Adapting to The New World of War, with Military Expert Mark Galeotti

Despite Russia's recent invasion of Ukraine, traditional conflict - fought with guns, bombs, and drones-has become less common around the world. For many nations it's almost too expensive to wage, too unpopular at home, and too difficult to manage. In this conversation, transnational crime and Russia expert Mark Galeotti speaks to Carl Miller about how today’s conflicts are increasingly being fought by every means available, from disinformation and espionage to crime and subversion.
This conversation was recorded on 3 February 2022, as Russian troops massed on the eastern border of Ukraine.
Join the debate, hear the arguments and decide for yourself.
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[@chessplayer8798]

An actual conversation with an insightful guest,such a rarity these days.

[@Longtack55]

You may enjoy the generous offerings from Fiona Hill and Julia Ioffe on YT.

[@Curtis.Dimes.]

The way Mark speaks the English language is like how Rembrandt used a paint brush

[@semqueixas]

Very enlightening discussion. Thanks.

[@scammicus7110]

Really well done discussion, and worth the time to listen through. I was often struck by how often security and defence tasks are getting cleaved off to the military, with its clear legal limits for action, by unimaginative political leadership. In terms of DIME (Diplomatic / Informational / Military / Economic) instruments of national power, the default to military solutions is frequently stymied (rightly so) by legal implications and counter-action implications. In a time where the implications of conflict quickly raise the spectre of some form of WMD response, leadership must engage in conflict with nuance and finesse, just as these fine thinkers say. And thank you, everything isn't bad, the bad guys aren't winning....and you really have to consider your definition of "bad guy" a bit more carefully.

[@edhero4515]

Thank you! Mr. Galeotti and Mr. Miller nail it, in stating: The Mononarratives are the problem. When does a market-oriented, competitive, international trade become an economic war?

[@thomasafb]

echoing a lot found in the 2005 book "The Utility of Force" by Rupert Smith

[@B.Newgtr]

Seems to be simulacra sorcery will to power these types of things always and it seems to be getting back to a more distilled version of that

[@alcoholfree6381]

I try to learn something new every day. You’ve given me that opportunity as I have no idea what you’re referring to? Thanks

[@juanmillaruelo7647]

Competition, yes. Conflict not necessarily. There is a huge leap from competition to war.

[@Conn30Mtenor]

Competition is good for you. Keeps you on your toes.

[@glennmitchell9107]

War is the armed extension of geopolitics and failed diplomacy. Espionage, cyber-attacks, and trade sanctions are also aspects of oppositional geopolitics, but they aren't warfare, anymore than the wars on drugs or poverty are actual warfare.

[@billturner6564]

Interesting to see just how out of date this talk is

[@paulrevere2379]

What a profound difference between a legitimate expert and the techno-toddlers who mostly show up on the fake news channels. The legitimacy of this man's awareness became obvious to me (as a profession of arms practicioner and history educated western man) within minutes of watching. His DESCRIPTIVE analysis of how things now ARE vice the commonly held Prescriptive views of how people think things (war conduct) works is nothing short of brilliant.

[@benjones1717]

If we could stop their trains, we would be doing it right now.

[@prst99]

Their part about gangsters and outsourcing reminds me of Harvey Weinstein using a private intelligence service to try thwart his accuser.

[@prst99]

I disagree in being clear and direct about these techniques. We should obscure the language. When it is obscure, the enemy might not realize they are the enemy or they wouldn’t have a clear reason to attack.

[@twotone1a]

Deep in the notes it says this was recorded on 3rd Feb 2022, so it is massively behind in relation to current events viz the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

[@SirAntoniousBlock]

It's not behind, regardless of the outcome of the situation in Ukraine the asymmetrical war will still go on as indeed it is now through sanctions etc, Putin was right when he said they were "acts of war" as indeed almost everything is these days.

[@sebastiaankampers6651]

This guest is just a sophist, and he clearly didn’t anticipated the Ukraine war.

[@alcoholfree6381]

Your point? Did you anticipate Russia invading Ukraine? Some of the great thinkers of all time, such as Socrates, are noted to be sophist. The USA intelligence warned that war was coming. So….. I enjoy the man.

[@geoffreynhill2833]

Read my "GREEN FIRE: Tommy & Ruthie's Blues" (Amazon) For Orwell & the late great Kurt Vonnegut... Remember them? 🤐

[@johnschmalbach8243]

I'm assuming that since the gentleman in the beginnings stated something to the effect of "...what is going on at the borders of Ukraine..." That this was filmed before the invasion, and this expert did not think the invasion would happen. I think this fact should be a subtitle front and center because it's a rather relevant fact

[@paulrevere2379]

A valuable observation on your part. I glad I read your comment with most of the video still to watch. I have, however l, seen and heard enough to be very impressed. There are several dynamics going on. Most visible to me are the news toddlers (referring to their relative knowledge of the highly complex reality of warfare). Next are the so-called experts which the news people bring on. Most of these are stuck in a past paradigm for the most part, although they aren't completely useless. Then there are those who are analyzing events as they happen with fresh eyes. These are very useful except that they seriously lack depth of knowledge and are also sometimes easily swayed by propaganda. Finally, those who seem to be least visible, are those who have a really good grasp of the warfare paradigm shift. I think we are watching one of those few in this video. Ultimately, it's not even the rare expert who understands the new paradigm that matters most. It's the leaders and thousands who support this or that leader putting the new paradigm to work that matters. It's not a huge surprise to me that a new underdog (new meaning not deeply entrenched in a rigid political and social ideology) is much more capable of exploiting the new paradigm than a gargantuan adversary politically fueled on crusty old agendas.

[@refuge42]

I also noticed the Ukraine comment but I didn't get the impression he was saying it wasn't going to happen. It simply dated when this interview happened

[@johnschmalbach8243]

@@refuge42 It's about the overall context. The entire point of his video here is that an invasion like we see in Ukraine is a thing of the past. When you look at the fact that so many experts, and I would really have no doubt this gentleman is well, believe that at most we would end up seeing the Russians admit they had troops in the contested eastern regions and create breakaway republics as they did in Georgia. Even his tone as he refers to the Russians on the borders around Ukraine is one of "I know what it looks like but this is an exception that proves the rule of my premise."

[@simoncolombo6640]

@@johnschmalbach8243 He said exactly that conventional war has not finished, but just rarer, and referred to what was happening in Ukraine.

[@refuge42]

Both of these speakers are interesting to listen to and aware however Carl's rocking back and forth and looking down into his camera is very distracting! I'll let him know.

[@tomthomas4505]

He claims the Cold War was "confined to the North..." BS! Tell that to the South Africans and Rhodesians who bravely fought Moscow's proxy Cuban troops led by Soviet officers, as evidenced by the South African Defence Force's capture of Soviet officers on the battlefield...

[@manuelcapela7620]

03:59

[@sunseb5124]

Of course the "bad guys" are ALWAYS the others...

[@looper3117]

The bad guys are the people bombing maternity hospitals - Russian fascists.

[@sunseb5124]

@@looper3117 always double standard dumb propagandized chump. Like the so called "Syrian gas attack" , Irak WMDs. Oh and the artistical high of the "babbies thrwon out of incubaters " 1st Irak war. You can call any boy names and be set on the general hysteria but being a historical revisionist is not going to change history apart maybe in history books. Where do sociaies go when their knoledge is not connected to realities. Hint: history repeats it self... Why not see thatvthe west has activly been supporting neonazis in the Ukrainian arny??? Why blind oneself? Why do you have to be so much one the "moral highgrounds" when in fact we are in the sewers in that regard... YOU are not more moral than any one of us.

[@looper3117]

@@sunseb5124 The far right vote in Ukrainian elections was 2% … yes all of 2%. Selenskey is a Russian-speaking Jew who was elected on a platform of ‘peace’ and an agenda to try and resolve the issues with Russia. You can find small right-wing groups in virtually every state worldwide. Are you going to invade all of them? As for the ‘whataboutery’ of the everything else you mention … shame on you for trying to deflect from everything that is happening in Ukraine as I type this. Russia has become a murderous, Fascist state with a misplaced sense of victimhood.

[@markb8468]

@Looper Russian troll....don't waste the ink per se

[@sunseb5124]

@@looper3117 you havent been paying attention. We are not talking about far right voting. We zre tzlking about strzight out neo-nazi trained malicias incorporated to the military. This is not new it has been reported way before the this invasion started, at least 14000 people have died in Dombas since 2014... This is not deflection, deflection is stiring up tensions like US and UK have been doing and when things blow up put the entire blame 0n the "other", systematicly. Now this may contradict your "I'm good/they're bzd" NARROW view of the world, but that is just how things are. Playing the shame game isn't going to make this fact go away. Playing the shame game doesn't bring anything to the debate, in fact is THE sign that there are no real argument there. You may follow brainlessly the narative butvthat does not show you are thinking by your own means. Sheep jump into the void , so do people following propaganda, triggered by basic clan and fear emotions. This is whats dangerous in nuclear world, people THINKING herdwise. When the wave of negativ emotions has build up sufficient energy, no politician or CIA or MI6 or KGB can stip the tsunami. All the above are nuclear powers... every one should see kubriks "Dr Strangelove" as a reminder. "Black rain" is another film of the sort. Ukrain8ans have been a tool for CIA and MI6, a bait to poke the bear, now you shed crocodile tears for the victimes you helped creat by being propaganda chump. Truely inform yourself, check the history of this situation that didn't come out of nowhere or from some suposidly deranged mind. 6 basic rules for war propaganda among others: - Hide history - Hide economic and strategical interest - Diabolize the enemy - white wash our politicians and officials, - monopolize information - shut down all debate, all decenting voices. Oh there's one more: blame the enemy of things you are donig, so as to blur the scene.

[@superstock9261]

All i see is a very Russian critical position from Mark. Is there any critique of American use of conventional war, invasion and info warfare???

[@aleksandrzaviriukha5809]

Russia is good to bomb people, right?

[@superstock9261]

@free do you understand what's occuring in the west? The rampant imperialism. That has led to 90,000 airstrikes since post 9/11, the increasing censorship, the rise of information warfare. There is no good guy, we need critical analysis not blind partisanship

[@RobBCactive]

No, he was pretty soft on Russia. Do you expect him to praise them leaving Novichuk in Salisbury? They covered disinformation. I guess facts and truth hurt.

[@isawaninterestingthing...7597]

Second.

[@lilyfuzz1]

really interesting thank you.

[@aleksandrzaviriukha5809]

Again, the comments are full of Putin lovers. Unbelievable.

[@LucaEnzo]

They supported Assad genociding his own country, they bat no eye lid backing the Kremlin doing the same

[@looper3117]

Putin trolls unfortunately. This is their actual job.

[@superstock9261]

I'm not a Putin lover nor a troll, but I'm concerned with the very one eyed assessment of geopolitics both from the press, academics and citizens. I don't understand how the USA can conduct literally, 90,000 air strikes since 9/11 (American military stats) , yet there is no critique, corporate or banking embargo, confiscation of wealth from American millionaires or corporate exudus, or banning of US media. Time and again we have had the truth come to light that the US govt and its allied media have lied to us: Iraq rationale for invasion, the Syrian gas attacks, Afghanistan being involved in 9/11, Lybia being a terrorist state, Yemen etc. The issue we are all trying to point out is the severely biased media, it feels like we are in a late chapter of the book, 1984

[@SirAntoniousBlock]

Well Aleksandr as the topic suggests, the war is going on everywhere, even here. The "frontline" is everywhere now.

[@SirAntoniousBlock]

@@superstock9261 You mightn't be "a Putin lover nor a troll" but in times like these when it is nearly breaking out into open hostilities theres no place for whataboutery, you're either on the side of the West or you're a traitor.

[@DavidBeattty]

Just lol.

[@liamwinter4512]

Which aspect

[@DavidBeattty]

@@liamwinter4512 the title suggest there will be people left intact after the nuclear Blasts stop.

[@-MaxXxuS-]

This didn't age well...

[@clarabel868]

And donations to independent schools

[@rosemaried6169]

Zz

[@mvg75]

Learning nothing from 350°.

[@mvg75]

ME'ray HERE. What is lies and repetitive undersding of past.

[@sunseb5124]

Thie sound like bulls"""t. Russia Russia Russia. As if there Irak, Lybia and so many other had never happened. Not mentionnening indeed all other non lethal leverages used by US and vassals (UK, Netherlands, Italy, France, etc). There is other non lethal leverages not mentionned here: Narative. No matter right or wrong, if you have the power of narative, you actually have huge advantage. US and UK are very strong at "story telling" ( in french: racconter des histoires" meaning "telling bollocks") and actually having people beleive them How about talking about that???? This is bollocks once again, in its academic form, the new sphere of influence of MI5 and CIA...

[@superstock9261]

Academia has been infiltrated by agents. We see this clearly in sociology and its obsession with post modernism and we see it in this idiotic, propagandist military academia that Mark participates in, either as a useful idiot, blind patsy or agent

[@looper3117]

Fascist Russia is the country currently bombing maternity hospitals, and the country responsible for 2.5 million refugees in Europe in 2022!

[@superstock9261]

@@looper3117 are you still falling for this propaganda? We had the same type of propaganda in the first Iraq war, ie that Saddam was stealing baby humidicribs. We are in the midst of an American led information warfare campaign, the first ever of its kind. Read my other longer comment I posted

[@sunseb5124]

@free @free now you ARE admiting thzt you are propagandized. And now YOU are usi.g the whatboutism argument. Yes all countries use media as a means to controle people's mind. Now we have made progress in the debate. This is where taking a neutral look, as much as it is possible, is crucial to avoid society being dragged in yet another mass formation psychosis. The agravating factor is herd mentality and basic instinct triggered by propaganda. It demands a real efforts to extratact oneself from this sticky mess.

[@looper3117]

@@superstock9261 It’s not propaganda. The difference with this war (for better or for worse) is that we watch it on TV and on social media and in real-time …

[@hamidhamidi3134]

Totally one sided western narrative.

[@mvg75]

360 genocidest stump.

[@planmet]

Do you think that Russia in ten years time will recognise itself as Western State, with its citizens having adopted the Western mindset hegemony and Russia will have integrated into NATO, reduced its nuclear arsenal and strengthened its economy by robust international trade of its resources?

[@alcoholfree6381]

I sure hope so! It would make me feel more comfortable for my grandkids if there were no nuclear bombs.