Every time I get the man-flu, I pick up your book on Stalingrad, compare myself to the people on sight i 1942, and suddenly feel less miserable. Thanks. Looking at Russia today, how central is the memory of Stalingrad to modern Russian identity? Has it become mythologized in a way that shapes current political narratives - such as the apparent willingness to accept the horrific body count in Ukraine today?
What is it about the Russian psyche that tolerates the death of many of its citizens during war & the displacement and execution of even more citizens during Stalin's tyranny ?
1) Do you think Putin misjudged the risks involved in his attempt to annex Ukraine or is it more a case of something that needed to be done and a million or more casualties and years of war is a tolerable price?
2) I suspect the strategy of the west is first to avoid WW3 and/or deployment of nukes. Second to slowly bleed Russia to death both literally and via economic measures to the point where it is no longer a threat to the rest of Europe and to provide the opportunity for internal political instability to gain momentum with the possibility of a regime change which better suits the west. Is this a correct reading of the situation?
3) How much more assistance could the west provide to Ukraine without starting WW3? Why isn't more being provided? (Based on the assumption that if Russia succeeds in Ukraine it won't want to stop there).
4) What are the chances of Ukraine winning back all its territory? And would this be a good outcome for peace and stability in Europe?
"Do you think Putin misjudged the risks involved in his attempt to annex Ukraine or is it more a case of something that needed to be done and a million or more casualties and years of war is a tolerable price?"
Russia has invaded or dominated many of its neighbors over the centuries — Poland, Finland, the Baltic states, Georgia, Ukraine. Yet Norway, despite sharing a direct border and being a NATO member, has never been invaded by Russia. What explains that difference? Is it geography, strategic value, political signaling or does it reveal something deeper about how Russia defines threat and opportunity in its near abroad?
Was there a single reform that Tsar Nicholas II could have implemented to forestall the revolution, or was he (like Louis XVI) caught holding the bag, and no reform would have been even possible ?
Hi Sir Anthony, do you think its is feasible that in the absence of royal intervention - and purely on overwhelming public support - that the military could overthrow the government of the day and force a general election? If so how would it physically take shape and are you busy next week?
In the Great Northern War, Russia defeated Sweden in the Baltic States. At that time they seemed happy to leave the local population intact and the Baltic German aristocracy intact as administrators. What changed 300 years later when they actively tried to colonise and replace the population there?
Do you think Putin has a succession plan for when he dies or otherwise leaves office? If not, how do you think the next Russian leader will be chosen, or will it be a free-for-all when Putin goes?
I've read that Putin was willing to cultivate better relations with the West in the first few years of his rule, but the West, especially America, chose not to engage with him. Do you agree with that view?
Explain the pogroms the Tsars imposed on the Jews in the 19th century, and do you think that led to so many Jews being involved in the revolution? Lenin, Trotsky, Kamenev to name a few.
Is there anything Gorbachev could've done differently to avoid the chaos which seemed to follow with the break up of the USSR given the apparently embarrassing Yeltsin giving way Putin?
Fair democracies are fragile things requiring a population rooted with the mindset to maintain them. Maybe Russians don't have that way of thinking?...
Do you think from Putins point of view he has a fair case about NATO expansion eastwards when as i understand it in late 80's /early 90's they had agreed not to?
How can someone build enough confidence to know they have a fairly accurate understanding of history to the extent possible, especially for controversial topics?
Which consequence of the Russian Revolution are we still living with but don't appreciate or know about enough?
Every time I get the man-flu, I pick up your book on Stalingrad, compare myself to the people on sight i 1942, and suddenly feel less miserable. Thanks. Looking at Russia today, how central is the memory of Stalingrad to modern Russian identity? Has it become mythologized in a way that shapes current political narratives - such as the apparent willingness to accept the horrific body count in Ukraine today?
What is it about the Russian psyche that tolerates the death of many of its citizens during war & the displacement and execution of even more citizens during Stalin's tyranny ?
1) Do you think Putin misjudged the risks involved in his attempt to annex Ukraine or is it more a case of something that needed to be done and a million or more casualties and years of war is a tolerable price?
2) I suspect the strategy of the west is first to avoid WW3 and/or deployment of nukes. Second to slowly bleed Russia to death both literally and via economic measures to the point where it is no longer a threat to the rest of Europe and to provide the opportunity for internal political instability to gain momentum with the possibility of a regime change which better suits the west. Is this a correct reading of the situation?
3) How much more assistance could the west provide to Ukraine without starting WW3? Why isn't more being provided? (Based on the assumption that if Russia succeeds in Ukraine it won't want to stop there).
4) What are the chances of Ukraine winning back all its territory? And would this be a good outcome for peace and stability in Europe?
"Do you think Putin misjudged the risks involved in his attempt to annex Ukraine or is it more a case of something that needed to be done and a million or more casualties and years of war is a tolerable price?"
I second that question.
What do you think is Putins end game with Ukraine? Is he just trying to wear Zelensky down?
Russia has invaded or dominated many of its neighbors over the centuries — Poland, Finland, the Baltic states, Georgia, Ukraine. Yet Norway, despite sharing a direct border and being a NATO member, has never been invaded by Russia. What explains that difference? Is it geography, strategic value, political signaling or does it reveal something deeper about how Russia defines threat and opportunity in its near abroad?
Was there a single reform that Tsar Nicholas II could have implemented to forestall the revolution, or was he (like Louis XVI) caught holding the bag, and no reform would have been even possible ?
Hi Sir Anthony, do you think its is feasible that in the absence of royal intervention - and purely on overwhelming public support - that the military could overthrow the government of the day and force a general election? If so how would it physically take shape and are you busy next week?
Empires often collapse more quickly than observers expect. Do you see structural weaknesses in today’s Russia that resemble 1917 or 1991?
In the Great Northern War, Russia defeated Sweden in the Baltic States. At that time they seemed happy to leave the local population intact and the Baltic German aristocracy intact as administrators. What changed 300 years later when they actively tried to colonise and replace the population there?
Do you think Putin has a succession plan for when he dies or otherwise leaves office? If not, how do you think the next Russian leader will be chosen, or will it be a free-for-all when Putin goes?
I've read that Putin was willing to cultivate better relations with the West in the first few years of his rule, but the West, especially America, chose not to engage with him. Do you agree with that view?
Explain the pogroms the Tsars imposed on the Jews in the 19th century, and do you think that led to so many Jews being involved in the revolution? Lenin, Trotsky, Kamenev to name a few.
‘How unthinkable was operation unthinkable?’
Is there anything Gorbachev could've done differently to avoid the chaos which seemed to follow with the break up of the USSR given the apparently embarrassing Yeltsin giving way Putin?
Fair democracies are fragile things requiring a population rooted with the mindset to maintain them. Maybe Russians don't have that way of thinking?...
Do you think from Putins point of view he has a fair case about NATO expansion eastwards when as i understand it in late 80's /early 90's they had agreed not to?
How can someone build enough confidence to know they have a fairly accurate understanding of history to the extent possible, especially for controversial topics?