Ukraine in the Brain w/ Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden and George W. Bush

May 29, 2022Posted inForeign Policy

The ruling class follies continue both at home and abroad.

Another $40 billion going to aid the Ukrainian war effort while there are baby formula and COVID vaccine shortages in the U.S. Plus George W. Bush gives a speech at the Bush Institute about stolen Russian elections (what about Florida 2000?) and illegal invasions of Iraq… er… Ukraine..

In all seriousness, the brutality of military and economic war against populations around the war is heartbreaking. We continue our commentary on the history and politics around the war in Ukraine.

Listen in: https://apple.co/3GxvtDr

Love’em, They’re NATO Liberals! Democratic Hawks from Truman to the War in Ukraine.

April 3, 2022Posted inForeign Policy, politics

We’ve been using the term “NATO liberal” quite a bit in our recent series of Ukraine-Russia episodes. But, you may ask yourself: “what exactly do Bob and Scott mean when they say ‘NATO Liberal’?”

Part One, listen in: https://apple.co/36S2fSw

Part Two, listen in: Coming Soon

We dive deep into the history of NATO liberals and discuss their role in developing the U.S. empire during the 20th and 21st centuries.

The U.S. Empire and Ukraine w/ Prof. Clinton Fernandes

March 15, 2022Posted inForeign Policy, politics

Our latest episode on the Ukraine is a wide-ranging conversation with our good friend Prof. Clinton Fernandes on the U.S. empire and Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine. We discuss Russia and Putin’s adventures in Georgia and Ukraine to the lack of strategic empathy from the West (particularly the U.S.). We break down the motives of the U.S. drive to expand NATO and encircle Russia, and the effect it has on global politics.

Listen to part one here: https://apple.co/3I9zY6v

Listen to Part Two Here: https://apple.co/3JlgYn7

We discuss the tensions in the South China Sea and the impact of the Ukraine conflict on Australia’s coming election. Finally, we get an update on Clinton’s law suit trying to get the Australian government to release documents showing intelligence agencies supporting Pinochet’s coup in Chile in 1973.

Beyond Good vs Bad: More Background on Ukraine and Russia

February 28, 2022Posted inForeign Policy, Materialism and Economics, politics

We’ve got another briefing on the larger contexts of the current  conflict between Ukraine and Russia.  Sure, Putin is a horrible and  brutal force in the world and the attack on Ukraine is indefensible, but  we ignore the larger contexts at our own peril.

Listen in: https://apple.co/3hoJ5p5

We talk about the impact of the breakup of the USSR, the privatization of the Russian economy, the sense of western/NATO encirclement felt by  Russia, and U.S-Russia-Ukraine economic and trade relations.

Deep Background on Ukraine and Russia

February 26, 2022Posted inForeign Policy, politics

This week, Russia invaded the Ukraine sparking the largest land assault on the European continent since World War Two. The markets went into turmoil. The price of oil and gas went up. Political and media establishments scrambled to act on what’s next.  Biden moved 7000 US troops to the Polish-Ukrainian border and NATO is expected to send more troops. In cities across Russia, antiwar protestors took to the streets to protest Vladimir Putin’s war with over 2000 being arrested. Finally, the Biden administration and allies have begun a sanctions war against Russia’s people, it’s elite institutions and Putin himself.

Listen in: https://apple.co/3sn9w4T

In our latest episode, we go deep into the history of the Ukraine-Russian conflict and the bipartisan involvement by the U.S. ruling class.  We discuss the break up of the Soviet Union, the expansion of the North American Treaty Organization (NATO), the role of the 1999 war in Kosovo in all of this and the Russian invasion of the former Soviet republic of Georgia in 2008. Most importantly, we talk about how U.S. foreign policy has sought to contain Russia and wield economic and political influence over Europe and the former Soviet republics.

Col. Andrew Bacevich on the Deepening Crisis in Ukraine

February 3, 2022Posted inForeign Policy

Rising tensions in eastern Europe between the U.S. and Russia over the Ukraine have dominated the news.  We discuss the situation with scholar and retired Army Colonel Andrew Bacevich.   We discussed why the U.S. is so concerned, and hawkish, about Russia and Ukraine–Russophobia?   We talked about the role of NATO in this current crisis.  We talked about the many more pressing issues the U.S. should focus on–like inflation, COVID, the surveillance state, and especially Climate Change!

Listen in: https://apple.co/35CTESB

It’s a great conversation with one of America’s leading intellectuals and critics of foreign policy.