Ep. 37 | Russia and Ukraine with Thomas Firestone

Former US Treasury Assistant Secretary and FATF President Marshall Billingslea joins Nate Sibley to discuss the need for American leadership in responding to evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

How did China sustain meteoric economic growth amid vast corruption? Yuen Yuen Ang joins Nate Sibley to explore what powers China’s crony capitalism, the impact of Xi’s anti-graft campaign, and why it’s time to rethink our approach to measuring corruption.

Authoritarian regimes spend significant sums trying to influence politics within the US and other democracies. Anna Massoglia of Open Secrets joins host Paul Massaro to discuss closing US lobbying loopholes.

What role has corruption played in shaping Russia and Ukraine’s diverging paths in recent decades? Thomas Firestone, a former DOJ lawyer posted in Russia who now works on corruption and national security cases, joins Paul and Nate to discuss.

Casey, Paul and Nate discuss whether targeting Russian oligarchs can help deter Putin’s escalating aggression against Ukraine, and whether it is time for financial warfare to become a NATO operational domain.

Paul Massaro talks to Edward Lucas about the outsized role of Britain in laundering the world’s ill-gotten gains, particularly from China and Russia, and enabling kleptocracy. They discuss what this means for democracy in Britain and globally and how Britain can fight back.

As the White House warns of an “imminent” attack on Ukraine, former US Treasury Assistant Secretary Marshall Billingslea joins Nate Sibley to explore what options America and its allies still possess to deter Putin from further escalation. They also consider lessons for a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

Hudson senior fellow Peter Rough joins Paul Massaro and Nate Sibley to discuss US policy options for deterring further Russian aggression against Ukraine, as well as the role of strategic corruption in undermining Europe’s response.

Paul Massaro talks to Dr. Andreas Fulda about how the CCP leverages its market to silence academics and other critics. The two discuss the case study of Germany, which has been particularly vulnerable to the CCP’s extraterritorial censorship.

Paul talks to Russian opposition politician and economist Vladimir Milov about Putin’s troop build-up on the border of Ukraine and how that links back to the corruption that underpins the Kremlin system.