Do Russians really want war?
The Cable
With reports that Ukraine is surrounded by some 140,000 Russian troops, the possibility of a major military conflict in Europe is closer than ever since the end of World War II. There’s been no lack of speculation about whether President Vladimir Putin intends to invade Ukraine again and why. But is what he wants the same as what most Russians want? The answer is complicated, with serious implications for the Western response. Denis Volkov, director of the Levada Center, the country’s only independent polling agency, joins The Cable from Moscow to explain.
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Is time running out for American democracy?
The Cable
With vital voting rights legislation stalled in the Senate and Republican politicians continuing to cast doubt on President Biden’s election, the United States is heading into pivotal midterm elections later this year. Liz Hempowicz and Bruce Stokes join The Cable to discuss the danger America’s democratic institutions face and what must be done to protect them. Liz Hempowicz: Director of Public Policy, Project on Government Oversight Bruce Stokes: Visiting GMF Senior Fellow; Executive Director, Transatlantic Task Force: Together or Alone? Choices and Strategies for Transatlantic Relations...
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There's a new democracy playbook. Will anyone use it?
The Cable
President Joe Biden is set to host the first-ever Summit for Democracy, part of his promise to reassert democratic values around the world. But with Russia and China panning the very idea of values-based diplomacy, can the event’s more than 110 participants prove them wrong? Norman Eisen and Alina Polyakova are co-authors of a new democracy playbook released December 6, together with The Cable’s co-host Jonathan Katz. They talk to Gregory Feifer about their action plan.
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Lithuania is punching above its weight. Will it matter at Biden’s Summit for Democracy?
The Cable
Lithuania is a role model for confident, democratic leadership in the 21st century, and wants to play an important role at the Summit for Democracy in early December. But will the United States and other powerful democracies come together with tangible support even as authoritarians and populists seem to be on the rise? Lithuanian Vice-Minister Mantas Adomėnas and US Assistant Deputy Secretary of State Kara McDonald joined The Cable to discuss the challenges and hopes for the summit.
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We have the Pandora Papers…Now what?
The Cable
The Pandora Papers leak exposed some of the shadowy offshore finances the world’s wealthiest and most powerful people use to hide vast fortunes. What must be done now to combat the illicit practices helping drive massive inequities and shake liberal democracies around the globe? Karen Greenaway, who investigated financial crimes at the FBI, and Drew Sullivan, founder of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), join The Cable to explain.
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Fiona Hill: "We're dealing with our own authoritarians"
The Cable
Fiona Hill made global headlines when she testified during an impeachment inquiry against then-President Donald Trump in 2019. She has published a new memoir tracing her journey from a hardscrabble childhood in northeastern England to the White House. She joins Greg and Jonathan to describe what her experiences, including in the Trump Administration, reflect about the most pressing questions facing liberal democracy today.
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Why Leonid Volkov is optimistic about Russia's future
The Cable
Russians are set to vote in parliamentary elections later this week. Leonid Volkov—one of the architects of Alexei Navalny’s “smart voting” strategy—joins Greg and Jonathan to explain what’s at stake for Russia and the future of President Vladimir Putin’s regime.
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Transatlantic trends
The Cable
Joe Biden is seeking to renew the transatlantic relationship during a number of major summit meetings in Europe on his first foreign trip as US president. But after four years of Donald Trump’s assault on Washington’s closest alliances, what does public opinion on both sides of the Atlantic think about the future of US leadership, and what does it mean for hopes of addressing some of Western countries’ biggest joint challenges?
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Can the transatlantic alliance recover?
The Cable
President Joe Biden has been busy with his overarching foreign policy aim of mending ties with America’s closest allies. Progress has been made during a series of summit meetings in Europe, but what are the underlying challenges ahead? We recorded two important conversations before the summits: Constanze Stelzenmüller speaks to Greg about the transatlantic alliance's fundamental issues, followed by a discussion with Erik Brattberg and Jonathan about a democracy agenda and other priorities.
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Russian-Czech relations blow up, but for how long?
The Cable
When the Czech Republic accused Russia last month of staging an explosion at an ammunition depot in the country that killed two people in 2014, it provided shocking new evidence of the Kremlin’s secret war against its perceived rivals in the West, prompting a major rift in Czech relations with Russia. The scandal broke just days after the sacking of Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek, who frequently warned against risks posed by the Kremlin.
info_outlineWhen Russians vote in parliamentary elections later this week, the results are expected to be a foregone conclusion. Still, opposition groups are campaigning across the country despite the Kremlin’s unprecedented crackdown on civil society, independent media and free speech, including the imprisonment of the opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. His former chief of staff Leonid Volkov—one of the architects of Navalny’s “smart voting” strategy—joins Greg and Jonathan to explain what’s at stake for the country and the future of President Vladimir Putin’s regime.