Departures Podcast with Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, author of ‘Against Decolonisation’
In recent years, the theme of decolonization has become a thriving industry. It dominates academia, it frames historical narratives, and makes its way into the deepest corners politics and culture to the point that it is inescapable. But what has decolonization done for us lately, asks Cornell University Professor Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò in his new polemic, […]
Departures Podcast featuring Ilya Ponomarev: Ukraine at a Critical Juncture
Regular listeners of the podcast need no introduction for Ilya Ponomarev, a former opposition member of the Russian Duma who was the only legislator to vote against the annexation of Crimea. Currently based in Kyiv, Ponomarev joins Amsterdam today to share his perspectives on the recent developments in the war, and why he believes that […]
Departures Podcast with Joseph Torigian, author of ‘Prestige, Manipulation, and Coercion’
To rise to power within the rigidly authoritarian party bureaucracies of the Soviet Union and China is a feat accomplished only with great strategic acumen, backhanded political maneuvering, and, sometimes, with a certain level of violence. On this week’s episode of Departures with Robert Amsterdam we are very pleased to feature Joseph Torigian, an assistant […]
Departures Podcast with David Ucko, author of ‘The Insurgent’s Dilemma’
In the past, when insurgencies challenged the power of the state, they did so from a position of occupying physical territory. But in today’s wildly unregulated post-truth environment and hyperconnected society, the space that they occupy is virtual – and most democracies are not well prepared to deal with these often violent threats to the […]
Departures Podcast with Victor Shih, author of ‘Coalitions of the Weak’
As China approaches the 20th Party Congress to be held at the end of the year, President and CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping is aggressively promoting his government’s superhuman achievements and infallible contributions to the glory of the state, making his case for an inevitable third term, and perhaps, leadership for life. But the problem […]
Departures Podcast with Moisés Naím, author of ‘The Revenge of Power: How Autocrats Are Reinventing Politics for the 21st Century’
Today there are currently fewer global citizens living in open and free democratic systems than in 1989, a sobering fact underlining the rapid global expansion of authoritarian regimes around tthe world. According to Moisés Naím, the world has made itself safer for tyrannical leaders to install themselves, often using the “three Ps” of populism, polarisation […]
Departures Podcast with Linda Kinstler, author of ‘Come to This Court and Cry: How the Holocaust Ends’
“Imagine that all of humanity stands before you and comes to this court and cries. These are our laws, let them prevail.” -Sir Hartley Shawcross, War Crimes Trials, Nuremberg, Germany, July 27, 1946 After discovering a former Nazi who belonged to the same killing unit as her grandfather and was the subject of a posthumous criminal investigation […]
Departures Podcast with Jamie Martin, author of ‘The Meddlers’
“If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” is often a colloquial proverb tossed around to express a reluctant surrender to whatever dominant force one may be facing – but it might also be a decent way to express how many states have found their domestic political options increasingly constrained by in the age of globalization, […]
Departures Podcast with Chenayi Mutambasere
When one thinks of Zimbabwe, the concept of “free and fair elections” is not the first to come to mind. And yet, like many post-Cold War authoritarian states, elections are nevertheless organized and manipulated to produce something adjacent to public legitimacy, which becomes all the more treacherous when the opposition is able to actually win […]
Departures Podcast with Lynette Ong, author of ‘Outsourcing Repression Everyday State Power in Contemporary China’
State repression, whether or not it’s outwardly aggressive, invites backlash. So how does the Chinese state maintain control during disruptive periods of intense urbanization, even as heavy consequences impact society? This week Departures is pleased to feature a discussion with Lynette Ong, a Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto about her excellent […]
Russia News Blast
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RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – February 24, 2022
Today in Russia: Invasion. Will the world respond?
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RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – February 23, 2022
Today in Russia/CIS: Ukraine calls up reservists; Levada Center Director Volkov on public opinion in Russia; Erdogan says Turkey won’t accept Russian moves in Ukraine; EU and US latest sanctions; Russia-Ukraine crisis as viewed Uzbekistan; Israel walks a tightrope on its Ukraine position
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RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – February 22, 2022
but which borders?;’ History professor (and President) Putin delivers fiery speech; Lavrov re-writes the rules of international sovereignty; UK and EU roll out initial sanctions, and Washington plans big moves; Nord Stream 2 finally meets its end after a slow, painful death; Zelensky’s speech; White House: On second thought, that’s an invasion; How will China respond?; Russia to evacuate all diplomatic staff from Ukraine
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