James and Al are joined by foreign affairs and Russian expert Stephen Kotkin for a deep dive into the history of the Soviet Union, how Putin is running the country in its aftermath, and the current state of the war in Ukraine.  What role do the United States and the European powers have in repulsing their aggression?  Will Ukraine hold firm?  And how does the conflict impact the world?



Email your questions to James and Al at [email protected] or tweet them to @politicon.  Make sure to include your city, we love to hear where you’re from!



Get More From This Week’s Guests


Stephen Kotkin:

Princeton | Hoover Institution | Author 



Additional Reading On Russia Mentioned By Stephen:



Carnegie Endowment In Washington


Michael Kofman- CNA & Twitter



Rob Lee- Foreign Policy Institute & Twitter


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