Mark Galeotti - Russia has Defied Predictions of Analysts and Media. What are we Still Getting Wrong

GUEST: Mark Galeotti - historian, author, security expert and academic.
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Cornered like a rat, Vladimir Putin is more dangerous than ever. We want his regime to be unstable, fragile, and collapsing - but 14 months of war have shown it is remarkably resilient. We wanted the Russian people to rise up against tyranny, but more than a million fled the country instead. Analysts, politicians, and the media have been wrong about so much when it comes to Russia. What are we still getting wrong.
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SPEAKER:
Mark Galeotti is an author and academic - by training an historian - but in practice an interdisciplinary scholar with interests encompassing politics, criminology, security studies, international relations, and anthropology. He is a specialist in transnational and organized crime, security affairs, Russian Politics, Russian History, Intelligence and Security. Mark has a PhD in Government from LSE and has worked as a Senior Lecturer and Head of Department of History at Keele University. He is a Principal Director at Mayak Intelligence, and is an Honorary Professor, SSEES at UCL. He is a Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. He has also been Professor of Global Affairs at New York University from 2009 to 2016.
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BOOKS:
Mark Galeotti: Putin's Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine (2022)
Mark Galeotti: The Weaponisation of Everything: A Field Guide to the New Way of War (2022)
Mark Galeotti: A Short History of Russia: From the Pagans to Putin (2021)
Mark Galeotti: Storm-333: KGB and Spetsnaz seize Kabul, Soviet-Afghan War 1979 (2021)
Mark Galeotti: We Need to Talk About Putin: How the West gets him wrong (2019)
Mark Galeotti: Russian Political War: Moving Beyond the Hybrid (2019)
Mark Galeotti: The Vory: Russia's Super Mafia (2018)
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WAR STUDIES:
Putin Takes Crimea 2014: Grey-zone warfare opens the Russia-Ukraine conflict (2023)
Russia's Five-Day War: The invasion of Georgia, August 2008 (2023)
Afghanistan 1979-88: Soviet air power against the mujahideen (2023)
Teutonic Knight vs Lithuanian Warrior: The Lithuanian Crusade 1283-1435 (2023)
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#markgaleotti #ukraine #ukrainewar #russia #zelensky #putin #propaganda
#war #disinformation #hybridwarfare #foreignpolicy #communism #sovietunion #postsoviet
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 Putin now more dangerous than ever, but how stable is his regime?
03:00 The gray man, Putin, becomes whatever people want to project onto him
06:42 Not high up in KGB, or strategic - but good at thuggery and manipulation
14:17 Fine-tuned paranoia and repression now harsher and more indiscriminate
20:12 Paranoia of the Tsars in the Red Fortress - history repeating itself
22:24 The Russian system of governance - sluggish, nepotistic and unresponsive
29:10 Rational economics is no longer driving the direction of travel in Russia
35:45 Does Russia face collapse without systemic change, from the ground up
43:02 Rise of Navalny fed Putin's paranoia about revolution led by foreign powers
50:12 Laboratories of tyranny - in Chechnya, Crimea, Belarus and now Ukraine
55:52 Economical terror - Putin's autocracy has methodology and is not Stalinism
1:05:54 A toxic minority - Z Patriots may not represent Russia's future course
1:09:05 Red terror, White Orthodox fascism or Blue liberalism - where is Russia headed?
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PLATFORMS:
Twitter: / curtainsilicon
Instagram: / siliconcurtain
Podcast: open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6...
Linkedin: / finkjonathan
Patreon: / siliconcurtain
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Welcome to the Silicon Curtain podcast. Please like and subscribe if you like the content we produce. It will really help to increase the popularity of our content in KZbin’s algorithm. Our material is now being made available on popular podcasting platforms as well, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

[@2russo.phobic4u]

You are very fast becoming my go-to KZbin channel for intellectual conversation about Ukraine and Russia. You and Vlad Vexler are top lads.

[@SiliconCurtain]

You’re so kind, and your support is much appreciated.

[@fozzyg63]

I second that 👏👏👏

[@shooster5884]

Yes ... Silicon Curtain is my 'Jake Bro' on the Russian topics.. light and pleasant tone while talking about very serious subjects! Very listenable to... 🥰

[@davidelliott5843]

Silicon Curtain is always top quality content and always current. One of the few go-to channels.

[@Andyfresh-nt2um]

Will be archived for the future. Victory to Ukraine 🇺🇦

[@markdouglas8073]

Jonathan you are doing a fantastic service to the free world, and Mark Galeotti is one of the best analysts. Great episode.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍👍 so kind, thank you. It’s a great privilege to be able to speak with experts like Mark, who are so generous with their time.

[@DarrenSmith-zz6fk]

I aak you how many military operations have these been in probably none

[@jonathansamuel7033]

Military types are not geopolitical analysts . In the ideal world they take orders from government . Implementation not initiation of policy . Unless you admire African banana republics where military leaders hijack the government to great effect. ( being ironic)

[@markdouglas8073]

@@DarrenSmith-zz6fk Military experience is not the only experience that matters. Without intelligence, social science research, criminology, etc we cannot understand our enemies or help them not to be one.

[@ennediend2865]

FULLY AGREED 👍 THANK YOU.

[@isabellahat146]

This is by far the best channel for solid insights into Russia, the current war and Ukraine. Thank you

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍👍

[@superslice28magee68]

Check out Inside Konstantines Russia. He is very good.

[@thomashassall96]

​@@superslice28magee68 yep, I've been following Konstantin since he was showing us around Russian supermarkets. Super informative and on point about all things Russian... also a gentleman! An unusual russian indeed ❤

[@isabellahat146]

@@superslice28magee68 yes, agreed. I'm a great fan of Konstantin and watch all his videos. He complements the Silicon Curtain interviews.

[@ldhorricks]

I like this channel but Vlad Vexler's has the most nuanced understanding of Russia and Russian Mentality

[@JayMaverick]

It's funny how most of these "Russia experts" touted on mainstream media have turned out to be completely clueless about Russian culture, mindset, political beliefs etc. As a normal man living in East Europe, I don't know shet about squat and even my predictions have been more on point about Russia, Russian military capability and Putin's motivations. So glad to have found people like Vlad Vexler and this channel to hear actual expert analysis on the topic.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍👍 living in a communal apartment for a year in St Petersburg taught me everything I need to know… 🙀

[@njswampfox474]

The average guy and gal on the street in Poland, the Baltic nations, Romania, Czechia, Slovakia, etc. understand Putin, Russia and Russians far more than Western intellectuals and most Western policymakers. Unfortunately, very few, especially Germany and France, listened to sage advice from East and Central Europeans who knew and know better.

[@coopoylozenge5964]

@@njswampfox474 I accept your point but most of us are learning fast.

[@lsees5753]

@@njswampfox474 So then how do we get the access to the former eastern bloc intellects who communicate well - or do we of the west have it already, and are dismissive, because it sounds too radical

[@letranger6750]

Where is the evidence? Putin's motivations? All Putin said since 2008 NO Nato at my borders period, & he wasn't bluffing. Instead of imagining his thoughts, why don't you listen to what he says for a change!

[@sirrodneyffing1]

Putin as a ‘Rorschach inkblot’; brilliant analogy.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍

[@BR-hi6yt]

Indeed - I hadn't thought about that analogy before - so true (was!).

[@m.walther6434]

Growing up in Germany after the 2nd WW, I'm not so optimistic, when it comes to lasting changes in Russia to the better. Even after the total collapse and devastation of Germany, even after the horrors of Auschwitz, Dachau and Treblinka came to light, the generation of my parents didn't reflect much what they had done and found a lot of excuses. So didn't the politicians they elected. Germany moved toward a reactionary, revisionist state of mind, still a lot of Antisemitism,, worship of the military. Only the student movement of the late 60th, the feminist and ecological movement managed to change track, slowly but steadily. It will need two or three generations at least. Forgot to say great interview and great canal. Thank You very much, both.

[@elizabethstewart12]

I'm outlining this program, as if I were taking notes during in Modern World History course. Thank you for excellence.

[@coopoylozenge5964]

I’ve listened to hours and hours of this type of analysis over the last 14 months and I would say that this guy is good; very good indeed. I do however think that he is over optimistic on Russia’s potential to create civil society. Let’s hope I’m wrong on that.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍👍 he’s a little more optimistic than I am… he’s read a lot more than me though, and is absolutely immersed in the subject.

[@concretejungle9608]

No hope for anything benevolent ever coming from out of russia

[@TKMcClone]

Post Putin, I can't see how the Russian people can rally around ideas rather that a person. They aren't severely oppressed or deprived. A person is a quick answer to solve their current problem and enable a return to being depoliticised. Whereas, ideas require groups of people to organise in cooperation to create a new political infrastructure. Russian society and culture seems to be built on opportunism and lack of trust, whereas building from ideas requires trust and altruism.

[@concretejungle9608]

@@TKMcClone russians have proven they are not capable of building anything other than systems of oppression and destruction - they’ve proven it with their entire 500 year long history . They are paradises which steal and leach on what other nations have build

[@jamesgarner327]

​@@TKMcClone They will, we're just not going to like it, it will probably be a form of hyper militaristic nationalism with veterans of the current war playing a large role in politics. Who knows...

[@pierresaelen3097]

@Jonathan, I told you that Mark is more positive about Russian civil society than one would expect. Great to hear him explain why he thinks so. Congratulations for having Mark at his absolute best in this interview. Cheers and thank you!

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍 it was a fascinating conversation, wasn’t it?!

[@pierresaelen3097]

@@SiliconCurtain Yes, it was! I absolutely loved it.

[@Heavy_Distortion]

One of my favorite guests. Mark always delivers engaging original analysis.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍

[@kameraadbonesoep]

Power structure time! 🤜

[@ennediend2865]

👍👍👍 And very clear English , for non natives...

[@JayDeeChannel]

Great guest, very knowledgeable.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍

[@RenegadeSound]

I very much appreciate the time and effort that goes in your videos , thank you .

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍👍

[@Listenerandlearner870]

Excellent and there is even some optimism amongst colossal suffering.

[@Mr.barba97]

Thanks mark

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍

[@tbrucia]

Listening to this conversation, I couldn't help but think of much American history (especially recent history), parallels and differences between events in Russia and Ukraine, and currents in America. It's refreshing to hear two men discussing matters in terms of years and decades instead of sound bites.

[@mcdibbern9919]

Another excellent interview. Congratulations to you both. Your expertise is so helpful for us.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍👍

[@kkpenney444]

I wish I had a shred of his optimism. All the same, I'd give a kingdom if our brains these past few years hadn't been almost forcibly occupied with the need to try to understand the lives and motives of truly despicable men. But alas, you're too good at what you do so i can't resist continuing this hopeless exercise.

[@AK-ej5ml]

Great interview, Mark is extremely knowledgeable on Russian matters. Let's hope Russia can turn around quicker than the two generations Mark mentioned in one example.

[@AlloBruxelles]

Yet another excellent interview. . . balanced, well informed,, qualified. . . Thank you.

[@boboinparadise]

Thank you for your tremendous work, brilliant analysis and wonderful guests

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍

[@bjornalm9389]

Dear Jonathan, your Silicon curtain interviews/ dialogues are really the most insigthfulls om Ukraine on the KZbin. Björn

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍👍

[@quantumeseboy]

Dude, not only Russia never broke away from its soviet past, they never broke away from their Mongol-Golden-Horde past. I do not share your optimism for Russia at all, I am convinced that fundamentally Russia is a dead-end civilization on the way to utter disintegration.

[@paulzx5034]

Hi from Russia. Yes, we are the Horde. A settled Horde. Only things nomads could steal are slaves and livestock. We can steal everything valuable and use it against you, because we are urban civilization. And from our perspective now the perfect time to strike back because the West is on the weakest point. Where all those mighty empires of the West? Gone. Only one major power left, and USA not even in Europe.

[@SiliconCurtain]

I also fear this is where it’s headed. 1917 significantly deformed and degraded Russian civilisation… what we are seeing now are continued consequences from that cataclysm- that deeply traumatic and sadistic revolution.

[@tinayang3845]

This is the best analyses I have come across yet. From this I learned more than in the whole of last year, since Russia's full-scale invasion

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍

[@juvero21]

Dude...it's trash

[@jayheichel5126]

Finally someone with an honest appraisal of the Russian mess!!!

[@chrisd.2831]

Mark is very knowledgeable and so entertaining same time. I love his podcast (its called „in Moscows shadows“)

[@cindianajones9049]

Thank you for another extremely interesting interview. You are truly my favorite interviewer and I am learning so much from your style.. as well as from your interviewees. I would love to hear an interview with Ukraines ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova. She is such a straight shooter it's no wonder she is not often featured in the news. It would be a great thing to see (hear) what would happen if the two of you were able to have a frank discussion. Thanks again for what you're doingl

[@orctowngrot8842]

Love the format. Love the content. Each video a little masterclass in sharing conversation. Thank you.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍👍

[@davidmanning1724]

If only UK politicians were as as competent and committed to keeping the UK together as Putun is committed to keeping Russia together

[@paulwusteman9963]

Mark Galeotti never seems to take account of the current effect of the Western sanctions on Russia. The effect of the sanctions introduced in Jan/Feb after a long period of grace to allow the EU to adapt to them has already been catastrophic on Russian finances. It seems that Russia will have burned through all its huge domestic reserves by the end of 2023 (Its foreign reserves are frozen).Its budget deficit is huge and the Rouble is sinking. It has reduced oil output and is selling at a discount to its 'friends' at almost cost-price. This is going to cause chaos in Russia. There is also the denial of much technical equipment to Russia because of the sanctions - resulting in 1980s style Lada cars and 1960s style tanks now being produced. I wonder if this is a thing with historians (eg John Mearsheimer) . When you have devoted a lifetime to researching certain factors, you carry on regardless when events happen which tend to reduce the relevance to the actual situation of your personal fields of studies. Am I being fair?

[@johncollorafi257]

Trying to figure out Russia is like trying to figure out a card game rigged in multiple ways.

[@churblefurbles]

If you don't find this comment section unnatural, you won't figure out anything.

[@user-ly6pl5ot9m]

"And then it got worse" (c) is always a safe bet over here, John.

[@pburgvenom]

Whilst blindfolded

[@jed4119]

Fabulous conversation such a knowledgeable man thank you for this.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍

[@Greg_Chase]

Most of us have not lived under a dictatorship like russia's population has since 1917 - that's 106 years. People in russia have no parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents to remind them how to look after the personal freedoms and to participate in elections like we in the west do. People in russia are once again being easily dominated by a dictator, and THAT they actually have parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents to remind them of "how things are" It's what they're used to. Being easily dominated; being cruel on command if their dictator attempts to steal the neighbor's property (Ukraine). What I suspect the rest of us are getting wrong is to expect a population that was fairly cruelly subjugated by a dictatorship would be able to 'act like they have personal freedoms and an elected government' It's not in their experience; it's not in their parents' experience; it's not in their grandparents or great grandparents experience. They do not have the cultural and historic references that we do. So they're not going to behave and act like western countries do.

[@lsees5753]

Well said. Another facet, not an inevitability, I hope.

[@kevinu.k.7042]

Agreed, to a degree. It is a mistake to think of Russia as a country though. The educated people of St Petersburg and Moscow, for example, are much more aware of the outside world, of different political structures and they have travelled more in the West. I believe they do have concepts of individual freedom and self determination.

[@Greg_Chase]

@@kevinu.k.7042 Right, I think they are aware that the personal freedoms situation is better outside their country. But the challenge those people have is, no cultural history of standing up for personal freedoms, and a permanent system that fires the leadership every 4 or 8 years, no matter how 'good' the leader is. "You've done a good job, but we have hired someone else to replace you - GET OUT!" It's the only way because the 'privilege of power' leads to the leader REFUSING to surrender that privilege, including physical elimination of anyone vying to take their job. 'Privilege-stealing' leaders like this lack compunction, will do everything to keep the privileges, and that's why they *_must be fired_* every 4 to 8 years. Russia is never going to get that, not for a century or longer, I'd wager. They have zero internal references for it. Their social norms are "take take take, eliminate competitors" There was never any "rat out the neighbor to the KGB" in England or France or the U.S. or Canada etc. .

[@kevinu.k.7042]

@@Greg_Chase This is all true. Which may explain in part why so many chose to exit Russia. There is so much water to flow under so many bridges here. It will take a couple of generations at least.

[@Greg_Chase]

@@kevinu.k.7042 To shore up their gene pool, to get new immigration into russia, these things need to happen: 1) personal freedoms are added to their constitution in a manner that excludes all attempts at undermining them 2) the firing of 'good' leaders after 4, or at most 8 years *_must be implemented_* 3) obviously a commitment to all neighbors not to steal their land or other property 4) acceptance for the west to re-arm Ukraine with its full suite of nuclear weapons that Ukraine gave up in the Budapest Memorandum in 1994, where russia and the U.S. et al agreed to ensure Ukraine's independence and security (russia betrayed that, but will never betray it again if Ukraine gets its proper nuclear deterrent restored) 5) full payment for all damage done to Ukraine - a lien of 30% of all oil revenues of russia to go to Ukraine for the families of people killed by russia, and to rebuild 6) *_HANDOVER OF ALL RUSSIAN WAR CRIMINALS TO THE HAGUE FOR IMMEDIATE PROSECUTION_* 7) encouragement of DFI ('direct foreign investment') *_NONE OF THIS WILL HAPPEN, THEY CAN'T EVEN PULL UP THEIR TROUSERS AFTER VISITING THE WC_* The rational, fair-minded, *_HUMANE_* people in russia are too small in number due to the work of Stalin et al who killed millions of them

[@PalleRasmussen]

Not all our predictions. Only journalists and political scientists. Military historians have not been as inaccurate.

[@SiliconCurtain]

Depends which ones - those that study battles and strategies not so bad. Those that fetishise military equipment have been pretty hopeless, endlessly over estimating Russia’s capabilities.

[@PalleRasmussen]

@@SiliconCurtain those are not military historians 😉 Historians look at the past to learn patterns so that we are better able to understand the now and possible futures

[@dougnave8258]

Good discussion.

[@kevinu.k.7042]

A very good Vlog Thank you. What is certain is that Russia as a failed State would be disastrous for the World's security and economy.

[@irinajosefson182]

Have you been to Russia lately? Or once? I bet these two so called experts have never been to Russia. Pathetic!

[@user-po7kw2bp2n]

Why would anyone want to visit Russia?

[@kevinu.k.7042]

@@user-po7kw2bp2n Please read my post again. Nothing to do with visiting. And, Russia has a tremendous European Cultural History. Some very fine architecture, music literature science and art. There are many reasons to visit in better times.

[@markbrown2749]

Very informative! I can't imagine it can get any better than this.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍

[@deguilhemcorinne418]

Interesting analysis, I had doubts when I read the title of the video, but in the end, you address important issues for the future of Russia next generations.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍

[@toby9999]

Another great discussion. Thank you.

[@gj1234567899999]

Russia has certainly defied predictions. Most analysts predicted the mighty Russian army would take Kiev in 3 days and take out Zelensky who would be captured or flee. Instead the Russian army has been pushed back and now remains in WWI-like trench warfare against a vastly outnumbered opponent and cannot seem to make much headway.

[@Nils.Minimalist]

And with more Western support, Ukraine would even have won by now and the Ukrainians would have driven the Russians out of their country long ago.

[@nukeout]

Its going to be "remarkably resilient" until it suddenly and unexpectedly collapses 😮

[@makylemur7019]

RUSSIA DELENDA EST.

[@eltororist3366]

That was a fantastic thought provoking analysis... Thank you!

[@marttivallila]

A brilliant conversation between two very knowledgeable persons. I am left to ask the key question. What would Russia be as a normal country? What I know from years of travel, there is that there was tremendous respect for the American people before the poison of confrontation, fueled by both sides. What if politicians in the US and Russia both decided that it was in their mutual interest to cooperate? This is the alliance against China that Vivek Ramaswami has been promoting.

[@MissAnastasiyaD]

Some things that Mark was saying made me sick to my stomach.. "Putin is a father of the true Ukrainian nation" - this is wrong on so many levels... however he tries to justify saying that. "Before Feb 24 Ukraine was a deeply corrupt country." - and that's all it was? That's all you've got to say? He repeats cliches one after another.. Maybe he's an expert on Russia, but sounds like he knows nothing about Ukraine.

[@BR-hi6yt]

I thought so too - he doesn't care about dictators cruel policies - even likes it.

[@ih7521]

Putin's war against Ukraine has helped bring Ukrainians together, but I wouldn't go to 'father of the nation'. The war has revealed about russians what the younger generation of Ukrainians may only have heard through their grandparents. Unfortunately they are now seeing those old stories as today's reality.

[@carylhalfwassen8555]

He spoke of Putin’s importance to Ukrainian resistance as a galvanizing agent.

[@bonecarving]

Very very interesting to hear you guys talking!

[@bonecarving]

One of the best yet

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍

[@simian_essence]

What I think of Putin is pretty simple, straightforward and focused: He's someone who leads a country that needs to get unrelentingly hammered in Ukraine. Anything else about him (as far as I'm concerned) is just noise.

[@shooster5884]

Very interesting conversation.. Great questions and.. Clear points of discussion.. Thank you both..

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍👍

[@andrewfarrington2193]

Excellent. Many thanks. Well done! It's always good to hear from one of my own, personal Holy Trinity of Ukraine/Russia commentators, Mark G., Owen Matthews and Vlad Vexler.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍👍

[@dieterjosef]

Wow, that was great. Thanks to Mr Galeotti and to you being well prepared with your questions. Haven't watched your channel before but will browse through it now.

[@rayc59]

Great guest and discussion again. Thanks.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍

[@christophercousins184]

Excellent conversation, as always.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍

[@lindamcgehee7216]

Great and informative analysis/conversation on a complex topic! Thank you for an intellectual and scholarly presentation. I feel like I am in an advanced class at one of the finest universities.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍 a great compliment!

[@arickfakhar1717]

Blood and Soil. This mirrors Russia's societal pathology. 'Society is bound to each other by blood. And soil binds society to the nation.'

[@istiaqmujibtafader]

Syria's, Saudi Arabia's, Jordan's, Egypt's, and Iraq's foreign ministers met in Amman on Monday and issued a joint statement. Respected nations' foreign ministers, calling on Damascus to restore the rule of law throughout Syria and to eliminate the presence of foreign armed groups and terrorists. All parties agreed that Damascus must disarm all foreign militant groups in order to restore peace and order throughout Syria. All of this is in support of Chaina's and Russia's active and silent diplomatic efforts. After a quarter-century of US unipolar hegemony and the bloodbath in the Middle East, which may be coming to an end soon, the geopolitical maps of the reinstated multipolar global order have shifted dramatically.

[@SiliconCurtain]

Amazing- and they’ll force Russians to leave too?

[@ppss.6302]

Bloody clown.

[@istiaqmujibtafader]

@@SiliconCurtain The United States is no longer able to influence events in the Middle East, leading to a period of relative calm as the region's governments decide to pursue stability on their own. Every country in the area is making progress towards peace talks and cooperation. The United States' narrative as a peacemaker and democratizer has taken a major hit as a result of these developments. When the United States' influence wanes, paradoxically, peace and harmony flourish. The momentum of rapprochement in the Middle East helps plummet the United States' destructive influence in the region.

[@anderstengstrom9525]

Great conversation - thanks a lot!

[@LewisSkeeter]

Mark is excellent. Great video.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍

[@noras.9774]

Sorry, but it’s a mistake of Western countries for non-understanding Russia and Putin. The Eastern coundtries, not only thise who made part of USSR. I’m from Romania and we always were afraid of Russia; 50 years of comunism learned us!

[@SiliconCurtain]

We’re trying to catch up! ☺️

[@homerbeer943]

I live in Canada and I've had my eyes opened by people like Vlad Vexler. North Americans have no clue what Russia is about. It's astounding how American socialists promulgate Putin talking points on Ukraine. I look to Russia's neighbors for the truest understanding of Putin's aims.

[@yrmanja]

What are we still getting wrong? First of all, you should consider we- who are we? What means we in dominantly individualist ideology?

[@ldhorricks]

I've spent a great deal of time in Russia...I've listened to many well versed Russian experts and even Russians themselves talk about everything that is Russia...and still after all these years...I ask this same question over and over again: "What to do about Russia". Russia will always be wanting to expand it's territory and hard power...it will always see itself as a superior, providential nation/power...it will never be be a country that has any interest in playing by any generally accepted rules in anything. Russians simply believe they are special and deserve to be treated as such and if they aren't treated that way, they will use force to get what they desire. It's always been that way and it always will be that way. There is a reason why former Warsaw "Pact" nations took the first opportunity to align with the West and NATO...they know Russia all too well. I've lived in on of those countries going on 30 years. There is no civil society in Russia...Most Russians have a very limited sense, understanding or even interest in accountability...and even less understanding or value of community...its an utterly foreign concept to most Russias...and I have experienced this up close with Russians ,both at home and abroad. It is one of the most cynical nations of people I have ever come across...frankly I think no other nation of people I have met come close. They are a nation of people that mostly see life and the world as coming at them rather than coming from them...there is a palpable victim mentality within Russian society. Nothing is going to change anytime soon.

[@daviddunne4737]

Excellent . Your summing up of the state of Russia is the actual fact of today ...........not that NATO wants to invade Russia and Amereica and the West is to blame . Winston Churchill in 1939 famously described Russia as “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” And for decades, if not centuries, the Western fascination with Russia as some sort of exotic, mysterious and enthralling alternative persisted. But now, at last the ugly predatory monster has been revealed for what it always was and continues to be. (KYIV POST) sums it up . Cheers , SLAVA UKRAINI .

[@lechsapula9519]

That analysis is correct if we change the country name from R U s s i a to. A m e r y k a.

[@user-ly6pl5ot9m]

@@lechsapula9519 Hey there, guy from putleristan here. Here's the catch. America is *leading* the world and has some kind of personality twist, its want to lead or its don't want to. RuSSia wants to *rule* the world but nodody going to allow that either because it'll lead to suffer, war and chaos like now or they have other plans. Cheers.

[@user-ly6pl5ot9m]

Hey there, guy from putlerland here. I wonder if somethings' gonna change over here Larry when thug Prigoshin shall send putlerland into the hell of mob war of everyone aganist everyone. Cheers.

[@GertKlimanschewski]

If Russia would be an individual I would say this guy has an inferiority complex.... 😡🙃👍 I don't think so.... The population of Russia was always poor, only the leadership had this kind obsession what you are talking about.... The czar, the monarchy cand later the poor idiots of revolution.... Absolute uneducated people who wanted only to be free from slavery but didn't understand how to build a society like the greek did thousands years ago.... Democracy was and isn't perfect but it is the best peaceful and fair system.... But every society is only as good as the character of the individuals are part of this society...... Humans are complicated, almost ever...vthey are often egoists, selfish minds but this isn't the pure nature of human beings.... BUT we have to learn what it means to be a human or better a good human..... ANYWAY the ethics are part of anybody of us..... Everybody knows since his birth what's wrong or right..... Conscience is part of anybody, but we have a free will and something went and goes wrong again and again..... The Russian population wasn't an imperialistic nation.... UK was indeed, the Dutch, the Portuguese, Spain..... But not Russia at first time. The DUMB ideas of communism brought this thoughts of imperialism to the Russians I think.... All what I see today are brainwashed shy, uneducated Russian citizens, who don't know what they should fight for other than money...... I think they could change over night and could turn into a fair democracy.... Only the corrupt system of communism was poisoning the character of the people.....!!!! Think about.....!

[@andybroomfield4041]

Brilliant piece again, really found this interesting and thought provoking 👍👌

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍👍

[@Fyrd-Fareld]

Lest we forget, a series of installed "manipulables" have turned on those who thought they could be managed.

[@jamessheffield4173]

In Russia it's called the strong hand. Common Russian opinion of Putin: He is a little shorter than Stalin.

[@michaelwhite2267]

Real love what you do and in particular your very ingaging voice which makes listening so pleasurable as most importantly informative ,, please keep up the great work....

[@SiliconCurtain]

☺️

[@bujler]

Great video. Thanks for this.

[@asynchronicity]

You represent the very best of KZbin. Keep up the great work!

[@NigelQuinn1]

Great discussion, thanks.

[@davidpamely217]

Another great interview, thank you.

[@sweinnc]

What you call the west treating russia back in the 90’s as “benign neglect”, I called “forced instant capitalism”. I remember having hope for russia, but seeing the west more or less force russia to sell out all state companies and resources to the highest bidder instead of allowing them a way to move slower towards democracy and a stable society. The west created the oligarchs, more or less paving the way for putin. I thought it was sad back in the 90’s, and now I do not see a near term possible solution other than a total collapse, restarting for scratch.

[@andrewthornber7783]

Arguably the oligarchs and the inherent capitalism that you refer to was created under late stage capitalism through the mafia controls over huge swathes of soviet production actually

[@kkpenney444]

So enormously tired of this infantilism of Russia as if they were nothing but the byproduct of the corrupt whims of the West.

[@njswampfox474]

Putin said the implosion of the USSR was the single biggest tragedy of his life. The West failed to act with respect to his aggression in Chechnya. Georgia, Crimea and Donbas before 2022, all of which were predictable for anyone who understood Putin and paid attention to his actions.

[@BR-hi6yt]

That was Clinton era - we were all asleep in our "new" liberal world view.

[@casteretpollux]

3 million or so people died of deprivation in Russia under IMF directions. Hardly an accident.

[@kazmroz8948]

Russian empire depends on apathy of its citizens to continue as is. Putting down its citizens, by curtailing rights is all it takes to continue in its empire building mind set. ie: "If only we can get a little bigger, that empire building will be justified", thus proving the point of Russia being an Empire builder, from its distant past into its ever brighter future. A little or a lot of pain now, will make Russian life better, later.; as it has ever been. Why change?

[@MichaelPetersFenwicks]

Insightful.

[@dorothycolumbare9140]

Great guest speaker.

[@JonniePolyester]

Such great analysis! 👍

[@JonniePolyester]

Putin was a sort of Martin Bormann figure… until he was elevated to executive power….

[@JonniePolyester]

Julia Ioffe & Catherine Belton would be great guests too!

[@danielschaeffer1294]

Yes, Putin’s greatest skill is being a chameleon. When he first came along most Westerners thought “Okay, here’s this guy. Good-looking, wears nice suits, doesn’t pound his shoe on the desk, no worry.” Little did we know what a viper he really is. But maybe we can forgive ourselves because 9/11 had just happened. There are only so many civilizational problems one can deal with at one time.

[@casteretpollux]

Ah yes. The one where we invaded the country that didn't do 9/11...

[@EhEhEhEINSTEIN]

6:39 Frank Lucas doing Bumpy Johnson's dirty work in the beginning of American Gangster seems the more appropriate movie comparison than Mr Wolfe

[@SiliconCurtain]

😂

[@luskvideoproductions869]

Great interview...but it was not Reservoir Dogs with Mr. Wolf (the Fixer), it was Pulp Fiction lol

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍

[@SiliconCurtain]

It’s been a while since I saw the movies!

[@luskvideoproductions869]

@@SiliconCurtain No worries, takes away not one iota from the greatness of this interview

[@Andyfresh-nt2um]

Victory to Ukraine 🇺🇦 🙌 💪

[@HelsinkiFINketeli_berlin_com]

Russia is not a country, not a nation, Russia is a syndrome. A compilation of the same or similar severe chronic symptoms have expressed that that syndrome has begun about 600 years ago.

[@ldhorricks]

very much so

[@DSAK55]

Exactly! Russians by and large have not stopped being Serfs

[@kynismos]

"Top level politics was totally manipulated and a stage managed charade"... unlike top level politics in the US.

[@louisebean9428]

What is the future for Russia, in Marks view? Short term and long term?

[@lsees5753]

Mr Fink you’re silicon curtain is an oasis, but supremely thought provoking and satisfying.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍👍

[@RichardTaylor1630]

"your Silicon Curtain" - possessive adjective "your" has no apostrophe.

[@kyttraus]

Mark galeotti - always very insightful

[@ianlighting100]

Very good. I enjoyed that.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍

[@user-ou6jj8bx9f]

А я то испугался, что кто-то разобрался в истенном положении в России.)) Можно расслабиться.

[@ginniemess]

🤡

[@georgeroach7499]

Excellent

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍

[@sumiland6445]

Oh! A second new interview in one day!! Woo hoo!! 😃❤

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍

[@cenccenc946]

Than you. At 49:00 Finally. In Latin America for example, millions of people really believe this is some sort of communist soviet project 2.0 or continuation of the revolution to finally spread the communist utopia to the World. Russia has a part in promoting that I am sure, but almost more terrifying is the cold war politics is still alive and well in the region, because the cold war never really ended in Latin America.

[@Nick-from-norfolk]

Really interesting chat! I’m really surprised you don’t have many more followers.

[@ruiddd956]

I left the video with the *moral vacuum* . Nonsense.

[@hannesforster1845]

Excellent again. Thank you so much. Your channel should have many many more viewers! Perhaps you could also do shorter clips with the highlights to get the attention you deserve?

[@SiliconCurtain]

Shorts are coming, it’s definitely a good strategy.

[@kevincilek5313]

Excellent, that is the only thing to say 👍

[@dpelpal]

One google search of the rubles' value shows that all is _not_ well in russia. It's collapsing, and that's a reallllyyy bad sign for russia.

[@SiliconCurtain]

It bad, for sure.

[@BR-hi6yt]

KFCs and foreign cars will become expensive but Russia has loads of natural resources and agriculture, so rouble value not so important.

[@dpelpal]

@@VasiliyTolstoy Right, and the Moskva still sails as well, correct? The gas cap has _crippled_ the russian economy. What's more, it has HELPED the world economy. Since India and China are buying up russian gas (at a loss to russia) the rest of the world cant sell oil to them....which caused prices to drop. Gas in America hasnt been this cheap since the late 1990s🤭

[@VasiliyTolstoy]

@@dpelpal It seems that it has crippled it in an innovative way: an invisible one. I.e. Russia has lost a huge stable European market, but somehow the effect was far from catastrofic. Inside Russia almost nothing has changed -- prices are basically the same, most of the goods are available the same way. The only significant issue I know of is that it is difficult to get a new non-Chinese car. Let us see what happens in a year, but so far it looks like the Russian economy is much more resilient than anyone could expect.

[@VasiliyTolstoy]

@@dpelpal All my family is living in Russia. Let's say -- it does not look like crippled economy right now. Maybe it was already not so dependent on the gas/oil export as we all thought.

[@dh1380]

This misconception that employees of intelligence services have some kind of mythical ability to see the world in a way others don't, and to read and manipulate people is seriously unfounded for the most part. This guy is right- We really need to be over this by now.

[@cloudpoint0]

Yes, I remember the predictions of early 2022 that Russia would not be harmed by economic sanctions and it would find others to buy its energy, not to mention military predictions that it would defeat Ukraine in days to months. Russia certainly has defied these predictions. But we should give some credit. Russia is lucky to be still standing even if it is staggering around.

[@letranger6750]

Get informed! Russia's economy is doing waaayyyy better than collective West. Who's really still standing or staggering?

[@cloudpoint0]

@L'etranger Official Russian sources say no. They say the Russian economy is in a downward spiral.

[@dawnandy7777]

There is another aspect of Russian society that needs to be addressed. Some people have called it a culture of humiliation resulting in many disturbing behaviours that if not different in kind from the West are different in degree. E.g., It is the case that alcoholism is greater than in other countries, including Slavic countries. The single greatest cause of death for Russian women is domestic violence. A few years ago Russian feminists estimated the number to be 65%. And the tradition of dedovshchina in the military that contributed to the raping and brutality of Russian soldiers. It’s almost as if we’re speaking about a culture filled with people with PTSD.

[@tuttirulla]

There is the epigenetic effect as well, so the centuries long history of violence, abuse, trauma, poverty etc. can affect even future generations no matter what kind of country Russia will turn out to be.

[@dawnandy7777]

@@tuttirulla Yes, but this is the case for virtually all societies, cultures. It boils down to nature vs nurture. The first step is to realize there is generational trauma that needs to be addressed. And it is so old and pervasive it has a biological aspect. Kind of like working with a dysfunctional family.

[@skyotter3317]

Exactly

[@grantsapain]

Defied predictions that they have "the second best military in the world."

[@tmlucatube]

Great insight

[@michaelhenault1444]

The TSAR lives on😊

[@rawhide4164]

Thanks for the podcast, but I couldn't get rid of the feeling that the guest is trying to white wash and excuse russians for their inaction.

[@jpx1508]

Galeotti is excellent... and essentially right on. I was in Russia in the 1990's and have since carried a regret with the US handling of the collapse of the Soviet Union... with, as Galeotti says, with "patronizing neglect". The average Russian badly wanted America's help and dreamed of having a German experience, a Marshall Plan for rebuilding Russia and its institutions. Instead, Clinton dithered with Hollywood and Monica, and lectured Russia when he had the time. Russians suffered with neglect to the degree that whatever they could sell their stakes in Soviet industry for was their only option. In a sense, American "patronizing neglect" created Putin and the KGB oligarchs.

[@velvetmagnetta3074]

@JP X - I don't think we (the US, our government officials and business people) were prepared for how absolutely corrupt the Soviet Russian system was! Remember, we didn't have all that much information on the inside at the time - maybe some spies and dissidents - so we sort of ended up buying into the propaganda the Soviets were putting out. They were Communist, we believed it, and so we thought they were into egalitarianism and collectivization. We knew abstractly how a system like that could be corrupted but not the the positively leviathan levels it turned out to be. I know it's fashionable to blame the US for Russia's woes, but the Russians were next-level! We always expect some bastardization of the process when there's money involved, and so we apply our usual accounting checks & balances, but even with those guardrails, the parties involved have to have a certain amount of cooperation and fair-play for the system to work. The Russians turned out to be thoroughly corrupt - so much more so than even Capitalists could ever have imagined!!! This time, we're coming at this with our eyes wide open. We have no fantasies or illusions anymore of how the Russian elite behave, but an absolutely CRUCIAL factor in the transformation of Russia to a democratic Capitalist free-market system will be the good-faith participation of the Russians themselves. Russians are going to have to do something they're not used to, something they are loathe to attempt: Russians will have to take full responsibility for their actions in Ukraine and for their own political future. Then, and only then, will there be any hope for positive change.

[@j.a.b.nijenhuis8124]

I think that this overvalues American’s powers and responsibility. Many other former Sovjet republics went through great effort to modernize, democratize, and applied to the EU. Russia was either unwilling or unable to do the same. I personally think this is because on an important level, they still want to be a hyperpower, an equal to the USA. Like they were during USSR times. But Russia is not an equal to the USA, it’s an equal to the UK, or Germany or France. Perhaps during Jeltsin they should have worked more with those countries and less with the USA. Let the Americans and the Chinese go 1-on-1 for top dop position, and stay quiet and unnoticed while working with the other similar-sizes countries to build each other up