Dave interviews Dina Khapaeva, Russian culture expert at Georgia Tech, about the book "Third Empire: Russia as it ought to be," written by Mikhail Yuriev, one of the authors of Project Russia, which we have also covered in the last two episodes.

Dina specializes in Russian historical memory and contemporary issues. She provides an in-depth background on her research and her personal history, including her family's experience with Stalinist terror. The discussion focuses on the troubling, far-right ideologies that have been shaping Russia's political strategy, particularly explored through the lens of Mikhail Yuryev's novel 'Third Empire, The Russia That Ought To Be' and the Project Russia texts. Dr. Penkrmanova explains how these narratives, rooted in neo-Eurasianist ideology and medieval Russian history, inform Putin's geopolitics and expansionist aims. The conversation also touches on the implications of these ideologies for Western policymakers and the political landscape, emphasizing the urgent need to recognize and respond to these Russian ambitions.

The Utopian Russian Novel that Predicted Putin's War Plan, March 26, 2022

The West Doesn't Realize How Much Danger It's In, August 24, 2022

Putin's Dark Ages, 2023

Dina Khapaeva website

00:00 Introduction and Guest Background

00:17 Early Career and Shift to Sociology

01:00 Focus on Historical Memory

02:24 Current Role at Georgia Tech

02:59 Discussion on Mikhail Yuryev's Book

03:49 Yuryev's Influence and Political Connections

07:05 Fortress Russia and Far-Right Ideology

10:18 Neo-Eurasianism and Western Perception

19:57 Summary of 'Third Empire' Plot

23:07 Implications of Yuryev's Vision

32:04 The Devastation of War: Casualties and Destruction

32:58 Russian Ideology: Antichrist and Apocalypse

33:42 Western Perception and Putin's Strategy

34:34 The Primakov Doctrine and Nuclear Threats

38:14 Yuriev's Vision: A New Social Order

45:58 The Role of Memory Politics in Russia

51:49 Yuriev's Influence in the United States

57:21 The Patriarchal Society and Gender Issues

01:00:41 The Urgency of Recognizing the Russian Threat

01:03:10 Conclusion: The Future of Russia and Global Implications

Dave interviews noted British journalist and documentarian Lucy Ash about her new book, The Baton and the Cross: Russia's Church from Pagans to Putin.

They discuss intricate relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and the modern Russian state. The interview explores the history of Orthodoxy in Russia, tracing its origins from medieval times through periods of upheaval, including the Bolshevik Revolution and the Stalinist era. Lucy discusses the personal connections that inspired her to write the book, her early perceptions of the church's potential for good, and how current events are influenced by historical precedents. The conversation examines key figures such as Patriarch Kirill and President Vladimir Putin, highlighting how orthodoxy has been used to underpin Russian nationalism and policy. The dialogue also touches on the broader social impacts of this relationship, including attitudes towards LGBTQ+ issues and women's rights. The interview concludes with reflections on Putin's personal religiosity and his regime's strategic use of the church to consolidate power.

The Baton and the Cross

Lucy Ash on X

Lucy Ash Website

00:00 Introduction and Personal Connection to Russia

03:55 Historical Background of the Orthodox Church in Russia

08:27 Ivan the Terrible and the Oprichniki

11:40 Peter the Great and Catherine the Great's Influence

29:13 The Bolshevik Revolution and Its Impact on the Church

40:54 Smuggling Bibles into Eastern Europe

42:33 Religion and State in Russia

44:06 Russian Mysticism and Superstition

46:09 Orthodoxy and Russian Identity

47:44 LGBTQ Issues and Russian Orthodoxy

50:49 Pussy Riot and Church-State Relations

53:03 Domestic Violence and the Church

57:01 Putin's Spirituality and the Church

01:00:45 The Military Cathedral

01:06:47 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

You've heard of Project 2025, but there's another framework that may be even more important for understanding the current assault on Western democracies. "Project Russia" is a series of books published between 2005 and 2010, and it outlines a strategic vision for total war on the West, against democracies, and against the US dollar and other fiat currencies.

Nearly unknown to Western analysts, the concepts described in Project Russia increasingly reflect the events we see playing out on a daily basis: a war over competing worldviews with capture of media, the use of podcasts and other alternative media to challenge the mainstream press, and the emergence of a new class of unelected 'elite' demagogues who seem to be taking control of global affairs. This episode analyzes the four original Project Russia books with the help of Google's NotebookLM, and offers 'deep dives' into specific areas of the texts.

More on Project Russia from Dave Troy:

https://washingtonspectator.org/project-russia-reveals-putins-playbook/

Keywords: Project Russia, conservatism, nationalism, religion, Orthodoxy, geopolitics, ideology, Antichrist, apocalypse, conspiracy, collapse, future, prediction, The Idea, world order, West, elites, manipulation, control, change, modernity, post-modernity, capitalism, consumerism, society, state, power, authority, history, monarchy.

Big tech companies are playing an outsized role in our world and are increasingly involved in creating policy that has negative impacts on democracies. In her book The Tech Coup, Marietje Schaake argues that companies need to be reined in, and that democracies need to organize themselves in ways that can withstand the challenges posed by these companies and their increasingly imperious owners.

Marietje joins Dave for a spirited post-election conversation about how the Tech Coup is playing out right now, and what we can do about it.

MarietjeSchaake (X, Bluesky, Mastodon)

"The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley"

https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691241173/the-tech-coup

Keywords:

Tech Coup, Democracy, Elon Musk, Regulation, Cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin, Global Governance, Public Stack, Resilience, Alternative Platforms, Geopolitics, Cybersecurity, Social Inequality, Ukraine War, Authoritarianism, Disinformation, Digital Infrastructure, Data Centers, Procurement, Investments, AI, Cables, Data Centers

In this special bonus episode, Dave interviews author Peter Pomerantsev about his new book "How to Win an Information War: The Propagandist Who Outwitted Hitler." The book explores the work of Sefton Delmer, a journalist who developed unique ways to destabilize Hitler's propaganda programming. Their conversation was recorded on October 28, 2024, at Bird In Hand Books in Baltimore, Maryland.

Pomerantsev is the author of two other books on disinformation and propaganda, "Nothing Is True and Everything is Possible," and "This Is Not Propaganda." He is currently based at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University.

Pomerantsev also delivered a TED Talk at TEDxMidAtlantic in Washington, D.C. in June 2024.

Links:

TED Talk (2024)

How To Win an Information War (2024)

This Is Not Propaganda (2019)

Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible (2014)

The term "October Surprise" has come to mean any kind of shock that might upend a November election. But the original October Surprise was in 1980, when Ronald Reagan's campaign operatives conspired with the fundamentalist Iranian regime to keep 52 American hostages in Tehran until after the presidential election of 1980 — all but ensuring a loss for incumbent candidate Jimmy Carter.

This is the account provided by author Craig Unger, who has been following the "October Surprise" story since 1991, and during that time has been able accumulate evidence to confirm that yes, the October Surprise really happened. This almost unbelievable story is documented in his new book, "Den of Spies: Reagan, Carter, and the Secret History of the Treason That Stole the White House, " recently published by Harper Collins.

Craig joins Dave for a fascinating discussion of this complicated history, and its implications on American politics today.

Purchase: Den of Spies

Follow Craig Unger on X

No joke: Peter Thiel envisioned PayPal as a way to challenge to the global political order. And that vision is just now coming into place in 2024. In this election cycle, cryptocurrency interests have surpassed $120 million, surpassing even big oil, in trying to capture candidates from both political parties. This episode features a recording of a Twitter (X) space recorded on September 12, 2024 exploring this set of topics. The space was coordinated by Jake Donoghue, and includes several leading crypto critics: me, David Gerard, Mark Hays, John Reed Stark, and Mark R. Smith.

Follow on X: @JDonoghueAuthor, @JohnReedStark, @DavidGerard, @AmScream, @Miercoles_Hays, @davetroy

Jake Donoghue Twitter Space

Peter Thiel at Libertopia 2010

The secretive Catholic sect Opus Dei seems to be popping up everywhere. But what is it? Many people are familiar with it from depictions in fiction like "The Davinci Code," but the reality is both more mundane and in many ways, more sinister.

Dave is joined by financial journalist Gareth Gore, who got into the story by covering the failure of Spanish bank Banco Popular. He found that the bank led to a rabbit hole — and in the center of it was Opus Dei. Part classic authoritarian mind control cult, part spiritual organization, part fraud, and part geopolitical powerhouse, Gore's new book "Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside the Catholic Church" is a page-turning account of one of the most influential groups in the last 100 years.