Michael McFaul knows a thing or two about Russia and Putin from his days as the former US ambassador in Moscow. As Putin's Victory Day speech illustrated, Russia hasn't moved on much since 1945, McFaul tells Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World podcast. But if the West goes too far, there's a much bigger risk: World War III. McFaul says that Putin signaled in his nothing-burger speech that Russia is ready to gobble up another chunk of Ukraine in the Donbas region, and explains why that gives Ukraine a stronger hand at the negotiating table.   McFaul also explains why the US needs to change up its sanctions game and debunks the overwhelming support for the war claimed by the Kremlin. He says he talks to Russians almost every day, and what he's hearing is that there are no winners inside Russia, where the war has hurt Putin politically. Even the oligarchs are unhappy: "There is not a single economic actor in Russia [who] thinks this is good."

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Cybercrime is a rapidly growing threat, and one that will require a global effort to combat. But could some of the same measures taken to fight criminals online lead to human rights abuses and a curtailing of freedom?

As the United Nations debates a new and expansive cybercrime treaty first proposed by Russia, we’re examining the details of the plan, how feasible it would be to find consensus, and what potential dangers await if the treaty is misused by authoritarian governments.

Our participants for this fifth and final episode of “Patching the System” are:

• Amy Hogan-Burney, General Manager, Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit
• Ali Wyne, Eurasia Group Senior Analyst (Moderator)

This special podcast series from GZERO Media is produced in partnership with Microsoft as part of the award-winning Global Stage series. “Patching the System” highlights the work of the Cybersecurity Tech Accord, a public commitment from over 150 global technology companies dedicated to creating a safer cyber world for all of us.

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Nearly half of the world's population currently lives in areas that face water scarcity for at least one month out of every year, and more than 1.2 billion people lack access to clean drinking water. This basic human need is too often at risk for communities around the globe, creating grave public health and security crises.

The latest episode of Living Beyond Borders, a special podcast series from GZERO brought to you by Citi Private Bank, examines the growing problem of both physical and economic water scarcity, and its potential to cause further humanitarian and security threats. Moderated by Mikaela McQuade, Director of Energy, Climate, and Resources at Eurasia Group, this episode features Harlin Singh, Global Head of Sustainable Investing at Citi Global Wealth and Franck Gbaguidi, Senior Analyst of Energy, Climate, & Resources at Eurasia Group.

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Not much has gone right for Vladimir Putin since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began. Ian Bremmer speaks to political scientist and author Ivan Krastev, who believes Putin has the autocrat's curse: his back is against the wall because he can't be perceived as weak. Krastev unpacks many of Putin's problems, including his expectations about the "special operation" and how badly he misread Ukrainians.   Why did Putin miscalculate so deeply? Krastev offers three explanations: Putin never accepted that the Soviet Union collapsed because communism did; he thought the West was in such decline that he'd get away with the invasion; and a sense that time is running out, because the 70-year-old Putin wants to fix all of Russia's problems in his lifetime.   But how does the Russian leader feel about the war so far? Krastev believes he's definitely not happy with what's going on, but views himself as fighting a longer and more consequential battle with the West. Krastev, who is known for his recent book, "After Europe," also talks about Putin's fears about Russia's future and its shrinking demographics, noting that no one in Russia is even allowed to discuss "life after Putin."

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The concept of mercenaries, hired soldiers and specialists working privately to fight a nation’s battles, is nearly as old as war itself.

In our fourth episode of “Patching the System,” we’re discussing the threat cyber mercenaries pose to individuals, governments, and the private sector. We’ll examine how spyware used to track criminal and terrorist activity around the world has been abused by bad actors in cyberspace who are hacking and spying on activists, journalists, and even government officials. And we’ll talk about what’s being done to stop it.

Our participants are:

• John Scott-Railton, Senior Researcher at the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto's Munk School
• David Agranovich, Director of Global Threat Disruption at Meta.
• Ali Wyne, Eurasia Group Senior Analyst (moderator)

GZERO’s special podcast series “Patching the System,” produced in partnership with Microsoft as part of the award-winning Global Stage series, highlights the work of the Cybersecurity Tech Accord, a public commitment from over 150 global technology companies dedicated to creating a safer cyber world for all of us.

Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.

The Ukraine war and sanctions against Russia have created a perfect storm that will lead to a global food supply crisis, Ertharin Cousin, former head of the UN World Food Programme, tells Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World podcast. Russia and Ukraine account for almost a third of the world's wheat exports. All nations could be affected since these are global commodities, but developing countries that rely on those imports are most at risk. The disruptions could double the amount of people that went hungry during the pandemic, and since agriculture is a seasonal business, the worst may be yet to come.   Many low-income nations will also struggle because they can't afford subsidies to feed their people. The conflict has put the international community in a tough spot between causing hunger and punishing Russia, says Cousin, who now serves as CEO of a non-profit organization, Food Systems for the Future. She recommends the West offer developing countries financial support to deal with the food crisis since "we need to realize we're not the only game in town"; China may also see this an opportunity to build alliances by offering help.

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Last year the US economy grew 5.7%, the biggest growth rate in decades, yet at the beginning of 2022 fewer than 1 in 5 Americans thought it was strong. And as the world confronts the converging crises of pandemic and war in Ukraine, inflation and skyrocketing prices are further contributing to feelings of financial insecurity.

The latest episode of Living Beyond Borders, a special podcast series from GZERO brought to you by Citi Private Bank, takes an honest look at why there is still reason for optimism, and what we can expect from US and global markets in the year ahead. Moderated by Shari Friedman, Managing Director of Climate and Sustainability at Eurasia Group, this episode features David Bailin, Chief Investment Officer and Global Head of Investments at Citi Global Wealth and Robert Kahn, Director of Global Macroeconomics at Eurasia Group.

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Two years after the discovery of one of the largest cyber attacks in history, we’re looking at the current state of security for both software and hardware supply chains.

In early 2020, a group of hackers broke into a software system built and managed by the Texas-based company SolarWinds. The malware they installed was eventually downloaded by thousands of SolarWinds customers, including both private companies and government agencies like the US State Department. SolarWinds has since said the number of clients actually hacked was far lower.

What lessons were learned, and how vulnerable are information and communication technology supply chains today?

In the third episode of Patching the System, a GZERO podcast produced as part of the Global Stage partnership with Microsoft, we’re examining that question with two top experts in the field.

Our participants are:

Gaus Rajnovic, cybersecurity manager at Panasonic Europe Charles Carmakal, senior vice president and chief technology officer at Mandiant Ali Wyne, Eurasia Group Senior Analyst (moderator)

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The relationship between Putin and Xi is a "marriage of convenience," journalist Melinda Liu tells Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World podcast. Russia's war in Ukraine has put China in an awkward spot: they condemn the invasion, but not the invader.  

Liu, who has been Newsweek's Beijing bureau chief for decades, believes that Xi is likely as isolated and surrounded by sycophants as Putin, which makes predicting what he'll do next very hard. Chinese coverage of the war hasn’t been consistent, and neither is China’s historical relationships with Ukraine and Russia.    

She also explains why Xi's biggest problem right now is not Putin, but rather China's zero-COVID policy, which now has 26 million people under lockdown on Shanghai. China is facing a challenge they never saw coming — and that "hits right to the soul."  

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Confidence in democracy is declining in the West at the same time authoritarian leaders like Putin and Xi Jinping have become more transparent about their demands and lack of respect for democracy, says Johns Hopkins University professor Yascha Mounk, author of a new book, "The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure."  

On the GZERO World podcast, Mounk tells Ian Bremmer we're in a new era of naked power politics, illustrated by the way Putin is transforming Russia into a repressive regime. Putin believes the West is decadent while he views himself as a strong leader with traditional values. Meanwhile, the biggest challenges ahead for democracies like the US are racial disparities in wealth, tribalism, and extreme partisanship. 

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