You gotta fight for your right to party! The famous Beastie Boys song might become a new political slogan of Finland's Social Democrat PM Sanna Marin. After the video of her partying was leaked, she faced criticism, she took a drug test and apologized. But is this episode even newsworthy? If Marin is a party girl, so what? Is she facing double standards from critics? Would they be probably silent if this would be a video of a man in politics? I talked to Emilia Palonen, a Senior Lecturer from the Department of Political and Economic Studies at the University of Helsinki. Listen to our conversation. And if enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

The Taliban took over Kabul one year ago, on August 15th. It had a huge geopolitical significance but I have to admit there is another reason why it's so easy for me to remember it. The fact is that August 15th is my birthday. About what happened in Afghanistan in one year, I talked to Vanda Felbab-Brown. She is a Senior Fellow in the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings Institution and also the Director of the Initiative on Nonstate Armed Actors. We recorded our conversation one day after it was announced that the leader of Al-Qaeda Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in Kabul by an American strike. So we started with al-Zawahiri, and we moved to the debate about the troops' withdrawal and about how the Taliban is running the country. Listen to our conversation. And if enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

To quote Margaret Thatcher: Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't. So how powerful is Russia whose leaders like to brag about it? I talked to Nicholas Cull, a Professor of Public Diplomacy and Communication at the University of Southern California. We discussed Russian narratives related to the war against Ukraine and what Moscow is trying to achieve by using them but also the concept of reputational security that is helping Ukraine. Does Russia have diplomacy or is it mostly trolling? Why does Nick think that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is doing an amazing job? And do we live in Tom Clancy's novel? Excuse a bit worse quality of the sound. Listen to our conversation. And if enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

The Italian government of PM SuperMario Draghi collapsed. The early election will take place on September 25th. How might the voting be affected by Russian aggression against Ukraine? How pro-Putin are Italian parties and the public? Will Italy turn to Russia after the early election? And what to expect from the far-right leader Giorgia Meloni and her party Brothers of Italy which leads in the polls and it seems that Meloni has a realistic chance to become the first Italian female Prime Minister. I talked to Davide Vampa, a Senior Lecturer in Politics at Aston University. Listen to our conversation. And if enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

Happy Birthday to Arnold Schwarzenegger! Born on July 20, 1947, in Austrian Thal, he is 75 years young. The star of The Terminator, Predator, BTW, probably my favorite Arnolds's movie, Conan the Barbarian, Red Heat, Total Recall, Kindergarten Cop, Twins or True Lies, and the former Republican Governor of California has never been far from the spotlight. How was he able to achieve what he has achieved? Schwarzenegger had a master plan. This is what Michael Blitz explained to me. He is a co-author of the books Arnold Schwarzenegger: A Biography and Why Arnold Matters: The Rise of a Cultural Icon and a Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at the City University of New York. So why is Arnold a cultural icon? How influential is he these days? Can he or his movies predict the future? And would Arnold Schwarzenegger be able to beat Donald Trump if they would politically face each other? Listen to our conversation. And if enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

Complex or complicated? What is the legacy of murdered Japan's ex-PM Shinzo Abe? Was he a nationalist who globalized Japan? The killing of the longest-serving Japanese Prime Minister on July 8th shocked the country and the world. How will Mr. Abe be remembered? I talked to Joshua Walker, President, and CEO of Japan Society in New York who had a chance to interact with the late Japanese PM. Listen to our conversation. And if enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

How much should we be surprised by the scale and quickness of the demonstrations in Sri Lanka? What has led to such turmoil? I talked to Ashok Swain. He is a Professor and Head of the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at the Uppsala University. We have also discussed what's next for Sri Lanka's powerful Rajapaksas' family and if the Russian war against Ukraine contributed to the country's problems. And does Professor Swain think that Sri Lanka's protests are just a prelude to similar events around the world? This podcast was recorded on July 13th before the resignation of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his travel from the Maldives to Singapore. Listen to our conversation. And if enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

"If the current amount of support from the West to Ukraine was present in 2014 over the annexation of Crimea, we could have avoided a lot of people being killed. But I'm glad that Ukraine is receiving support, and hopefully, there will be more support and long-term support." This is what Anton Barbashin said to me during our debate. He is an editorial director of Riddle, which is a website about Russia I can only wholeheartedly recommend. We discussed if we can compare Russian President Vladimir Putin to historical figures like Peter the Great, Hitler, or Stalin.  Anton pointed out that Putin connected his fate to the war against Ukraine. So how would the Russian President define victory or loss? Listen to our conversation. And if enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

Ben Hodges is a former commanding general, United States Army Europe. He believes Ukraine can win the war Russia started on February 24th. Why does he believe this? How should the West help Ukraine? Should it send troops? "I would say right now we have the best strategic advantage over Russia we have had in the last 70 years," General Hodges told me. What does he mean by this and why does he think that the West should communicate to Russia that it will support Ukraine forever? And we also talked about the NATO summit that is taking place this week in Madrid. Listen to our conversation. And if enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

Do the conservative Justices at the Supreme Court impose their religious beliefs on America? The Supreme Court overturned the Roe vs Wade verdict that was the law of the land for almost 50 years. Prior to this decision, I talked to Diana Carlin. She is a Professor Emerita of Communication at Saint Louis University. We had a debate about how the Supreme Court works, past precedents, culture wars, and also if the US is approaching The Handmaid's Tale world, and if the US can become a religious tyranny. Listen to our conversation. And if enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. https://ko-fi.com/amatisak