Garry Kasparov: Dictators and Democracies

03/06/22 • 58 min

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In this Conversation, released originally in 2018, former world chess champion and human rights activist Garry Kasparov shares his perspective on threats to Western democracies from dictators abroad and illiberal movements at home. Analyzing the geopolitical situation, Kasparov argues that the challenge to the West posed by dictators like Putin remains immense. Turning to Western societies themselves, Kasparov diagnoses a dangerous complacency about the effort required to sustain political liberty. Finally, Kristol and Kasparov discuss how America can recapture the will necessary to defend itself and its principles. Kasparov was extremely prescient at the time, and the insights he offers here are worth revisiting now in light of Putin's war on Ukraine.

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Eric Edelman: How the West Should Respond to Putin’s War in Ukraine

How should the U.S. and others in the West respond to Putin’s war on Ukraine? What dangers and opportunities might we face in the days and weeks ahead? How might the war reshape geopolitics? Less than a week into Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, much remains unknown. To help us get a better sense of where things might go, we are joined by Eric Edelman, former ambassador to Turkey and Finland and undersecretary of Defense. Edelman and Kristol consider where things stand—the impressive Ukrainian resistance, Putin’s difficulties, and the response from Europe, the US, and other allies. Edelman argues it is imperative that the West continue to support the Ukrainian resistance to ensure that Putin does not succeed in destroying Ukraine. Looking more broadly, Edelman and Kristol consider what dangers and opportunities may follow from a geopolitical event which already is causing major shifts in how countries in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere view their geopolitical position.

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Paul Cantor: Shakespeare and Politics

Paul Cantor (1945 - 2022) was one of the preeminent Shakespeare scholars of our time as well as a great popular culture appreciator, critic, and teacher. We were fortunate to host Paul Cantor ten times on Conversations with Bill Kristol, covering the whole range of his interests. We are pleased to re-release his very first Conversation, in which Cantor explains why Shakespeare is a political thinker. Though we mourn his loss, we take some comfort in the fact that his work will continue to reach students of all ages, now and in the future.