcast platformshttps://linktr.ee/conmenpodcastSubscribe to our Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/conmenpodcast--------------MERCH STORE IS NOW LIVE!!! CHECK IT OUT HERE https://conmenmerch.myshopify.com---------------Check out Adam Hesters Podcast: Skeleton Factory Podcast.You can find it herehttps://linktr.ee/skeletonfactoryPatreon.com/SkeletonfactoryInstagram: @Skeleton_Factory--------------Special Thanks to Mr. Charles Elliott for allowing us to use his song for the intro. Check out his music here on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/79LJ4cbLYlMarMq5YydyrO

The Wright Show
Are we getting the whole story about Ukraine? (Robert Wright & Ivan Katchanovski)

The Wright Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2023 115:16


This is an unusual issue of the newsletter, and it's about an unusual conversation I taped yesterday. Normally I don't send out an issue of NZN for each podcast I post, but I think this is a particularly important conversation—and also a complicated conversation, one that can benefit from a preface. The conversation will go public next week and is available to paid NZN subscribers, like you, now—via this issue of the newsletter (video below, audio above) but also via the Nonzero feed on your podcast app (assuming you've set up the special paid subscriber version of that feed in your podcast app; if you haven't, just click “Listen on” in the upper right corner of this post and follow the instructions).The conversation is with Ivan Katchanovski, a political scientist who grew up in Ukraine, came to the US to do graduate work, and now teaches in Canada, at the University of Ottawa. He is frustrated with the way western media is covering the war in Ukraine and with the way western media depicts Ukraine more broadly—including the decade of turmoil that preceded the war.One thing that impresses me about Katchanovski is his capacity for cognitive empathy. He grew up in western Ukraine, speaking Ukrainian, but he is attentive to perspectives in the eastern part of the country, where many people grew up speaking Russian and no few of them are considered “ethnically Russian”. In fact, he has done research on the attitudes of eastern Ukrainians—which leads to one of his frustrations with western coverage of Ukraine. The standard western narrative about the path toward conflict in Ukraine depicts the pivotal events of 2014 roughly like this: Peaceful protests against the policies of a pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych, morphed into revolution—the “Maidan Revolution” or “Revolution of Dignity”—and after the president stepped down Putin responded by seizing Crimea and supporting separatists in the Donbas. This is more or less accurate in so far as it goes. But Katchanovski would like to add a couple of things, the second of which would constitute a radical amendment to the standard narrative: 1. The Maidan revolution made the ground in eastern and southern Ukraine much more fertile for Russian intervention. The overthrow of a democratically elected president who had strong support in the Donbas and Crimea made many people in those areas more supportive of some kind of separation from the rest of Ukraine—more supportive of Russia's annexation of Crimea and more supportive of the separatist movement in the Donbas that Putin would within months be aggressively aiding. (Katchanovski suggests that if the various Obama administration officials who were happy about the overthrow of Yanukovych had done their homework, they would have anticipated this effect on public opinion and perhaps been more ambivalent about regime change.) 2. The “Maidan massacre”—which is depicted in the standard narrative as the murder of dozens of protesters by riot police, and which put massive international pressure on Yanukovych to step down — wasn't what it seemed. Katchanovski, after extensive research on how the revolution unfolded, has concluded that the massacre wasn't in fact perpetrated by police, but rather by far right militants who supported the protests (but whom most of the protesters didn't support, as most of the protesters weren't far right). He says the snipers who killed the protesters were in buildings controlled by far right groups, not by the government.In other words, Katchanovski contends that the killing of the protesters was a “false flag” operation—conducted in the hope that the Yanukovych regime would be blamed and would then be removed from power. Which is what happened.I'm not conversant enough in the evidence to say whether Katchanovski is right, but one thing I can say is that he's assembled a lot of evidence. You can find some of his writings on the subject here and here, and relevant videos he's assembled here. (He says his most recent paper on the subject was accepted by an academic journal but then rejected, a change of heart he suspects reflects political pressure.) I can also say that Katchanovski struck me as sincere and credible. But see what you think. I should add that he has a strong accent, speaks fairly fast, and is not averse to the occasional tangent. But I think if you stick with the conversation until the end, your perspective on the war in Ukraine, and your understanding of Ukraine itself, will be significantly broadened. 00:00 Ivan's Ukrainian upbringing and academic background5:08 Where did pro-Russian sentiment in eastern Ukraine come from? 16:19 Why Ivan worried Ukraine's 2014 revolution would lead to civil war 33:09 Did Europe impede resolution of Russia-Ukraine tensions? 49:25 What western media gets wrong about the Maidan revolution 59:49 Was the Maidan massacre a false flag operation? 1:15:29 The state of Ukrainian democracy after the Maidan revolution 1:33:07 The political forces that impeded Zelensky's peace plan Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Ivan Katchanovski (The University of Ottawa, Historical Dictionary of Ukraine). Recorded January 18, 2023. Comments on BhTV: http://bloggingheads.tv/videos/65579 Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods Facebook: https://facebook.com/bloggingheads/ Podcasts: https://bloggingheads.tv/subscribe This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nonzero.substack.com/subscribe

Useful Idiots with Matt Taibbi and Katie Halper
How Do Pro-Russian Ukrainians See the War?

Useful Idiots with Matt Taibbi and Katie Halper

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2022 41:13


For $5 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and a chance to have your comment read on the show in the Absurd Arena at http://usefulidiots.substack.com Click here for the full interview with Luhansk Deputy Foreign Minister Anna Soroka: https://open.substack.com/pub/usefulidiots/p/how-do-pro-russian-ukrainians-see?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web War in Ukraine did not start with Russia's February 2022 invasion. Ukraine has been at civil war since 2014, when the US backed a coup to overthrow President Viktor Yanukovych. When the new post-coup government cracked down on ethnic-Russian Ukrainians and their Russian culture, Ukrainians in the eastern Donbas region rose up in rebellion, leading to the creation of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. Anna Soroka, joining the Useful Idiots from Ukraine, is the former Deputy Foreign Minister of the Luhansk People's Republic. She joins Useful Idiots to share what it's like being on the other side of a civil war that has now escalated into a full-blown proxy war with Russia. Sometimes discussions about war can become abstract, but it's important to go “behind enemy lines” and hear from real people on the other side. It's a perspective that you don't get to hear at all in the NATO states. Unless you follow shows like Useful Idiots. Plus, watch our Thursday Throwdown where Biden completes his transformation into Trump as he kills Bernie's bid to stop the Saudi war on Yemen. It's all this, and more, on this week's episode of Useful Idiots. Check it out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tom Mullen Talks Freedom
Episode 129 A Political Prisoner Sheds Light on Ukraine with Paul Manafort

Tom Mullen Talks Freedom

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2022 43:26


Summary: Paul Manafort was prosecuted by the Mueller team for crimes unrelated to the 2016 election and for which he maintains his innocence. His new book, Political Prisoner: Persecuted, Prosecuted, but Not Silenced, not only shines a light on an out-of-control Justice Department, but on the DC Swamp's lies about Ukraine, including its former president, Viktor Yanukovych. Guest Bio: Paul J. Manafort is a political consultant and government affairs professional whose career spanning five decades has been devoted to furthering the interests of the United States on the world stage. As campaign chairman for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, Paul put into place the structure that delivered the nomination and eventually the general election for Donald J. Trump. Between 1975 and 1980, Paul worked on both the Ford and Reagan campaigns, playing a key role in the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. In 1981, Paul cofounded Black, Manafort and Stone, establishing the model used in government affairs and public affairs today. In 2009 Paul founded DMP International and focused on cutting edge technology with strategic consulting in both the business and political spheres. During this time, Paul became active in Ukraine, where he built a political practice helping the Party of Regions become a modern, western political party, and laying the foundation for Ukraine to become a member country of the European Union. Paul presently serves on the boards of directors of several private companies in the technology and telecommunications arenas. Links: https://amzn.to/3e4y0LM (Political Prisoner: Persecuted, Prosecuted, but Not Silenced) Free Gift from Tom: Download a free copy of Tom's new e-book, It's the Fed, Stupid, at https://forms.aweber.com/form/87/2092395087.html (itsthefedstupid.com). It's also available in paperback https://amzn.to/3HTYSYh (here). It's priced at a pre-hyperinflation level so grab a few copies for friends if you can. It makes a great introduction to the government's most economically damaging institution for liberals, conservatives, libertarians, socialists, and independents alike. Get even more great content by becoming a Tom Mullen Talks Freedom Supporter at https://tommullentalksfreedom.com/support/ (tommullentalksfreedom.com/support). You can sign up there for either https://www.patreon.com/tommullentalksfreedom (my Patreon) or https://tommullen.substack.com/ (my Substack). Like the music on Tom Mullen Talks Freedom? You can hear more at https://skepticsongs.com/ (tommullensings.com)!

Rik's Mind Podcast
Episode 80- Nick Ramos: Ukraine's Political History w Far Right Extremists, Russia's Invasion

Rik's Mind Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2022


Today we are joined again by friend of the show Nick Ramos. Nick is a podcaster and host of the History of the Cuban Revolution. Nick helps us work through all the wrinkles of the Ukraine - Russia conflict, all the way back from the Kievan Rus' days to modern times. NATO Expansion and antagonism, The Monroe Doctrine, the murder of Georgiy Gongadze, the Euromaidan Revolution and the overthrowing of Viktor Yanukovych. We've got it all. Stick around and get some great info the mainstream media won't tell you. You can follow Nick on his twitter @nickramos_1 and his History of the Cuban Revolution PodcastShow Notes:Ukraine's Identity Crisis – from Independence to Invasion by Nick Ramos | 2nd Look NewsNATO Expansion: What Gorbachev Heard | National Security ArchiveMonroe Doctrine | Britannica1936 Convention Regarding the Regime of The Straights, Adopted in Montreux, Switzerland on 20 July 1936 | Center for International Law at the National University of SingaporeThe Nisour Square Massacre | Tidings MediaBlackwater Guards Found Guilty in 2007 Iraq Killings | The New York TimesTimeline of the Killing of Journalist Georgiy Gongadze | Justice for Journalists, Foundation for International Investigations of Crime against MediaUkraine- A Murder in Kyiv, October 2005 | PBS FrontlineThe Murder of Gongadze: 20 Years of Searching for the Truth | Public Interest Journalism LabUkraine's Euromaidan Revolution | The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of WashingtonEverything you need to know about the 2014 Ukraine crisis | VoxThe Far Right in Ukraine During the “Euromaidan” and the War in Donbas by Ivan Katchanovski | ResearchGatePutin's world: Selected quotes from a disturbing speech | EuractivKaliningrad, city, Kaliningrad oblast, Russia | BritannicaTurkey's Canal Istanbul dispute explained | AlJazeeraTurkey slams admirals' warning over Bosphorus treaty | France 24Why Michael Shellenberger, A Centrist, Is Challenging California Gov. Gavin Newsom | HuffPostHomelessness Meets Cluelessness: Michael Shellenberger applies conservative culture war clichés to the housing problem | The American ProspectHow Russia rescued the ruble | NPR Planet MoneyRussia Asked China for Military and Economic Aid for Ukraine War, U.S. Officials Say | The New York TimesThe 2021 Defense White Paper and Japan's Taiwan Policy: Interview with Yasuhiro Matsuda | The National Bureau of Asian ResearchDefeated Axis Powers Germany and Japan Rearm After Ukraine Invasion | Greek ReporterWar Is A Racket: Original Edition by Smedley D. Butler | AmazonYemen: US-made weapon used in air strike that killed scores in escalation of Saudi-led coalition attacks | Amnesty International

SPYCRAFT 101
Russia's Revenge in Ukraine's Maidan Revolution with Shane Partlow (Part II)

SPYCRAFT 101

Play Episode Play 59 sec Highlight Listen Later Apr 11, 2022 59:14


Tune back in for part two of Justin's interview with former diplomat and former non-commission officer in the United States Marine Corps, Shane Partlow. In this installment, Shane gets into the nitty gritty of Ukraine's 2014 Maidan Revolution, following the Euromaidan protests against former president Viktor Yanukovych. He discusses efforts to stay hidden at protests and rallies as well as what happened when the Yanukovych regime suddenly fell and Russian troops made an opportunistic play to invade Crimea.Connect with Shane:Twitter: @Shane_PartlowCheck out the book Shane read from, Christopher Smith's Ukraine's Revolt, Russia's Revenge, here.https://www.amazon.com/Ukraines-Revolt-Russias-Revenge-Revolution/dp/0815739249Connect with Spycraft 101:IG: @spycraft101Patreon: Spycraft 101Buy the book: here on AmazonDownload the free eBook: The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice: here.https://spycraft101-400d7.gr8.com/Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/spycraft101)

SPYCRAFT 101
Russia's Revenge in Ukraine's Maidan Revolution with Shane Partlow (Part I)

SPYCRAFT 101

Play Episode Play 58 sec Highlight Listen Later Apr 5, 2022 58:56


This week Justin chats with former diplomat and former non-commission officer in the United States Marine Corps, Shane Partlow. Shane was an assistant defense attache in the Ukraine during their 2014 Maidan Revolution, following the Euromaidan protests against former president Viktor Yanukovych. Shane recounts the events that led to violence, corruption within the central government, and his own experiences as a Marine at the embassy. This interview is split into two parts, so be sure to tune in next week to hear more of Shane's account, including how the tables turned as revolution went on and Russia stepped into the ring.Connect with Shane:Twitter: @Shane_PartlowCheck out the book Shane read from, Christopher Smith's Ukraine's Revolt, Russia's Revenge, here.https://www.amazon.com/Ukraines-Revolt-Russias-Revenge-Revolution/dp/0815739249Connect with Spycraft 101:IG: @spycraft101Patreon: Spycraft 101Buy the book: here on AmazonDownload the free eBook: The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice: here.https://spycraft101-400d7.gr8.com/Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/spycraft101)

The Unveiled Patriot with Travis Masterbone
EP 20: Regime Change & The Crimean Referendum

The Unveiled Patriot with Travis Masterbone

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2022 52:36


Part 4 of Ukraine series… Hopefully you're still sticking around… Let's finish off the Maidan Revolution and the official UNCONSTITUTIONAL impeachment of Viktor Yanukovych. We will highlight the final details of the maidan revolution along with the blatant involvement from the far-right regimes… but we will also get even more detailed with how the US played their part in these tragedies as well. The picture on the left really summarizes who was on the same team during the madness of this “revolution” and Oliver Stone points out that this has been seen before. The evidence seems overwhelming but then again… maybe this is all pro-kremlin disinformation Russian propaganda! In our last episode we touched upon his “Recipe For Revolution” which included the MONEY… MEDIA… and TECHNIQUES. We will top off the specific techniques utilized and how the color revolutions have served similar purposes and repeatable tactics all over the globe. Finally, we end with the “invasion” of Crimea… one of the most interesting topics to all of this from my standpoint! Again… just summarizing, quoting and questioning… feel free to correct me whenever needed… I'm all ears… especially from you non-conspiracy theorists! One more Ukraine episode after this… for this doc only though haha clearly its a lot to unpack. Im sure its been a thrill for you. Enjoy. Or not. Yours Truly. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unveiledpatriot/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unveiledpatriot/support

The Unveiled Patriot with Travis Masterbone
EP 19: The Maidan Revolution & Viktor Yanukovych (Ukraine PT3)

The Unveiled Patriot with Travis Masterbone

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2022 47:39


We continue on our journey with PART 3 of my Ukraine Series... extrapolating on Oliver Stone's Ukraine on Fire Documentary. In this episode... I dive into the perspectives of President Viktor Yanukovych and one of the deadliest revolutions in history... The Maidan Revolution!   Many don't know much about the Maidan Revolution... or the specific events that led up to it... Yanukovych was handed a wounded economy from predecessor Viktor Yushchenko... important trade agreements and negotiations were needed to patch up the mess and get Ukraine back on track. However, negotiations weren't in favor for Ukraine through the lens of Mr. Yanukovych... leading to a pause in negotiations with the European Union. This led to the uproar of specific populations of Ukraine... the Western-Central Ukrainians and Neo-Nazi extremist organizations. Again... geographical divides existed... Eastern-Southern Ukrainians support Russia and saw the EU-NATO alliance more so as a threat rather than protection... These populations weren't protesting due to this pause in negotiations by Mr. Yanukovych.   I have discovered and quoted independent journalist + author Chris Kasper de Ploeg and his book Ukraine in the Crossfire quite often to support everything I state and cite in this episode involving the events leading to and during the euromaidan protests... I am also quoting and summarizing from key individuals interviewed from the Oliver Stone Documentary as well... I am simply summarizing and explaining to the best of my ability... not justifying or condoning. So don't flip out! If errors exist and important info is left out... feel free to send me some feedback which is always more than welcome.    The Recipe for Revolution runs deep... Revolving around MONEY... THE MEDIA... and SPECIFIC TECHNIQUES. Oliver Stone highlights that we have seen these repeatable steps and tactics in many other places around the world throughout history. We touch base on this recipe ten-fold in regards to the Maidan Revolution in this episode... and we will revisit this recipe in future episodes when we travel to other parts of the world involving almost identical revolutions.   The plot keeps thickening.    Enjoy. Or not.   Yours Truly. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unveiledpatriot/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unveiledpatriot/support

The Unveiled Patriot with Travis Masterbone
EP 18: The Orange Revolution & Viktor Yushchenko

The Unveiled Patriot with Travis Masterbone

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2022 35:29


We continue with Part 2 of our Ukraine series… Oliver Stone's Ukraine on Fire Documentary now brings us to The Orange Revolution and Ukrainian politician Viktor Yushchenko. The Orange Revolution was a result of the Ukrainian people's discontent of the previous government administrations post-1991 Independence. The previous president Leonid Kuchma, had close ties to Vladimir Putin and was far from a saint. Now… also Russian-backed candidate Viktor Yanukovych… finds himself in the race against “The George Washington of Ukraine” Viktor Yushchenko! After some shenanigans in the first round of voting… the 2nd official tally resulted in Viktor Yushchenko as the third President of Ukraine. Allied with Yulia Tymoshenko and fueled by the the protests from The Orange Revolution… at last… Ukraine can finally escape the bonds of corruption and truly bask in their independence. However… Oliver Stone points out the political & geographical divide in Ukraine and we take look at Mr. Yushchenko from a different angle… specifically, peeking into his potential ties linked to the US and the most fascinating discovery… his signing of a decree honoring Stefan Bandera as a national hero of Ukraine! Much more here and there and in between per usual! The plot thickens. Feedback is always welcome. Enjoy. Or not. Yours truly. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unveiledpatriot/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unveiledpatriot/support

Dubious
Putin Invades Ukraine – Part 1

Dubious

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2022 77:55


On February 24th the world watched in horror as the Russian military started its invasion of Ukraine.In this episode we are discussing all the things that led to Putin's war on Ukraine, the west's lax attitude and response, and Ukraine's fight for freedom and acceptance in the EU over the past three decades. Latest developments at the time of recording are of course discussed as well. If you enjoy our episodes, please subscribe. Historical and geopolitical context is key to understanding the current tragedy unfolding under our eyes. We start off with The Budapest Memorandum of 1994 when, after the fall of the USSR, Ukraine was assured by the US, UK and Russia that its territorial sovereignty would be protected as long as they gave up their nuclear warheads. 1 Next we discuss The Orange Revolution of 2004, when the Ukrainian people organized nationwide protests in support of fair elections after Russian tampering, and the poisoning of candidate Viktor Yushchenko by Russian intelligence. He almost died and remained disfigured. We also discuss how the protest movements of this time in led to similar uprisings in support of elections in other countries in the region such as Moldova and Belarus, and how all of this led to similar protests within Russia itself in 2011, and Putin's personal feud with former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. 2 Then we discuss the Revolution of Dignity following the elections of 2010, in which the Russian-favored candidate, Viktor Yanukovych, was elected to the presidency of Ukraine, leading to another round of protests and a violent response from the state police and military. We also go over the subsequent Russian annexation of Crimea, and failure (again) of western countries and NATO to live up to their assurances made in the 1994 agreement that saw Ukraine stripped of nuclear weapons. 3 In addition to all of this we discuss the specifics of no-fly zones and how Russia has evaded them in the past, for example during the recent Syrian conflict. Also the firings of Ukranian officials at the behest of US presidents, such as the "Trump phone call" from 2019 to current Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelensky, and the overlap between GOP and Ukranian right-wing campaign advisors, Paul Manafort for example. We also discuss the persecution of Russian dissidents Boris Berezovsky, Alexander Litvinenko, Anna Politkovskaya who were all killed by Russian intelligence agents while living in London. 4 This is a multi-part series, in the next episode we'll discuss the devastation from the invasion in Mariupol, Kharkhiv, Kherson. Irpin, Kyiv and other Ukranian cities, and the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH 17 incident. 1. Memorandum on security assurances in connection with Ukraine's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, United Nations, December 1994. ⇤2. Ukraine's Ex-president on Being Poisoned, BBC, April 2018. ⇤3. Revolution of Dignity, Maidan Museum. ⇤4. David Cenciotti, Syrian Mig-29 Fulcrums Escorted the 28 Russian Jets... Hiding Under Cargo Planes, The Aviationist, September 2015. ⇤

America's Roundtable
Debra LaPrevotte, Former Senior FBI Official | Russian Invasion of Ukraine | U.S. Sanctions on Russia's Economy | Countering Kleptocracy

America's Roundtable

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2022 29:24


Join America's Roundtable co-hosts Natasha Srdoc and Joel Anand Samy for a conversation with Debra LaPrevotte, Former Senior FBI Official, who was responsible for launching the FBI's Kleptocracy Program, on the recent U.S. sanctions on Russia, Vladimir Putin's inner circle of Russian oligarchs, and the country's financial institutions. The conversation will also highlight the urgency to impose the more crippling secondary sanctions advocated by US Senators James Risch and Pat Toomey, joined by 37 Senators including Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith. In 2014, on behalf of the FBI, Debra LaPrevotte landed in Kyiv, Ukraine, to begin a high-level investigation focusing on the pro-Putin regime's elite including the ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych who had just fled to Moscow. The pro-Russian regime's elite robbed the Ukrainian treasury of $40 billion according to expert estimates, thus weakening the sovereign state of Ukraine making it an easy target for Putin's Russia to annex the Crimean peninsula and arming separatists in the Donbas region leading to deaths of 14,000 Ukrainians during the period of April 2014 - May 2021. Debra retired after 20 years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). She served as a Supervisory Special Agent on the International Corruption Unit at FBI Headquarters in Washington D.C. Debra was instrumental in initiating the FBI's Kleptocracy program and seized more than $1 billion dollars from foreign corrupt officials. Debra has spent the past 14 years working international corruption investigations. She is also a Forensic Scientist and spent several years on the FBI's Evidence Response Team Unit at the FBI Lab. Prior to her FBI career, Debra worked for the Department of Defense for five years. Debra has an undergraduate degree from George Mason University and a masters degree in Forensic Science from George Washington University. https://ileaderssummit.org/services/americas-roundtable-radio/ https://ileaderssummit.org/ | https://jerusalemleaderssummit.com/ America's Roundtable on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/americas-roundtable/id1518878472 Twitter: @NatashaSrdoc @JoelAnandUSA @ileaderssummit America's Roundtable is co-hosted by Natasha Srdoc and Joel Anand Samy, co-founders of International Leaders Summit and the Jerusalem Leaders Summit. America's Roundtable from Washington D.C. informs, educates, empowers and challenges the listening audience about the importance to restore, strengthen, and protect our freedoms, the rule of law, and free markets. America's Roundtable advances the ideas of freedom, the significance of freedom of speech, limited government, and the application of free market principles to solve problems. America's Roundtable presents in-depth analysis of current events and public policy issues while applying America's founding principles. America's Roundtable radio program - a strategic initiative of International Leaders Summit, focuses on America's economy, healthcare reform, rule of law, security and trade, and its strategic partnership with rule of law nations around the world. The radio program features high-ranking US administration officials, cabinet members, members of Congress, state government officials, distinguished diplomats, business and media leaders and influential thinkers from around the world. America's Roundtable is aired by Lanser Broadcasting Corporation on 96.5 FM and 98.9 FM, covering Michigan's major market and the upper Midwest, SuperTalk Mississippi Media's 12 radio stations and 50 affiliates reaching every county in Mississippi and also heard in parts of the neighboring states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee, and through podcast on Apple Podcasts and other key online platforms.

This Week in the Middle East with William Morris of the Next Century Foundation

Russian President Vladimir Putin's avid interests in Ukraine right now include two points. First, Putin wants Kyiv to accept the autonomous status of the Donetsk and Luhansk republics in Donbas. Second, he wants a guarantee that Ukraine will not join both NATO and the EU. Even though Putin explicitly expressed that Russia would not annex the Donbas region, recent actions of Russia raised grave concern. On the 21st of February, Russia recognized the independence of the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LNR), which worried Ukraine about a full-scale military offensive. Three days later, on the 24th, following the recognition, Putin launched a military operation in Ukraine, announcing that the forces will protect the people of Donbas and “demilitarize and denazify” Ukraine. The two republics have been seized by Russia-backed separatists after the overthrow of Ukraine's pro-Kremlin president Viktor Yanukovych in 2014.  Seizing the two southeastern oblasts is not the only concern of Putin now. NATO's expansion is an existential threat to Putin and therefore, he described Ukraine's aspiration to join the alliance as a “hostile act”. In December 2021, among Putin's security demands presented to the US and NATO was Ukraine would never enter NATO and that the alliance would roll back its military footprint in Eastern and Central Europe. Additionally, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's ambition is also to let Ukraine join the European Union. On the last day of February, he signed an official application for EU membership. This affects Putin's red line in Ukraine.BUT HOW DO WE GO ABOUT GETTING PEACE INSTEAD OF WARSupport the show (https://www.justgiving.com/tncf)

According2Sam Podcast
According2Sam #108

According2Sam Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2022 61:18


After a violent coup d'etat in Ukraine in 2014 that forced the democratically elected president, Viktor Yanukovych to flee the country, the Obama administration installed a new government. Under the new Prime Minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the first thing the new parliament did was pass legislation banning the Russian language, the native language of 20 million Ukrainians. In response to these actions and many other acts of hostility towards the Russian speaking people of Ukraine the communities of Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk voted to separate from Ukraine. In Crimea the people voted for immediate annexation by Russia, which was accepted by the Russia Federation. The people of Donbas voted for independence and they have been fighting for their independence for 8 years, more than 14,000 people of that region have been killed. How are these two breakaway regions fueling the current war in Ukraine, and how are they key to ending the war? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #108.

Bright Minds: from the John Adams Institute

Seven years ago, Garry Kasparov came to Amsterdam and predicted the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He also described Vladimir Putin's psychology and motivations in a way that you hear in every current affairs program nowadays. Back in 2015, Obama was president, Russia was actively bombing targets in Syria, Syrian refugees were literally washing up on the shores of the Mediterannean and Garry Kasparov, living in exile in New York, was touring his book: ‘Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped'. And the predictions came with Cassandra-like precision. He saw Putin ruthlessly cowing all domestic opposition and the coming of a resurgent Russian nationalism that would spread beyond its borders. After the Maidan Revolution  and the overthrow of Putin crony Viktor Yanukovych in 2014, Kasparov knew Putin simply could not allow a  free and democratic Ukraine, moving ever closer to Europe, to exist. After all, a successful Ukraine could give Russians... ideas. Mr. Kasparov's talk was moderated by the Dutch journalist and Slavic world specialist, Michel Krielaars. Support the show (https://www.john-adams.nl/donate/)

Sensemaker
Ep 297: The return of Viktor Yanukovych?

Sensemaker

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2022 6:14


Ousted in 2014, the corrupt former president could be Vladimir Putin's pick to replace Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Prepper Guy
Ukraine good, Russia Bad, lol what a crock

Prepper Guy

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2022 35:15


Most folks think Ukraine is just awesome, because the media says so, and others hate Russia because the media says so, when did we all start believing the Fucking media? There are those that have a Historical view of Russia but even that is skewed due to years of training and brainwashing, but if you do some research, it's Ukraine that is the Warmongering haters. Watch these two Films before saying I'm Wrong Ukraine on Fire   Across Ukraine's eastern border is Russia and to its west-Europe. For centuries, it has been at the center of a tug-of-war between powers seeking to control its rich lands and access to the Black Sea. 2014's Maidan Massacre triggered a bloody uprising that ousted president Viktor Yanukovych and painted Russia as the perpetrator by Western media. Revealing Ukraine   "Revealing Ukraine" by Igor Lopatonok continues investigations on of the ongoing Ukrainian crisis following "Ukraine on Fire". In addition, it analyzes the current political backstage and its dangerous potential for the world. As Always this is rated (R) Tags: Ukraine, Russia, War, WW3, Real Nazi's, SS, Nazi, Nato, Biden, Putin

Contra Radio Network
Ukraine good, Russia Bad, lol what a crock

Contra Radio Network

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2022 35:15


Most folks think Ukraine is just awesome, because the media says so, and others hate Russia because the media says so, when did we all start believing the Fucking media? There are those that have a Historical view of Russia but even that is skewed due to years of training and brainwashing, but if you do some research, it's Ukraine that is the Warmongering haters. Watch these two Films before saying I'm Wrong Ukraine on Fire Across Ukraine's eastern border is Russia and to its west-Europe. For centuries, it has been at the center of a tug-of-war between powers seeking to control its rich lands and access to the Black Sea. 2014's Maidan Massacre triggered a bloody uprising that ousted president Viktor Yanukovych and painted Russia as the perpetrator by Western media. Revealing Ukraine Revealing Ukraine by Igor Lopatonok continues investigations on of the ongoing Ukrainian crisis following "Ukraine on Fire". In addition, it analyzes the current political backstage and its dangerous potential for the world. As Always this is rated (R) Tags: Ukraine, Russia, War, WW3, Real Nazi's, SS, Nazi, Nato, Biden, Putin

Sin Maquillaje, Altagracia Salazar
Felix Bautista pa la calle con la FUPU, Sin Maquillaje, marzo 7 2022

Sin Maquillaje, Altagracia Salazar

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2022 29:34


El ingeniero Felix Bautista, que se reeligió en el 20 como senador de San Juan con más de un 60 por ciento de los votos realizando un campaña relámpago de apenas unas semanas, había mantenido un muy bajo perfil luego de su paso del PLD a la FP tras su juramentación en el senado. Algunos decían incluso que tenía prohibido exhibirse cerca del líder de la organización que estaba como que quería y como que no quería frente a su ex funcionario de confianza que había quedado cuarto finalista en la encuesta de Transparencia Internacional para escoger al mayor corrupto del mundo. Bautista obtuvo 9,786 votos; el expresidente ucraniano Viktor Yanukovych, 13,210; la compañía petrolera brasileña Petrobras, 11,900 y el expresidente Panameño Ricardo Martinelli, 10, 166. El senador de San Juan aparecía de vez en cuando en los medios con la publicación de un artículo o la presentación de N proyectos de leyes. Cuando averigüé porqué tantos proyectos presentados por Bautista me explicaron que tenía gente buscando proyectos muertos u olvidados que modificaba y presentaba como propios. Pero parece que el alboroto político electoral ha llevado a la decisión de que el hombre reviva y este fin de semana anduvo por Cotui juramentando empresarios en el partido de Leonel. El personaje resulta interesante, su reactivación en la política electoral da cuenta de por donde vienen los tiros de la FUPU. Es evidente que por ahí se piensa que el malestar generado por la corrupción desmedida y el enriquecimiento sin fundamento ya pasó y que el país volvió a antes del 2016 cuando la corrupción como preocupación apenas salía en las encuestas. Como no hay investigaciones recientes sobre el tema, nos toca esperar. Martin Rodríguez me decía que las colegas Nuria Piera y Alicia Ortega son el termómetro de la corrupción y que por ahora, al acercarse el segundo aniversario de Abinader el ruido es pequeño. Habrá que ver el impacto tanto de la gestión actual frente al tema como las acciones de la oposición. Por ahora lo único que creo es que a la FUPU le faltan caras nuevas no comprometidas con el pasado y eso no es más que una sugerencia.

Global Reportage: Unbiased and Uncensored News
Evidence that Ukraine has been run by Neo-Nazis since February 2014

Global Reportage: Unbiased and Uncensored News

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2022 4:21


On 12 March 2014 a historic 10-minute video was uploaded to youtube that acquired over a million hits since then, and that presented and truthfully explained a compendium of video-clips which had been uploaded to the Web during the 2014 overthrow and replacement of Ukraine's democratically elected President, Viktor Yanukovych, who had been called to the White House right after his 2010 electoral win and was asked by Obama to help to push his country toward joining NATO (though all of the opinion polls that had been taken of the Ukrainian public showed that the vast majority of Ukrainians viewed NATO to be their enemy, no friend of Ukraine). Yanukovych said no, and the Obama Administration (with the help of Google corporation) began by no later than 2011 to organize their coup to take down and replace Yanukovych so as to get Ukraine into NATO in order for America to become able to place its missiles only a five-minute striking-distance away from Moscow, for a retaliation-prohibiting blitz nuclear first-strike attack. During 2003-2009, only around 20% of Ukrainians wanted NATO membership, while around 55% opposed it. In 2010, Gallup found that whereas 17% of Ukrainians considered NATO to mean “protection of your country,” 40% said it's “a threat to your country.” Ukrainians predominantly saw NATO as an enemy, not a friend. But after Obama's February 2014 Ukrainian coup, “Ukraine's NATO membership would get 53.4% of the votes, one third of Ukrainians (33.6%) would oppose it.” The 2014 coup in Ukraine was about two things: getting Ukraine into NATO, and seizing Russia's biggest naval base, which ever since 1783 has been in Crimea, which (Crimea) the Soviet dictator had transferred to Ukraine in 1954 while still continuing Crimea as the Soviet Union's biggest naval base. Obama, already by no later than June 2013, was planning to grab that naval base and turn it into yet another U.S. naval base. http://globalreportage.org/2022/03/07/evidence-that-ukraine-has-been-run-by-neo-nazis-since-february-2014/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/global-reportage/support

The Slavic Connexion
PUTIN'S WAR IN UKRAINE: The History of the Conflict with David Marples

The Slavic Connexion

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2022 46:40


With the unconscionable Russian invasion of Ukraine ordered by Russian president Vladimir Putin, we will be focusing the next several episodes on Ukraine. These episodes will aim to provide our global listeners, who are seeking to inform themselves truthfully about the war, with background, context, analyses, and historical appreciation of this country and why the world absolutely must care and must combat Putin's revisionist and disinformationist campaigns. On this episode, the first of our Ukraine-focused series, returning guest Dr. David Marples, professor of history at the University of Alberta, graciously joins us to help unpack, if not understand, Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine by providing a basic yet thorough overview of the conflict's history. Visit slavxradio.com/ukraine for a list of trusted organizations addressing this humanitarian crisis. ABOUT THE GUEST https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSKREOSquxhEyxP99KQnxCve9JXmnnFMOeYzQ&usqp=CAU Dr. David R. Marples is a former President of The North American Association for Belarusian Studies (2010–15) and was formerly Director of the Stasiuk Program on Contemporary Ukraine at the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (2004–14), University of Alberta. In 2014 he was a Visiting Professor at the Slavic and Eurasian Research Center, Hokkaido University, Japan. At the University of Alberta he is a recipient of the J. Gordin Kaplan Award for Excellence in Research (2003) and the University Cup (2008), the university's highest award. He is regarded as one of the leading Western authorities on the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe (social and political aspects), Lukashenko's regime in Belarus, and contemporary Ukraine. Follow him on Twitter @drmarples for more insights. PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on March 3rd, 2022 via Zoom. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the program, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/slavic/_files/images/banners/ukraine-statement.png The Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies condemns the Russian Federation's military invasion of Ukraine. We stand in support of the people of Ukraine who are fighting for their lives and sovereignty in the face of the unjustified invasion by Russian military forces. CREDITS Associate Producer/Host: Lera Toropin (@earlportion) Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Assistant Producer: Zach Johnson Assistant Producer: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Assistant Producer: Sergio Glajar Assistant Producer: Taylor Ham Recording, Editing, and Sound Design: Michelle Daniel & Charlie Harper Music Producer: Charlie Harper (Connect: facebook.com/charlie.harper.1485 Instagram: @charlieharpermusic) www.charlieharpermusic.com (Special Episode Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Charlie Harper, Ketsa, Polkavant) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (Connect: facebook.com/mdanielgeraci) DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/9/9a59b135-7876-4254-b600-3839b3aa3ab1/P1EKcswq.png Special Guest: David R. Marples.

In Pursuit of Development
Russia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order — Kathryn Stoner

In Pursuit of Development

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2022 42:18


Russia's invasion of Ukraine has already caused untold suffering to millions of people and upended the global order as we know it. The international community, apart from a few exceptions, has been largely united in its condemnation of this attack on a sovereign country's ability to decide its own future. And several sanctions have thus far been imposed on Russia, many of which also target President Putin, senior Russian officials, and their rich financial backers. President Putin has tried, although without much success, to justify what he terms to be a military operation (and not an invasion). President Zelenskyy of Ukraine has refused to flee his war-ravaged country, and this, together with his regular morale boosting social media posts, has made him a household name in many parts of the world. What kind of threat does Ukraine pose to Russia? How did we get to this point? Can President Putin withstand the backlash from this war? What is Russia's role and purpose in a new global order, and how has it managed to develop an outsized influence in international politics even though it does not have the traditional means of power possessed by the United States or China? Kathryn Stoner is the Mosbacher Director of Stanford University's Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL). She is also a Senior Fellow the Hoover Institution and a professor of political science. She has conducted extensive research on contemporary Russia and has a new book: "Russia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order". Twitter: @kath_stonerHost:Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik  @GlobalDevPodhttps://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.com/ 

The Radical English Gentlemen
World War III is here? Putin Bombs Ukraine, NATO Responds | W/Ukrainian girl Varvara Podcast #10

The Radical English Gentlemen

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2022 85:34


In this episode I talk with a Ukrainian girl who used to live in Ukraine for over a decade, born there and has many close friends there. We talk in the podcast about the current situation in Ukraine to do with Putin invading Ukraine and waging war on the country. We dive into talking about the love for communism that young people have in the west have. We also talk about the raging nationalism that is currently happening in Ukraine which is rallying the nation to do well against the Russian soldiers shown from how strong the Ukrainian army has held so far. Specifically talking about the prime minister Volodymyr Zelenskyy and how he has really stepped up since the situation with Russia and has not been cowardly but instead been brave. We also talk about the recent economic sanctions on Russia and we debate will this make a difference. Furthermore, talking about if the rumours to do with Vladimir Putin being terminally ill and that if this is the case we could well be on the complete brink of WW III. Not only that but we talk about how if any nuclear power joins the fight on the ground with Ukraine that it will be a sign of war and therefore we would be in WW III so what proactively can be done to stop Putin without it escalating to WW III? Well that's what we discuss in this podcast I hope you enjoy it an learn a lot like I did making it! Follow guest Varvara - https://www.instagram.com/varyaromaniuk/?hl=en Follow the Podcast - https://www.instagram.com/regpodcast/?hl=en Follow me - https://www.instagram.com/rory_jacobs_/?hl=en (00:51) - The history of Ukraine with the Soviet union (03:25) - The famine in Ukraine called the Holodomor (07:00) - Chernobyl and was it done on purpose by the Russians? (12:23) - Ukrainian independence (14:40) - Why do young people today love communism? (23:58) - Viktor Yanukovych and the yellow revolution in Ukraine (33:01) - The Euromaidan square protests in Ukraine (37:07)- What is Russia doing right now to Ukraine (45:32) - Is the Ukrainian prime minister good and brave? (49:39) - Will Putin stop invading Ukraine due to the economic sanctions on Russia (50:48) - Is Putin terminally ill and that is why he will start world war III (55:40) - Are Ukraine soldier winning the fight against Russia (01:14:26) - Will Russia attack the civilians fleeing Ukraine? (01:16:58) - The nationalism in Ukraine right now to fight for freedom

La Wikly

1 de marzo | San Juan, ArgentinaHola, maricoper. Ayer enganché una película increíble haciendo zapping en la tele. Se llama Lion (en español, Un camino a casa) y cuenta la historia de un niño indio de cinco años que se pierde en una estación de trenes. Me gustó por varios motivos, pero principalmente por el retrato que hace de India: un país caótico y hermoso a partes iguales. Mírala y me comentás por el Discord qué te pareció.Bienvenido a La Wikly, una columna de actualidad y dos titulares rápidos para pasar el resto del día bien informado. Si quieres comentar estas noticias en nuestra comunidad de Discord, puedes unirte con este enlace.Si te han mandado esta newsletter, suscríbete para recibir más entregas de La Wikly:Leer esta newsletter te llevará 7 minutos y 22 segundos.El mejor disfraz de estos carnavales. Bienvenido a La Wikly.

The Gary Null Show
The Gary Null Show - 03.01.22

The Gary Null Show

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2022 54:11


Bark of neem tree may protect against coronavirus variants   University of Colorado and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, February 28, 2022   Extract from the bark of the neem tree may help treat and reduce the spread of coronavirus, according to a new study led by scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata. The study, reported recently in the journal Virology, shows that components of neem bark may target a wide range of viral proteins, suggesting its potential as an antiviral agent against emerging variants of coronaviruses (including SARS-CoV-2). "The goal of this research is to develop a neem-based medication that can reduce the risk of serious illness when someone is infected with coronaviruses," said study co-author Maria Nagel, MD, research professor in the department of neurology and ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus.   (NEXT)   Black Seed Oil Puts Deadly Asthma Meds To Shame   University College London, February 26, 2022    A new study published in the journal Phytotherapeutic Research reveals that a powerful little black seed known as nigella sativa-- once referred to as ‘the remedy for everything but death' -- may provide a powerful alternative to pharmaceutical medicine in the treatment of asthma. The new study  was a placebo-controlled RCT performed on 80 asthmatics, with 40 patients in each treatment and placebo groups. NSO capsules were administered 500 mg twice daily for 4 weeks. The placebo group received an equal dose of olive oil.   (NEXT)   Healthy gut microbiome improves success of cancer treatment   King's College London, February 28, 2022   The largest study to date has confirmed the link between the gut microbiome and the response to cancer immunotherapy therapy for melanoma. The study is published today in Nature Medicine and co-ordinated by King's College London, CIBIO Department of the University of Trento and European Institute of Oncology in Italy, University of Groningen in the Netherlands and funded by the Seerave Foundation. Dr. Karla Lee, clinical researcher at King's College London said that "preliminary studies on a limited number of patients have suggested that the gut microbiome, as an immune system regulator, plays a role in the response of each patient to cancer immunotherapy, and particularly in the case of melanoma. This new study could have a major impact on oncology and medicine in general."   (NEXT)   Physical fitness linked to lower risk of Alzheimer's disease   Washington VA Medical Center, February 28, 2022   People who are more physically fit are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than people who are less physically fit, according to a preliminary study released today. “One exciting finding of this study is that as people's fitness improved, their risk of Alzheimer's disease decreased—it was not an all-or-nothing proposition,” said study author Edward Zamrini, MD, of the Washington VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C.. “So people can work toward making incremental changes and improvements in their physical fitness and hopefully that will be associated with a related decrease in their risk of Alzheimer's years later.” The study involved 649,605 military veterans in the Veterans Health Administration database with an average age of 61 who were followed for an average of nine years. They did not have Alzheimer's disease at the start of the study. The group with the lowest level of fitness developed Alzheimer's at a rate of 9.5 cases per 1,000 person-years, compared to 6.4 cases per 1,000 person-years for the most fit group.   (OTHER NEWS)   The Mess that Nuland Made   Victoria Nuland engineered Ukraine's “regime change” in early 2014 without weighing the likely chaos and consequences, wrote Robert Parry on July 13, 2015. The Mess that Nuland Made   Robert Parry.   Special to Consortium News   As the Ukrainian army squares off against ultra-right and neo-Nazi militias in the west and violence against ethnic Russians continues in the east, the obvious folly of the Obama administration's Ukraine policy has come into focus even for many who tried to ignore the facts, or what you might call “the mess that Victoria Nuland made.” Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs “Toria” Nuland was the “mastermind” behind the Feb. 22, 2014 “regime change” in Ukraine, plotting the overthrow of the democratically elected government of President Viktor Yanukovych while convincing the ever-gullible U.S. mainstream media that the coup wasn't really a coup but a victory for “democracy.” To sell this latest neocon-driven “regime change” to the American people, the ugliness of the coup-makers had to be systematically airbrushed, particularly the key role of neo-Nazis and other ultra-nationalists from the Right Sektor. For the U.S.-organized propaganda campaign to work, the coup-makers had to wear white hats, not brown shirts. So, for nearly a year and a half, the West's mainstream media, especially The New York Times and The Washington Post, twisted their reporting into all kinds of contortions to avoid telling their readers that the new regime in Kiev was permeated by and dependent on neo-Nazi fighters and Ukrainian ultra-nationalists who wanted a pure-blood Ukraine, without ethnic Russians. Any mention of that sordid reality was deemed “Russian propaganda” and anyone who spoke this inconvenient truth was a “stooge of Moscow.” It wasn't until July 7 that the Times admitted the importance of the neo-Nazis and other ultra-nationalists in waging war against ethnic Russian rebels in the east. The Times also reported that these far-right forces had been joined by Islamic militants. Some of those jihadists have been called “brothers” of the hyper-brutal Islamic State. Though the Times sought to spin this remarkable military alliance neo-Nazi militias and Islamic jihadists as a positive, the reality had to be jarring for readers who had bought into the Western propaganda about noble “pro-democracy” forces resisting evil “Russian aggression.” Perhaps the Times sensed that it could no longer keep the lid on the troubling truth in Ukraine. For weeks, the Right Sektor militias and the neo-Nazi Azov battalion have been warning the civilian government in Kiev that they might turn on it and create a new order more to their liking. Clashes in the West Then, on Saturday, violent clashes broke out in the western Ukrainian town of Mukachevo, allegedly over the control of cigarette-smuggling routes. Right Sektor paramilitaries sprayed police officers with bullets from a belt-fed machine gun, and police backed by Ukrainian government troops returned fire. Several deaths and multiple injuries were reported. Tensions escalated on Monday with President Petro Poroshenko ordering national security forces to disarm “armed cells” of political movements. Meanwhile, the Right Sektor dispatched reinforcements to the area while other militiamen converged on the capital of Kiev. While President Poroshenko and Right Sektor leader Dmitry Yarosh may succeed in tamping down this latest flare-up of hostilities, they may be only postponing the inevitable: a conflict between the U.S.-backed authorities in Kiev and the neo-Nazis and other right-wing fighters who spearheaded last year's coup and have been at the front lines of the fighting against ethnic Russian rebels in the east. The Ukrainian right-wing extremists feel they have carried the heaviest burden in the war against the ethnic Russians and resent the politicians living in the relative safety and comfort of Kiev. In March, Poroshenko also fired thuggish oligarch Igor Kolomoisky as governor of the southeastern province of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Kolomoisky had been the primary benefactor of the Right Sektor militias. So, as has become apparent across Europe and even in Washington, the Ukraine crisis is spinning out of control, making the State Department's preferred narrative of the conflict that it's all Russian President Vladimir Putin's fault harder and harder to sell. How Ukraine is supposed to pull itself out of what looks like a death spiral a possible two-front war in the east and the west along with a crashing economy is hard to comprehend. The European Union, confronting budgetary crises over Greece and other EU members, has little money or patience for Ukraine, its neo-Nazis and its socio-political chaos. America's neocons at The Washington Post and elsewhere still rant about the need for the Obama administration to sink more billions upon billions of dollars into post-coup Ukraine because it “shares our values.” But that argument, too, is collapsing as Americans see the heart of a racist nationalism beating inside Ukraine's new order. Another Neocon ‘Regime Change' Much of what has happened, of course, was predictable and indeed was predicted, but neocon Nuland couldn't resist the temptation to pull off a “regime change” that she could call her own. Her husband (and arch-neocon) Robert Kagan had co-founded the Project for the New American Century in 1998 around a demand for “regime change” in Iraq, a project that was accomplished in 2003 with President George W. Bush's invasion. As with Nuland in Ukraine, Kagan and his fellow neocons thought they could engineer an easy invasion of Iraq, oust Saddam Hussein and install some hand-picked client in Iraq, Ahmed Chalabi was to be “the guy.” But they failed to take into account the harsh realities of Iraq, such as the fissures between Sunnis and Shiites, exposed by the U.S.-led invasion and occupation. In Ukraine, Nuland and her neocon and liberal-interventionist friends saw the chance to poke Putin in the eye by encouraging violent protests to overthrow Russia-friendly President Yanukovych and put in place a new regime hostile to Moscow. Carl Gershman, the neocon president of the U.S.-taxpayer-funded National Endowment for Democracy, explained the plan in a Post op-ed on Sept. 26, 2013. Gershman called Ukraine “the biggest prize” and an important interim step toward toppling Putin, who “may find himself on the losing end not just in the near abroad but within Russia itself.” For her part, Nuland passed out cookies to anti-Yanukovych demonstrators at the Maidan square, reminded Ukrainian business leaders that the U.S. had invested $5 billion in their “European aspirations,” declared “fuck the EU” for its less aggressive approach, and discussed with U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt who the new leaders of Ukraine should be. “Yats is the guy,” she said, referring to Arseniy Yatsenyuk. Nuland saw her big chance on Feb. 20, 2014, when a mysterious sniper apparently firing from a building controlled by the Right Sektor shot and killed both police and protesters, escalating the crisis. On Feb. 21, in a desperate bid to avert more violence, Yanukovych agreed to a European-guaranteed plan in which he accepted reduced powers and called for early elections so he could be voted out of office. But that wasn't enough for the anti-Yanukovych forces who led by Right Sektor and neo-Nazi militias overran government buildings on Feb. 22, forcing Yanukovych and many of his officials to flee for their lives. With armed thugs patrolling the corridors of power, the final path to “regime change” was clear. Instead of trying to salvage the Feb. 21 agreement, Nuland and European officials arranged for an unconstitutional procedure to strip Yanukovych of the presidency and declared the new regime “legitimate.” Nuland's “guy” Yatsenyuk became prime minister. While Nuland and her neocon cohorts celebrated, their “regime change” prompted an obvious reaction from Putin, who recognized the strategic threat that this hostile new regime posed to the historic Russian naval base at Sevastopol in Crimea. On Feb. 23, he began to take steps to protect those Russian interests. Ethnic Hatreds What the coup also did was revive long pent-up antagonisms between the ethnic Ukrainians in the west, including elements that had supported Adolf Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War Two, and ethnic Russians in the south and east who feared the anti-Russian sentiments emanating from Kiev. First, in Crimea and then in the so-called Donbas region, these ethnic Russians, who had been Yanukovych's political base, resisted what they viewed as the illegitimate overthrow of their elected president. Both areas held referenda seeking separation from Ukraine, a move that Russia accepted in Crimea but resisted with the Donbas. However, when the Kiev regime announced an “anti-terrorism operation” against the Donbas and dispatched neo-Nazi and other extremist militias to be the tip of the spear, Moscow began quietly assisting the embattled ethnic Russian rebels, a move that Nuland, the Obama administration and the mainstream news media called “Russian aggression.” Amid the Western hysteria over Russia's supposedly “imperial designs” and the thorough demonizing of Putin, President Barack Obama essentially authorized a new Cold War against Russia, reflected now in new U.S. strategic planning that could cost the U.S. taxpayers trillions of dollars and risk a possible nuclear confrontation. Yet, despite the extraordinary costs and dangers, Nuland failed to appreciate the practical on-the-ground realities, much as her husband and other neocons did in Iraq. While Nuland got her hand-picked client Yatsenyuk installed and he did oversee a U.S.-demanded “neo-liberal” economic plan slashing pensions, heating assistance and other social programs the chaos that her “regime change” unleashed transformed Ukraine into a financial black hole. With few prospects for a clear-cut victory over the ethnic Russian resistance in the east and with the neo-Nazi/Islamist militias increasingly restless over the stalemate the chances to restore any meaningful sense of order in the country appear remote. Unemployment is soaring and the government is essentially bankrupt. The last best hope for some stability may have been the Minsk-2 agreement in February 2015, calling for a federalized system to give the Donbas more autonomy, but Nuland's Prime Minister Yatsenyuk sabotaged the deal in March by inserting a poison pill that essentially demanded that the ethnic Russian rebels first surrender. Now, the Ukraine chaos threatens to spiral even further out of control with the neo-Nazis and other right-wing militias supplied with a bounty of weapons to kill ethnic Russians in the east turning on the political leadership in Kiev. In other words, the neocons have struck again, dreaming up a “regime change” scheme that ignored practical realities, such as ethnic and religious fissures. Then, as the blood flowed and the suffering worsened, the neocons just sought out someone else to blame. Thus, it seems unlikely that Nuland, regarded by some in Washington as the new “star” in U.S. foreign policy, will be fired for her dangerous incompetence, just as most neocons who authored the Iraq disaster remain “respected” experts employed by major think tanks, given prized space on op-ed pages, and consulted at the highest levels of the U.S. government.  

IGCSE History Revision Podcast- From one student to another

What caused the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine? Ukraine was one of the administrative units of the Soviet Union from it's foundation in 1922 until it was dissolved in 1991. After this, Ukraine became an independent state, a country in it's own right, which is now controlled by a Unitary semi-presidential republic, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy as President since 2019. Since its independence in 1991, Ukraine has experienced its fair share of problems, such as the Orange Revolution from November 2004 to January 2005 and the Euromaidan protests which lasted from November 2013 to mid-2014, and resulted in the Revolution of Dignity, in which the pro-Russian President, Viktor Yanukovych, was ousted, due to widespread opposition of his policy of moving away from working with the European Union, in favour of establishing a much closer relationship with the Russian Federation. After Yanukovych was ousted, President Putin of Russia began planning for the annexation of Crimea— and this is where the Russo-Ukrainian war begins. If you want some more revision material, you can use the link below to access much more revision information on my website: https://sites.google.com/view/igcse-history-revision/home If you have any suggestions or questions, please fill in this Google Form: https://forms.gle/caEki6L8SzS6wwui7 Become a Paid Subscriber: https://anchor.fm/from1student2another-hist/subscribe Please support and help me improve with a small monthly subscription :) Subscribers can email me at robinjww04historypodcast@gmail.com to let me know what they would like me to feature in these special episodes. CONTACT ME: Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/from1student2another-hist/message Twitter: https://twitter.com/historyF1S2A Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/from1student2anotherhistory/ Email: robinjww04historypodcast@gmail.com THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST IN MY PODCAST! Please subscribe to be notified about any future releases.

Waan of zinnig?
Slava Ukraini: Angst, geweld en verdriet in Oekraïne

Waan of zinnig?

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2022 75:34


Show notes - S2E1: Slava Ukraini·         Biografie Vladimir Poetin: Steven Lee Meyers – The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin (2016): https://www.bol.com/nl/nl/f/new-tsar/9200000019450364/ ·         Geschiedenisboek over historische Russische obsessie met Oekraïne: Anne Applebaum – Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine (2017): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Famine:_Stalin%27s_War_on_Ukraine ·         Uitleg Kleuren- of Oranjerevolutie van 2004 – De eerste keer dat Oekraïners op grote schaal uit de Russische invloedssfeer willen geraken: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Revolution ·         De bijna fatale vergiftiging van toenmalig presidentskandidaat (later president van 2005 tot 2010) Viktor Yushchenko in 2004. Waarschijnlijk georkestreerd door pro-Russische aanhangers van rivaal en latere president (2010-2014), Viktor Yanukovych en misschien wel het Kremlin: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/03/12/remember-when-an-ukrainian-presidential-candidate-fell-mysteriously-ill/ ·         Profiel van Aleksandr Doegin, invloedrijk Kremlin-ideoloog wiens ideeën het Russische beleid in grote mate sturen, ook ten aanzien van Oekraïne: https://www.brainwash.nl/bijdrage/controversieel-kritisch-en-extreem-dit-is-het-brein-van-poetin ·         Het meest invloedrijke boek van Aleksandr Dugin dat dient als hoeksteen voor Ruslands geopolitieke kijk op de wereld en een belangrijke verklaring voor veel van Ruslands buitenlands beleid in de afgelopen twintig jaar. Hierin staat onder meer dat Oekraïne moet worden ingelijfd bij Rusland: Aleksandr Dugin – Foundation of Geopolitics: The Geopolitical Future of Russia (1997): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundations_of_Geopolitics ·         Filmpje over Aleksandr Dugin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFI6fg8NITg  

15 Minutes Ov Flame With Robert Phoenix
2-23-22 15 Minutes -- The Color Revolutions Of Ukraine -- 2/22/14 - 2/22/22

15 Minutes Ov Flame With Robert Phoenix

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2022 88:44


How did we get to where we are now in Ukraine and why did it become a flashpoint? It all started when Viktor Yanukovych was ousted on 2/21/14 and the Neocon putsch in Ukraine is complete on 2/22/14. That was eight years ago.  2014 + 8 = 2022.  Meanwhile, Donetsk and Luhansk begin THEIR independence on 2/22/22 with Pluto in Capricorn at 27 degrees, the same degree as the US Pluto, based upon the initial signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Witness History
Ukraine's 'Maidan Revolution'

Witness History

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2022 10:25


Throughout the winter of 2013/14 protesters built barricades and camped out in the centre of Kyiv demanding change. The focus was the Maidan, Kyiv's central Square of Independence. The demonstrators wanted the government of Viktor Yanukovych to move politically towards the EU and away from Russia, but when he refused to sign an agreement with the EU tensions spilled over. In February government forces, and snipers, shot dead 103 protesters and injured many others. Shortly afterwards President Yanukovych fled Ukraine and went to Russia. Elvira Bulat was a businesswoman from Crimea when the protests began. She tells Rebecca Kesby why she packed up her business, to spend that snowy winter in the barricades of the Maidan, and why she still believes Ukraine belongs in Europe. Photo: Kyiv, Ukraine - December 9th 2013. Anti-government protesters stand guard at one of the barricades defending Maidan Square against police. Credit: Etienne De Malglaive/Getty Images.

The Mike Hosking Breakfast
Rod Liddle: Russia rejects UK claim of trying to replace Ukraine leader

The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2022 4:25


Russia's Foreign Ministry on Sunday rejected a British claim that the Kremlin is seeking to replace Ukraine's government with a pro-Moscow administration, and that former Ukrainian lawmaker Yevheniy Murayev is a potential candidate.Britain's Foreign Office on Saturday also named several other Ukrainian politicians it said had links with Russian intelligence services, along with Murayev who is the leader of a small party that has no seats in parliament.Those politicians include Mykola Azarov, a former prime minister under Viktor Yanukovych, the Ukrainian president ousted in a 2014 uprising, and Yanukovych's former chief of staff, Andriy Kluyev."Some of these have contact with Russian intelligence officers currently involved in the planning for an attack on Ukraine," the Foreign Office said.Murayev told The Associated Press via Skype that the British claim "looks ridiculous and funny" and that he has been denied entry to Russia since 2018 on the grounds of being a threat to Russian security. He said that sanction was imposed in the wake of a conflict with Viktor Medvedchuk, Ukraine's most prominent pro-Russia politician and a friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin.Murayev's Nashi party — whose name echoes the former Russian youth movement that supported Putin — is regarded as sympathetic to Russia, but Murayev on Sunday pushed back on characterizing it as pro-Russia."The time of pro-Western and pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine is gone forever," he said in a Facebook post."Everything that does not support the pro-Western path of development of Ukraine is automatically pro-Russian," Murayev told The AP.He also said he supports Ukraine having neutral status and believes that "striving for NATO is tantamount to continuing the war." Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists have been fighting in the country's east since 2014, a conflict that has killed more than 14,000.Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko described Murayev as a significant figure in Ukraine's pro-Russia camp, but added: "Murayev is a second-place player. I don't think Murayev has direct connections in the Kremlin."The U.K. government made the claim based on an intelligence assessment, without providing evidence to back it up. It comes amid high tensions between Moscow and the West over Russia's designs on Ukraine and each side's increasing accusations that the other is planning provocations."The disinformation spread by the British Foreign Office is more evidence that it is the NATO countries, led by the Anglo-Saxons, who are escalating tensions around Ukraine," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on the Telegram messaging app Sunday. "We call on the British Foreign Office to stop provocative activities, stop spreading nonsense."British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the information "shines a light on the extent of Russian activity designed to subvert Ukraine, and is an insight into Kremlin thinking."Truss urged Russia to "deescalate, end its campaigns of aggression and disinformation, and pursue a path of diplomacy," and reiterated Britain's view that "any Russian military incursion into Ukraine would be a massive strategic mistake with severe costs."Britain has sent anti-tank weapons to Ukraine as part of efforts to bolster the country's defenses against a potential Russian attack.Mark Galeotti, who has written extensively on Russian security services, said: "I can't help but be skeptical" about the British claim."This is one of those situations where it is hard to know whether what we're facing is a genuine threat, a misunderstanding of the inevitable overtures that were being made to various Ukrainian figures by Russians or 'strategic communication' — which is what we call propaganda these days when we're doing it," Galeotti, who is honorary professor of Slavonic and East European Studies at University College, London,...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Books in Ukrainian Studies
Matthew Frear, "Belarus under Lukashenka: Adaptive Authoritarianism" (Routledge, 2020)

New Books in Ukrainian Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2021 42:26


Often called “Europe's last dictator”, Alexander Lukashenka has ruled Belarus – a land-locked European country of close to 10 million people bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Poland and two Baltic states - since 1994. For more than a quarter-century, his regime has consistently rigged votes but blatant election fraud in 2020 triggered rolling protests that spread beyond the usual suspects and beyond Minsk and appear, for the first time, to threaten Lukashenka's hold on power. Will he survive? Who is this former border guard and collective-farm manager, and how did he hang on to power while the likes of Slobodan Milošević and Viktor Yanukovych fell? Using the framework of “adaptive authoritarianism”, Belarus under Lukashenka: Adaptive Authoritarianism (Routledge, 2020) explains how and hints at what may happen next. Matthew Frear is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of History at Leiden University. He researches Russian and Eurasian politics, and comparative authoritarianism with a special focus on Belarus. He holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham and previously taught there and at Aston University before joining Leiden in 2013. *The author's own book recommendation is In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century by Geert Mak, translated by Sam Garrett (Vintage, 2008). Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Global Advisors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books in European Studies
Matthew Frear, "Belarus under Lukashenka: Adaptive Authoritarianism" (Routledge, 2020)

New Books in European Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2021 42:26


Often called “Europe’s last dictator”, Alexander Lukashenka has ruled Belarus – a land-locked European country of close to 10 million people bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Poland and two Baltic states - since 1994. For more than a quarter-century, his regime has consistently rigged votes but blatant election fraud in 2020 triggered rolling protests that spread beyond the usual suspects and beyond Minsk and appear, for the first time, to threaten Lukashenka's hold on power. Will he survive? Who is this former border guard and collective-farm manager, and how did he hang on to power while the likes of Slobodan Milošević and Viktor Yanukovych fell? Using the framework of “adaptive authoritarianism”, Belarus under Lukashenka: Adaptive Authoritarianism (Routledge, 2020) explains how and hints at what may happen next. Matthew Frear is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of History at Leiden University. He researches Russian and Eurasian politics, and comparative authoritarianism with a special focus on Belarus. He holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham and previously taught there and at Aston University before joining Leiden in 2013. *The author's own book recommendation is In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century by Geert Mak, translated by Sam Garrett (Vintage, 2008). Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Global Advisors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/european-studies

New Books Network
Matthew Frear, "Belarus under Lukashenka: Adaptive Authoritarianism" (Routledge, 2020)

New Books Network

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2021 42:26


Often called “Europe’s last dictator”, Alexander Lukashenka has ruled Belarus – a land-locked European country of close to 10 million people bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Poland and two Baltic states - since 1994. For more than a quarter-century, his regime has consistently rigged votes but blatant election fraud in 2020 triggered rolling protests that spread beyond the usual suspects and beyond Minsk and appear, for the first time, to threaten Lukashenka's hold on power. Will he survive? Who is this former border guard and collective-farm manager, and how did he hang on to power while the likes of Slobodan Milošević and Viktor Yanukovych fell? Using the framework of “adaptive authoritarianism”, Belarus under Lukashenka: Adaptive Authoritarianism (Routledge, 2020) explains how and hints at what may happen next. Matthew Frear is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of History at Leiden University. He researches Russian and Eurasian politics, and comparative authoritarianism with a special focus on Belarus. He holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham and previously taught there and at Aston University before joining Leiden in 2013. *The author's own book recommendation is In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century by Geert Mak, translated by Sam Garrett (Vintage, 2008). Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Global Advisors. 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

New Books in Eastern European Studies
Matthew Frear, "Belarus under Lukashenka: Adaptive Authoritarianism" (Routledge, 2020)

New Books in Eastern European Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2021 42:26


Often called “Europe’s last dictator”, Alexander Lukashenka has ruled Belarus – a land-locked European country of close to 10 million people bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Poland and two Baltic states - since 1994. For more than a quarter-century, his regime has consistently rigged votes but blatant election fraud in 2020 triggered rolling protests that spread beyond the usual suspects and beyond Minsk and appear, for the first time, to threaten Lukashenka's hold on power. Will he survive? Who is this former border guard and collective-farm manager, and how did he hang on to power while the likes of Slobodan Milošević and Viktor Yanukovych fell? Using the framework of “adaptive authoritarianism”, Belarus under Lukashenka: Adaptive Authoritarianism (Routledge, 2020) explains how and hints at what may happen next. Matthew Frear is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of History at Leiden University. He researches Russian and Eurasian politics, and comparative authoritarianism with a special focus on Belarus. He holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham and previously taught there and at Aston University before joining Leiden in 2013. *The author's own book recommendation is In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century by Geert Mak, translated by Sam Garrett (Vintage, 2008). Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Global Advisors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/eastern-european-studies

New Books in Political Science
Matthew Frear, "Belarus under Lukashenka: Adaptive Authoritarianism" (Routledge, 2020)

New Books in Political Science

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2021 42:26


Often called “Europe’s last dictator”, Alexander Lukashenka has ruled Belarus – a land-locked European country of close to 10 million people bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Poland and two Baltic states - since 1994. For more than a quarter-century, his regime has consistently rigged votes but blatant election fraud in 2020 triggered rolling protests that spread beyond the usual suspects and beyond Minsk and appear, for the first time, to threaten Lukashenka's hold on power. Will he survive? Who is this former border guard and collective-farm manager, and how did he hang on to power while the likes of Slobodan Milošević and Viktor Yanukovych fell? Using the framework of “adaptive authoritarianism”, Belarus under Lukashenka: Adaptive Authoritarianism (Routledge, 2020) explains how and hints at what may happen next. Matthew Frear is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of History at Leiden University. He researches Russian and Eurasian politics, and comparative authoritarianism with a special focus on Belarus. He holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham and previously taught there and at Aston University before joining Leiden in 2013. *The author's own book recommendation is In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century by Geert Mak, translated by Sam Garrett (Vintage, 2008). Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Global Advisors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

New Books in Russian and Eurasian Studies
Matthew Frear, "Belarus under Lukashenka: Adaptive Authoritarianism" (Routledge, 2020)

New Books in Russian and Eurasian Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2021 42:26


Often called “Europe’s last dictator”, Alexander Lukashenka has ruled Belarus – a land-locked European country of close to 10 million people bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Poland and two Baltic states - since 1994. For more than a quarter-century, his regime has consistently rigged votes but blatant election fraud in 2020 triggered rolling protests that spread beyond the usual suspects and beyond Minsk and appear, for the first time, to threaten Lukashenka's hold on power. Will he survive? Who is this former border guard and collective-farm manager, and how did he hang on to power while the likes of Slobodan Milošević and Viktor Yanukovych fell? Using the framework of “adaptive authoritarianism”, Belarus under Lukashenka: Adaptive Authoritarianism (Routledge, 2020) explains how and hints at what may happen next. Matthew Frear is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of History at Leiden University. He researches Russian and Eurasian politics, and comparative authoritarianism with a special focus on Belarus. He holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham and previously taught there and at Aston University before joining Leiden in 2013. *The author's own book recommendation is In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century by Geert Mak, translated by Sam Garrett (Vintage, 2008). Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Global Advisors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/russian-studies

New Books in European Politics
Matthew Frear, "Belarus under Lukashenka: Adaptive Authoritarianism" (Routledge, 2020)

New Books in European Politics

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2021 42:26


Often called “Europe's last dictator”, Alexander Lukashenka has ruled Belarus – a land-locked European country of close to 10 million people bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Poland and two Baltic states - since 1994. For more than a quarter-century, his regime has consistently rigged votes but blatant election fraud in 2020 triggered rolling protests that spread beyond the usual suspects and beyond Minsk and appear, for the first time, to threaten Lukashenka's hold on power. Will he survive? Who is this former border guard and collective-farm manager, and how did he hang on to power while the likes of Slobodan Milošević and Viktor Yanukovych fell? Using the framework of “adaptive authoritarianism”, Belarus under Lukashenka: Adaptive Authoritarianism (Routledge, 2020) explains how and hints at what may happen next. Matthew Frear is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of History at Leiden University. He researches Russian and Eurasian politics, and comparative authoritarianism with a special focus on Belarus. He holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham and previously taught there and at Aston University before joining Leiden in 2013. *The author's own book recommendation is In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century by Geert Mak, translated by Sam Garrett (Vintage, 2008). Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Global Advisors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Visegrad Insight Podcast
The Roaring Call for Civic Emancipation in Russia and Eastern Europe

Visegrad Insight Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2021 36:28


Last weekend, protests were held in 196 Russian towns and cities following the arrest of Alexei Navalny upon his return to Russia. With a heavy-handed and violent crackdown on protesters, the Kremlin is opting for the same tactics used by Alyaksandr Lukashenka in Belarus and Viktor Yanukovych in response to the Euromaidan in 2013. The possibility of continued instability in the coming weeks and months has implications for the wider region: the events are closely followed all across the Eastern Partnership. To understand regional perceptions and possible futures for Eastern Europe, we invited several experts from the EaP region for initial comments and analysis. We hear from Grigorij Mesežnikov (IVO - Institute of Public Affairs), Hanna Liubakova (Atlantic Council), Zaur Gasimov (University of Bonn), Oksana Forostyna (Yakaboo Publishing), Liana Zakaryan (Citizens Voice and Actions) and Dionis Cenusa (Justus-Liebig-University). This episode is part of the Eastern European Futures (EaP2030) project supported by the German Marshall Fund of the U.S. - Black Sea Trust. Read our scenarios for the Eastern Partnership region: www.visegradinsight.eu/EaP2030/ #Russia #Belarus #Moldova #Azerbaijan #Armenia #Ukraine #Putin #Navalny #EaP2030

Republic Keeper - with Brian O'Kelly
100 - Ukraine - A primer on US involvement (Part 1)

Republic Keeper - with Brian O'Kelly

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2020 49:56


100 – Ukraine Welcome Topics - Ukraine – A history lesson 866-988-8311 info@republickeeper.com Ukraine Ukraine was once Keivan Rus and it was the most powerful state in Europe Why is the location so strategic and the opportunity for corruption so great. There has always been struggle over Ukraine. To control it or to maintain control even when briefly independent. Odessa in the South is like Portland Or. In the West - Kiev is like Everett WA or call North Seattle, Vancouver Canada is the northern border. In the Midwest – Fargo is Odessa, Northern border is Winnipeg East Coasters – Odessa is Montreal, Quebec City is Kiev and then go north for a couple of hundred km to Belarus Gained independence in 1991 Officially Neutral – 1994 – Partnered with NATO In 2004 they had the “Orange Revolution” Yanukovych then PM, was declared winner of the Presidential elections. The elections were rigged, as determined by their supreme court The opposition guy was poisoned with dioxin, probably by Russia. So we stirred the pot – From Wikipedia “Activists of the Orange Revolution were funded and trained in tactics of political organisation and nonviolent resistance by Western pollsters[clarification needed] and professional consultants[who?] who were partly funded by Western government and non-government agencies but received most of their funding from domestic sources.[nb 1][155] According to The Guardian, the foreign donors included the U.S. State Department and USAID along with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, the International Republican Institute, the NGO Freedom House and George Soros's Open Society Institute.[156]” Yanokovych kicked out be re-elected in 2010 Monopolies are dangerous but they existed in a number of arenas, media, energy, rail, etc. After In 2013 Yanukovich decided to suspend the Ukraine-European Union Association Agreement and seek closer economic ties with Russia, a several-months-long wave of demonstrations and protests known as the Euromaidan began, which later escalated into the 2014 Ukrainian revolution that led to the overthrow of Yanukovych and the establishment of a new government. These events formed the background for the annexation of Crimea by Russia in March 2014, and the War in Donbass in April 2014. Just recently - June 24th, 2020 Yanukovych was charged with treason along with his defense minister for using the military on behalf of Russia instead of Ukraine. It’s the same folks who trained these guys who trained the PKK and the KPG we were talking about, they pulled down the statue of Lenin. 12/9 - Monday - LENIN CLIP 12/11 – Wednesday - UKRAINE POLICE PULL OUT 12/11- Nuland - Food 12/13/2013 Friday – Nuland While Ukrainian riot police have reportedly left Kiev's Independence Square, one of the United States' top diplomats says she has told President Viktor Yanukovych that "what happened last night, what has been happening in security terms here, is absolutely impermissible in a European state, in a democratic state." Nuland was in Kiev on Wednesday. She reported that she "spent more than two hours with President Yanukovych. It was a tough conversation, but it was a realistic one. I made it absolutely clear to him that what happened last night, what has been happening in security terms here, is absolutely impermissible in a European state, in a democratic state." But, Nuland added, "we also made clear that we believe there is a way out for Ukraine, that it is still possible to save Ukraine's European future and that is what we want to see the president lead. But that is going to require immediate security steps and getting back into a conversation with Europe and with the International Monetary Fund, and bringing justice and dignity to the people of Ukraine. I have no doubt after our meeting that President Yanukovych knows what he needs to do. The whole world is watching. We want to see a better future for Ukraine." https://www.publicradiotulsa.org/post/world-watching-us-diplomat-tells-ukraine 12/16/2013 – Monday – Senator McCain Audio 12/25/2013 - Anti-government journalist Tetyana Chornovol beaten up in Ukraine 1/15/2014 – Wednesday NULAND Nuland – European Future Nuland – Integrity of the process Sometime in Q1 – Victor Pinchuks company hires Norm Coleman, former MN senator at Hogan & Hartson for $230 – it was the 1st lobbyist in a decade. Continues through now, same firm, different lobbyist. Coleman – was a lib. Bit part of anti war movement, sit ins, etc, 1993 - I am a lifelong Democrat. Some accuse me of being the fiscal conservative in this race—I plead guilty! I'm not afraid to be tight with your tax dollars. Yet, my fiscal conservatism does not mean I am any less progressive in my Democratic ideals. From Bobby Kennedy to George McGovern to Warren Spannaus to Hubert Humphrey to Walter Mondale—my commitment to the great values of our party has remained solid. In 1996 he chaired Paul Wellstone’s re-election campaign. Pivoted to the RNC in Dec 1996. In 2010 he was considered for RNC Chairman. In 2011 he joins the firm and So FF and here’s Normy, now lobbyist for them and Saudi Arabia,   1/24 Friday Protest Riots Spread across Ukraine 1/28/2014 -Tuesday - Parliament votes to annul protest law and President Yanukovych accepts resignation of PM and cabinet 1/29/2014 – Wednesday - Parliament passes amnesty law for detained protesters, under the condition occupied buildings are vacated 2/4/2014 – Tuesday NULAND – PYATT CALL LEAKS 2/6/2014 - Thursday 'This is what you cook for Ukraine?' State Dept Psaki grilled over leaked tape 2/7/2014 – Friday – Fiona Hill Feb 28 2014 – Friday – Russian Troops invade Crimea – CNN Report – Features Chuck Hagel Support request Pray Subscribe & Share Donate

Global Security
‘Putin is obsessed with the idea of legitimacy,’ opposition activist says of ‘sham’ referendum

Global Security

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2020 8:03


The polls are closing on Wednesday after a week of voting in Russia. More than 200 different constitutional amendments are on the ballot.And people get a single vote — yes or no on the entire package of changes. Among them is a provision that would get rid of term limits, potentially allowing President Vladimir Putin to remain in power until 2036. Preliminary results show that the changes will indeed take effect. Related: Diplomats display Pride flags as LGBTQ rights threatened in RussiaRussian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza has been following the vote closely. He spoke with The World's Marco Werman about what this means for the future of Russia.  Marco Werman: Exit polls show these amendments are passing with flying colors. What does this mean for Russia?Vladimir Kara-Murza: Before I start answering your question, I think it is very important to state that half of what you just said in this sentence should be put in quotation marks. You know, "exit polls," "voting results." This sham procedure that Vladimir Putin has organized has nothing — and I want to stress, nothing to do with a genuine Democratic vote. Had there been a real referendum on whether Putin can stay in power beyond 2024 when his current and supposedly final mandate runs out, he would have lost that referendum. That much is absolutely clear from trends in Russian public opinion.And so the Kremlin, you know, having realized full well that they would never win an honest vote, they are holding this sham exercise, the sham plebiscite. As you just said, there was weeklong voting. Of course, you know, every night those ballots are stored in the offices of electoral commissioners with no kind of independent oversight control. There are no international observers being invited. The only so-called international experts present are representatives of far-right parties in Europe, from Germany, Sweden, Bulgaria. You know, the far-right seems to be the biggest allies of Vladimir Putin abroad.Related: After decades in the shadows, Russia's feminists grab their spotlightSo, for you, the outcomes of this "referendum" — it sounds like they've already been settled on. Why even hold it?Well, because I think Vladimir Putin is obsessed with the idea of legitimacy. Otherwise, he would not have gone through this sham exercise, and I think here is where the international aspect is very important. You know, Vladimir Putin clearly wants to be accepted and recognized as a fellow legitimate leader. He wants to be invited to G-8 summits, he wants to have those high-level meetings, he wants to have this red-carpet treatment. This is why, you know, for all those years before, even while violating the spirit of the law of the rule of law, Vladimir Putin has been careful about, you know, keeping the pretenses and sort of adhering to the letter.We know that Russia hasn't had a real democratic election in a long time now. All the genuine opponents of the regime are removed, disqualified from the ballot, like Alexei Navalny was, for example, in 2018, who wanted to run against Vladimir Putin. But there was sort of an election, quote-unquote. So, up to now, Vladimir Putin has been careful to follow the letter of the law, even while violating its spirit. What's happening this week is substantively different. He chose the most unsophisticated, the most banal way that was used by our dictators all over the map, from Venezuela to Egypt to Uzbekistan to Burkina Faso in previous years and simply waving term limits, subverting constitutional term limits to stay in power beyond the end of his mandate. And I think it is very, very important that the international community, that the democratic nations of the world, what we call the free world, led by the United States, takes a very clear position that it is not accepting this power grab, that even though Vladimir Putin has now been an illegitimate de facto for a long time, he now, as of today, becomes illegitimate de jure.That is a very important stance I think that the international community, including the United States, should be making now. And what it means for the Russian domestic context, I think, again, you know, it's been clear for a very long time that in the system — in the authoritarian system that Vladimir Putin has created — political changes in Russia will not be decided at the ballot box. They will be one day decided on the streets. It will not happen today, will not happen next week, and it will most likely not even happen next year, but it will certainly happen much sooner than 2036.From 2017: Putin critic Alexei Navalny given five-year suspended jail term So, what was Putin's reason for having this referendum held in the first place? I mean, surely he didn't telegraph his desires to stay in power to the whole world?Well, he actually did, and he said publicly on Russian state television that he is, quote-unquote, “considering” which, as you know, in his language, means that he has decided to run again in 2024. And in fact, you know, you mentioned at the outset of our discussion that there are 206 constitutional amendments in this package that are being offered for a supposedly yes or no vote.Well, out of those 206, I mean, there are different types of amendments. Some of these are harmful. Some of these are meaningless. But all of them, well, I should say 205 out of the 206 are a smoke screen. And the only real amendment, the only reason for all of this exercise is one amendment not, by the way, abolishing term limits, but waving them specifically for one individual, for Vladimir Putin personally and allowing him to remain in power after the end of his mandate in 2024.  Related: Russia's cabinet resigns and it's all part of Putin's plan  So, I know this referendum is a yes or no vote. Have you actually seen a ballot and the list of all these 206 amendments? And where does the term limit one set in all of that? Like is Putin literally trying to hide that one among all these others?They are actually trying to hide it. There was the official website set up by the Central Electoral Commission, which kind of outlines all of these amendments. They didn't mention that one — the most important — and only after it was pointed out by the media. And, you know, the opposition groups said that they had to include it on the list. But to answer your question, I haven't seen the ballot and I haven't voted yet myself. I'll go in a couple of hours, so as of the time of speaking to you now, I've not yet taken up my own ballot. I will do that because I just, you know, this is emotionally important for myself to know that I went and said no to Putin's dictatorship.There is a kind of split opinion in the Russian opposition of how to approach this exercise. Many of my colleagues — and I fully respect their view — advocate for a boycott because, you know, it's not a meaningful procedure. It's a sham. It's a farce. It's a spectacle. And so why participate in it? That's one position that I fully respect that. I subscribe myself more to the view that we should use every opportunity we have as Russian citizens to say no to this corrupt and dictatorial system. And so personally, I will in a couple of hours, go and take up my ballot and vote no. I know it will not change anything this time. Again, as I already said, you know, these types of authoritarian regimes, real political changes is made on the streets, not at the ballot boxes.Related: Russia's next generation is ready to remake their world Help us understand something — because Russia does have an opposition movement. You're one of the more vocal people in it. But leading up to this vote, there hasn't been a wave of protests or strong movement to boycott the vote. Why is that?Well, first of all, when you say that Russia has an opposition, you know, Russia had a leader of the opposition whose name was Boris Nemtsov. He was the former deputy prime minister, he was the most prominent and the most effective and most vocal political opponent of President Vladimir Putin. A little more than five years ago, Boris Nemtsov was assassinated, gunned down by five bullets in the back as he walked across a bridge right in front of the Kremlin in Moscow.So, when we talk about the opposition in Russia, let's be careful about terminology. We do not have a democratic system of government. We haven't had one for almost 20 years now. And our most prominent leader of the opposition is dead because he was killed in the middle of Moscow and to this day, five years on, the organizers and masterminds of his murder continue to be fully shielded and fully protected by the highest levels.Related: 'Between Two Fires' looks at the complexities of life in Putin's Russia You would call it an opposition, but not a movement?No, I mean, you're right to say, of course, we are the opposition. As Boris Nemtsov himself said in one of his last interviews before his death, we should be better referred to as dissidents than opposition leaders. You asked why there are no public protests. Well, first of all, because they are banned, because several times when the opponents of these amendments have tried to organize street rallies in Russian cities, they were forbidden to do so by the authorities — of course, under the pretext of the pandemic.So, there's no trouble withholding a vote with tens of millions of people because of the pandemic. There's no problem there. And somebody tries to organize a rally against these amendments? Oh, no, no, no. That's going to be dangerous. No rallies allowed. Actually, as we speak now, there is a spontaneous street protest happening on Pushkin Square right in the middle of Moscow, where people are being dispersed and attacked and arrested and led away by the police, as usual. So, let's watch what happens in the next few months.I guess I'm scratching my head because last summer, municipal elections prompted big demonstrations. So, why is something as consequential as this raft of constitutional amendments, including waiving term limits for Putin — why is that not pushing people out into the streets for the nation?  Well, first of all, it is, as I mentioned, now as we speak, there are demonstrations breaking out in Moscow. But again —Well it’s a small one —— and again, I think it might be sort of obvious for me as a Russian citizen, but I think maybe it needs to be spelled out again for our audience in the United States that, you know, when people go and demonstrate in the US that they are constitutionally protected. They have the right to demonstrate and that right is generally respected by the authorities. You know, in Russia, when you go to demonstrate against the government, you can be beaten up, you can be detained, you can be arrested, you could get several years' term in prison.You know, you mentioned those demonstrations last year in Moscow. There are still people in prison today, a year after the fact, for having gone out to those demonstrations to exercise their rights of freedom of assembly. So, first of all, let's not take this lightly. It's not just why don't people go out and demonstrate. People have to calculate that they can end up 10 years in prison if they go and demonstrate.But I think the astonishing fact is, that even despite this repression and despite this danger and despite the fact that people can face real prison terms for going out to demonstrate, there are still a lot of people in Russia today who are prepared to publicly voice their opposition against the Putin regime. Again, let us see what happens in the next few months, especially as these quarantine measures will be eventually lifted.Related: Russia's youth flex their political power Do you believe Putin will stay in power until 2036?  No, I do not believe that for a second, and speaking to a lot of people and my friends and colleagues in Russia, I have yet to meet a single person who actually believes that Putin will stay in power until 2036. I want to remind you —But what would stop him?— not just would, but what will stop him will be organized public resistance from Russian society. The same factor that stopped authoritarian regimes that other countries where dictators also wanted to stay in power for life or for a long time — [Slobodan] Milošević in Serbia, [Viktor] Yanukovych in Ukraine, [Serzh] Sargsyan in Armenia. And I can long continue this list of would-be strongmen and dictators who wanted to stay in power for life until their citizens, their people told them otherwise.Related: Presidents aren't immune to treason convictions. Just look to Ukraine. You've lived through a lot in Russian politics and public life. Some listeners may know that your life was in danger on multiple occasions and you were poisoned twice and miraculously survived. Vladimir Kara-Murza, after a day like today, how do you refocus? How do you retain hope as a Russian opposition activist?Well, in a way, nothing changes because I think it's been clear to many of our colleagues and many Russian citizens since at least 2003 — so for about 17 years now — that Vladimir Putin wants to remain in power as long as he remains physically alive. So, there's sort of nothing new in this. And going back to what you asked a few minutes ago, the only thing that can, and the only thing that, in the end, will stop Vladimir Putin and his authoritarian regime from realizing these plans is organized public resistance from Russian citizens.But it is also very, very important to have a strong and principled position of the international community, of the free world, led by the United States, that should not allow Vladimir Putin's regime to get away with this power grab. They should not accept this constitutional coup d'etat. No more invitations to the G-8, no more high-level visits, no red-carpet treatment. Vladimir Putin from this day de jure, belongs to the same league of rogue authoritarian regimes as you know, in their day, [Hugo] Chávez in Venezuela, [Blaise] Compaoré in Burkina Faso, [Islam] Karimov in Uzbekistan and many, many others. And this should be said publicly and clearly from the highest rostrum in the Western world.This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 

LRC Presents: All the President's Lawyers
Dropping the charges against Michael Flynn

LRC Presents: All the President's Lawyers

Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2020 35:21


Just after last week’s episode, the Department of Justice moved to drop the false statements charge against former national security adviser Michael Flynn, a charge he already pleaded guilty to in 2017. The Justice Department says the case should never have been brought, that whatever misstatements he made about his dealings with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak were not material to an ongoing investigation, and as such he should not have been charged for making them. Did they, in fact, misuse the law compared to how it’s otherwise used against other federal defendants? In other words, is this a broad policy or philosophy change for the Department of Justice, or is this...just for Michael Flynn? Ken says the government has never made this argument before and it’s unlikely they’ll ever do it again. The ball is now in Judge Emmet Sullivan’s court. What are his options? Oral arguments were held yesterday in the three cases that concern subpoenas for the president’s financial records (two cases from the House of Representatives and one from New York state attorney general Cy Vance). How did the arguments go? There was news this week that prestigious law firm Skadden Arps paid $11 million to settle a dispute with Yulia Tymoshenko, the former Ukrainian prime minister who was jailed by the government of Viktor Yanukovych...who was represented by Skadden. That’s a lot of money. What could be going on there?  Plus: Paul Manafort is released from federal custody to home confinement, Bridgegate, and big boy federal crimes.

The Peace Corner Podcast
Educate to Mediate: Shaping Future Peacebuilders in Ukraine (S03E07)

The Peace Corner Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2020 34:20


2013 was a significant year in Ukraine. On 21st November 2013, a student-led protest broke out in response to Ukraine's former President Viktor Yanukovych's decision to end talks on a Ukraine-European Union Association Agreement. Referred to as ‘Euromaidan', it began peacefully, however, as this march gained traction, it was met with violence from the police. Older generations began to join the students, expanding the civil resistance against the use of authoritarian power. Tensions erupted again on the 20th February 2014, which would later be known as ‘the Revolution of Dignity'. Scenes of street clashes, petrol bombs and the shooting of protesters flooded television screens and newspapers. To shed some light on these events and the role that peace education played, we sat down with Roman Koval, Founder and Head of Board at the Institute for Peace and Common Ground. Roman highlights how education in schools can shape and form the lives of peacebuilders. He shares personal stories of training those who went on to negotiate and mitigate violent conflict in the Maidan protests. To find out how Roman helped to shift mediation from the classroom to the streets of Ukraine, tune in here! Music credit: 'Coffee Shopping' by Bruno Freitas, licensed under hooksounds.com.

It Might Be Interesting
Se 01 Ep 08: Rupert Recuses from Putin's Playbook

It Might Be Interesting

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2019 50:06


There are many things to be said in regards to Brexit, Trump's rise to power, Putin's push against NATO and Rupert Murdoch's unwillingness to give it fair coverage of these events at his best, and at his worst an all out promotion of all of them. In this episode, we look at the history of Rupert Murdoch and his life in the news business, as well as his well know scandals, personal ambition, as well as his provision of shade over the operations of Putin and Trump on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. What draws these characters together can seem to be speculative at times, but so much of it is easily found in newspapers and television shows, not to mention documentaries, that it makes it hard to really call it conspiratorial.  This episode also covers the ascension of Vladimir Putin, his penchant for criminal behavior, his hatred of democratic values and the countries who support it. One of Putin's long term desires is to reunite the Soviet Union, and what stands in his way is liberal democracy, NATO as well as trade agreements between the EU, US, UK and Western allies.  What lengths do those in power go to stay in power? What length would Putin go? Why does Murdoch promote his agenda, either on purpose or accident, in both the US and UK? We'll take a look in this episode and hope you find it interesting. ReferencesBryan, J. (Director). (2018). Active Measures [Motion Picture].Chotiner, I. (2019, Mar 20). The Atlantic. Retrieved from Donna Brazile Explains Why She’s Working for Fox News: https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/donna-brazile-explains-why-she-is-working-for-fox-newsDetrick, H. (2018, Jan 16). Fortune. Retrieved from What You Need to Know About Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Wendi Deng Murdoch, and Chinese Spying: https://fortune.com/2018/01/16/kushner-trump-deng-murdoch-china-spy/Frontline.Org. (2015, Jan 13). Putin's Way. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/putins-way/Frontline.Org. (2017, Oct 25). Putin's Revenge. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/putins-revenge/Hemmer, N. (2014, Jan 17). The Atlantic. Retrieved from The Conservative War on Liberal Media Has a Long History: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/01/the-conservative-war-on-liberal-media-has-a-long-history/283149/Hosenball, M., & Bryanski, G. (2012, Mar 9). Reuters. Retrieved from FBI looking at Murdoch operations in Russia: https://www.reuters.com/article/murdoch-russia/fbi-looking-at-murdoch-operations-in-russia-idUSL2E8E7HJN20120309Mahler, J., & Rutenberg, J. (2019, Apr 3). The New York Times. Retrieved from How Rupert Murdoch's Empire of Influance Changed the World: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/03/magazine/rupert-murdoch-fox-news-trump.htmlMayer, J. (2019, Mar 4). The New Yorker. Retrieved from The Making of the Fox News White House: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/03/11/the-making-of-the-fox-news-white-houseReuters. (2019, Jun 27). Russia's Putin says liberal values are obsolete: Financial Times. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-putin-europe-values/russias-putin-says-liberal-values-are-obsolete-financial-times-idUSKCN1TS2UFRoth, A. (2019, Jan 25). The Guardian. Retrieved from Ukraine's ex-president Viktor Yanukovych found guilty of treason: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/25/ukraine-ex-president-viktor-yanukovych-found-guilty-of-treasonNewstalk. (2019, Jun 15). Why Does Rupert Murdoch want a Brexit. Retrieved from https://www.newstalk.com/business/why-does-rupert-murdoch-want-a-brexit-592236Reuters. (2019, Jul 9). Reuters. Retrieved from Russia's Putin says wind power harmful to birds and worms: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-putin-renewables/russias-putin-says-wind-power-harmful-to-birds-and-worms-idUSKCN1U422XReuters. (2019, Jun 27). Reuters. Retrieved from Russia's Putin says liberal values are obsolete: Financial Times: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-putin-europe-values/russias-putin-says-liberal-values-are-obsolete-financial-times-idUSKCN1TS2UFSyal, R., Mason, R., & O'Carrol, L. (2019, Jul 23). The Guardian. Retrieved from Sky executive among Johnson's first appointments: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/23/sky-executive-among-johnson-first-appointments-andrew-griffith-munira-mirza 

It Might Be Interesting
Se 01 Ep.05: The Media Diet (part 3 Finale)

It Might Be Interesting

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2019 32:27


The Media Diet (part 3)Have you ever met someone who just made bad arguments and could not carefully or accurately define what their position was on any given topic? Perhaps their reactions were knee-jerk, explosive or just ill-informed. What if that same person was given a platform where in they broadcasted into millions of American's living rooms each night? Dialog and understanding comes from gaining perspective on nuance and allowing a deeper understanding of any given topic. This episode looks at An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments by Ali Almossawi and we discuss a handful of the bad arguments made by partisan media companies. We also look at the history of the Fairness Doctrine, a deregulated staple of broadcast media, and how conservative media outlets traditionally viewed it. We also look at claims of bias in the media, typically from the political right, and outline what drives these claims and what the history surrounding the accusations stem from. When you hear claims that a paper, or program, or reporter you enjoy is accused of being "liberal", what does that claim stand upon. How can we test the fairness of the person making that claim? Or the fairness of the news they consume?  We all have a family member, friend or acquaintance hooked on a partisan news organization. Perhaps it's time we ask them to consider consuming something more neutral. Please share our podcast with the family/friend who you feel could benefit from being a bit more objective.  ReferencesAd Fontes Media. (2018). Meida Bias Chart. Retrieved from Media Bias Chart: Version 4.0: https://www.adfontesmedia.com/Almossawi, A. (2013). An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments. In A. Almossawi. New York, NY: The Experiement Publishing.Bryan, J. (Director). (2018). Active Measures [Motion Picture].Chotiner, I. (2019, Mar 20). The Atlantic. Retrieved from Donna Brazile Explains Why She’s Working for Fox News: https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/donna-brazile-explains-why-she-is-working-for-fox-newsDetrick, H. (2018, Jan 16). Fortune. Retrieved from What You Need to Know About Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Wendi Deng Murdoch, and Chinese Spying: https://fortune.com/2018/01/16/kushner-trump-deng-murdoch-china-spy/Frontline.Org. (2015, Jan 13). Putin's Way. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/putins-way/Frontline.Org. (2017, Oct 25). Putin's Revenge. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/putins-revenge/Gibson, J., Claassen, C., & Barcelo, J. (2019, Jan). Deplorables: Emotions, Political Sophistication, and Political Intolerance. American Politics Research, 1-21.Gilbert, G. (1945). Nuremberg Diary. In G. Gilbert. Farrar, Straus, 1947.Gottfried, J., Stocking, G., & Grieco, E. (2018). Partisans Remain Sharply Divided in Their Attitudes About the News Media. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.journalism.org/2018/09/25/partisans-remain-sharply-divided-in-their-attitudes-about-the-news-media/Gruenwald, J. (2011, Jun  . The Atlantic. Retrieved from The Fairness Doctrine Is Dead: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/06/the-fairness-doctrine-is-dead/240147/Hemmer, N. (2014, Jan 17). The Atlantic. Retrieved from The Conservative War on Liberal Media Has a Long History: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/01/the-conservative-war-on-liberal-media-has-a-long-history/283149/Hosenball, M., & Bryanski, G. (2012, Mar 9). Reuters. Retrieved from FBI looking at Murdoch operations in Russia: https://www.reuters.com/article/murdoch-russia/fbi-looking-at-murdoch-operations-in-russia-idUSL2E8E7HJN20120309Mahler, J., & Rutenberg, J. (2019, Apr 3). The New York Times. Retrieved from How Rupert Murdoch's Empire of Influance Changed the World: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/03/magazine/rupert-murdoch-fox-news-trump.htmlMayer, J. (2019, Mar 4). The New Yorker. Retrieved from The Making of the Fox News White House: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/03/11/the-making-of-the-fox-news-white-houseNoggle, R. (2018, Aug). www.aeon.co. Retrieved from How to tell the difference between persuasion and manipulation: https://aeon.co/ideas/how-to-tell-the-difference-between-persuasion-and-manipulation?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ios_share_flow_optimization&utm_term=enabledPiacenza, J. (2019, apr 9). Morning Consult. Retrieved from Media Credibility Perceptions Are Down, Due to Republicans: https://morningconsult.com/2019/04/09/media-credibility-perceptions-are-down-thanks-to-republicans/Reuters. (2019, Jun 27). Russia's Putin says liberal values are obsolete: Financial Times. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-putin-europe-values/russias-putin-says-liberal-values-are-obsolete-financial-times-idUSKCN1TS2UFRoth, A. (2019, Jan 25). The Guardian. Retrieved from Ukraine's ex-president Viktor Yanukovych found guilty of treason: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/25/ukraine-ex-president-viktor-yanukovych-found-guilty-of-treason

It Might Be Interesting
Se 01 Ep.04: The Media Diet (part 2)

It Might Be Interesting

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2019 34:59


The Media Diet (part 2) If one wants to see into the bottom of what bad news and disinformation look like, one need only to look at the Nazi Party. This episode will continue to look at the media diet and the positive effects it can have. We also discuss what we call the Nazi power tool and how it is used to divide an audience. Using this power tool does not make one a Nazi, but rather provides them with the same tool for splitting the room and creating fear. We also look at the use of fear, hatred and anger as a means of coercing and motivating segments of groups and society. Countering these narratives can be difficult, and we look at what scholars have found is the most effective tool to stand up to emotional influence, political sophistication. We also look at where these tools are being used in modern American media, what it sounds like, and what the true intent is behind using them. As stated, using one of these tools does not make one a Nazi, but it will have a dramatic affect on your audience, and the bigger the microphone, the bigger the affect. Lastly we look at the algorithm used by one of America's favorite 24 hour news networks to create brand loyalty and buy-in. This has been one of our favorite topics and we will continue to look at media and its affects for just a bit longer.   ReferencesAd Fontes Media. (2018). Meida Bias Chart. Retrieved from Media Bias Chart: Version 4.0: https://www.adfontesmedia.com/Almossawi, A. (2013). An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments. In A. Almossawi. New York, NY: The Experiement Publishing.Bryan, J. (Director). (2018). Active Measures [Motion Picture].Chotiner, I. (2019, Mar 20). The Atlantic. Retrieved from Donna Brazile Explains Why She’s Working for Fox News: https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/donna-brazile-explains-why-she-is-working-for-fox-newsDetrick, H. (2018, Jan 16). Fortune. Retrieved from What You Need to Know About Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Wendi Deng Murdoch, and Chinese Spying: https://fortune.com/2018/01/16/kushner-trump-deng-murdoch-china-spy/Frontline.Org. (2015, Jan 13). Putin's Way. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/putins-way/Frontline.Org. (2017, Oct 25). Putin's Revenge. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/putins-revenge/Gibson, J., Claassen, C., & Barcelo, J. (2019, Jan). Deplorables: Emotions, Political Sophistication, and Political Intolerance. American Politics Research, 1-21.Gilbert, G. (1945). Nuremberg Diary. In G. Gilbert. Farrar, Straus, 1947.Gottfried, J., Stocking, G., & Grieco, E. (2018). Partisans Remain Sharply Divided in Their Attitudes About the News Media. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.journalism.org/2018/09/25/partisans-remain-sharply-divided-in-their-attitudes-about-the-news-media/Gruenwald, J. (2011, Jun  . The Atlantic. Retrieved from The Fairness Doctrine Is Dead: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/06/the-fairness-doctrine-is-dead/240147/Hemmer, N. (2014, Jan 17). The Atlantic. Retrieved from The Conservative War on Liberal Media Has a Long History: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/01/the-conservative-war-on-liberal-media-has-a-long-history/283149/Hosenball, M., & Bryanski, G. (2012, Mar 9). Reuters. Retrieved from FBI looking at Murdoch operations in Russia: https://www.reuters.com/article/murdoch-russia/fbi-looking-at-murdoch-operations-in-russia-idUSL2E8E7HJN20120309Mahler, J., & Rutenberg, J. (2019, Apr 3). The New York Times. Retrieved from How Rupert Murdoch's Empire of Influance Changed the World: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/03/magazine/rupert-murdoch-fox-news-trump.htmlMayer, J. (2019, Mar 4). The New Yorker. Retrieved from The Making of the Fox News White House: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/03/11/the-making-of-the-fox-news-white-houseNoggle, R. (2018, Aug). www.aeon.co. Retrieved from How to tell the difference between persuasion and manipulation: https://aeon.co/ideas/how-to-tell-the-difference-between-persuasion-and-manipulation?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ios_share_flow_optimization&utm_term=enabledPiacenza, J. (2019, apr 9). Morning Consult. Retrieved from Media Credibility Perceptions Are Down, Due to Republicans: https://morningconsult.com/2019/04/09/media-credibility-perceptions-are-down-thanks-to-republicans/Reuters. (2019, Jun 27). Russia's Putin says liberal values are obsolete: Financial Times. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-putin-europe-values/russias-putin-says-liberal-values-are-obsolete-financial-times-idUSKCN1TS2UFRoth, A. (2019, Jan 25). The Guardian. Retrieved from Ukraine's ex-president Viktor Yanukovych found guilty of treason: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/25/ukraine-ex-president-viktor-yanukovych-found-guilty-of-treason

It Might Be Interesting
Se 01 Ep.03: The Media Diet (part 1)

It Might Be Interesting

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2019 43:12


The Media Diet (part 1) Why do people argue over whose news organization is more reliable? Has it always been that way? Why did early broadcasters try and be as neutral as possible, and why are media sources online deliberately partisan today? Is it helping? It's absolutely critical that democracies have news organizations that present fact based reporting in an easily digestible ways in order to inform and instruct the public so that they may make informed and accurate decisions. Calls of bias and tilted media have been around for a long time, but what tools can be used to determine what is good media vs. bad media?It can be confusing to be online and see multiple sources reporting the same story in various different methods. It can cause people to become upset, angry, frustrated and ultimately it can cause people to simply shut it off. Perhaps this isn't the proper solution. Perhaps what the country needs is to go on a media diet. To shave off a few pounds of partisan fat and go for the nutrition they've been missing out on. This podcast examines a method devised to assist in examining media bias, and the importance of fact based reporting. It also looks at one of the most effective marketing gimmicks in partisan media and how it has an effect of creating brand preference within various viewer's perception of the news organizations they most prefer. We look at the most trusted organizations as well as least insightful. It also discusses a good litmus test for determining what news can be avoided, as well as the messenger effect. Please join us on the media diet and pass this along to that friend or family member, work colleague or acquaintance who you know to be hooked on partisan media.    ReferencesAd Fontes Media. (2018). Meida Bias Chart. Retrieved from Media Bias Chart: Version 4.0: https://www.adfontesmedia.com/Almossawi, A. (2013). An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments. In A. Almossawi. New York, NY: The Experiement Publishing.Bryan, J. (Director). (2018). Active Measures [Motion Picture].Chotiner, I. (2019, Mar 20). The Atlantic. Retrieved from Donna Brazile Explains Why She’s Working for Fox News: https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/donna-brazile-explains-why-she-is-working-for-fox-newsDetrick, H. (2018, Jan 16). Fortune. Retrieved from What You Need to Know About Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Wendi Deng Murdoch, and Chinese Spying: https://fortune.com/2018/01/16/kushner-trump-deng-murdoch-china-spy/Frontline.Org. (2015, Jan 13). Putin's Way. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/putins-way/Frontline.Org. (2017, Oct 25). Putin's Revenge. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/putins-revenge/Gibson, J., Claassen, C., & Barcelo, J. (2019, Jan). Deplorables: Emotions, Political Sophistication, and Political Intolerance. American Politics Research, 1-21.Gilbert, G. (1945). Nuremberg Diary. In G. Gilbert. Farrar, Straus, 1947.Gottfried, J., Stocking, G., & Grieco, E. (2018). Partisans Remain Sharply Divided in Their Attitudes About the News Media. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.journalism.org/2018/09/25/partisans-remain-sharply-divided-in-their-attitudes-about-the-news-media/Gruenwald, J. (2011, Jun 8). The Atlantic. Retrieved from The Fairness Doctrine Is Dead: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/06/the-fairness-doctrine-is-dead/240147/Hemmer, N. (2014, Jan 17). The Atlantic. Retrieved from The Conservative War on Liberal Media Has a Long History: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/01/the-conservative-war-on-liberal-media-has-a-long-history/283149/Hosenball, M., & Bryanski, G. (2012, Mar 9). Reuters. Retrieved from FBI looking at Murdoch operations in Russia: https://www.reuters.com/article/murdoch-russia/fbi-looking-at-murdoch-operations-in-russia-idUSL2E8E7HJN20120309Mahler, J., & Rutenberg, J. (2019, Apr 3). The New York Times. Retrieved from How Rupert Murdoch's Empire of Influance Changed the World: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/03/magazine/rupert-murdoch-fox-news-trump.htmlMayer, J. (2019, Mar 4). The New Yorker. Retrieved from The Making of the Fox News White House: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/03/11/the-making-of-the-fox-news-white-houseNoggle, R. (2018, Aug). www.aeon.co. Retrieved from How to tell the difference between persuasion and manipulation: https://aeon.co/ideas/how-to-tell-the-difference-between-persuasion-and-manipulation?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ios_share_flow_optimization&utm_term=enabledPiacenza, J. (2019, apr 9). Morning Consult. Retrieved from Media Credibility Perceptions Are Down, Due to Republicans: https://morningconsult.com/2019/04/09/media-credibility-perceptions-are-down-thanks-to-republicans/Reuters. (2019, Jun 27). Russia's Putin says liberal values are obsolete: Financial Times. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-putin-europe-values/russias-putin-says-liberal-values-are-obsolete-financial-times-idUSKCN1TS2UFRoth, A. (2019, Jan 25). The Guardian. Retrieved from Ukraine's ex-president Viktor Yanukovych found guilty of treason: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/25/ukraine-ex-president-viktor-yanukovych-found-guilty-of-treason  

#GoRight with Peter Boykin
Pence-Buttigieg feud heats up While Barr feels backlash after saying Trump campaign was spied on #MAGAFirstNews with @PeterBoykin

#GoRight with Peter Boykin

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2019 10:30


Pence-Buttigieg feud heats up While Barr feels backlash after saying Trump campaign was spied on #MAGAFirstNews with @PeterBoykin SPY GAMES: Attorney General William Barr is feeling backlash from both Democrats and the mainstream media for testifying Wednesday that federal authorities spied on the Trump campaign in 2016 ... Despite mounting evidence that the FBI pursued an array of efforts to gather intelligence from within the Trump campaign -- and the fact that the FBI successfully pursued warrants to surveil a former Trump aide in 2016 -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told the Associated Press, "I don't trust Barr, I trust Mueller." House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told Fox News that Barr's loyalties were compromised. Various members of the media accused Barr of peddling right-wing "conspiracy theories" and being part of a White House cover-up. STANDOFF OVER TRUMP'S TAXES: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that the department hasn't decided if it'll comply with a demand by a key House Democrat to deliver President Trump's tax returns as a Wednesday deadline to turn over the records came and went ... In a letter to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., who asked for Trump's returns a week ago, Mnuchin said Treasury would consult with the Justice Department and further review the request. The news came a day after Mnuchin faced off in a contentious exchange with California Rep. Maxine Waters, the chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee. PENCE-BUTTIGIEG FEUD HEATS UP: The war of words between Vice President Mike Penceand Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg over homosexuality is slowly escalating ... On Wednesday, Pence fired backafter the openly gay South Bend, Ind., mayor criticized the vice president for his belief that homosexuality is a choice. "He said some things that are critical of my Christian faith and about me personally. And he knows better. He knows me," Pence told CNBC in an interview scheduled to air Thursday morning. "But I get it. You know, it’s – look, again, 19 people running for president on that side in a party that’s sliding off to the left. And they’re all competing with one another for how much more liberal they are." EX-OBAMA WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL TARGETED IN MUELLER PROBE: Greg Craig, who formerly served as counsel to the Obama White House, is expected to be charged with foreign lobbying violations, his lawyers reportedly said Wednesday ... The case against Craig stemmed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, centering around the lobbying work he performed in 2012 for the Russian-backed president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, while Craig was a partner at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Craig allegedly never registered as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA, which requires lobbyists to declare publicly if they represent foreign leaders, governments or their political parties. FINAL BREXIT DEADLINE EXTENDED UNTIL HALLOWEEN: European leaders and British Prime Minister Theresa May agreed Wednesday to push the final deadline for the U.K. to depart the bloc until Halloween, with European Council President Donald Tusk warning British politicians to "not waste this time" without ratifying a formal withdrawal agreement ... Britain had been due to leave the EU on Friday, but May rushed to an emergency summit in Brussels to plead with her European counterparts to hold off on saying goodbye for a couple more months. The prime minister had asked for a delay only until June 30, but Tusk said in a tweet that she had agreed to a longer "flexible" extension, which provides for Britain to leave any time before Oct. 31 provided Parliament ratifies a divorce deal and passes accompanying legislation to ensure a smooth transition out of the EU.

Trumpcast
Whodunit? Solving Trumpian Mysteries With A.G. Of Mueller, She Wrote

Trumpcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2018 34:28


Virginia Heffernan gets into the gritty details with A.G. of indie podcast Mueller, She Wrote about everything from Paul Manafort to Oleg Deripaska. Also explored: Russian oligarchy ties, Viktor Yanukovych, and Marina Butina. Further reading links highly recommended! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Slate Daily Feed
Trumpcast: Whodunit? Solving Trumpian Mysteries With A.G. Of Mueller, She Wrote

Slate Daily Feed

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2018 34:28


Virginia Heffernan gets into the gritty details with A.G. of indie podcast Mueller, She Wrote about everything from Paul Manafort to Oleg Deripaska. Also explored: Russian oligarchy ties, Viktor Yanukovych, and Marina Butina. Further reading links highly recommended! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The History Fangirl Podcast
Kiev: Beauty through Tumult

The History Fangirl Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2018 37:00


On today's episode of the History Fangirl Podcast, we talk with renowned travel blogger Megan Starr, who has carved out a fascinating niche in the travel world as an expert in the post-Soviet countries, particularly Ukraine. As Megan tells me, Kiev is a city that has been conquered and taken over and claimed so many times across its history, its own culture reflects those who have occupied the city in the past. We talk about Ukraine's struggle for independence, why it's in the news recently in both the East and the West, and where and how to travel to this fascinating city. The Great Famine Ukraine became independent from Russia in 1917, but that independence didn't last long. Five years later the Soviet Union took it over. And then in the early 1930s, the Ukrainians suffered a terrible famine, which some believe was created by the Soviet policies. The Great Famine, as it was known, resulted in somewhere between 7 and 10 million ethnic Ukrainians dying. Many historians believe the famine was “man-made,” with Stalin orchestrating it to quell a Ukrainian independence movement. Ukrainian Independence and the Orange Revolution After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine was still besieged with political unrest. President Leonid Kuchma was caught on tape ordering the arrest of a journalist. Massive protests broke out around the country, and in the next presidential election, there was a run-off vote between candidates Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych, the latter being Kuchma's candidate. Yanukovych won, but the results were seen as rigged, and a re-vote was held which found Yushchenko as the winner. Yanukovych actually won the presidential election in 2010. But while the Orange Revolution was bloodless, a new uprising began in 2013 called Euromaidan. The protests were massive, with around 100 people being killed and Yanukovych fleeing the country. He was later removed by the Ukrainian parliament in 2014. And Megan has traveled Ukraine before and after Euromaidan, and has some great insights into how it's changed the country. Russia and Crimea After Yanukovych left, Russia made a move into Crimea, which sparked international outrage, and which has yet to resolve itself. As Megan says, the scene there is bleak, and there have been a lot of deaths in the conflict, but not a lot of people in the West even realize that Russia and Ukraine are technically still at war. As Megan says, every Ukrainian she knows has someone in their life who has died in the war. It's a very tenuous situation, and one that reaches far beyond Crimea, even into American politics. Traveling in Ukraine Despite all of the recent conflicts and political instability, Kiev and Ukraine is a beautiful place to visit, and few know it better as a traveler than Megan. You do have to be careful with how you travel there, and Megan does a great job walking us through what to see and where to go. But as Megan says, the majority of Ukraine is safe to travel through. As Megan says, Kiev is her favorite city to visit, and it gives her butterflies every time she's Outline of This Episode [2:05] Kiev before World War I [4:26] Ukrainian independence [7:19] The Great Famines [13:28] Trying to get rid of Ukrainian language [15:42] Ukraine during the collapse of the Soviet Union [17:35] Orange Revolution [26:19] Russia and Crimea [32:24] Traveling to Kiev Resources Mentioned Megan Starr Coffee Guide to Kiev What Happened at Chernobyl Chernobyl Tours: 10 Things to Know Before You Tour Pripyat and Chernobyl Chernobyl Today: 30 Pictures that Show What Life is like at Chernobyl Now Connect With Stephanie stephanie@historyfangirl.com https://historyfangirl.com Support Stephanie on Patreon  

Noclip
#01 - The Steam Spy

Noclip

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2018 43:48


Sergey Galyonkin was just trying to fix a problem at work when we accidentally revolutionized the way we understand video game sales. We uncover the fascinating story behind Steam Spy, the people who use it, and the insights it gives us.  Learn About Noclip: https://www.noclip.video Become a Patron and get early access to new episodes: https://www.patreon.com/noclip Follow @noclipvideo on Twitter Hosted by @dannyodwyer Funded by 4,197 Patrons.   -------------------------------------------------------------- TRANSCRIPTION; Danny: Hello and welcome to noclip, the show where we bring you the stories about the people who play and make video games. I'm your host, Danny O'Dwyer. Okay, I'm going to talk about European law for like 30 seconds. And I want you to trust me that it'll be worth your while. All right, 20 seconds, I swear. Okay? All right. Earlier this month, GDPR or the General Data Protection Regulation was introduced to law by the European Union. Its purpose is to protect people like you and me from the increasingly intrusive ways that our personal data is being used against us. The ramifications are already being felt with websites and online services around the globe scrambling to change their privacy policies. You've probably noticed all the emails about this in your spam box. So while all this has been going on, Steam, the biggest online marketplace for video games, has introduced a new privacy policy of their own. Valve, the company who runs Steam, had previously set it so that every person who had a Steam account had a list of all the games that they owned on their public profile. Sort of like a bookcase showing all the digital games you've collected. The new setting made it so that all of this, the bookcase, the collection, was automatically set to private. No big deal, right? It seems like a pretty sensible change to make. But sadly this has had a knock-on effect that has made an incredibly popular and useful data tool all but useless. Steam Spy is a website that used this public data to calculate game sales. You could type in a game's name and in an instant see everything from how many copies its sold to the countries its most popular and how often those players who own it, play it. Over the years this service has proved itself invaluable to people like indie developers trying to market their games, reddit users trying to learn about the industry, and games journalists mining for data. Steam Spy did something that was pretty important, it opened up a tiny window into an industry that had always been notoriously secretive about sales. Perhaps even suspiciously so. So, why did Valve do it? Did it have anything to do with GDPR? And what knock-on effects will it have on the industry? Welcome to noclip, Episode One, The Steam Spy. Sergey Galyonki was born in Lugansk in the USSR, a city located on the border between Ukraine and Western Russia. His family moved to Poltovwa, closer to the center of Ukraine. And it was here that he played his first video game. Sergey: My godmother, she used to work for a huge computer center, you know like a secret type of building, you know, so you can't get in unless you get a y'know pass or something. But because I was a kid, they would let me in with her. I was, I don't remember like, seven or eight. And she let me, she would take me to you know to her job and she would let me play with computers. And they didn't have many games, it was you know they were mostly to do with statistics and stuff like that, but they had Tetris and they had Kingdom Euphoria. And back then I totally hated Tetris. I didn't play it much, but I mostly played Kingdom Euphoria, which was a text based strategy game. Danny: Text based strategies appealed to Sergey. From a young age he enjoyed solving problems. He'd spend hours making small games on a programmable calculator. You see, the Soviet Union in the 70s and 80s had restricted access to most type of electronics. So the computers available to consumers was limited to Soviet manufactured machines, or expensive black market imports from the West. Sergey: I didn't play many video games until like maybe age of nine or ten. Because we didn't have any. We had only like you know those old Soviet arcades. But then the Z Spectrum came to our country and it was a revelation. It actually was the first mass computer in Soviet Union. Not just in Ukraine, in whole Soviet Union. And I bought the first one, not I bought it, my father bought it for me. And I actually assembled the second one myself. Because you could buy you know the scheme, you could buy everything, you know separately. And just solder it. And it was fairly easy back then and I saved a bunch of money, do it. Danny: Using his ZX Spectrum, Sergey would create games for himself. He didn't enjoy programming in BASIC, he found the code too restrictive. So instead he opted to program using Assembly Language. His love of programming continued through his teens and when it was time to go to university, he chose to study Computer Integrated Systems, with a focus on Neural Networks. Ukraine has always been ahead of the curve when it came to developing algorithms. For instance, the first Neural Networks used to detect fake dollar bills were prototyped in Ukraine. Sergey continued his education and worked a bunch of jobs. He did page layouts at a local newspaper, he spent some time at a game studio, focusing on edutainment. Eventually he'd find himself moving to Kiev and taking up a job at a games distributor responsible for selling games for some of the biggest publishers in the world. What were some of the popular games in the Ukraine around that time? Any stand out in particular? Sergey: Well, I mean, it's the usual, except for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. We were not distributing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was a different company. But you thought about S.T.A.L.K.E.R., right? That was the most popular game in Ukraine and I guess it's the only, see a lot of people, I guess playin' it. From our products I would say World of Warcraft was the most popular game ever. I mean, it was selling like hot cakes. That was just literally crazy. You know? We couldn't get enough of it, y'know? Into stores. That was unbelievable. Danny: Was there any games that were very popular in the West, that just were not popular at all in the Ukraine? Sergey: A lot of like, intellectual properties that are not familiar to Ukrainians were not selling well. Like 50 Cents video games that, y'know nobody, knew about 50 Cent back then in Ukraine. So didn't really sell well. Also was an awful game, to be honest. Danny: Not many copies of Blood on the Sand sold in Kiev? Sergey: Yeah, yeah. Danny: Sergey's greatest love was programming. He'd continued to code during his spare time. But there was something about the distribution business that excited him. Again, he was problem solving. Learning how customers made decisions and using data science to find answers. Well, that and simply watching people. Sergey: I enjoyed it immensely. Because you learn a lot about how people behave and how people consume games, by just doing a little distribution. And I sometimes, I would just spend like half a day in a store, one of our partner stores, just talking to people and trying to understand how they behave, you know how they're looking and products on the shelves, how are they buying, how they're making decisions to buy, and that helped a lot because, I mean, I like looking at stats and the numbers, but unless you talk to people it's sometimes really hard to understand how they actually think, y'know? Danny: Sergey would eventually take what he learned in distribution and bring it back to the world of development. He spent two years at Nival Interactive, creators of the Blitzkrieg series and the developers of Heroes of Might and Magic V. He enjoyed the job and life was good. Sergey was married now, he had children. But something bubbling under the surface in Ukrainian society was about to come to the boil. A few days after Valentines Day in 2014, the Ukrainian revolution would see rioters clash with police throughout the capital city. The tragic shooting of unarmed protestors would lead to the ousting of Viktor Yanukovych, the Russian invasion of Crimea, and the eventual war in Donbass which continues today. A frozen conflict taking place on an area half the size of the country. A proxy war where Russian funded proto-states fight Ukrainian government forces, thousands dead on either side. Sergey: I was in Kiev at the time. My family was still in Lugansk, so we had to move them out of the war zone. And, yeah. But me and my kids and my wife were in Kiev. Danny: Was it a difficult decision to leave during the war? Sergey: Well, not really. I mean, when people are shooting outside of your apartment, it's kinda like a natural decision. So, yeah, no. The moment they started shooting, y'know, in my area, I just packed my family and we left. A lot of people don't realize how, how the stuff affects game developers as well. I mean a friend of mine he was still living in Lugansk when the war started. And he would drive to his office and he would like he would hear bullets just flying past his car when he would drive to his office. And it continued for like maybe a week until he's like I'm crazy. There's a war going on and I'm going to a job making video games. So he left after that. But I mean, because it happened all of a sudden and you know you see it in the movies and you expect it to be like in the movies but it's not. It just, y'know, it's a new type of war. You don't see a lot of tanks just rolling in. You don't see like, you don't see the front lines. It just, it's just, people start shooting. So he left and a lot of people did around the same time. Danny: The conflict led to an exodus of Ukrainian Game Development. 4A Games, developers of the Metro series, relocated their studio to Malta. Sergey and his family left for the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The reason was simple, it was the closest country him and his family could move to without requiring visas. As it happens it was also one of the 20 or so global locations that developers Wargaming had offices. The Belarusian developer responsible for the wildly popular World of Tanks. Sergey: Yeah, Wargaming is an amazing company. It's huge and Wargaming is really different from any other companies I've ever worked for. And I've worked for Eastern European companies, not just for the Western companies. Its culture is really something. It's a conflict-driven company. Yes, you're expected to shout at other people in discussions. You're expected to disagree. You know like every time I go to a meeting with my friends at Epic, it's usually I agree with you, I respect your opinion, but in Wargaming you would start with the but part, y'know? You would not do any formalities. You would say well, this idea is incorrect because this and this and this and I don't like this because this. And it really saved a lot of time in discussions, because people know that everyone respects everyone, otherwise you would not be working, y'know? At the company. If you don't respect other people. And that let people express opinions kinda in a more aggressive way. We're getting also, it's really interesting because, the core gaming audience, people that don't usually play video games. So you look at people that play World of Tanks or World of Warships, they are over 40, most of them have families and kids and sometimes they have grandchildren, y'know? And they don't know much about other video games. And they don't consider World of Tanks or World of Warships to be video games. They just consider it to be y'know their hobby. Like they would consider fishing to be a hobby. And that is both amazing and really demanding. Because you know it's a different audience, gamers are used to certain rules in video games and gamers are used to change. And gamers are used to a lot of stuff being taken away. Like people do not complain when Call of Duty releases a new game every single year. You essentially have to re-buy it and they take away all of your progress, when you buy the new Call of Duty, right? Danny: Yeah. Sergey: Well imagine doing that to a bunch of 60s years old people, you know? Every year. They would probably not like it, right? On the other hand, you hear a lot about in online gaming. And while World of Tanks players are not, not the most pleasant bunch, they are way more polite than your average kids in Call of Duty. So that, likewas never a huge problem in World of Tanks, every time people come and talk about we are free to play game, you're supposed to have a toxic audience. Well, not really, I mean if you're 60 years old you probably know how to behave yourself, right? Danny: Sergey worked as a Senior Industry Analyst at Wargaming. Helping the team find in-roads into different markets. Aside from their core Wargames, Wargaming published games from other studios and even worked on experimental games, under different brands. Think mobile games about managing a coffee shop. It was varied work that Sergey found interesting. In the spring of 2015, like so many others in the international development community, Sergey took the annual pilgrimage to the Gamers Developers Conference in San Francisco. Here he attended panels, networked with other analysts, and met old friends. One panel he attended was presented by Kyle Orland, a journalist for the technology website Ars Technica. Kyle had created a program that could pull user data from Steam and using it he was able to calculate video game sales. He called it Steam Gauge. Kyle Orland talking at a conference: I'm Kyle Orland, I'm Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica, and this is Analyzing the Steam Marketplace, using publicly derived sales estimates. Now I've been covering the game business for a little over a decade and anyone covering this industry, or following it, one major annoyance is the lack of reliable specific data about sales of games. Now it's not like this in most other entertainment media. It's just not a problem. Nielsen, for instance, provides ratings literally overnight for TV shows and makes the headline numbers very public in publications like Variety. Theaters and studios provide box office estimates every weekend for movies. There's billboard charts for music, there's The New York Times Bestseller list every week for books, et cetera, et cetera. So what do we have for games? For games we have this. This is what NPD, a US tracking firm sends to the media every month. It's a top 10 list based on their sampling of US retail outlets and now electronic sales. If you pay a lot of money you can get more details than this. You can get every game that they track and actual sales numbers, but people who get those numbers are contractually prevented from sharing them publicly. And NPD is pretty strict about enforcing it. You get occasional leaks. Danny: Back in Cyprus a few weeks later, Sergey was doing market analysis for Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars. Wargaming was publishing the game and Sergey was trying to determine market data around 4X Strategy Games. However, his VPN was down and he didn't have access to any of his data. It was then that he remembered Kyle's talk. Sergey: Well it was end of March, 2015 I was still working for Wargaming and the funny story behind Steam Spy that my VPN was down and the office was closed for an extended holiday. And I needed to look up some numbers and I didn't have access to my data and I like, well I need this data, because I have nothing else to do. And I was just came from GDC and I remember the presentation by Kyle Orland from Ars Technica, about Steam Gauge. And I said well, how hard would it be to recreate that? And he didn't give any y'know instructions or anything how to do that, but I mean you have internet it's fairly easy. So I spent couple of evenings writing it and by Monday I had all my data, I wrote my documents, required for the office, so by the end of Sunday and I was like, I was stuck with essentially Steam Spy. Without any interface. And I was like, well maybe I should just add interface and open that up to everyone. Danny: Sergey added that interface, gave it a web presence, and shared it with the folks who listened to his video games Podcast. Right away he saw indie developers flooding to it. This tool, something he was calling Steam Spy, was democratizing data in a way the PC market had never seen before. What Steam Spy was doing was incredibly clever. The Steam marketplace was the biggest online retailer for PC game sales and by default user profiles were public. Sergey's algorithm would poll data from between 60-70,000 profiles a day and using that extrapolate total game sales. It didn't poll every single person on Steam, but with enough data points his algorithm could get to within a few percentage points of accuracy. When NPD produced its top 10 charts, all that that was highlighting was which games were the most popular. But Steam Spy, with its repository of data, was far more powerful. For instance, you could look at trends and see how must more games sold when they went on sale. Or you could use the data to see how popular baseball games were in Portugal. Unlike NPD which just told you a specific thing, if you had an unanswered question about PC games sales, Steam Spy could help you get to the answer. Sergey had developed a tool for market researchers in the video games industry, but it seemed everyone wanted to play with it. It wasn't long before the games press started posting articles using data they had gathered from Steam Spy. Reddit was full of threads about games that were secretly incredibly popular. But it wasn't just hobbyists using it. Indie devs now had access to a powerful market research tool. And even large publishers were using Steam Spy. Were you at all worried that, I mean you were just using the Steam API, right? To pull this stuff? Sergey: Yeah, yeah, I was, I checked the rules. I mean I'm not a lawyer or anything, but I read the Uler, I actually read it. And I didn't find y'know that I'm breaking anything. They changed the Uler after that. But back when it, I launched it, I was not breaking any laws. And I guessed well, I mean, anyone can estimate anyone's sales, right? That's why we have a lot of research companies. And you have super data, you have Usuy, you have NPD. They all do an estimate and they all the publicize them y'know, online and it is completely legal. Anyone is allowed to do that. As long as you're not stealing someone's, y'know financial information, you are allowed to do estimates. Danny: And you weren't surfacing any individual's information, were you? Sergey: No, of course not. No, European laws about user privacy are way more stricter than American laws about user privacy. So all information from the beginning was already itemized. I was never storing anything that is, can be used to identify a user. Well, but coincidentally, it was mostly y'know gaming journalists, small indie developers, gamists, y'know, game enthusiasts, trying to understand how the market works. I was, after started adding more and more professional tools, into Steam Spy, like Cross Audience research, playtime distribution, and stuff that I felt is useful to me. And I've seen that the audience has shifted towards more professionals. And it's been, it's been interesting talking to people that actually use Steam Spy, at different conferences. Intel uses Steam Spy. Tencent uses Steam Spy. Electronic Arts uses Steam Spy. Ubisoft, Activision, you name it, I don't know a single gaming company that does not use Steam Spy right now. It became a tool that a lot of people in the gaming industry use, because it's not great, but it's good enough. And if you look into any other tools available, you know like SuperData Arcade is an amazing tool. App Annie is an amazing tool. But the precision is actually way worse than Steam Spy's precision. And accuracy is way worse than Steam Spy's accuracy. And people still use it, because having information that might be 50% off is still better than having no information. Danny: One of the things that Steam Spy did great was validating the market. For instance you could use the tool to see if fans of a certain genre bought lots of games in that genre. So, for instance Sergey found that MoBA players rarely played more than one MoBA. So during the height of DoTA2's popularity, when every developer under the sun was trying to make the next big MoBA, they were trying to sell to an audience that largely didn't want one. Sergey: On the other hand, you look at Survival Games, like DayZ and you see that people that enjoy survival games actually buy a lot of survival games. And that you know that makes it safe to launch a new survival game, like Conan Exiles for example. Y'know you look at the market, you realize well people will buy your game and you make leap of faith. People looking into trends obviously and it's harder to do with Steam Spy unfortunately, I'm using different tools myself, when looking for trends, but Steam Spy is decent at this. So you could look into what's growing y'know how games are changing what people are playing now verus what people were playing last year. If you look into audience for playing on battle grounds, you'll see that while some of them are coming from so that's good, a lot of them are, haven't never played anything before. So they are newcomers to the genre and it means that a lot of them will not leave the game because that's the only game they ever played or played in recent years. And that makes it really hard to compete with and Fortnite on the market, unless you're willing to do something radically different. And that's why I believe it's, a lot of innovation is gonna come from, y'know. People doing Battle Royale but in an unexpected way. Danny: I'm European. I grew up in Ireland, I lived in London for a few years, eventually found myself in California and now live in the woods on the East Coast. And one of the things I've enjoyed throughout my life, moving from country to country, is understanding the preferences of different people in different parts of the world. As it turns out, Steam Spy is really good at highlighting the types of games that certain countries like. I asked Sergey, what were some of the most interesting geographical trends that he came across. Sergey: Well my favorite part is the German admiration of anything that has similation in it. Like the farming simulator, anything that has to do with simulation, really. They will play it. Farming simulator is a phenomenon. And it was developed in Switzerland, but is mostly played in Germany. And you talk to anyone in America and the fact that they have a trolleybus simulator they have a trash garbage trash simulator. And people buy it and people play it and that's just crazy, but that's, that's how people in Germany particularly like to spend their time, y'know. Japan, back then was obsessed with zombies. Anything with zombies would sell really well in Japan. Danny: Was there any stuff that was very popular in America that just was not popular in Europe or vice versa that you kind of saw? Sergey: Well America is such a huge market and when Steam Spy started, was still the biggest gaming market in the world. So everything that is popular in America was pretty much popular everywhere else. So they have a, well back then they used to like royalgames and open world games. Not as much, like French people do not enjoy open world games as much as Americans. But French video gaming companies like PBSoft it's selling games they make recently, right? They only make y'know open world games. Danny: Steam Spy was cracking open the sales data of thousands of games. As somebody who worked in the games press, I couldn't imagine this was something that publishers were particularly happy about. The gaming audience is savvy. It cares about consumer rights and it's quick to react when publishers do things that take advantage of them. Steam publishes some data themselves, like concurrent live players. But the amount of data that Steam Spy was surfacing was on a whole other level. I had to imagine that publishers must have been lobbying Valve to do something to lock out Steam Spy. I asked Sergey if he had ever talked to Valve during any of this. I just wanted to know, what did they think of it all? Sergey: I used to, when I worked at Nivall, I used to work with them, because we published games on Steam and when worked at Wargaming, Danny: Right. Sergey: We also published some games on Steam. And they used to reply fairly quickly. But every time I would mention, well I would not write from my corporate email, of course I would write from a personal email, every time I would write about Steam Spy, they would just shut down. They would, I mean it would just literally, shut up and not reply to any of my emails or any of my communications. And I have couple of friends working there, not on Steam, on the Dotter team and it's the same situation. Every time we discuss something, you know like, gaming related or something like that launch plans or something like that, they talk, anytime I mention Steam Spy, they just shut up. I guess it might be an uncomfortable topic for them. Danny: Why do you think that is? Sergey: Well, I feel like Valve is a company that has no leadership. It has no management structure. So there's no one to make a decision. And they only make a decision when everyone agrees to that decision, or everyone on a team agrees to that decision. And there is no consensus about Steam Spy, I guess. And no one is senior enough, like in any other company you would have a head of whatever, head of Steam, come up and say, well that's my decision, we'll shut it down or we will let it go and everybody will, okay! I might disagree with that, but I will, y'know. I can live with that. Any time they make any decision, you will sit and wonder why did they make this decision? Every time they make something new, it feels like a compromise. Y'know what I mean? It doesn't feel like they are making any bold, unusual decisions and it's, to me it has been a probably the biggest disadvantage in the last several years, because they stopped experimenting, they stopped doing something really unusual or bold. Like I mean the trading card game in 2018, really? Danny: It's difficult to measure the effect that Steam Spy was having on the games industry. He heard anecdotally about games that were funded through market research derived from Steam Spy. He saw publishers like SEGA bring many of their classic games to PC once they saw there was market for them on Steam. But one of the big trends that Sergey noticed was how his tool allowed indie developers to more accurately price their games. Sergey: I feel especially if you're a young developer it's really hard to put a price tag on your game. You always feel like you haven't made everything you wanted to. You haven't achieved everything you wanted to with this title. So if you're releasing your first game and you feel like well, maybe I should just price it 9.99 because that's a no brainer. But actually your game is worth maybe, y'know 29.99, because if you look at the last games at that price points when they were released they were priced higher, so maybe you should price your games higher. Maybe your game is unique and it has no competition and it has no comparison points. And if it has no comparison points, maybe you should price it higher, because it's something unique that people are willing to pay more money for. People are trained to expect triple A quality from $60 titles and for $50 titles even, but you go below 50, you go to 40 to 30, and people expect it to be an indie game, maybe rougher on the edges, y'know, maybe y'know, better graphics than y'know, $5 game, but they expect it to be an indie title. They are willing to forgive a lot of quirks if the title is actually fun. This is the biggest fear of any game developer I believe. You're making something, you're sitting in a pretty much in a dark room, talking to no one but other fellow developers, from the same company and you always think well, maybe I'm not relevant anymore. Maybe people don't want to play city simulators and I've just spent four years of my life developing one. Maybe people want something to play something different. And maybe I should just under price it and put it for 9.99 and hope that well, maybe if I don't make a lot of money at least people will play it, y'know? Danny: Steam Spy ran for three years, helping indie devs price their games, helping large publishers do market research, helping journalists find sales figures, helping redditors prove their point. That was until a few weeks ago, when Valve flipped a switch. On April 10, 2018 Valve pushed an Update to every user's Profile Privacy Settings Page. Up until now if you created an account, your game ownership data was public by default. People could set this to private, but most didn't bother. Steam's update flipped this entirely. Not only would new accounts be automatically set to private, but it switched every account on the system to private, too. Without this data Steam Spy could not work. And Sergey quickly announced that the service was dead. At the time the update went live, the EU had just pushed through a new regulation on data security. GDPR or The General Data Protection Regulation was created to add new protections to user's personal data. As soon as it came through, online services around the world were changing their End User License Agreements to be in line with the law. Some services were having to push updates to get in line. One game, Monday Night Combat, would eventually have to shut down, as making the required changes to their backend would cost more than the game was bringing in. Everyone assumed that this was just Steam doing the same, falling in line. But after a few days, Sergey realized it had nothing to do with it. Sergey: Well it's not really related to GDPR, the latest change was not related to GDPR, because GDPR requires companies to do a bunch of changes to appoint a person responsible for User Privacy to change default settings, to change privacy settings, for underage people, under 18, and Valve did nothing. Like that. Valve still displays your friend list, your achievements, your groups, your screenshots, are publicly on your page. The only thing they hid were games. And GDPR actually does not require that. GDPR requires to hide everything else, that is still displayed. I don't believe it was linked to GDPR at all. I thought that it was like that when they made the change. But after looking into it, I don't think it was related to GDPR. Danny:  So if that's the case, then it must have been related to what you were doing, right, because is there anything else that's happening, that people are pulling from game data? Sergey: Well, I don't know, I mean, it's on one hand it's nice to think that Steam Spy was so disruptive they decided to shut it down. But it's really easy for them to shut it down. They just have to drop an email to me and I will stop it. I guess, bunch of companies are doing similar stuff to what Steam Spy does. Only keeping it to themselves. Or I've heard of other companies that charges like a thousand bucks per month for accessing the service that does this, similar to Steam Spy. Has a little bit more options, but mostly similar. And maybe they were unhappy about those guys and the only way they saw to shut it down was just shut it down completely, so no one could use it. I guess that's, that's one way to do it. But yesterday they shut, well they didn't shut down, but they made some changes, rendering the Store API useless as well. And the Store API is the API that provides information about the game price, game developer, like the basic stuff. Like genre and so on and a lot of sites were using that and it's now unavailable to them and I mean, what they did, they improved the store's privacy, or what? It just feels really odd to me. Danny: Without access to games lists and with the Store API changes, Steam Spy was unable to poll the data it required. This was a seemingly insurmountable problem, but Sergey, Sergey likes to solve problems. And in this case he used machines to solve the problem for him. Sergey: I no longer rely on information provided by an APT at all, I use a bunch of other parameters. As it happens I have an unfinished PhD in machine learning and topic my thesis was using unrelated, using loosely related information to predict economical outcomes. And that's what I'm pretty much using for the new algorithm of Steam Spy. My algorithm that I developed when I was still thinking about taking a science pass. And it works more or less. Danny: And this is probably like maybe it's a stupid question to ask because it's incredibly complex, but what is the machine learning doing to try and figure this out, if it's not pulling from statistics or from data and creating statistics out of it, how are you coming to these numbers? Sergey: Well, the thing is that, it is kind of hard to explain. It takes a really huge sample of data like I would say, maybe 15 million data points, and it goes through processing trying to filter out the data that is proven to be irrelevant and trying to amplify the data that is more or less relevant. Then it feeds it into a Neural network. And that Neural network does its magic. And the problem with Neural networks is, Neural networks tend to over feed. Neural networks are great for recognizing images, but are really bad for predicting outcomes that are outside of what they are recognizing. So, if you feed an image of a man to a Neural network and say, it's a man and you also feed an image of a dog to a Neural and say, it's a dog, Neural network will be able to distinguish between this man and this dog, but it's going to be really hard for the Neural network to, if it sees a woman. It will not understand if it's a, y'know if it's a man or a dog, because it does not fit into any of those categories. And in case of our Steam Spy, we're trying to predict well the game is, the Game A has 10,000 owners, the Game B has 20,000 owners, Game C doesn't have 10, doesn't have 20, it might have 30, it might have 40, please do an, predict that and Neural networks are really, really bad at it. But that was my PhD, testing this. Is preparing the data in a way that lets Neural networks actually work with this type of tasks. And it works more or less. It's not perfect, I'm not, I'm still not happy with it, but it is, it works. Yeah, based off of what I've heard from developers and I have a sample of maybe 100 games, y'know that provided me with actual data, it seems that for most of them, for maybe 95% of them, that used Steam Spy, it was within 10%. Give or take. So actually pretty good. For some of them, it is violently inaccurate. The last 5% I mean I've heard about a game that was the difference was 15 times. That was just staggering to me. But for everything else it seems to work. Danny: Steam Spy started while Sergey was working for Wargaming in Cyprus, but during the intervening years he moved around quite a bit. In early 2016, him and his family swapped Nicosia for Berlin as he became the Head of Publishing for Eastern Europe for an American company in the online shooter space. This company was responsible for some of the biggest shooters in the early 2000s, but they were struggling to find audiences for their suite of online games. One of those games was a third person MoBA called Paragon that would eventually shut down. Another was a remake of their classic arena shooter, perhaps you've heard of it, Unreal Tournament. And the third was a survivalcraft game that had been in development for the best part of a decade. It had sold well on launch, but the game was designed to be very malleable. With Sergey and Steam Spy's help, the team looked at the market research data and decided to take a swing at putting in a Battle Royale-style game mode. Seeing as Sergey was working with the headquarters in America so much, he would eventually move him and his family to North Carolina, to become Director of Publishing Strategy. The American company was of course, Epic. And the game was Fortnite. Sergey: Yeah, I was part of the team. I was part of making the decision and obviously we were looking at Steam Spy data to see how the genre is evolving. And with talking about Fortnite, original of the Wolf Fortnite, that's the reason I joined Epic. I visited Epic several years ago, they showed me Fortnite and I was blown away. I mean, that was a game that you could make into anything. It is so flexible, it is, I mean, well it didn't have Battle Royale mode, but it had several PBB modes back then. Experimental PBB modes and people you saw 50-versus-50, right? It is actually, well the idea for them all. You know, two teams building castles and fighting each other, was actually back then, in the original Fortnite. Obviously not 50-50, versus, smaller teams. But still. And Fortnite to me felt like a, y'know like a mold, you could make it into anything. Danny: And I mean even when you talk about Fortnite, it's like we don't know 'cause it's on the Epic, Epic launch, right? So we don't know how many people are playing Fortnite, we don't know how many people are playing World of Tanks, actually now that you mention it, either. So your games have been surprisingly hidden behind this. Sergey: Well, I'd have to, I mean have access to all the data, but somebody else could. Both of them have APIs that you can access. For World of Tanks, there's bunch of services, statistics services for World of Tanks. And there are several services for Fornite statistics, as well. So you can see the numbers. Actually, it's just Epic is a company that doesn't like to brag about numbers and when we publish numbers we, we've felt some pushback from, y'know from the gaming audience, because they felt like, well, we just were viewing them, gamers, as numbers not as people. And we are really sensitive about that. I mean we're trying, we're always trying to do the right by the gaming audience. So we decided to do it less. It not completely stop it, but just do it less often. After I was, I decided, I actually decided to shut Steam Spy down after all those changes, because I didn't feel like continuing. We also had a huge outage at Fortnite at work and I felt like, well I don't have enough time to, y'know do my day job. I also like to sleep sometimes. This didn't leave a lot of time for Steam Spy, but I thought I've received maybe, 200 emails from people using Steam Spy, asking for me to continue and I felt like, well I mean, yes it makes sense to do so, y'know, people really like it. And that's when I heard all those amazing stories about y'know peoples, companies starting a publishing business because they now were able to see the statistics for game that offered for publishing company getting small indie company from barely getting financing from the German government, because they were able to prove that well, the gamethat they were trying to make is gonna sell. And it did. It was really good. So I felt well, it provides a lot of fire to the market and I like that. And I'm not doing it for money or anything, I mean, at my current day job, I am well provided for. It's not that. It's, it's, the fact that I believe that informational asymmetry, asymmetry of information is unethical, in any business transaction. And Steam Spy is designed to remove informational asymmetry from business transactions or from any discussions. The gaming publisher, the big gaming publisher, have access to more information than a small gaming publisher or a small developer. Then if you're trying to sign a contract with a small developer, you can abuse your power. You have access to more information to get a better deal. That is not gonna be beneficial to the developer. And we've heard these stories about that so many times, y'know even before Steam Spy, like publishers abusing power or big developers abusing small developers. And having this removed actually helps the market whole. Danny: And do you feel like you're doing a service to the world of video games? Sergey: I feel like I'm doing more good than harm. In this case, yeah. Danny: My sincere thanks to Sergey for talking to us this week. You can learn more about Steam Spy and look up all your favorite games by visiting SteamSpy.com. You can also throw Sergey a few bucks a month for his efforts, by heading over to Patreon.com/SteamSpy. Thanks for listening to this first episode of noclip. We hope you enjoyed our first story. If you have any feedback or tips you can hit me up on Twitter @dannyodwyer. Or send us an email, podcast@noclip.video. Oh, and hey, if you liked the show, maybe subscribe, tell a friend, or leave us a review on iTunes. If you enjoyed this Podcast but you feel like your eyes are missing out, a friendly reminder, if you want to watch some high-quality video game documentaries for free, head over to YouTube.com/Noclipvideo. We recently traveled to Amsterdam to tell the story of Horizon Zero Dawn. And to Canada, where we filmed a documentary series on Warframe. All of our work is crowdfunded, so if you like what we're making, please consider becoming a patron of noclip. We have bunches of fun rewards, including early access to this Podcast, behind-the-scenes videos and much, much more. Head over to Patreon.com/Noclip to learn more. We'll be back with Episode Two in just a few weeks and we'll be focusing on a game. One of my favorite games, in fact. A game from my childhood. And the creative team who left Lionhead to make its spiritual successor. Whatever happened to Theme Hospital? Find out in our next show. Thanks again, see you then.

Trump, Inc.
Where’d Trump’s Record Inauguration Spending Go? 'It’s Inexplicable'

Trump, Inc.

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2018 24:32


Last month, the committee that ran President Donald Trump’s inaugural festivities released basic details about its revenues and spending. Trump raised $107 million, almost twice the previous record, and spent $104 million. The committee’s tax filing showed that $26 million of the spending went to an event planning firm started in December by a friend of the First Lady. It’s not clear how the firm spent that money, or how most of the money raised for the inauguration was used. The tax filing doesn’t show spending by subcontractors, nor is it required to do so. In this week’s episode of Trump Inc., we dig into the inauguration. We’ve found that even experienced inaugural planners are baffled by the Trump committee’s massive fundraising and spending operation. We also noticed that two members of the inaugural committee have been convicted of financial crimes, and a third — the committee’s treasurer — was reportedly an unindicted co-conspirator in an accounting fraud. Greg Jenkins led President George W. Bush’s second inaugural committee in 2005, which raised and spent $42 million (that would be $53 million in today’s dollars). Asked about how Trump’s team managed to spend so much more, Jenkins said, “It's inexplicable to me. I literally don't know.” “They had a third of the staff and a quarter of the events and they raise at least twice as much as we did,” Jenkins said. “So there's the obvious question: where did it go? I don't know.” Steve Kerrigan, who led both of President Obama’s inaugural committees, agreed. “There was no need for that amount of money,” said Kerrigan.” We literally did two inaugurations for less than the cost of that.” According to Trump’s filing, slightly more than half of the money went to four event-planning companies, including the firm owned by the First Lady’s friend, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. Her company, WIS Media Partners, paid the co-creator of “The Apprentice,” Mark Burnett, to help with the festivities, as the New York Times reported.   Melania Trump has since cut off her work with Wolkoff after the disclosure of the spending. Wolkoff and WIS Media Partners did not respond to a request for comment. We asked the White House and the inaugural committee about fundraising and spending related to the inauguration. Officials did not agree to be interviewed on the record. We also looked at members of the inaugural committee, which had about 30 people in leadership and fundraising roles. The committee’s treasurer, Doug Ammerman, was named by prosecutors as an unindicted co-conspirator in a tax shelter fraud in the early 2000s, according to the Wall Street Journal.  Ammerman was a partner at the accounting firm KPMG, which later admitted criminal liability. A Senate investigation from the time includes emails from Ammerman suggesting he was aware of the scheme. Ammerman is also currently accused in a shareholder lawsuit of dumping stock in a grilled chicken chain, El Pollo Loco, where he was on the board, ahead of a bad quarterly report. Ammerman did not respond to requests for comment. The finance vice-chair for the inaugural committee, Elliott Broidy, pleaded guilty in 2009 to paying bribes to get investments from the New York State pension fund. His felony conviction was later downgraded to a misdemeanor. Broidy, a top Trump fundraiser, has also come under scrutiny in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Broidy did not respond to requests for comment. Another inaugural organizer was Rick Gates, the former deputy to former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Gates pleaded guilty this year to lying to the FBI and to conspiracy in a vast money laundering scheme, charges that came from Mueller’s office. At the time that Gates worked on the inauguration, he had not been indicted, but his dealings with former Ukrainian strongman Viktor Yanukovych had already come under scrutiny. Gates’ business partner, Manafort, was forced off of the Trump campaign in the summer of 2016 after it was reported he got nearly $13 million of undisclosed payments from Yanukovych. Gates did not respond to requests for comment. We found one more thing that set this inauguration apart: Some of the donations are almost impossible to trace. As the Center for Responsive Politics reports, two “dark money” groups, which do not disclose their donors, gave $1 million each. Trump’s inaugural committee appears to have been the first to accept significant donations from dark money groups. Kerrigan, Obama’s inauguration chief, said he would have rejected a check from a group designed to preserve donor anonymity. “I would have said, ‘Prove who you are and if you can’t pass vet, I’ll have to give the check back,’” Kerrigan said. There are also, of course, many donors we do know about. Like other presidents, Trump raised millions from corporate contributions and wealthy individuals. The securities and investment industry contributed the most, nearly $15 million. Other top industries included real estate, casinos, oil and gas, and mining — each of which later benefited from various presidential initiatives and policies. The existence of a contribution, of course, doesn’t mean that’s the reason for a policy change. Click here to explore OpenSecrets’ analysis of inaugural contributions. And click here to check out journalist Christina Wilkie’s easy-to-search spreadsheet of inaugural donors.

From Our Own Correspondent Podcast

Ending corruption in Ukraine and the woman enslaved by ISIS now trying to tell her story. Kate Adie introduces insight and analysis from correspondents around the world: Viktor Yanukovych and his associates are accused of stealing billions during his time as president, but are they still be benefiting from corruption? Simon Maybin surveys the scene from a snowy rooftop in Kiev. Stacey Dooley joins a 23-year-old Yazidi woman as she returns to find the house where she was held captive by ISIS in Mosul. She wants to tell her story but finds herself unexpectedly silenced. An assault on freedom of speech or an attempt to protect a nation’s dignity? Adam Easton explores the controversy around a new law in Poland which proposes prison sentences for anyone blaming the country for Nazi crimes against Jews. Simon Broughton meets a Mozambican artist turning bullets, guns and old mobiles phones into works of art. And Megha Mohan confronts a taboo in India: why menstruating women are often denied access to temples. Left out of her own grandmother's last rites, she's left wondering why.

File on 4
Potters Bar, Ukraine's stolen billions and the Eurovision connection

File on 4

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2018 37:33


UK companies are being used to launder dirty money as new transparency rules are flouted. One, registered in a Hertfordshire commuter town, helped the circle of Ukraine's disgraced ex-president profit from last year's Eurovision Song Contest, a File on 4 investigation has found. Billions of pounds of dirty money is alleged to have passed through opaque UK companies in recent years, over 100 of them registered at the same Potters Bar address. Tim Whewell follows the trail of one company linked to the regime of former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, who fled the country for Russia four years ago after anti-corruption protests in Kiev's Maidan square. Can new transparency requirements for British firms help find the people really behind the company? Presenter: Tim Whewell Producer: Simon Maybin Editor: Gail Champion.

Cato Event Podcast
Is Ukraine on the Right Course?

Cato Event Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2017 86:17


Nearly four years have passed since Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity brought down the corrupt government of Viktor Yanukovych. The revolution inspired widespread support and generated hope for a better future; yet Ukrainians’ expectations are far from being met. The economy has shrunk by 16 percent; the authorities have devalued the currency and defaulted on debt; living standards have plummeted; and growth remains weak. Levels of corruption and of political and civil liberties have hardly changed. The government’s unwillingness to reform has frustrated Ukrainians and foreign allies alike. Join us to hear a panel of experts explain Ukraine’s trajectory, make policy recommendations, and discuss prospects for change. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

PanamPodcast
PanAm Podcast: Paul Manafort Digs His Own Grave With Corrupt Ukrainian President

PanamPodcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2017 14:41


The most serious charge thus far to emerge from Robert Mueller's investigation has been tax evasion and wire fraud charges filed against former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, who is alleged to have set up an offshore bank account in Cyprus through which he wired $18 million to the US to fund a lavish lifestyle. The funds in question emanate from a rather sordid source: former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, who is accused of widespread corruption during his tenure, and was ultimately forced out of office and fled to Russia in the wake of the Maidan Revolution in 2014. Ultimately, Mueller's charges stem from before Manafort joined the Trump campaign, but Trump's judgment has been called into question for hiring Manafort in the first place. Here the head of Ukrainian Students for Liberty Mariia Chaplia discusses the turbulent presidency of Yanukovych, the events that drove him from power, and how this ties into the rise and fall of Manafort.

STRATEGIKON
Swamp Monster - The Battle for the Heart and Soul of the United States of America

STRATEGIKON

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2017 40:03


Show Notes In another explosive day in Washington DC, the Mueller ‘Trump-Russia’ Probe found its first two scalps – Trump 2016 campaign manager Paul Manafort & his deputy Rick Gates, both of whom were indicted on 12 counts ranging from money laundering to acting as unregistered foreign agents to the former pro-Russian Ukrainian government of Viktor Yanukovych. Presently, their alleged crimes and misdemeanours have nothing to do with the 2016 Trump campaign itself, therefore sparing the US President of any direct knowledge of their connections to Russian interests. For more information click on the following link: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/10/31/ex-trump-aides-charged-russia-probe The indictment of George Papadopoulos is another matter entirely. His connections to Russia during the Trump campaign seems likely to have been proved, and perhaps further investigations may reveal something more damning against the Trump White House, although only time will tell. For more information click on the following link: http://www.smh.com.au/world/trump-foreign-policy-adviser-george-papadopoulos-pleads-guilty-in-fbi-probe-20171030-gzbeft.html In this episode of STRATEGIKON, Dr. Jonathan Z. Ludwig, Visiting Assistant Professor of Russian, Oklahoma State University & Member of the Advisory Board, SAGE International Australia discusses with STRATEGIKON host, John Bruni what the ongoing ructions in Washington means for America and for those countries, like Australia, whose strategic interest will likely be guided by ‘what comes next’. Subscribe, rate and review STRATEGIKON on all good podcasting apps, including SoundCloud, iTunes, Stitcher and Tunein. RSS feed: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:141166782/sounds.rss Email: enquiries@sageinternational.org.au STRATEGIKON can also be found on the SAGE International Australia website: www.sageinternational.org.au For more information from SAGE International Australia (SIA), follow SAGE International Australia on Facebook, twitter, and LinkedIn. If you’re enjoying our podcast, please help us out by sharing and telling your friends. Many thanks! Support the show.

Big Brain Channel
Swamp Monster - The Battle for the Heart and Soul of the United States of America

Big Brain Channel

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2017 40:03


Show Notes In another explosive day in Washington DC, the Mueller ‘Trump-Russia' Probe found its first two scalps – Trump 2016 campaign manager Paul Manafort & his deputy Rick Gates, both of whom were indicted on 12 counts ranging from money laundering to acting as unregistered foreign agents to the former pro-Russian Ukrainian government of Viktor Yanukovych. Presently, their alleged crimes and misdemeanours have nothing to do with the 2016 Trump campaign itself, therefore sparing the US President of any direct knowledge of their connections to Russian interests. For more information click on the following link: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/10/31/ex-trump-aides-charged-russia-probe The indictment of George Papadopoulos is another matter entirely. His connections to Russia during the Trump campaign seems likely to have been proved, and perhaps further investigations may reveal something more damning against the Trump White House, although only time will tell. For more information click on the following link: http://www.smh.com.au/world/trump-foreign-policy-adviser-george-papadopoulos-pleads-guilty-in-fbi-probe-20171030-gzbeft.html In this episode of STRATEGIKON, Dr. Jonathan Z. Ludwig, Visiting Assistant Professor of Russian, Oklahoma State University & Member of the Advisory Board, SAGE International Australia discusses with STRATEGIKON host, John Bruni what the ongoing ructions in Washington means for America and for those countries, like Australia, whose strategic interest will likely be guided by ‘what comes next'. Subscribe, rate and review STRATEGIKON on all good podcasting apps, including SoundCloud, iTunes, Stitcher and Tunein. RSS feed: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:141166782/sounds.rss Email: enquiries@sageinternational.org.au STRATEGIKON can also be found on the SAGE International Australia website: www.sageinternational.org.au For more information from SAGE International Australia (SIA), follow SAGE International Australia on Facebook, twitter, and LinkedIn. If you're enjoying our podcast, please help us out by sharing and telling your friends. Many thanks! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kickass News
Oscar-Nominee Evgeny Afineevsky On His Documentary WINTER ON FIRE

Kickass News

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2016 47:26


  Just in time for Oscar weekend, my guest is Evgeny Afineevsky director/producer of WINTER ON FIRE: UKRAINE'S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, which is currently nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.  He and his crew spent 93 days risking their lives to film the 2013/2014 Ukrainian revolution from the initial protests in Kiev's Maidan Square through the murderous government crackdown in the streets to the eventual overthrow of corrupt President Viktor Yanukovych. We talk about what separates the Maidan demonstrations from the Arab spring and other recent revolutions, and how it can serve as a blueprint for democracy and reform around the world.  We also talk about the brutality of the now disbanded Ukrainian Berkut police force and how it brought Ukrainians of all types together in unity against the corrupt and criminal government of Viktor Yanukovych.   Plus Evgeny will talk about the emotional toll that making WINTER ON FIRE took on the filmmakers, and the inspiring story of one brave 12 year old boy who risked his life for freedom and his country. If you enjoy this episode, then I encourage you to see WINTER ON FIRE: UKRAINE’S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. You can order it on Netflix or see it in select theatres. Please subscribe to KickAss Politics on iTunes and leave us a review. You can also help us reach our fundraising goal for this year and donate at www.gofundme.com/kickasspolitics. Or go to the website for the show at www.kickasspolitics.com and click on the donate button. Thanks for listening!

NEWSPlus Radio
【报道】“巧克力大王”赢得乌克兰大选(有文稿)

NEWSPlus Radio

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2014 2:31


Three polls have given Poroshenko between 55 and 57 percent of the vote, well ahead of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko who appears to be in second place with just over 12 percent. If these results are confirmed later today there will be no need for a runoff vote next month. Poroshenko says the results show Ukrainians' support for the European path. "There are two problems that are a matter of principle for the Ukrainian state. The number one issue is that Ukraine will never recognize the illegitimate referendum and will never recognize occupation of Crimea. Today, on May 25, in the first round the people have made their choice. And that choice is European integration. On many other issues we can have discussions with Russia." The 48-year-old says the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine matters most to him. The independent politician is a former minister of trade and the head of the council that runs the national bank. Known as the "Chocolate King", he controls a large confectionery group called Roshen. About 35 million Ukrainian were eligible to vote on Sunday and 34,000 polling stations were set up across the country, though not in Crimea. Opposition groups in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk also blocked the vote. The two regions have declared independence. It is reported that only about 20 percent of polling stations in the regions were working. "He is not our president , we didn't vote for him. Those in the west might have voted, but here we didn't. We didn't hold the election here as far as I know." Meanwhile, U.S. President Barack Obama says the election is an important step forward to unify the country and the U.S. looks forward to working with the new president. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also showed his support for the vote, saying he will respect the choice made by the Ukrainian people. He stresses the need for dialogue in solving the ongoing crisis in the former Soviet republic. "We have instruments to search for a dialogue, to carry out a dialogue and search for solutions, to move toward solutions. Yet these instruments should be used not for serving the interests of one side, but should be used for search of a compromise acceptable to all participants of the process with an obligatory concern for mutual interests." Ukraine has gone through months of political turmoil after former President Viktor Yanukovych was forced out of office in February and fled to Russia.

Crossing Continents
Ukraine: The Paper Trail to Corruption

Crossing Continents

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2014 28:30


When the former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych jumped into a helicopter and flew into hiding in mid-February, the Kiev protest movement that had opposed him flung open the gates of his abandoned estate. Ordinary Ukrainians poured in to visit the 140-hectare grounds and to catch a first glimpse of the luxurious lifestyle Yanukovych had enjoyed at his country's expense. Many gawped at the extraordinary opulence from the gold fittings to the marble floors and the private zoo. But a group of journalists were more excited by a different kind of treasure floating in the nearby lake. Thousands of documents had been dumped in the water by staff when their boss fled. The papers contained proof - not just of Yanukovych's wildly extravagant tastes - but also of systematic bribery, corruption, nepotism and state sponsored violence. Investigative reporters immediately realised these waterlogged documents could provide crucial evidence for future criminal proceedings. Anxious to preserve them, they worked around the clock painstakingly drying and sorting each sheet of paper. Since then other incriminating papers have been found around the Kiev's city centre. Lucy Ash talks to the journalists on the paper trail and asks why divers, archivists, lawyers, accountants and so many ordinary volunteers are eager to help them.

Congressional Dish
CD067: What Do We Want In Ukraine?

Congressional Dish

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2014 30:09


The United States appears prepared to restart the Cold War and loan at least $1 billion of our tax money to Ukraine through the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Why? In this episode, we look at what we're asking for in Ukraine in return for our generosity. * For an excellent perspective on the Russian invasion of Crimea, listen to Episode 270: Poking the Bear and Episode 271: Cashing the Doomsday Cheque of Common Sense with Dan Carlin. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans struggling countries money but in return the IMF demands that the country change its economic laws to make them much more corporate friendly. As explained in the The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein, there are three economic principles that the free marketeers want their target countries to adhere to: Governments must remove all rules and regulations standing in the way of the accumulations of profits. Governments should sell off any assets they own that corporations could be running at a profit. Governments should dramatically cut back funding of social programs. In Ukraine's case, Their elected government - an elected government that had recently backed out of a "free trade" deal with Europe and was recently cut off from promised IMF cash because it didn't change Ukraine's economic laws - was overthrown and it was replaced by an IMF-friendly government, which has restarted the "free trade" deal with Europe and has promised to enact the "painful" IMF economic reforms. The new government is currently being promised $27 billion. "You know that we resumed talks with the IMF, we do understand that these are tough reforms, but these reforms are needed for the Ukrainian state. We are back on track in terms of delivering real reforms in my country. Probably in the near future, next week, or in ten days, Ukraine is to sign the political part of an association agreement with the European Union and we want to be very clear that Ukraine is and will be a part of the Western world." -Interim Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, March 12, 2014 Our government is supporting this new government. Here's my answer to "Why?". Potential Profits in Ukraine The two most promising areas are in energy and agriculture. First, energy. Poor Ukraine has the potential to become filthy rich because of the country's untapped natural gas supplies. Ukraine has not one, but two, big shale formations that are mostly unfracked. Ukraine is completely hooked on natural gas for energy, but they have been buying it from Russia. Russia has been giving Ukrainians discounts on their natural gas that keep Ukrainian's prices just low enough that Ukraine's natural gas company hasn't bothered to start fracking at home. And yes, that's the other thing. Ukraine's natural gas industry is nationalized. Ukraine's natural gas belongs to the state, it belongs to the government, it belongs to the people. In fact, in 2011, Ukrainians passed a law that said that all natural gas fracked in Ukraine must be sold to Ukrainians. No exports allowed. What that means for The People is that they will be able to use their own resources for energy - become energy independent, if you will. What that means for multinational fossil fuel corporations is that they can't profit from exporting Ukraine's nationalized natural gas. According to Morgan Williams, President and CEO of the US-Ukraine Business Council, "The new prime minister says he wants to privatize the state-owned energy companies." Second, agriculture is big business in Ukraine. Ukraine has been nicknamed the "breadbasket of Europe" for centuries and in January, The Financial Times called Ukraine "one of the world's most promising agriculture commodity producers". The reason is that in 2013, Ukraine had their best year ever for corn. The market is practically drooling over the prospects of getting control of this land. Morgan Williams, President and CEO of the US-Ukraine Business Council - the group I think is really calling the shots here - said, "The potential here for agriculture/agribusiness is amazing ... production here could double. The world needs the food Ukraine could produce in the future. Ukraine's agriculture could be a real gold mine." So Ukraine is a country with huge, untapped natural gas reserves, which can be easily transported and sold to Europe since Ukraine already houses two of the most important gas pipelines which transport natural gas from Russia to Europe. Ukraine is also a country with fertile land in a time when other "breadbaskets of the world" are either flooded or withering in drought. Add to that Ukraine's educated workforce ripe for corporate slavery and you've got a country that the market would love to take advantage of. This is why Ukraine is a target. This is why we're involved. What Are We Fighting For? According to a 96 page document prepared by the IMF in 2012, the IMF wants Ukraine to, first and foremost, cut heating assistance for Ukrainian citizens. The IMF is also adamant that Ukraine needs to let their currency be more flexible, flexible in the down direction that is. Since the IMF government was installed, Ukraine's currency has fallen 24 percent, making it the worst performing currency this year. Another goal of the IMF is to "facilitate mergers and acquisitions of banks". Ukrainian banks controlled 58% of the Ukrainian banking industry in 2010, according to the IMF. Other goals of the IMF include the "repeal of burdensome government regulations", "wage and employment restraint", which translates to lower wages and cutting of Ukrainian government jobs, via "reforms and reductions" in the health and education sectors, which make up the bulk of public employment in Ukraine. These new laws are in addition to the new laws the IMF had already gotten from the recently ousted government. Ukraine already reformed their pension system by raising the retirement age for women from 55 to 60, lowered corporate tax rates in 2010, laid off 30,000 public employes in 2011, and privatized Ukraine's 11th largest bank in 2011- selling it to a titanium business tycoon who gobbled up Ukraine's government-owned titanium in a fire sale of Ukrainian state assets that took place in 2004. Where Are We Now? It appears that the Ukrainians are screwed. The new prime minster said he is prepared to be "the most unpopular prime minister in the whole history" and he's enacting the new economic laws, full steam ahead. For our part, in our Congress, the IMF loan money is uncontroversial. Both the House and the Senate have approved $1 billion of our tax money which will go towards the IMF loan. Timeline of Events Winters of 2006 and 2009: Russia and Ukraine waged two "gas wars" when Moscow halted deliveries to both Ukraine and by extension the rest of Europe. July 24, 2010: "On Foundations of Natural Gas Market Functioning" took effect, which establishes three key principles for the Ukrainian gas market: Free Consumer Choice of Suppliers Nondiscriminatory Access to Gas Transportation System - due January 1, 2012 Horizontal Unbundling of Gas Sector - separating the gas production and marketing from the "natural monopoly" of transportation, to begin with (privatization is prohibited for transportation infrastructure) Early 2011: Ukraine halted natural gas exports to Poland's gas company after a Ukrainian law mandated all state-owned oil and gas be sold to the Ukrainian population. Early 2011: IMF suspends a $15 billion loan "because Ukraine refused to remove subsidies on household gas supplies." February 2011: Ukraine became a full member of the Energy Community, an organization formed at the initiative of the European Union to extend the EU internal energy market to southeastern Europe and beyond. The gas market law was a precondition of membership of the Energy Community. June 2011: Gas Market Law allows Ukraine's state-oil company to export Ukraine's natural gas. January 2013: Ukraine signs fracking deal with Royal Dutch Shell for exploration at Yuzivska in eastern Ukraine Nov. 5, 2013: Ukraine signs a 50 year, $10 billion shale gas deal with Chevron to develop the western Olesska field. Nov. 21, 2013: President Viktor Yanukovych rejected a political and free trade agreement - in the works since 2005 - with the European Union, instead choosing to resume talks with Russia - the country that controls their energy supply. February 22, 2014: President Viktor Yanukovych flees to Eastern Ukraine (the Russian side) after what he called a coup. February 26, 2014: The government of Ukraine becomes pro-Western and willing to enact IMF reforms, at least until the election on May 24th. March 21, 2014: Ukraine's interim government signs restarts the free trade agreement with the European Union. March 27, 2014: The IMF promises Ukraine $27 billion after Ukraine's interim government cuts heating subsidies by 50%, promising to eliminate them all by 2016. Full Videos of Clips Presented in this Episode House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Ukraine March 6, 2014 Eric Rubin, Spokesman for the White House National Security Council Daleep Singh, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Department of the Treasury Rep. Elliot Engel (NY) Senate Foreign Relations Committee markup of Ukraine aid bill March 12, 2014 Senator Robert Menendez (NJ) Senator Rand Paul (KY) US-Ukraine Relations: President Obama and Ukraine's Prime Minister speak to reporters after a meeting at the White House March 12, 2014 President Barack Obama Ukrainian interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk #Music Presented in this Episode The Darkest Places by MxPx Intro and Exit music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)

Intelligence Squared
One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Democracy is Not Always the Best Form of Government

Intelligence Squared

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2014 46:05


Democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried. So said Winston Churchill and who would disagree? One man, one vote, the rule of law, equality and a free press. These are the principles which tens of thousands have been imprisoned or lost their lives for in despotic regimes from South America to Burma. In recent months a violent struggle for democratic rights has been taking place on the EU’s doorstep in Ukraine. Scores of people have been killed in demonstrations against Viktor Yanukovych, now ousted as President. Elections are set for May but tensions are mounting between western governments and President Putin over the Crimea and the eastern parts of the country. But is the assumption that democracy always leads to a freer and more tolerant society correct? Many would argue that it can lead to quite illiberal outcomes especially where there is profound ethnic division. What if democracy were installed in Syria? It’s not hard to imagine what would happen to the... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

NEWSPlus Radio
【新闻】普京下令俄进入高度戒备状态

NEWSPlus Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2014 1:50


Russian Resident Vladimir Putin has ordered a massive training exercise for military units across Russia, including along the border with Ukraine. However, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu contends the drill is unrelated to what's happening in Ukraine. "The head of the armed forces has assigned a task to review the combat preparedness of the troops for action in case of resolving crisis situations threatening the military security of our country, as well as situations of anti-terrorist, epidemiological and technogenetic character." But at the same time, Shoigu notes Russia is "carefully watching what is happening in Crimea". Meanwhile, NATO defence ministers have issued a new statement supporting "Ukrainian sovereignty and independence." NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. "Ukraine is a close and long standing partner to NATO, and NATO is a sincere friend of Ukraine. We stand ready to continue assisting Ukraine in its democratic reforms." The United States has also released a statement, warning any military intervention into Ukraine will be met with a strong response. US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki. "It's not just the Secretary who feels that would be a detrimental step to Ukraine and that would be a mistake, but it is also, you probably have seen, or let me point out to you, the statement by NATO defence ministers today, that was very strong, about the risk of military intervention in a political case like this." The tensions come as Ukraine remains split along an east-west axis, with those in the European-leaning west supporting this weekend changes in the government. Those in the Russian-leaning east of Ukraine have been protesting the ouster of former President Viktor Yanukovych.

NEWSPlus Radio

Ukraine's embattled president Viktor Yanukovych is calling the country's political crisis a "coup", saying it resembled the rise of Nazis in the 1930s. Yanukovych also says he has no intention of resigning or leaving the country. "I'm not going to leave the country. I'm not going to resign. I'm a legitimately elected president. I've been given guarantees by all the international mediators with whom I worked, they have given security guarantees. I will see how they are going to play this part. Everything that is taking place today is, to a large exent, vandalism, and banditry, and a state coup." Yanukovych and opposition leaders signed an agreement aimed at resolving the country's turmoil on Friday. Ukraine's former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the arch-rival of Yanukovych, arrived in Kiev on Saturday to be greeted by a crowd of supporters and journalists. Parliament arranged the release of Tymoshenko after protesters took control of the capital. Upon her release, Tymoshenko promised to run for president and immediately went to Kiev's Independence Square, also known as Maidan. Tymoshenko has served two and a half years on a conviction of abuse of office.

Cambridge Ukrainian Studies Podcast
Ukraine in Crisis: A Public Briefing

Cambridge Ukrainian Studies Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2014 110:00


Ukraine is engulfed in revolution. In this briefing, held on 24 January 2014, Cambridge Ukrainian Studies offered the UK public insights and analyses from political scientists Olexiy Haran and Andreas Umland (Kyiv Mohyla Academy), historian Yaroslav Hrytsak (Ukrainian Catholic University, L'viv), writer and civic activist Serhii Zhadan (Kharkiv), and analyst Orysia Lutsevych (Chatham House, London). Cambridge students involved in the EuroMaidan movement also shared their experiences. This English-language event was free and open to the public. Rory Finnin (University of Cambridge) moderated.

FT World Weekly
Protests continue in Ukraine

FT World Weekly

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2013 15:52


Mass protests continue in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, against the government of President Viktor Yanukovych. The government had refused to sign an association agreement with the European Union, apparently in favor of closer ties to Russia. Neil Buckley, east Europe editor, and Roman Olearchyk, Kiev correspondent, join Gideon Rachman to discuss the still-volatile situation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cambridge Ukrainian Studies Podcast
'Simply Ukraine: A Nation, State and Democracy without Adjectives': The Eighth Annual Stasiuk Lecture in Contemporary Ukrainian Studies delivered by Dr Gwendolyn Sasse, University of Oxford

Cambridge Ukrainian Studies Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2010 54:58


This podcast features the Eighth Annual Stasiuk Lecture in Contemporary Ukrainian Studies delivered by Dr Gwendolyn Sasse, Professorial Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford and Reader in Comparative Politics in the Department of Politics and International Relations and the School for Interdisciplinary Area Studies, University of Oxford. She is author of the prize-winning book, The Crimea Question: Identity, Transition, and Conflict (Harvard 2007).

Useful Idiots with Matt Taibbi and Katie Halper
How Do Pro-Russian Ukrainians See the War?

Useful Idiots with Matt Taibbi and Katie Halper

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 1970 37:13


For $5 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and a chance to have your comment read on the show in the Absurd Arena at http://usefulidiots.substack.com Click here for the full interview with Luhansk Deputy Foreign Minister Anna Soroka: https://open.substack.com/pub/usefulidiots/p/how-do-pro-russian-ukrainians-see?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web War in Ukraine did not start with Russia's February 2022 invasion. Ukraine has been at civil war since 2014, when the US backed a coup to overthrow President Viktor Yanukovych. When the new post-coup government cracked down on ethnic-Russian Ukrainians and their Russian culture, Ukrainians in the eastern Donbas region rose up in rebellion, leading to the creation of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. Anna Soroka, joining the Useful Idiots from Ukraine, is the former Deputy Foreign Minister of the Luhansk People's Republic. She joins Useful Idiots to share what it's like being on the other side of a civil war that has now escalated into a full-blown proxy war with Russia. Sometimes discussions about war can become abstract, but it's important to go “behind enemy lines” and hear from real people on the other side. It's a perspective that you don't get to hear at all in the NATO states. Unless you follow shows like Useful Idiots. Plus, watch our Thursday Throwdown where Biden completes his transformation into Trump as he kills Bernie's bid to stop the Saudi war on Yemen. It's all this, and more, on this week's episode of Useful Idiots. Check it out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices