Diplomates – A Geopolitical Chinwag

Recorded from the ground in Kyiv, Ukraine:

Pavlo Khazan, a Reserve Major in Ukraine’s armed forces and a signals officer of Jewish Ukrainian descent, is defiant in the face of unbelievable odds.

A prominent leader of the Maiden movement and a veteran of the Donbas wars, Misha Zelinsky meets him at a friend’s place only hours before he boards a train to travel 500 kilometres east to his hometown of Dnipro – directly into the Russian storm.

An environmental engineer with a PhD in statistics, the once leading European eco-warrior has made the shift to battled hardened defender of his nation over the last decade. With the stakes so high, he appeals to the world for help in what he calls “critical moment for global democracy

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Brilliant news Diplomates fans, we've got more great foreign policy content for you as promised!

Welcome to the Chinwag Episodes!

We are pleased to announce Hagar Chemali as our second Chinwagger!

Hagar will join Misha for a monthly chinwag. The Chinwag episodes will be shorter and more focused on what's happening around the world of foreign policy. Be sure to send your questions in if you've got something on your mind.

Misha will continue to do deep-dive episodes with leading experts from around the world as per your regular programming.

Who is Hagar? Firstly, she's awesome (but here's her bio anyway).

Hagar Hajjar Chemali is a political satirist, foreign policy expert, and host and creator of the weekly world news show Oh My World! on YouTube. She is also a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics center, and is featured regularly as a national security analyst on MSNBC, CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, and Cheddar.

Hagar’s professional background and foreign policy expertise have been shaped by senior public affairs and policy-making positions she held over the course of 12 years in the U.S. Government. From 2015-2016, she was Director of Communications and Spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations under President Obama, and from 2014-2015, she was Spokesperson for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. From 2010-2012, Hagar was Director for Syria and Lebanon at the White House, National Security Council, where she advised on and coordinated the implementation of U.S. policy toward Syria and Lebanon. Hagar also worked at the Treasury Department as a Senior Policy Advisor on Asia and Middle East Policy Advisor in the Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes.

Hagar has a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs where she concentrated on International Security Policy and the Middle East. She also graduated from Columbia University’s Barnard College where she majored in Political Science. She speaks English, French, Arabic, and Italian.

If you want to follow Hagar (you should!) check out her content here:

Oh My World! on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ohmyworldwithhagarchemali

Instagram: @hagarchemali & @omwshow

Twitter: @hagarchemali & @ohmyworldshow

More about Hagar: https://hagarchemali.com/

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Rob Wilcox is the Federal Legal Director at ‘Everytown for Gun Safety’, the leading gun safety movement in the United States.

A qualified commercial lawyer, Rob’s life changed forever when his family was tragically touched by gun violence.

Misha Zelinsky caught up with Rob for a Chinwag about the US gun violence epidemic, the political polarisation underpinning this issue, what sensible reform looks like, how to build a movement for change from the ground up, the role of Second Amendment in gun ownership, misinformation online and whether meaningful gun law reform is actually possible.

It’s a really insightful conversation on an issue that touches many people. A big thank you to Rob for coming on to share his personal story; he’s a great guy and he’s tackling an issue that needs to be addressed.

Show notes:

Learn about Everytown for Gun Safety here: https://www.everytown.org

Follow the show and Misha Zelinsky here: @mishazelinsky @diplomatesshow

BIG NEWS!

We’ve partnered with the team at Diamantina Media - the people who give you The Betoota Advocate amongst other things.

They are also home to the ‘The Jolly Swagman’ podcast hosted by our mate Joe Walker (www.joewalker.com.au) It’s a brilliant show where he digs into some really interesting intellectual conversation with all types of global leaders like Mark Cuban and Malcolm Turnbull.

On a personal note, our host Misha Zelinsky will be heading over to Washington DC on a Fulbright Scholarship. Misha will be studying political warfare by autocracies and how we can restore democracy at home. We’ve got some really cool interviews lined up while he is in the States; so keep your eyes peeled for those!

Please give the show 5 stars and review it and share it with your mates. We’re growing all the time and it really helps!

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Dr. Thomas Mahnken is President and CEO of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. He currently serves as a member of the Congressionally-mandated National Defense Strategy Commission and as a member of the Board of Visitors of Marine Corps University.

His career in defence is extensive and includes service as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy Planning. He is the author of numerous books, including The Gathering Pacific Storm: Emerging U.S.-China Strategic Competition in Defense Technological and Industrial Development.

MIsha Zelinsky caught up with Tom to discuss all things nuclear subs, including why this is was the right call for Australia, the significance of the AUKUS agreement, restoring diplomatic relations with the French, how Australia can get subs before 2038 to avoid capability gaps, the lessons from historic great power competition and what total technological competition with the Chinese Communist Party looks like.

Please keep rating and reviewing the show! We ranked 7th in our category this month, so thank you for your ongoing support.

If you have a question you'd like Misha to answer, send it through to us on any of our social media channels or directly to Misha.

Show notes:

CSBA reports can be found here: www.csbaonline.org

Follow on CSBA on Twitter: @CSBA_

Follow Misha and the Show here: @mishazelinsky @diplomates.show

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Rhodes was the Deputy National Security Advisor for President Barack Obama.

A foreign policy expert, he is the host of ‘Pod Save The World’ and appears on MSNBC. His latest book ‘After the Fall: Being American in the World We've Made’ is a study of the rising tide of global authoritarianism, exploring why democracy did not prevail as expected after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Misha Zelinsky caught up with Ben for a chinwag about his new book, including how the failure to punish bankers responsible for the GFC helped fuel the global rise of authoritarianism, why democracy needs to materially deliver in order for people to believe in it, how an obsession with profits is undermining the fight against the Chinese Communist Party, how democracy itself is becoming a partisan issue in the US, why social media must be regulated, how Joe Biden was right about Afghanistan all along, what Obama is like a person, and how fighting for democracy in America should give confidence to global democratic activists fighting for their own.

Be sure to tune in for his 'BBQ' answer which is a lot of fun. Ben also reveals his favourite Australian Prime Minister!

If this is your first time tuning in, please make sure to rate and review the show. it really helps spread the word.

Other show notes:

After the Fall: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/609428/after-the-fall-by-ben-rhodes/

Pod Save the World: https://crooked.com/podcast-series/pod-save-the-world/

Ben Rhodes: @brhodes

Misha Zelinsky socials: @mishazelinsky

Diplomates socials: @diplomatesshow

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.