The Focus

In this episode John is joined by Dr. Vittorio Bufacchi from University College, Cork, Ireland, where they spoke on the key themes of Vittorio’s recent book: Everything Must Change: Philosophical Lessons from Lockdown. In this broadranging conversation they talk about life’s fragility, the art of living, death, the media and politics. What lessons have we learnt from COVID-19? Are we any wiser from the misfortune and injustices that have befallen our societies due to the global pandemic?

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In this episode, John is joined by The University of Chicago’s Prof. Chris Blattman in discussing his new book entitled ‘Why We Fight’. We journey deep within what motivates individuals, groups, and states to take up arms against each other. But as you’ll hear, Chris does come up with a somewhat different thesis that’s a little more optimistic about human nature and political institutions.

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It is easy to focus just on the Russian-Ukrainian war without looking at this war’s broader global impacts. In this episode, John speaks with US-Palestinian Dr Ramzy Baroud on how Palestine and Israel are affected by this European conflict.

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Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko has been successfully boxed in by Russian president Vladimir Putin. The country is less of a nation and more of an outlying province of Russia. Belarus has been used as a staging base for Russia’s attack on Ukraine and is now host to some of Russia’s nuclear deterrent. Some twenty-to-thirty thousand troops are primed to enter Ukraine to support Russian forces should they be given the order, but will the Belarusian General Staff obey? What of the Belarusian people? Will they willingly sleepwalk their way to war with their neighbour? In this episode, John speaks with high-profile Belarusian journalist Hanna Liubakova to discuss this and much, much more.

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In the age of COVID, there is little ‘good news’ in how countries have dealt with this global pandemic. However, one good news story comes from an unexpected source - Cuba. This small and isolated Caribbean state, lumbered by US sanctions and with a small, underdeveloped economy, has produced and distributed its own version of the COVID-19 vaccine, even assisting other countries in managing their own relationship to the pandemic. In this episode, John is joined by Prof. Jennifer Ruth Hosek from Queen’s University Ontario, Canada. Professor Hosek recently wrote an article for The Conversation extolling the virtues of Cuba’s actions and what sets it apart from how other countries have countered COVID-19. If you would like to know more about Jenn’s latest article in The Conversation, click the following link: Big Pharma vs. Little Cuba: Why Cubans trust vaccines and how they're helping vaccinate the world.

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In this episode, John speaks with University College London’s Prof. Mark Galeotti on the ongoing war in Ukraine. This is a very comprehensive discussion on the origin of the war, the conduct of military operations, the future of Ukraine, and Vladimir Putin. Also, we look at how the war fits into Mark’s new book: The Weaponisation of Everything: A Field Guide to the New Way of War, Yale University Press, 2022.

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In this episode, we speak with former British investigative journalist and politician in the Blair government, Chris Mullin. Tony Blair is a man for all seasons. Condemned for his support of US President George W. Bush’s disastrous 2003 invasion of Iraq, not all of Blair’s political legacy is negative or about Iraq. However, Iraq haunts the former British Prime Minister in a way that continues to damage his reputation no matter what ‘good works’ he applies himself to. 

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Like the old classic song by Kenny Rogers, The Gambler goes: 

“You’ve got to know when to hold ’em,

Know when to fold ’em,

Know when to walk away,

And know when to run,

You never count your money,

When you’re sittin’ at the table,

There’ll be time enough for countin’,

When the dealin’s done”

In this episode, John speaks with former Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Georgia, Eka Tkeshelavili, on Ukraine and Putin. Is the Russian President about to pull off another of his signature surprises and stun the world by taking Ukraine in part or completely? Or, has he overstretched Russia’s strategic limits and boxed himself into a corner through a miscalculated gamble? Who else to better unpack this international puzzle than someone who has experienced a Russian attack on her country back in 2008. 

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In this episode John speaks with Kazakh academic, Dr. Nurseit Niyazbekov. Nurseit found himself in the middle of Kazakh protests in Kazakstan's largest city, Almaty. Mystery still surrounds why peaceful protests rapidly turned violent & Kazakh President Tokayev found it necessary to call for Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) troops to reimpose order. In the middle of the ongoing strategic crisis between Ukraine & Russia - was this meant to be an orchestrated display of Russian power in the post-Soviet space?

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The allegations that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his staff were involved in office parties while the rest of the UK population were expected to abide by strict lockdown provisions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have become a significant problem for Johnson and the Conservative Party. Unfortunately, the anticipated Gray Report, which should clearly show the culpability of those involved in these parties, has yet to be released when recording this podcast. The importance of this report is that it might trigger the resignation of Johnson as British PM. To discuss this, John speaks with Emeritus Professor Paul Whiteley from the Department of Government, University of Essex.

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