Russia's Revenge and Afghanistan's Misery

This is not, actually, an episode of Critical Conditions. It’s a regular Cosmopolicast. But I haven’t yet figured out how to separate the two.

In this episode, former Canadian diplomat Chris Alexander and I discuss Russia’s post-Soviet trajectory, the rise of Vladimir Putin, and the West’s repeated misjudgments in dealing with Moscow. We discuss the enduring legacy of the Cheka in Russian society, Russia’s failure to reckon with communism’s crimes, and the Kremlin’s goal, at home and abroad: revenge.

We also talk about Russia’s astonishing success in placing its assets in the highest ranks of the US government, the shortcomings of US foreign policy, the collapse of Afghanistan, and the broader implications of all of this for global security, democracy, and the future of international relations.

Chris Alexander is a former Canadian diplomat and politician. He studied politics, philosophy, and economics at Balliol, which is how I know him, but since then, we’d lost touch—we hadn’t spoken …