As opponents become enemies, and partisan positions degrade the quality of political debate, is democracy in the US at risk from internal division? How might China, Russia and other hostile actors leverage the situation to their advantage? ---------- Vlad Vexler It’s my pleasure today to welcome back onto the channel Vlad Vexler, Social Philosopher, and unique YouTuber. Our previous three video conversations proved to be extremely popular, and a lot has happened since we last spoke. Please do check out Vlad’s channel on YouTube, as it has a collection of the most thought-provoking and insightful videos on the Russian mindset and the roots of this war. ----------

Jonathan MS Pearce Jonathan MS Pearce is a philosopher, author, columnist, and public speaker with an interest in writing about almost anything, from scepticism to science, politics, and morality, to the environment. Essentially because everything is philosophy. He is a former teacher and is now battling primary progressive multiple sclerosis. ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemysl https://kharpp.com/ Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine Ukrainian Freedom News https://www.ukrainianfreedomnews.com/donation/ UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org NGO “Herojam Slava” https://heroiamslava.org/ NOR DOG Animal Rescue https://www.nor-dog.org/home/ ---------- PLATFORMS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSilicon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconcurtain/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- 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 YouTube’s algorithm. Our material is now being made available on popular podcasting platforms as well, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Scott Lucas https://x.com/ScottLucas_EA Scott Lucas is a political analyst with more than 30 years’ experience including a wide range of interests from academic expertise to journalism, and public media, as well as digital engagement. Scott is a regular contributor to international TV, radio, and digital outlets. He is a Professor at the Clinton Institute, University College Dublin, and Professor Emeritus at the University of Birmingham. ---------- James Ker-Lindsay Professor James Ker-Lindsay is an academic and analyst with internationally recognised expertise on Southeast Europe (Balkans, Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus). He has extensive experience working in Government, Private Sector, Higher Education, and Think Tanks. He is a regular commentator for the international media, including BBC, CNN and Reuters and was formerly Co-Editor of the Cyprus Review. ---------- Pyotr Kurzin Pyotr Kurzin is a commentator and YouTube host on the subjects of geopolitical risk, global macroeconomics and current affairs. Half British and half Russian, he is a product of the Cold War, and endlessly curious about why the world is the wat it is. He hosts contrasting conversations with diverse guests, often with contrasting perspectives and expertise, to help audiences become more informed. ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemysl https://kharpp.com/ Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine Ukrainian Freedom News https://www.ukrainianfreedomnews.com/donation/ UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org NGO “Herojam Slava” https://heroiamslava.org/ NOR DOG Animal Rescue https://www.nor-dog.org/home/ ---------- PLATFORMS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSilicon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconcurtain/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- 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 YouTube’s algorithm. Our material is now being made available on popular podcasting platforms as well, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Edition No52 | 13-07-2024 This episode examines the deliberate targeting of a children's cancer hospital in Kyiv, one of the largest in Europe. The immediate consequences were devestating, but the longer-term ones may be even worse. Does our lack of a forceful response give Russia a green-light for genocide on an unparalleled scale in Ukraine? ~~~~~ SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ~~~~~ NEWS SOURCES: KYIV INDEPENDENT https://kyivindependent.com/russia-probes-for-air-defense-gaps-to-wreak-havoc-in-kyiv/ https://kyivindependent.com/russian-pilot-leaked-secret-data-on-russias-aviation-division-to-ukraines-military-intelligence-source-says/ https://kyivindependent.com/relentless-russian-missile-strikes-change-life-forever-in-yet-another-once-sleepy-kyiv-neighborhood/ https://kyivindependent.com/orban-orban-discusses-ways-to-make-peace-with-trump-in-florida/ https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-war-latest-nato-affirms-ukraines-irreversible-membership-path-poland-prepares-ukrainian-legion/ https://kyivindependent.com/nato-summit-ends-with-32-countries-signing-ukraine-compact/ https://kyivindependent.com/sweden-ready-to-send-gripen-fighter-jets/ https://kyivindependent.com/18-bohdana-howitzers-heading-for-ukraines-battlefield-heres-what-they-can-do/ KYIV POST https://www.kyivpost.com/post/35708 https://www.kyivpost.com/post/35701 THE GUARDIAN https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/11/orban-hungary-pm-trump-meeting https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/11/nato-viktor-orban-peace-mission-trump https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/10/first-f-16-jets-heading-to-ukraine-after-months-of-training-and-negotiations THE FINANCIAL TIMES https://www.ft.com/content/90185a02-8107-47c0-ae6f-b06e88b796b5 https://www.ft.com/content/52ef3e3e-292c-44d3-80bd-97793487e715 OTHER https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/07/09/make-no-mistake-destroying-hospitals-is-part-of-the-kremlins-strategy-a85653 https://tsargrad.tv/articles/detskaja-bolnica-v-kieve-ne-sluchajnost-pora-jeto-priznat-i-perestat-bojatsja_1025063 ~~~~~ USEFUL LINKS: Vatnik Soup https://twitter.com/P_Kallioniemi http://www.medbat.org.ua/en/ Real World News https://kyivindependent.com/ https://www.kyivpost.com/ https://english.nv.ua/ https://www.themoscowtimes.com/ https://meduza.io/en https://meduza.io/ https://novayagazeta.eu/ https://www.newsweek.com/topic/russia... Analysis https://www.ft.com/russia https://www.economist.com/ https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ https://cepa.org/ https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/ https://www.theatlantic.com/search/?s... YouTube Channels / @timesradio1 / @khodorkovskyru / @popularpolitics / @macknack / @plushev / @tvrain / @fake_news / @feyginlive ~~~~~ TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyśl https://kharpp.com/ Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine Ukrainian Freedom News https://www.ukrainianfreedomnews.com/donation/ UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org NGO “Herojam Slava” https://heroiamslava.org/ NOR DOG Animal Rescue https://www.nor-dog.org/home/ ~~~~~ 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 YouTube s algorithm. Our material is now being made available on popular podcasting platforms as well, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Oleksandr Musienko is a military and political expert, political and legal adviser, and head of the Centre for Military-Law Research. He is a United24 Media ambassador and hosts his own very popular military analytical channel on YouTube in the Ukrainian language. ---------- Interview created in partnership with United24 Media UNITED24 Media is an English-language modern-format digital media offering short content stories and reels on Ukraine, its culture, history, businesses, people, and, most importantly, the ongoing war with Russia. Ukraine is fighting for freedom and independence against absolute evil. Owner: Office of the President of Ukraine Created by: Ministry of Digital Transformation Headquarters: Kyiv, Ukraine Launched: July 21, 2022 ---------- LINKS: @Musienko_channel @UNITED24media https://united24media.com/ ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemysl https://kharpp.com/ Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine Ukrainian Freedom News https://www.ukrainianfreedomnews.com/donation/ UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org NGO “Herojam Slava” https://heroiamslava.org/ NOR DOG Animal Rescue https://www.nor-dog.org/home/ ---------- PLATFORMS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSilicon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconcurtain/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- 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 YouTube’s algorithm. Our material is now being made available on popular podcasting platforms as well, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

NATO offers Ukraine a bridge to membership, but has not closed the sky, and from the evidence of Monday’s attack on a children’s cancer hospital, has not d=deterred Putin’s aggression in any way. ---------- General Dick Lodewijk Berlijn is a retired Royal Netherlands Air Force four-star general, who served as Chief of Defence Staff of the Netherlands from 2004. His office saw Dutch military presence in Uruzgan with ISAF, as well as naval contributions to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, among other interventions. He is a highly regarded expert ion the areas of Cyber security, leadership, strategy, crisis management, security issues and Defense. He has been awarded the Légion d'Honneur and the Legion of Merit, and the Order of Orange-Nassau. Berlijn graduated from the Koninklijke Militaire Academie in 1973. ---------- LINKS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Berlijn https://x.com/DickBerlijn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dickberlijn/ https://hague.company/about/team/dick-berlijn/ ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyśl https://kharpp.com/ Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine Ukrainian Freedom News https://www.ukrainianfreedomnews.com/donation/ UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org NGO “Herojam Slava” https://heroiamslava.org/ NOR DOG Animal Rescue https://www.nor-dog.org/home/ ---------- PLATFORMS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSilicon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconcurtain/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- 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 YouTube’s algorithm. Our material is now being made available

David Satter is a journalist and historian with unique insights into how the deformation and repression of the past, is having terrible consequences for present day Russia. David has written extensively about Russia and the Soviet Union, especially the decline and fall of the USSR and rise of post-Soviet Russia. David Satter became the first American journalist to be expelled from Russia since the Cold War in December 2013. This was perhaps not a surprising move, given that his books have covered topics such as the FSB’s role in the apartment bombings that brought Putin to power. From 1976 to 1982 David was the Moscow correspondent of the Financial Times, and then became a special correspondent on Soviet affairs for The Wall Street Journal. He is currently a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a fellow of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. ---------- BOOKS He is author of several books that are essential reading to help understand the origins of the current crisis, including the brilliantly named books: - It Was a Long Time Ago, and It Never Happened Anyway - Darkness at Dawn: The Rise of the Russian Criminal State - The Less You Know, The Better You Sleep ---------- LINKS https://davidsatter.com/ https://twitter.com/davidsatter?lang=en https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Satter https://www.hudson.org/experts/362-david-satter https://www.fpri.org/contributor/david-satter/ https://www.foreignaffairs.com/authors/david-satter ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyśl https://kharpp.com/ Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine Ukrainian Freedom News https://www.ukrainianfreedomnews.com/donation/ UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org NGO “Herojam Slava” https://heroiamslava.org/ NOR DOG Animal Rescue https://www.nor-dog.org/home/ ---------- PLATFORMS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSilicon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconcurtain/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- 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 YouTube’s algorithm. Our material is now being made available

Barely a week goes by without things occurring that would have been inconceivable three years ago. Russian territory being hit by American made munitions, history’s most substantial sanctions in place against Russia, a near coup against the Kremlin, and Putin going cap-in-hand to Kim-Jong-Un to prop up his ailing military. What more can happen before these tensions and conflicts coalesce into World War 3 – especially the expectations that Korea troops will soon be fighting on the territory of Europe. ---------- Mick Ryan is a retired major general in the Australian Army. A graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and the U.S. Marine Corps University Command and Staff College and School of Advanced Warfighting. He has commanded at platoon, squadron, regiment, task force, and brigade level. In January 2018, he assumed command of the Australian Defence College in Canberra, Australia. In 2021 he was an adjunct scholar at the Modern War Institute. He completed his 35-year career with the Australian Army and transitioned to the Army Reserve as a major general on February 27, 2022. His book, War Transformed, was published in 2022, ‘White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan’ was published in 2023, and his latest book "The War for Ukraine: Strategy and Adaptation Under Fire", will be released on 13th August 2023. ---------- LINKS: https://x.com/WarintheFuture https://mickryan.substack.com/ https://www.csis.org/people/mick-ryan https://mwi.westpoint.edu/adjunct-scholars/mick-ryan/ https://x.com/LowyInstitute https://x.com/CSIS ---------- BOOKS: War Transformed: The Future of Twenty-First-Century Great Power Competition and Conflict Hardcover (2022) White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan (2023) The War for Ukraine: Strategy and Adaptation Under Fire (2024) ---------- ARTICLES: https://www.forces.net/ukraine/death-thousand-cuts-warns-former-general-ukraine-war-enters-new-phase https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-is-more-dangerous-than-when-it-first-invaded-strategist-2024-4 https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/07/04/it-took-russia-three-months-and-thousands-of-lives-to-capture-one-isolated-ukrainian-neighborhood/ https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2024/02/02/exp-mick-ryan-interview-fst-020202aseg1.cnn https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/ukraine-war-how-check-russia-s-momentum ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyśl https://kharpp.com/ Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine Ukrainian Freedom News https://www.ukrainianfreedomnews.com/donation/ UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org NGO “Herojam Slava” https://heroiamslava.org/ NOR DOG Animal Rescue https://www.nor-dog.org/home/ ---------- PLATFORMS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSilicon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconcurtain/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- 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 YouTube’s algorithm. Our material is now being made available

Batu Kutelia has over a decade of experience in international relations, and currently serves as a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He is a former Ambassador to the USA and former Head of Georgia’s Foreign Intelligence Service. He is a member of the board at the Atlantic Council of Georgia and Professor at the Alte University, Tbilisi, Georgia. He was co-author and TV co-host of the Foreign Affairs talk show at the Mtavari TV in 2020-2021. He is frequent contributor to the major national and international TV, printed and online media on the issues of national and international security, Russian hybrid warfare, defense and security sector reform and policies. ---------- LINKS: https://x.com/bkutelia https://www.linkedin.com/in/batu-kutelia-95733584/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batu_Kutelia https://www.fpri.org/contributor/batu-kutelia/ https://www.mccaininstitute.org/programs/leadership-programs/mccain-global-leaders/ngl/batu-kutelia/ https://cepa.org/author/batu-kutelia/ ---------- ARTICLES: https://kyivindependent.com/author/batu-kutelia/ https://kyivindependent.com/kutelia-sikharulidze-ending-putins-wars-dont-forget-georgia/ https://warontherocks.com/2024/05/rewind-and-reconnoiter-americas-vital-interests-in-georgia-with-batu-kutelia-shota-gvineria-and-david-h-ucko/ https://cepa.org/article/georgia-first-victim-of-russias-war-on-democracy/ https://ip-quarterly.com/en/georgias-fate-will-be-decided-kyiv https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/opinion/russias-inevitable-collapse/ https://www.fpri.org/article/2020/10/georgias-parliamentary-elections-and-the-problem-of-oligarchic-rule/ https://www.the-american-interest.com/2020/01/31/state-capture-in-the-caucasus/ ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyśl https://kharpp.com/ Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine Ukrainian Freedom News https://www.ukrainianfreedomnews.com/donation/ UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org NGO “Herojam Slava” https://heroiamslava.org/ NOR DOG Animal Rescue https://www.nor-dog.org/home/ ---------- PLATFORMS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSilicon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconcurtain/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- 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 YouTube’s algorithm. Our material is now being made available