"A shared commitment to liberty and self-government" is how Michael Kimmage defines the West, a notion at once elusive but also intuitive when it comes to world politics. Prof. Kimmages's The Abandonment of the West (2020) is an attempt to trace the cultural undercurrents that propelled "the West" to elite appeal in the early 20th century, but he brings unparalleled expertise on Russian matters too, having led the Russia & Ukraine portfolio at former Secretary of State John Kerry's Policy Planning Staff. In this episode we discuss with him Russia, the West and how Prof. Kimmage envisions the relationship between the two moving forward.   Rate and review Uncommon Decency on Apple Podcasts, and send us your comments or questions at @UnDecencyPod or uncommondecencypod@gmail.com.