Professor Seth Cotlar is a historian at Willamette University in Oregon so as we talked about American politics, his answer contains many historical references. It only helps to better understand what's going on in the US. The midterm elections take place on November 8 and President Joe Biden said that democracy will be on the ballot. Is this a bit of a political exaggeration or is it really happening? And can American democracy properly function when millions believe in an alternate reality? Yes, we have been talking about the Republican Party and its voters. Listen to our conversation also featuring Seth's cat Odie. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

Imagine that you are in a wargame simulation and you play Russia. This is what happened to Alexander Bollfrass. He is a Senior Researcher at the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology - ETH Zurich. I talked to him after he participated in such a wargame. What were its main conclusions? Did the players blow off the world with nuclear weapons? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

As Russia is conducting essentially terrorist attacks targeting Ukrainian cities with drones, I spoke to Mauro Gilli. He is a Senior Researcher in Military Technology and International Security at the Center for Security Studies of ETH-Zurich. We talked about drones and other military systems and about how both sides used them on the battlefield. Do you want to know what is the biggest surprise for my podcast guest when he looks at war? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

Is Xi Jinping fully in control? ,,99,5 percent," said Kerry Brown to me when I asked him if we can be 100 percent sure that Xi gets a third term as general secretary at China's Communist Party Congress that starts on October 16th. He is a Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King's College, London. So what does Xi's reign mean? Could the Chinese leader be a bigger problem than Russian President Vladimir Putin? And what about Taiwan? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

In September, I visited South Korea for the first time and I also had the opportunity to see the demilitarized zone. Just before my visit, I talked to Sung-Yoon Lee, Kim Koo-Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Studies and Assistant Professor at Tufts University. Our discussion was focused more on North Korea and the regime in Pyongyang. So what can we expect from Kim Jong-un and from his sister Kim Yo-jong? In fact, Professor Lee's new book will be exactly about this as its title is - The Sister: The extraordinary story of Kim Yo Jong, the most powerful woman in North Korea. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

The far-right party the Brothers of Italy led by Giorgia Meloni just won the early election with 26 percent of votes. The alliance of the Brothers of Italy, Matteo Salvini's Lega and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia will establish the government that will be further to the right as any Italian government after the Benito Mussolini's era. Yes, the fascist era. Is Meloni an ideological heiress of Mussolini? I talked to Erik Jones, a Director of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

The election just took place in Sweden and the result is that the country will be run by the rightist government. The Social Democrats led by PM Magdalena Andersson von over 30% of the votes but it's not enough to govern due to the fact that the far-right Sweden Democrats are the second-strongest party, gaining 20,5% of the votes in their best-ever election performance. How did it happen? What contributed to the success of the Sweden Democrats? Will they directly join the rightist government? And should we call them far-right? I talked to Nicholas Aylott, an Associate Professor of Political Science at Södertörn University. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

,,The war in Ukraine is entering a critical phase. Winter is coming and it will be hard. Hard for the Ukrainian people and armed forces who are fighting for their freedom, and hard for those of us who support them," NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently wrote for The Financial Times. But what is NATO doing more than six months into Russia's war against Ukraine? Should the Alliance be even more active? I talked to John Deni, a Research Professor of Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental, and Multinational (JIIM) Security Studies at the U.S. Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute. Before joining the U.S. Army War College, Dr. Deni worked for 8 years as a political advisor for senior U.S. military commanders in Europe but his views do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Government. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

This podcast was recorded two days before Queen Elizabeth II. passed away, that's why it's not mentioned. The death of the Monarch might have real political consequences for the United Kingdom, but it doesn't change the fact that a new Conservative PM Liz Truss will face many challenges. Is she up to the job? Is Boris Johnson already plotting a comeback? I talked to Steven Fielding, a Professor of Political History at Nottingham University. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

The former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was born on March 2, 1931 and passed away on August 30. There is very little doubt that he changed the world and contributed to the end of the Cold War, though he also faced a lot of criticism. Where is Gorbachev's place in history? How important was he? What were his successes and failures? I talked to Bradley Woodworth, an Associate Professor of History at the University of New Haven and Program Manager of the Baltic Studies Program at Yale University. Listen to our conversation. And if enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak