Russia, Ukraine, and the West

This discussion was recorded on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, the morning before Russia invaded Ukraine. Guests: Michael Kimmage is a History professor at the Catholic University of America. He specializes in the history of the Cold War, in twentieth-century U.S. diplomatic and intellectual history and in U.S.-Russian relations since 1991. From 2014 to 2016, he served on the Secretary’s Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. Department of State, where he held the Russia/Ukraine portfolio. He’s published many books and articles. His most recent book is The Abandonment of the West: The History of an Idea in American Foreign Policy published by Basic Books. Marlene Laruelle is the Director, Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at the Eliot School of International Affairs at George Washington University. She’s published many books, most recently Is Russia Fascist? Unraveling Propaganda East and West published by Cornell University Press. Fyodor Lukyanov is Editor-in-Chief of Russia in Global Affairs, Chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, the Research Director of the Valdai International Discussion Club and a Research Professor at Higher School of Economics, Moscow. He is the editor of Russia in the Middle East: Viewpoints, Policies, Strategies published by East View. Music: Phil Ochs, “The War is Over,” The War is Over: The Best of Phil Ochs, 1968.