Russia, Ukraine, and the West | Frederick Kagan | EP 230

This episode was recorded on February 27, 2022. Dr. Frederick W. Kagan is a former professor of history with a PhD in Russian and Soviet military history from Yale. He is also a celebrated author and the director of the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project. In this episode, I discuss the nature of the conflict that has taken the world by storm over the last 5 days—Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine and the ongoing resistance of its citizens. Dr. Kagan is a wealth of information on military history, geopolitics, Putin’s relationship with the USSR (which his father helped defend) and Ukrainian sovereignty, and other aspects of what’s most certainly a moment in human history that won’t be forgotten soon. Find more Dr. Frederick Kagan: and For regular updates on the situation in Ukraine: or Ways to help: An excellent discussion of the evolution of Putin’s attitudes toward the West: __________________________ Chapters __________________________ [0:00] Intro [2:32] Current Situation [4:55] Motivations for Expansion [6:25] Russia & the West: A Brief History [10:47] Russian Ideology [18:09] The Bolshevik Revolution Today [21:59] History of Putin, Russia, & NATO [31:33] Putin in Power [01:00:25] Why Now? [01:04:30] Putin Subverts Expectations [01:07:30] Biden, Hybrid Warfare, & Propaganda [01:10:17] Putin’s Invasion: a Tactical Perspective [01:15:30] Ukranian Response [01:16:40] International Response & Russian Allies [01:19:00] SWIFT Ban [01:24:30] Protests [01:27:50] A Way Forward? [01:31:00] [01:31:50] WWIII [01:35:39] Repercussions of a Russian attack on NATO [01:38:58] Defense Budgets [01:39:10] Outro #Ukraine #Russia #Putin #VolodymyrZelenskyy #JordanPeterson // SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL // Newsletter: Donations: // COURSES // Discovering Personality: Self Authoring Suite: Understand Myself (personality test): // BOOKS // Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos: Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief: // LINKS // Website: Events: Blog: Podcast: // SOCIAL // Twitter: Instagram: Facebook: // SPONSORS // For Advertising Inquiries, visit