Send us Fan Mail

From identifying the suspects behind the Salisbury poisonings to exposing Russian involvement in MH17, Eliot Higgins helped pioneer a new era of open-source investigation. But in a world of algorithms, conspiracy theories, AI-generated content and collapsing trust, can truth still hold power?

In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, we sit down with the founder of Bellingcat to discuss how a man with no formal journalism background built one of the world's most influential investigative organisations from his home in Leicester.

They explore the origins of Bellingcat, the MH17 investigation, information warfare, social media radicalisation, AI-generated misinformation, and why Higgins believes democracy depends on three pillars: verification, deliberation and accountability.

This is a conversation about truth, power, technology, and the future of democracy itself. 

Topics Covered

•  The birth of Bellingcat and open-source intelligence 
•  Investigating MH17 and Russian disinformation 
•  Online radicalisation and conspiracy theories 
•  Social media algorithms and democratic decline 
•  AI, deepfakes and the future of verification 
•  Why trust in institutions is collapsing 
•  How democracy can survive the digital age 
•  Advice for the next generation of investigative journalists

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

 This week on Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, We sit down with former French General Dominique Trinquand — one of Europe’s leading military voices on NATO, Russia, Ukraine and the future of European defence. 

Drawing on decades of experience in NATO, the United Nations, the Balkans and Lebanon, General Trinquand explains why Europe is rapidly rearming, whether NATO can survive a weakening American commitment, and why he believes Europeans must prepare to defend themselves independently.

The conversation explores:

•  Europe’s military weaknesses after decades of underinvestment 
•  Lessons Western armies are learning from Ukraine 
•  France’s long-standing push for strategic independence from the United States 
•  The future of NATO and whether a “European army” is realistic 
•  Germany’s evolving role in European defence 
•  Drone warfare, AI and the transformation of modern combat 
•  Putin, Trump and the pressure reshaping Europe 
•  Democracy, national identity and what younger generations are losing faith in 

General Trinquand also reflects on his family’s history in the French Resistance, his lifelong military service, and why he still believes democracy will endure despite rising authoritarianism.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

 Amber French-Griette — co-founder and Executive Director of the Organization for Nonviolent Movements — joins Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight to explain why nonviolent resistance remains one of the most powerful weapons against authoritarianism. 

From Ukraine’s civic resistance against Russia to the role of strikes, boycotts, social cohesion and information warfare, this conversation explores how ordinary people resist dictators without picking up a weapon. 

We discuss wartime civic resistance, hybrid warfare, democratic resilience, social media, and why authoritarian regimes increasingly fear organised citizens as much as military force. 

Topics include: 

* Nonviolent resistance 

* Ukraine and civic resilience 

* Fighting authoritarianism 

* Information warfare 

* Democracy and freedom 

* Hybrid war and social media 

* Europe’s defence challenges 

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Steven Moore, founder of the Ukraine Freedom Project, joins Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight to discuss the war in Ukraine, Russian propaganda, faith under occupation, and why freedom remains worth fighting for.

A former Republican congressional chief of staff who arrived in Ukraine days after the full-scale invasion, Moore reflects on frontline aid work, the persecution of religious communities in occupied territories, divisions within American conservatism over Ukraine, and the wider struggle between democracies and authoritarian states.

Topics include:

•  Russian religious persecution in occupied Ukraine 
•  American conservative attitudes towards Ukraine 
•  The role of faith during wartime 
•  Tucker Carlson, propaganda and the information war 
•  Europe, security and rearmament 
•  Freedom, democracy and political violence 
•  The global axis of authoritarian powers

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

We are joined by Roger McNair, founder of Project Jinn, to examine the growing crisis of confidence in British democracy and the case for reform.

McNair argues that the current system—built around elections every five years—is no longer sufficient for a politically aware and connected population. He sets out a vision for a more direct, participatory model, where citizens have a meaningful say on key issues between elections. Drawing on his journey across all 76 UK cities, he describes a country marked by deep disillusionment with politics, but not without hope.

The episode also confronts harder questions about truth, division, and whether democratic systems can function when citizens no longer share a common understanding of reality.

🔑 Topics covered

• Collapse of public trust in politicians and institutions
• The limits of representative democracy
• Direct democracy and the Swiss/Liechtenstein models
• Project Jinn’s mission and structure
• Insights from a nationwide tour of the UK
• Public disengagement vs latent political opinions
• Media trust, misinformation, and foreign interference
• Truth vs perspective in political debate
• Inclusion of anti-democratic viewpoints
• The emotional state of the country: disconnection, fatigue, and underlying goodwill

At its core: if democracy is no longer delivering for the public, what should replace it—and how can it be rebuilt?

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Jason Pack, host of the Disorder podcast, joins Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight to discuss his idea of “enduring disorder” — a world where democracies struggle to coordinate, institutions fail to deliver, and power is increasingly fragmented.

The conversation looks at what that means in practice: from Libya and Ukraine to British politics and the failures of Western leadership

What we cover

•  What Pack means by “enduring disorder” — and why he thinks the post–Cold War system has broken down 
•  Why democracies are struggling to coordinate on major issues like climate, security and technology 
•  Libya as a case study in how international cooperation fails 
•  The rise of “disorder actors” — from authoritarian states to populist movements within democracies 
•  Whether democracy still offers anything tangible to ordinary people 
•  Why belief in democratic values may be weakening, even in the UK and US 
•  The role of money, media and private power in shaping modern politics 
•  Why people in stable democracies often care less about democracy than those who’ve lived under dictatorship 
•  Pack’s personal reasons for defending democratic systems 

Key questions

•  If the system is breaking down, what is democracy actually delivering? 
•  Are people turning away from democracy — or just losing faith in it? 
•  Who benefits from disorder: democracies or dictatorships? 
•  Can democratic systems adapt to an age of social media, AI and fragmented power? 

Follow Jason's work

•  Podcast: Disorder podcast
•  Book: Libya and the Global Enduring Disorder

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of Why We Fight, I speak with Akhmed Zakayev, the exiled Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.

Zakayev lays out his case that Chechnya remains under Russian occupation, describing life inside the republic as lawless and repressive, and arguing that the Chechen struggle is not a recent conflict but part of a centuries-long resistance to Russian imperialism.

We discuss the legacy of the Chechen wars, the role of Russian propaganda in shaping Western perceptions, and why Zakayev believes those wars were the prelude to Russia’s invasions of Georgia and Ukraine. He also explains how a government in exile operates, how Chechens abroad maintain ties to those at home, and why he believes independence is essential for the survival of the Chechen people.

The conversation explores Chechen culture, its emphasis on honour and equality, and what freedom and democracy mean from a Chechen perspective. Zakayev also makes a broader argument: that lasting global security depends on the end of Russian imperialism.

This is a rare, in-depth interview with one of the most prominent figures in the Chechen independence movement—on history, identity, and the future of a nation still fighting to exist.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, We speak with Iranian human rights activist Zolal Habibi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.

Born into a family shaped by repression Habibi has spent her life advocating for a democratic alternative to the Islamic Republic. 

Amongst the backdrop of America and Israel's war on Iran

They discuss:

•  The reality of resistance inside Iran 
•  Why repeated uprisings haven’t yet toppled the regime 
•  The role of women at the forefront of protest movements 
•  The controversy and vision behind the NCRI 
• The lack of nuance among Western commentators
•  Why she argues the solution is “neither war nor appeasement”

And ultimately, what a free Iran could look like — and whether it’s closer than we think.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, We sit down with Jaden Braves a young Canadian political organiser and director at the Sephira Institute.

They explore how a new generation is engaging with democracy—and where it’s breaking down. From flawed electoral systems and youth disengagement to the impact of social media, foreign influence, and global conflict, Jaden argues that democratic systems are failing to keep up with the world they now operate in.

The conversation covers:

•  Why young people feel locked out of politics 
•  The case for lowering the voting age 
•  Social media as a national security threat 
•  Whether democracy is “at war” globally 
•  How Gen Z is being shaped—and misled—by information overload 

This is a wide-ranging discussion about power, participation, and what democracy needs to survive in the 21st century.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Are political parties actually undermining democracy?

In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, We sit down with businessman-turned-author Metin Peckin, whose new book Breaking Democracy’s Chains argues that the biggest threat to modern democracy isn’t dictators—it’s the system itself.

Peckin makes a provocative case: political parties have become gatekeepers, limiting true representation and concentrating power in the hands of wealthy elites and entrenched interests. Drawing on history—from the warnings of the American Founding Fathers to modern examples like the Iraq War and Citizens United—he argues that democracy has been captured.

Together, we explore:

•  Why political parties may be “the bottleneck” in representation 
•  How money and elite influence shape modern politics 
•  Whether independent candidates could replace party systems 
•  A radical proposal for a party-less democracy 
•  The role of technology in transforming representation 
•  The limits of freedom, and what democracy should actually mean 

Peckin also outlines his proposed reforms, including independent MPs, ranked-choice voting, and a “democracy tax” designed to curb the influence of big money in politics.

This is a challenging, wide-ranging conversation about whether democracy as we know it still works—and what it might take to fix it.

Support the show