?? Turkey — NATO’s Disruptive Ally | This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler Podcast

Why Can’t The West Win Its Wars Any More?: After 9/11 the West invaded Afghanistan and Iraq to remake them as friendly, terror-free liberal democracies. But the unintended consequences were historic disaster, countless dead and the humbling of Western power, symbolised by the shameful evacuation of Kabul in 2021. How did we get it so catastrophically wrong? by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

67 min listen

Emergency Edition: The Ukraine Crisis: As tensions rise on the Ukrainian border, are we looking at the first ground war in Europe since 1945? In an emergency roundtable edition of Doomsday Watch, Arthur Snell asks a panel of experts what’s driving Putin’s thinking, how far he and Russia are willing to go to achieve their aims, and if a disastrous conflict can be averted. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

52 min listen

?? Putin’s Disastrous Miscalculation: Is Russia’s fiasco in Ukraine just Putin’s monstrous folly? Or does the Russian military have even bigger problems? Arthur Snell hears from KCL Lecturer for German and European Studies Alexander Clarkson about how a flawed image of Ukraine as a failed state sowed the seeds of Russia’s embarrassment. And how, when Putin invaded Crimea in 2014, he inadvertently began training a generation of fighters who do not know how to give up. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

39 min listen

The War in Your Living Room: The digital Utopia we were promised has given us a desperately vulnerable world where we depend on a global internet with a billion badly-protected backdoors. Today’s cyber-war battlegrounds aren’t on bank servers or Government databases. They’re in your smart fridges, doorbells and security cameras. Arthur Snell traces a path from the first-ever co-ordinated cyber-attack (on Estonia in 2007) to a world of invisible weapons and relentless probing conflict – where hostile governments can target your own phone anywhere on earth. How do you defend democratic societies when everything has become a computer? by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

57 min listen

America’s Next Civil War?: Is a toxic combination of extreme partisanship, detached elites and Trump’s incitement driving the world’s greatest democracy to a second Civil War? by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

57 min listen

Twilight Of The Oiligarchs – The end of petrochemical power?: What happens to the Middle East when the world stops buying its oil? As the world races to decarbonise, the region’s petrochemical plutocrats face a terrible decision. To keep power, they must cut off their addiction to oil. The plans of one young Saudi prince – the ambitious, ruthless Mohammed bin Salman – are already unleashing a wave of arrests, intimidation, black ops and murder across the world. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

58 min listen

McJihad - How Terror Became a Global Franchise: What could persuade someone to leave a comparatively wealthy country in the Western Hemisphere to fight and die in the hellhole of the Islamic State? That’s exactly what happened in the unlikely setting of Trinidad and Tobago. Arthur Snell pieces together an astonishing story of how radicalisation is continuing in unexpected places around the world – how jihad leaders learned from the experts in global expansion, the fast food giants – and how jihad has found its mirror in QAnon. How do we fight terror when global jihad has gone local? by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

55 min listen

?? Where Does China Stand?: China is yet to condemn Putin’s war, and Russia has reportedly asked Beijing for economic and military support. Is Xi proving to Putin’s most important ally? And what does Russia’s faltering invasion mean for China’s potential takeover of Taiwan? Bonnie Glaser, director of the Asia Programme at the German Marshall Fund, joins Arthur Snell to explain China’s stance on Russia’s invasion, and what war in Europe means for Asian security. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

39 min listen

?? Could the Conflict go Nuclear?: With Vladimir Putin putting Russia’s nuclear deterrent on high alert, could the war take an atomic turn? Or is this merely a tactical move from the Kremlin? And what could the Ukraine crisis mean for nuclear policy in the coming years? Dr Laura Considine, politics professor at Leeds University, joins Arthur Snell to explain the history of nuclear proliferation, atomic weapons in the context of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, and the direction of nuclear policy in the coming years. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

31 min listen

?? Where Russia’s War Went Wrong: Two weeks into Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and things aren’t going to plan. Kyiv is still yet to fall, and Russian troops have failed to make substantial progress against fierce Ukrainian resistance. Defence analyst and military historian Dr Peter Caddick-Adams joins Arthur Snell to pinpoint where Russia’s shameful war went wrong… and what could happen next. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

39 min listen

BONUS PODCAST: Doomsday Watch Live in London: As you wait for our second 10-part documentary season, set to be released on October 26th, here's the audio from our recent live show in London. Join Arthur as he sits down with nerve agent expert and former US Secret Service official Dan Kaszeta, as he talks about his crazy life working for US Presidents. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

37 min listen

What Putin Wants: Russia’s newly-belligerent stance has rocked the democratic West on its heels, from the annexation of the Crimea to the sponsoring of extremist digital disinformation to – almost certainly – the stacking of elections in the US and UK. And it all stems from the paranoid, Machiavellian, espionage-steeped mindset of one man: Vladimir Putin. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

61 min listen

Hydropocalypse Now: An Indian megacity of 11 million people literally runs out of water, trucking in 10m litres a day to hydrate a panicking population amid water queues and panic-buying. In Bolivia a scandalous water privatisation leaves people paying a quarter of their earnings just to drink by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

44 min listen

?? India's Deadly Dilemma: India’s tradition of military non-alignment has come under huge strain with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The world’s second most populous country has tried to maintain a neutral stance, but has come under sharp criticism from the West as casualties from the conflict mount. What explains India’s stance, and what does it hope to achieve? Harsh Pant, International relations professor at Kings College London’s India Institute, joins Arthur Snell to discuss. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

31 min listen

The War On Truth: The Cold Warriors of the postwar world never dreamed that Western democracies would become to rely on a global information network – and that our very openness could be turned against us. As the stories of Brexit, COVID and Trump coalesce into one nightmare tale of disinformation and weaponised lying, Arthur Snell asks whether democracy can survive in a post-truth world. If you control the information space, do you control the future? And after the pandemic, can we withstand the infodemic? by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

55 min listen

?? The Battle for the Black Sea: The sinking of the Russian warship Moskva highlighted the importance of naval conflict in the Russia-Ukraine war. Why is the Black Sea so vital? And is Ukraine up to the task of stopping Putin's fleet of frigates? Former Royal Navy Captain Chris Clough joins Arthur Snell to discuss the intricacies of naval warfare, what the Moskva sinking means for the conflict, and how real the risk of escalation is as the war moves forward. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

37 min listen

?? The Truth about Russia's War Crimes: As Russia’s war crimes in Bucha are revealed to the world, are there more atrocities yet to be uncovered? And what should the world be doing to help Ukraine? Journalist Romeo Kokriatski dials in to tell Arthur Snell about Putin’s plans for genocide, how the war has changed Ukraine, and why the West needs to do more. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

38 min listen

?? Ukraine’s Courage Stuns the World: Kyiv is under siege but Putin’s invasion is going badly. How far will Russia’s ruler go to win his monstrous gamble? And what can the West do to stop him? In the first of our irregular Ukraine War bulletins we talk to Ukrainian journalists Artyom Liss and Kyiv-based Romeo Kokriatski about the balance of power in Ukraine, the resolve of President Zelensky, and Putin’s doomsday psychology. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

38 min listen

Season Finale: Where Do We Go From Here?: In this series we’ve looked at under-reported threats to global stability, from the psychology of Xi Jinping to the coming water crisis to the War on Truth. But what happens next? In this extended end-of-season edition, Arthur Snell steps back to look at the big picture with experts in geopolitics, future warfare and the Chinese, Russian and American superpowers. Can the world pull itself from the brink – or is our Long Peace coming to an end? by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

85 min listen

?? The View from Japan: As war rages on Russia’s European front, tensions are also rising in the East with neighbours Japan, as Russian forces conduct military drills on the disputed Northern Territories, claimed by Japan. Japanese Deputy Cabinet Secretary Koichiro Matsumoto joins Arthur Snell to explain the complicated history between Japan and Russia, what Putin’s invasion means for Asian security, and how the Japanese people have rallied around Ukraine. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

30 min listen

?? How Real is Russia’s Retreat?: It has been over a month since Russia invaded Ukraine, but with Kyiv still yet to fall Kremlin officials have announced plans to withdraw troops from the region. Where did Russia’s war go so wrong? Is this retreat real, or is Putin wargaming for something bigger? Dr Mike Martin, a former British Army officer and author of Why We Fight, joins Arthur Snell to discuss Russia’s apparent withdrawal, and where the conflict could go next. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

39 min listen

World War Xi: Who is Xi Jinping? What are the forces that shaped China’s paramount leader? Will his psychological make-up, and his belief that his country has been robbed of its rightful place, lead inexorably to confrontation with the West? by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

56 min listen

?? The End of the Long Peace: As NATO leaders gathered in Madrid, what were the key moments and decisions from a historic summit? How are alliance members supporting Ukraine militarily? And following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is the "long peace" following World War 2 now over? Dr. Ulrike Franke, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and European defence expert, joins Arthur Snell for our latest war bulletin. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

32 min listen

?? Could Chemical Warfare Occur?: With Russia's invasion of Ukraine faltering, could the Kremlin consider escalating the conflict using chemical weapons? What would biological warfare look like? Dr Alastair Hay, a Professor of Environmental Toxicology at the University of Leeds, joins Arthur Snell to discuss the history of chemical weapons, and if we'll see them used in the Ukraine conflict. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

30 min listen

?? “High treason”: Belarus’s Tyrant Stands By Putin: Putin has few friends – but one is Belarusian despot Alexander Lukashenko. Belarusian democracy activist and reporter Hanna Liubakova talks to Arthur Snell from exile in Lithuania, to explain how Lukashenko dragged her country into the war – and what the world can expect from Putin’s stooge. What price will Belarus pay for Lukashenko’s fealty? by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

24 min listen

?? Ukraine’s Foreign Volunteer Legion: In 2014 Macer Gifford left his job as a city trader to go and fight ISIS in Syria. Now he’s continuing his work as an international volunteer, this time in the Ukraine conflict. In an illuminating conversation, Macer tells Arthur about the parallels between wars in Syria and Ukraine, the role of international volunteers in the conflict, and his plans for a frontline medical unit to support the Ukrainian people. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

37 min listen

?? Turkey — NATO’s Disruptive Ally: Of all the countries playing a part in the Ukraine crisis, Turkey is perhaps the most difficult to read. A NATO member and supplying drones to Ukraine, but at the same time thwarting Sweden and Finland’s attempts to join the alliance, and hosting Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov later this week. To discuss what Turkey and its president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are trying to achieve, Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, Senior Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, dials in from Istanbul to speak to Arthur Snell. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

32 min listen

?? Inside the Warrior Mindset: How important are motivations when it comes to fighting a war? Is a 'warrior mindset', rather than high level training, carrying the Ukrainian military through? Fresh from a reporting trip to Kyiv, former U.S. Marine Elliot Ackerman joins Arthur Snell to give an insight into the mentality of both the Russian and Ukrainian forces, and explain how Putin united the Western world. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

38 min listen

?? Does Finland Need NATO?: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has Finland questioning its tradition of military non-alignment. Janne Korhonen, university professor and political activist, dials in to tell Arthur how the debate on NATO membership has shifted following Putin’s war. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

33 min listen

?? Where Will the War Go Next?: With the war heading into a sixth month, where will the conflict go next? How are both sides doing when it comes to ammunition? Is NATO really united in its objectives? And how Russia's rhetoric playing out in the Global South? Dr Jack Watling, a senior research fellow at RUSI, joins Arthur Snell for the second of two war bulletins to look at the future direction of the conflict. by This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

27 min listen

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?? Turkey — NATO’s Disruptive Ally

?? Turkey — NATO’s Disruptive Ally

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