Explaining Putin: The Man Behind the War in Ukraine

Explaining Putin: The Man Behind the War in Ukraine
A book talk with the author of "Putin," Philip Short
Philip Short, former foreign correspondent in Moscow, Beijing, and Washington, D.C., for the BBC, the Economist, and the Times of London. Author of definitive biographies of Mao, Pol Pot, and François Mitterrand. Philip spent the 2018-19 academic year with the Dickey Center as the Magro Family Distinguished Visitor in International Affairs, while conducting research for Putin.
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With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine now in its ninth month and Russian forces in surprising retreat, the question remains of how history, geography, and personality led to the largest conflict in Europe since 1945 - one that appears to be entering a more dangerous phase. How did we get here, did it have to happen, how might it be resolved, and with what consequences?
Join us for a fascinating discussion with Philip Short, author of the recently published biography, Putin, which draws on deep research to reveal the man behind the invasion of Ukraine which has dragged Russia back to a dark past. In light of the setbacks Russia has suffered in the face of stubborn Ukrainian resistance, signs of growing discontent at home, and an economy facing long term debilitation, might an alternate title be “Putin - A Comeuppance Long in the Making?”
Philip Short’s career includes serving as a foreign correspondent in Moscow, Beijing, and Washington, D.C., for the BBC, the Economist, and the Times of London. He is the author of definitive biographies of Mao, Pol Pot, and François Mitterrand.
Sponsored by the Initiative for Global Security at the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding. Dartmouth College.
Recorded November 14, 2022

[@zachreadsshorts]

This type of information must be suppressed because this is quality information

[@trogdortpennypacker6160]

Interesting speaker, he certainly has unique insights. Remarkable to spend eight years researching and writing on any subject.

[@pagarb]

Victor Bout was released on Dec 8, 2022 in a swap for Brittney Griner.

[@jamesmiller2735]

In the 1960's America's GDP was 40% and today it's 24%, if it doesn't mean that America is declining then I don't know what it means, well other countries have learnt to play the capitalist game as well.

[@firefly2900]

Kherson was left for a very simple reason, all logistics were connected with the dam on the Dnieper if it is destroyed, you can forget about logistics, spoiler dam was destroyed

[@mmazourov]

It went well until the conflict... Phillip seems to treat the conflict in the samee way a lot of Western journalists do: as something that started on the 24th of Feb 2022. I distinctly remember watching a senate session on C-Span related to RU's involvement in Syria in 2014 when one of the senators suggested supplying lethal weapons to UKR (you under Minsk agreement at the time) to reignite the conflict there and force RU to shift focus to E. Europe. The supplies of Javelins and Stingers and Western trainers to UKR from the West started in 2016 under Trump and in 2021 Shoigu reported that UKR had more of these weapons than the Western armies combined and the "last drop" was Zelenski's speech in Munich just before the war talking about "re acquisition" of nuclear weapons by UKR (which nobody apart from Russians seemed to object to). So, no - Putin is not paranoid. Lastly: Hostomel was taken by the Russian paras, Crimea was taken by the Russians from the Turks in the 18th, not 19th century and the reason for the lackluster performance of the Russians in the first month of the war was the fact that they were not trying to conquer UKR (can't be done with 190k troops), but due to the fact that they were forcing a political solution and they would have had it if not for BoJo and the White House meddling (and Zelenski's greed).

[@firefly2900]

it is very strange that the author says that Putin has a personal interest in Ukraine, is he really a scientist? I talked so much about Ukraine because in the 90s the entire transit of oil and gas was through Ukraine, why spend billions in northern streams if you can improve the old? The answer is simple, someone stole transit gas and oil. Guess which country

[@vedser]

brilliant objective analysis. much better than propagandists and wishful thinkers from both sides.

[@zachreadsshorts]

Agreed

[@firefly2900]

in Russia, the West is considered hypocrites, here is a simple example, not one leader of the USSR did not kill as many people as the politician Boris Yeltsin, if you count together with 15 new republics

[@timtrewyn453]

The world might have been unipolar from 1945 to 1950. The world has been multi-polar since the Korean War. Ukrainians might look at the Soviets in Afghanistan. Yes, they stayed 10 years but eventually left. Exhaustion could de-escalate the war into a two-way insurgency until one side or the other is able to re-escalate to attempt to change the situation. Russia is incentivizing a realignment of energy resources and perhaps mineral resources as well. Those resources were key to Russian wealth. They cannot assume that they will somehow return to those good old days.

[@SL-sd3sg]

Don’t forget Dawn Sturgess 🇬🇧

[@MT-2020]

Jesus, his intermittent coughing ruined the talk...!

[@eskokauppila1327]

"...is this the worst enemy to volodymur zelenski destroying whole ukraine with jens stoltenberg, with usa's bombs like arizona's bigmeteor holecrater

[@craigturner5575]

ᵖʳᵒᵐᵒˢᵐ 😘

[@ryanB74]

this is very important thoughts .. for the people who die in theirs homes by rockets that 'interesting guy' send

[@happyhappynuts]

Exactly, we dont need spend time thinking about Putin. Fight back is all you can do

[@pagarb]

It's interesting that Russians might consider western Europeans as encroaching when it was the Mongols who overran Russia and ruled for over a century with a very heavy hand, and left permanent roots. It was the Poles who turned back the Mongols from further expansion into Europe.

[@xxxxxxxxx3944]

We No. Poland was not the power at that stage to push the Mongols back. It was Ivan 4 of Moscow the great grandson of Ivan 1 to push the Mongols out when it had become weak.

[@anandhuradhakrishnan4454]

RUSSIA. ❤️❤️❤️

[@SL-sd3sg]

💙💛 glory to Ukraine 🇬🇧

[@EWP-ms4bb]

Such an inverted presentation of the problem! This is the way to continually duping and misleading the under-informed audience.

[@pagarb]

Al Capone was also a "rational character".. So was Adolph Hitler, at certain times, when it suited, him he could be "very rational".. It's what they do when they're being "otherwise" that's the big issue... The Russian "excursion" into Afghanistan was hardly a "rational" act.. likewise Budapest in 1956

[@NV-xd5ui]

Total misunderstanding

[@meshzzizk]

Lol

[@harrysecombegroupie]

Perhaps you could enlighten us.

[@zachreadsshorts]

Funny he’s studied the man 8 years and gives a very informative lecture while trying to remain nonbiased and you think you know more. What is your expertise?

[@ericwillis777]

What total gibberish - not expand NATO ! So presumably we were expected to say " No more NATO memberships - so you are free to invade the ex-soviets anytime you like - take your time, no hurry - one at time perhaps ? As you like "

[@spacemonkey1270]

putin is intelligent lmao dude go talk about something else, thats not your thing

[@mmazourov]

It went well until the conflict... Phillip seems to treat the conflict in the samee way a lot of Western journalists do: as something that started on the 24th of Feb 2022. I distinctly remember watching a senate session on C-Span related to RU's involvement in Syria in 2014 when one of the senators suggested supplying lethal weapons to UKR (you under Minsk agreement at the time) to reignite the conflict there and force RU to shift focus to E. Europe. The supplies of Javelins and Stingers and Western trainers to UKR from the West started in 2016 under Trump and in 2021 Shoigu reported that UKR had more of these weapons than the Western armies combined and the "last drop" was Zelenski's speech in Munich just before the war talking about "re acquisition" of nuclear weapons by UKR (which nobody apart from Russians seemed to object to). So, no - Putin is not paranoid. Lastly: Hostomel was taken by the Russian paras, Crimea was taken by the Russians from the Turks in the 18th, not 19th century and the reason for the lackluster performance of the Russians in the first month of the war was the fact that they were not trying to conquer UKR (can't be done with 190k troops), but due to the fact that they were forcing a political solution and they would have had it if not for BoJo and the White House meddling (a

[@davin1287]

Regardless of if you're right or wrong, have you ever re-read this comment? You're describing hell in the most casual way.

[@mmazourov]

@@davin1287 just re-read, everything I said has been said by the Western press. Your point?