Would you think I'm wrong? All the nonsense about how the West is decadent, the West is over, the West is in decline, it's a multipolar world, the rise of China, et cetera. That is what we're seeing in Kharkiv, weve seen it in other parts of Ukraine, and to my mind, it's only just begun potentially. Share on . Russia is advancing very well. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Russia in the nineteenth century looked much as it does today, he says: It had an autocrat. . Stephen Kotkin, a professor of history and international affairs at Princeton University, and a research scholar at the Hoover Institution, respectfully disagrees. I would say that NATO expansion has put us in a better place to deal with this historical pattern in Russia that we're seeing again today. On this episode of Free Expression, Wall Street Journal Editor-at-Large Gerry Baker speaks with one of the worlds pre-eminent historians of Russia, Stephen Kotkin, about the autocratic ambitions behind Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine, how the west can do more to resist his aggression and how he has placed China at an inflection point in its rise to global superpower status. Stephen Kotkin: Stalin, Putin, and the Nature of Power. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. It's certainly not the same as Xi Jinping or the regime in Iran. We're talking about one person here. What's failed was the attempt to take Kyiv in a lightning advance. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Kotkin is a Professor of History and International Affairs at Princeton University and he's a research scholar at the Hoover Institution at Stanford. While a . It had suspicion of foreigners and the West. Kotkin describes how and why the Putin regime has evolved toward despotism, and he speculates that the strategic blunders in invading Ukraine likely resulted from the biases of authoritarian rulers like Putin, and the lack of good information available to them. Understanding the psyche of Russia and the Russians has bewildered Westerners for generations; foremost expert Stephen Kotkin gives some penetrating insights into how to do it. All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg. I thought we'd begin by your analysis of that argument. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. It's not exactly the same as Stalinism. Join the #1 community of podcast lovers and never miss a great podcast. He is the author of nine works of history, including the first two volumes of his planned three-volume history of Russian power and Joseph Stalin, Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928 and Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941. He is the author of nine works of history, including . What we have today in Russia is not some deviation from a historical pattern. Once again they hollow themselves out. Stephen Kotkin is a professor of history at Princeton university and one of the great historians of our time, specializing in Russian and Soviet history. And as usual, his answers are concise, incisive, and analytic. The oppressors can say, "We don't need you. 34 PODCASTS; 44 EPISODES; 58m AVG DURATION? It had militarism. It is committed to policy-relevant scholarship that addresses the most important strategic issues facing our nation today and . In a sweeping discussion at FIS Maastricht, Professor Stephen Kotkin argues that Ukraine still has a long fight ahead, China has learnt economic strangulation and diplomatic coercion are a better strategy than invasion in Taiwan - and the west must invest more in its financial systems, military alliances and society. It had suspicion of foreigners and the West. Kotkin describes how and why the Putin regime has evolved toward despotism, and he speculates that the strategic blunders in invading Ukraine likely resulted from the biases of authoritarian rulers like Putin, and the lack of good information available to them. Stephen Kotkin is a professor of history at Princeton and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Either install a puppet government or force the current government and president to sign some paperwork. Stephen Kotkin: What is the Best Political System? 44 episodes from 34 podcasts have Stephen Kotkin as a topic. Historian and author Stephen Kotkin of Princeton University and Stanford University's Hoover Institution talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the historical significance of the life and work of, Stephen Kotkin is a historian and the author of Stalin: Waiting For Hitler, 1929-1941. They ended up with an insurgency against their rule and they ended up with a 10-year war that they lost. Of course, that's where Putin himself comes from. 20 Podcast Episodes. and WNYC Studios, Share this on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Share this on Twitter (Opens in a new window). Make sure to include your city, we love to hear where youre from!Get More From This Weeks GuestsStephen Kotkin:Princeton | Hoover Institution | AuthorAdditional Reading On Russia Mentioned By Stephen:Carnegie Endowment In WashingtonMichael Kofman- CNA & TwitterRob Lee- Foreign Policy Institute & TwitterPlease Support This Weeks SponsorsMiracle Brand:For 40% off high quality self-cooling sheets with 3 free towels, go to trymiracle.com and use the promo code: WARROOM, Politics War Room with James Carville & Al Hunt, Politicon: How The Heck Are We Gonna Get Along with Clay Aiken. Stephen Kotkin: It's a military-police dictatorship. Uncivil Society: 1989 and the Implosion of the Communist Establishment (Stephen Kotkin). It is a non-partisan center whose primary focus is on the uses of history by national security leaders and scholars. the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new . 5 Questions for Stephen Kotkin https://youtu.be/ul1gsIdlJFs Hoover Institution 754K subscribers 1,179,563 views Feb 4, 2022 Recorded on January 14, 2022 Stephen Kotkin is a professor of history at Princeton and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. With plenty of my thoughts on how to avoid the errors made after those earlier regimes were eliminated, which errors allowed members of the former regimes to keep much of their power and privileges. What if anything have they gotten wrong in this? David Remnick: Steve Kotkin, I'm very grateful to you. Plus, Angela Bassett on playing the queen of Wakanda. The . The shock is that so much has changed and yet we're seeing this pattern that they can't really escape from where you have an autocrat or even now a despot making decisions completely by himself. The worst part of this dynamic in Russian history is the conflation of the Russian state with some personal ruler. Podcast Host and Producer Full Bio Subscribe Apple Podcasts Google Play Episode Guests Jill Dougherty Global Fellow, Kennan Institute, Wilson Center Stephen Sestanovich George F. Kennan. He is currently a professor in history and international affairs at Princeton University and a fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. If you want to understand this crisis and some possible outcomes, dont miss this conversation. They're terrible at everything. It had repression. After Hitler came to power in 1933 the Soviet. Ep174 - Stephen Kotkin. Then Alexander I victory over Napoleon, and then of course Stalin's victory over Adolf Hitler. Do they bring him information he doesn't want to hear? By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. It's the subject of Kotkin's latest boo, Podcasts like Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain. On this episode of Free Expression, Wall Street Journal Editor-at-Large Gerry Baker speaks with one of the world's pre-eminent historians of Russia, Stephen Kotkin, about the autocratic. Copyright 2022 New York Public Radio. A filmmakers journey to the heart of the war. How Russias latest commander in Ukraine could change the war. The premise of this show is simple: Peter Robinson poses five questions to Dr. Kotkin: what Xi Jinping, the president of China believes; what Vladimir Putin believes; whether nuclear weapons are a deterrent in the 21st century; the chances of another American renewal; and Kotkins rational basis for loving the United States. He sits down with Isaac Chotiner to discuss Stalins differences from the autocrats of today, what Stalin and Hit, On this episode of Free Expression, Wall Street Journal Editor-at-Large Gerry Baker speaks with one of the worlds pre-eminent historians of Russia, Stephen Kotkin, about the autocratic ambitions behi, When Professor Stephen Kotkin set out to write a biography of Stalin, he faced a series of challenges. Professor Stephen Kotkin continued his multi-volume biography of Joseph Stalin, with a focus on Stalin's leadership of the Soviet Union in the years leading up to World War II. David Remnick: Finally, you've been very quick to give credit where credit's due to the Biden administration for reading out its intelligence about the coming invasion, for sanctions, and for a mature response to what's happening. Which seems at least from this distance singularly stupid. He believed, it seems that Ukraine was not a real country. He is the author of nine works of history, including the first two volumes of his planned three-volume history of Russian power and Joseph Stalin, Paradoxes of Power, 18781928andWaiting for Hitler, 19291941. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Of course, this isn't the same regime as Stalin. "Putin's strategy could be defined as 'I can't have itnobody can have it.' And, sadly, that's where the tragedy is right now," Stephen Kotkin, a fel We keep raising the stakes with more and more sanctions and cancellations because that's where the pressure is on our side to "do something" because the Ukrainians are dying on television every day. INFREQUENT EPISODES; Feb 4, 2022 LATEST; Putin's aggression is "not. Its impossible to understand the destruction and death that Vladimir Putin is unleashing in Ukraine without understanding his most basic conviction: that the breakup of the Soviet empire was a catastrophe from which Russia has yet to recover. The biggest sanctions and the most important sanctions are always technology transfer. He believed that the Ukrainian people were not a real people, that they were one people with the Russians. Report Video. It had repression. They can't educate their people, but they only have to be good at one thing to survive, the suppression of alternatives. Trending My Feed My Profile Categories. Stephen Kotkin is a professor of history at Princeton university and one of the great historians of our time, specializing in Russian and Soviet history. The problem with their argument is that it assumes that had NATO not expanded, Russia wouldn't be exactly the same or very likely close to what it is today. David Remnick: When you talk about the internal dynamics of Russia, historically, it reminds me of a piece that you wrote and was published in foreign affairs six years ago. War usually is a miscalculation it's based upon assumptions that don't pan out things that you believed to be true or wanted to be true but let's back up for a second. Full episode with Stephen Kotkin (Jan 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCkkjnpS2f8Clips channel (Lex Clips): https://www.youtube.com/lexclipsMain chann. If they can force all opposition into exile or prison, they can survive no matter how incompetent, no matter how corrupt, no matter how terrible they are. That's what happens with dictatorships. The financial sanctions are very impressive but they'll take a while to affect the calculus of those people around Putin and Putin himself. Gerry Baker is Editor at Large of The Wall Street Journal. The greatest exertion it showed is in economic sanctions which in fact, have proved to be more comprehensive and more powerful than maybe people had anticipated some weeks ago. Episode Links:Stalin (book, vol 1): https://amzn.to/2FjdLF2Stalin (book, vol 2): https://amzn.to/2tqyjc3Here's the outline of the episode. All it takes is a handful of them being assassinated to unsettle the whole occupation. The written version of this review can be found here. James and Al are joined by foreign affairs and Russian expert Stephen Kotkin for a deep dive into the history of the Soviet Union, how Putin is running the country in its aftermath, and the current state of the war in Ukraine. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UncKnowledge/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/UncKnowledge/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/uncommon_knowle Unwrapping the Enigma, Mystery and Riddle: Stephen Kotkin Explains Russia to Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution. Programa Lex Fridman Podcast, ep. David Remnick: Now the West has decided for obvious reasons not only not to go to war with Russia but not to have a no-fly zone for all the reasons we know. For the military security part of the regime which is the dominant part, the West is your enemy, the West is trying to undermine you. All rights reserved. If money just gushes out of the ground in the form of hydrocarbons, diamonds, or other minerals, the oppressors can emancipate themselves from the oppressed. Stephen Kotkin is a historian specializing in Stalin and Soviet history. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Stephen Kotkin's Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941 is the story of how a political system forged an unparalleled personality and vice versa. Putins aggression is not some kind of deviation from the historical pattern, he tells David Remnick. That seems unlikely. Russia is a great power, but not "The great power," except for those few moments in history that you just enumerated. Ad Choices, Never miss a podcast episode again! Find them wherever you listen to podcasts. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories, Listen and subscribe: Apple | Spotify | Google | Wherever You Listen. Stephen Kotkin, a professor of history and international affairs at Princeton University, and a research scholar at the Hoover Institution, respectfully disagrees. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.00:00 - Introduction03:10 - Do all human beings crave power?11:29 - Russian people and authoritarian power15:06 - Putin and the Russian people23:23 - Corruption in Russia31:30 - Russia's future41:07 - Individuals and institutions44:42 - Stalin's rise to power1:05:20 - What is the ideal political system?1:21:10 - Questions for Putin1:29:41 - Questions for Stalin1:33:25 - Will there always be evil in the world? The historian Stephen Kotkin and the Ukrainian journalist Sevgil Musaieva on a year of disaster, and the hopes for an end. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:- Lambda: https://lambdalabs.com/lex- Scale: https://scale.com/lex- Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex and use code LEX to get 1 month of fish oil- ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod and use code LexPod to get 3 months free- ROKA: https://roka.com/ and use code LEX to get 20% off your first orderEPISODE LINKS:Stephen's Website: https://history.princeton.edu/people/stephen-kotkinStalin: 1878-1928 (Vol 1): https://amzn.to/3NvokpCStalin: 1929-1941 (Vol 2): https://amzn.to/3wIYqsTPODCAST INFO:Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcastApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIrSpotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/Full episodes playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4Clips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOeciFP3CBCIEElOJeitOr41OUTLINE:0:00 - Introduction2:19 - Putin and Stalin13:09 - Putin vs the West36:01 - Response to Oliver Stone47:07 - Russian invasion of Ukraine1:26:35 - Putin's plan for the war1:34:33 - Henry Kissinger1:40:28 - Nuclear war1:51:01 - Parallels to World War II2:13:47 - China2:21:55 - World War III2:29:24 - Navalny2:33:41 - Meaning of lifeSOCIAL:- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman- Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman- Reddit: https://reddit.com/r/lexfridman- Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman Miss a podcast episode stephen kotkin podcast and never miss a great podcast facing nation... 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