Escalation

By Lawfare & Goat Rodeo

Escalation episodes

April 14, 2025 Escalation Ep 7: Boiling The Frog
In the season finale of Escalation, Anastasiia Lapatina and Yulia Tymoshenko recount Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022. The western world is shocked, and US President Joe Biden and the US Congress attempt to send weapons to Ukraine to fight back. But fundamentally different perspectives on the fight will emerge and lead to tensions that leave Ukraine's fate uncertain, and its relationship with The United States in jeopardy.
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58 min
April 14, 2025 BONUS: Conversation with John Mearsheimer
In this bonus episode of Escalation, hear our conversation with Professor John Mearsheimer. Mearsheimer is a historian and foreign policy expert at The University of Chicago, and he has some controversial opinions on the relationship between The United States, Ukraine, Russia and NATO. Our conversation with him was at times tense, but always interesting.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 hr 2 min
April 07, 2025 Escalation Finale Preview: Making 'Escalation'
In this bonus episode of 'Escalation,' we give you a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the show, featuring a conversation with our reporting and production team of Anastasiia Lapatina, Tyler McBrien, Benjamin Wittes and Max Johnston
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56 min
April 06, 2025 BONUS: Music from Ukrainian Cultural Forces
In this bonus episode of Escalation, you'll hear more music from the Ukrainian Cultural Forces. The Cultural Forces are a group of Ukrainian artists and veterans who travel the world as emissaries from the Ukrainian army. In September 2024, they were in Washington, DC, where our production team captured some of their performances.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
15 min
March 31, 2025 Escalation Ep 6: Nothing Else Matters
In 2019, the relationship between The United States and Ukraine faces one of its biggest tests during a phone call between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The resulting scandal makes Ukraine a toxic issue for some lawmakers in the US Congress, where Ukrainian veterans are still trying to generate support for the war to this day.
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57 min
March 30, 2025 BONUS: Conversation with Evelyn Farkas
In this bonus episode of Escalation, you'll hear our conversation with Evelyn Farkas, who is the Executive Director for The McCain Institute, and served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia in the Obama Administration. Farkas describes the US government's reaction to the invasion of Crimea, and discussions over aid to Ukraine.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
25 min
March 24, 2025 Escalation Ep 5: Resets
When Ukraine’s Russia-backed president refuses to sign a deal with the European Union, millions of Ukrainians take to the streets to force him out. Then the West watches as Russia invades Crimea and parts of Eastern Ukraine.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
51 min
March 22, 2025 BONUS: Conversation with Mary Sarotte
In this bonus episode of Escalation, we're bringing you an extended cut of our conversation with Mary Sarotte, a NATO Historian and International Relations Expert at John Hopkins University. Mary tells us about NATO's history and origins, it's strange relationship with Russia, and Ukraine's murky status in the alliance.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
26 min
March 17, 2025 Escalation Ep 4: The Worst of Both Worlds
A dirty presidential campaign in Ukraine culminates in an attempted assassination and ‘The Orange Revolution,’ where Ukrainians stop The Kremlin’s attempts to rig the election. Years later at a NATO summit in 2008, The United States and European allies concoct a high-risk plan to protect Ukraine going forward.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
40 min
March 15, 2025 BONUS: Conversation with Daria Kaleniuk
In this bonus episode of Escalation, we're bringing you a conversation with Daria Kaleniuk, a Ukrainian anti-corruption expert and activist. Daria tells us about Ukraine's history with corruption, the roots in the Soviet system, and the country's efforts to fight it. Stay tuned each week for the next chapter of Escalation.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
26 min

About Escalation

From the publisher's feed

The War in Ukraine has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and left entire cities in ruins. It’s a human tragedy on an unimaginable scale. But beyond the death toll and destruction, the…