“Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East vs. West” – with Calder Walton

Summary

Calder Walton (Website, Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the 100-year intelligence war between the United States and Russia. Calder is the author of the new book, SPIES. 

*EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*

What You’ll Learn

Intelligence

The epic clash of intelligence systems

Russia’s assassination program then and now

The roots of Putinism 

China as “the Soviet Union on steroids”

Reflections

Cold War 2.0

Could it have been otherwise?

And much, much more …

Quotes of the Week

My conclusion, unfortunately, Andrew, is that looking at this large sweep of history that we have, not so much a Putin problem today, but a Russia problem. And the Russia problem has been persistent over a hundred years, which is why it makes me very cautious about speculation … Unfortunately, it seems to me that the Putin and the people he surrounds himself with in the Kremlin are all cut from this very similar cloth as he is. 

Resources 

SURFACE SKIM

*Headline Resource*

SPIES: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West, Calder Walton (Simon & Schuster, 2023)

*SpyCasts*

Ukraine & the Alliance with NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence David Cattler (2023)

Ukraine & Intelligence: One Year On with Shane Harris (2023)

Becoming a Russian Intelligence Officer with Janosh Neumann (2022)

The Spies Who Came in From the Cold with Chris Costa and John Quattrocki at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library in Chicago (2022)

Dealing with Russia with Counterintelligence Legend Jim Olson (2022)

CIA Legend Jack Devine on Countering Russian Aggression (2012)

*Beginner Resources*

Putin’s Revisionist History of Russia and Ukraine, I. Chotiner, New Yorker (2022) [Short article]

Has Putin's war failed and what does Russia want?, P. Kirby, BBC (2023) [Short article]

The Cold War Explained in 15 Minutes, YouTube (2021) [15 min. video]

*EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*

DEEPER DIVE

Books

Russian Intelligence, K. Riehle (NIU, 2022)

Putin’s People, C. Belton (William Collins, 2021)

Between Two Fires, J. Yaffa (Duggan Books, 2020)

The New Cold War, E. Lucas (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2014)

Primary Sources 

The Putin Files, CBS (n.d.)

Memorandum of Conversations (Rise of Putin)

Clinton with Putin (2000)

Clinton with Putin (2000)

Clinton with Yeltsin (1999)

Clinton with Yeltsin (1999)

Clinton with Putin (1999)

Madelaine Albright with Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov (1999)

Clinton with Putin (1999)

Clinton with Yeltsin (1999)

Oral Histories

U.S. Ambassadors to Moscow

John Huntsman (2017-2019)

John F. Tefft (2014-2017)

Michael McFaul (2012-2014)

John Beryle (2008-2012)

Alexander Vershbow (2001-2005)

James F. Collins (1997-2001)

Thomas R. Pickering (1993-1996)

Jack F. Matlock (1987-1991)

*Wildcard Resource*

Putin Strikes: The Coming War for Eastern Europe

A two-player board game where one commands the Kremlin’s forces and the other an international polyglot force. Trippy or what?

*EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*

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