Kotkin's insight is always illuminating. more of him for the benefit of all.

Always educational.

That's quality content. Thank you so much for this great interview. Mr. Kotkin is an excellent speaker.

Fantastic analysis as usual from Kotkin..Deep and insightful he sweeps the BS aside. The road to victory for Ukraine is hard to predict but I feel more assured by listening to him that it is inevitable..It is the most fundamentally important issue of our times, where the future for Democracy and Rule of Law lies in the balance. Ukraine must be fully supported to win a victory, however I dont really see a truce where Russia keeps what it has already stolen as a victory and would only serve to encourage future regimes to try again . Driving them out is not easy but Crimea is looking extremely vunerable and is pivitol to their campaign. Whatever happens the most important aspect is unshakeable financial support to the Ukrainians, and for that we must wait until the US election to see what happens. If support stops then its a green light to dictators and future dictators the world over. Slava Ukraini !

I'm not so sure that Russia is alone. How will the BRICS countries develop? We may have to start seeing the world with new eyes. What role will the global West have in the future?

It really is annoying how the otherwise very respectable Kotkin keeps holding on to the illusion that Russia is willing - or even able to something like open negotiations and reliable results. Very misleading indeed.

Kotkin talks about war of attritiion, and how Russia is practically invincible. He reminds us about Afghanistan, and Vietnam. However conveniently he is silent about Soviet Union collapse in 1991. That was the war of attrition that Moscow lost, and the empire collapsed. Kotkin as a historian prefers to skip this part.

Excellent insight from Stephen

Kotkin talks about how Ukraine rejected peace treaties with Russia. And he never mentioned that Russia always, always breaks any treaty as soon as it sutis Moscow. The recent examples- Chechnya. Beofre that - FInland. Does Kotkin know about this? Of course! Why he ignores this, and pushes this idea about "treaties" with Russia? That's a good question.

Thank you ☆

Great, finally an American who understands something about Europe and Russia

I never get tired of listening to this great mans insightful commentary.

Listening to this I got a glimpse of something I hadn't quite seen before - Putin seems obsessed with getting rid of all in the world who do not back him. I couldn't figure before why he seemed unperturbed at people fleeing from Russia but I guess they fit into the category of people he has got rid of? So good to hear Prof Kotkin's calm and wisdom. Thank you for good questions.

What a treat

Thanks guys 😊

I really want to see a debate between Kotkin and Mearsheimer

Are the oligarchs really too top heavy. If it is a question of when how long is it 2 3 4 5 years, will we have to wait till he dies of old age.

Absolutely BRILLIANT! Anyone knowing both Russia and France must find Kotkin's perspicacity in drawing the parallel between the two nations remarkably sublime and piercing. His observations are profound while also leaving one slapping one's own forehead for how obvious they seem--after, of course, he says them. Wish that he could have the White House's ear, whoever resides there, to provide insight into that unique nation. De Tocqueville, like Kotkin, nailed it in his observation about Russia and America and the parallel roles they would play in the world's destiny. Kotkin carries on in that great tradition of analysis and understanding. Thank you, Foreign affairs. Can't wait to read Kotkin's article!

Pesci is a GREAT actor and a good historian of Russian/Soviet/Russian history and political culture. He isn't a very good commentator on the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine. He doesn't give proper credit or analysis of the Ukrainian political and military culture. He is acting like the Russians hold all the cards and is actually winning on the battlefield and in global capitals. He is NOT A MILITARY analyst or credible wartime planner and strategist. I sincerely hope he does a reprise of his Vinny Gambini character in a further adventure as a challenged barrister fighting for justice soon.

I like Prof Kotkin's take on foreign policy and explaining it. Good questions, too. Thanks from 🇦🇺

Don't call it a podcast. It's an actual *interview.* No point in naming names because everyone has seen true scholars and experts stepped on CONSTANTLY by alleged interviewers. Dan Kurtz-Phelan is different. He not only poses excellent, penetrating questions. He allows people to *answer them* without dilatory interruptions. Podcasts are entertainment. This is better.

I liked the discussion of the West as an institutional matrix

Russia does not have the ability to become like North Korea. Russia is a multi ethnic empire. Given how hollowed out Russia is today, descending into warlordism is the most probably outcome for Russia.

Great as always love KOTKIN

Fantastic: Kotkin is up to his usual Olympian standards. He sketches a more convincing, if provisional, victory of the West than Fukuyama did 30 years ago. Hopeful, but realistic.

Like so many people, I love listening to Stephen Kotkin declaiming on current events, politics, world history, and human nature. He is full of insights and surprises! I wish he would run for U. S. President!

Funny - this guy is just people’s pleaser. Event though he is a historian, world is really a different place today. I barely know anyone from global south who is sympathetic to ukraine or west. I do not see Russia being too isolated and having murky future. Just not possible mathematically, border length and technology changed. His conclusions are irrelevant tbh

Any peace with Russia would be capitulation. So he thinks Ukraine should have capitulated in 2022. But hates hot war. Winning this war would cost Pennie’s by better arming Ukraine, Biden is only half committed to winning. Russia will fall when it reached a million KIA. When we enforce sanctions and allow hits to Russian military assets in Russia.

Excellent. I really enjoyed Prof. Kotkin's insights.

This guy is smart but on being a Russian SME he totally misses the mark with Ukraine. The idea that Russia eould have made a good faith effort at peace in 2022 with Ukraine is complete and utter BS. They at best, and this is far from what my friends in higher levels have said, would have used any ceasefire peace to recock and hit Ukraine again. Control crimea, control the Black Sea, stifflr Ukraine’s exports at best. Most likely they would have reconstituted and pulled a coup, military invasion, something bad. It’s been done over snd over Minsk 1/2. Putin has turned 70% of Russians into Nazis. Could uou have appeased hitler inn1940 by giving him everything up to Amien/Rheims and expect him to stop there. The west didn’t offer troops or peace keepers. Its a stupid argument coming some from pro-Russian circles getting passed around as a real Option. It would have meant Ukrainian destruction/occupation/subjugation/infiltration 100%. Russia is not a country you can currently have good faith discussions with. Anyone read about Havana syndrome, Gru attacks in USA that started in 2015. Russia planned invading Ukraine as early as 2006, I lived and fought there. It’s either Chechnya style rule or fight.

Mr. Kotkin may well be the most insightful person alive on foreign relations. Brilliant podcast. Kudos!

A very balanced commentary on political affairs both present and past. Great to hear.

For the love of God someone get Kotkin on Joe Rogan!

I wish Kotkin would explain why he believes that Ukraine taking out weapons factories in Russia would lead to war with America. What does a Russian "war with America" look like? I hear terms like "World War III" thrown around a lot, too. What would WWIII look like? Would it be what is left of the Russian military assets against the rest of the world? We really need a better understanding of these things. While we are on the subject, I hear that if Putin dies we don't know if we will face someone worse. Someone like whom? IMO-this entire criminal regime IS Putin. Without Putin what could possibly hold it together? There does not seem to be another "Putin" waiting in the wings. I think sans Putin, it would be every man for himself. I really don't think the Russian population is intimidated by the regime; they are intimidated by Putin.

Brilliant! 💙💛

Yes! Stephen Kotkin, time to make food and watch

Russia fails to recover many/most of its troops killed/wounded on the battlefield. How long will the rising number of those “missing in action” continue without Russian civilians engaging in opposition to the regime?

You can't have an armistice on this basis because it would allow Russia to replenish and plan for another war, while at the same time allowing them to demographically engineer occupied territory by eliminations, deportations, removing children, simple terror, and propaganda. By the itime they had accomplished "Russianization" they would be able to mobilize the resources, human and material, of the occupied territories and start expansion into the rest of Eastern Europe. I'd guess it would be a demand for a Russian administered land corridor for access to Kalingrad, and fomenting separatism in Lithuania.

I reject the premise that Russia is the enemy. There is no more USSR. There is no more need for NATO. NATO is a military industrial complex in search of a war. Russia is the country that ended a horrifically bad economic system with minimal bloodshed. The USA also ended its own horrifically bad economic system, but the American Civil War that ended chattel slavery cost about a million lives, back when a million lives was a lot of people. Russia's success in a peaceful transition from Communism to capitalism should be recognized for the achievement that it is.

13:00 It is a business until the state runs out of money and the economy starts collapsing due to shortage of everything. If Ukraine is successful in destroying the oil production infrastructure, the ruble collapses.

I'm a simple man. I see Kotkin video I click play.

Kotkin is brilliant as usually but completely clueless about Trump. If he gets re-elected US support for Ukraine is gone. He is deeply compromised by Russia. Read Craig Unger's "American Kompromat" or watch the interviews he did about the book and you'll understand. Aid got stuck for 6 months because of Trump and his MAGA lunatics like Greene and Gaetz. It very likely only ended up going through because a number of pro-Ukraine Republican House members threatened to quit and give the majority over to the Democrats if the aid continued to be stalled and the bill wasn't brought to the floor.

if I remember correctly, it was putin who declined the treaty draft which was discussed in Istanbul, not Ukraine. However, getting armistice 1) would not stop genocide on territories that russia controls, 2) would not stop russia from regrouping and restarting the war when THEY would want, just as they did many times before. this is obviously on assumption that the end goals of russia are the control of ALL Ukraine OR at least destroying the future of a sovereign, prosperous, and democratic Ukraine. this leads us to a conclusion, that no, we couldn’t have a peace deal, however sexy it may sound to a western ear.

Great interview. Foreign Affairs is superb. Even the promo music is elegant. Thank you!

He has an excellent take on the future projection of what the West and particularly the United States MUST DO in this (inevitable) "Second Cold War." As for Ukraine, there is no better alternative than the expulsion of Russian occupation from the 1991 borders or at the very least, the liberation of all other provinces barring maybe A. Crimea or B. Dobass and Luhansk if full liberation is not possible. It is best that Ukraine ends up in a position of strength in any scenario of an "armistice" in Ukraine no matter what. For it means that the West has not abandoned its ally and ultimately proven to the Putin regime its imperialism can not prevail, at least in Europe.

I love kotkin so much, used to follow him befire the war and hes so relevant right now

Mr.Kotkin is marvelous! Thanks Foreign Affairs for this wonderful talk!

Love the Kotkin. He’s like the Yoda of Hoover Inst.

Kotkin is certainly a wonderful American gift.

It is mentally refreshing to listen to a cogent explaination of a complex issue(s). Thanks.