The Slavic Connexion

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Keith Brown, a distinguished anthropologist from Arizona State University's Melikian Center. Dr. Brown takes us on a deep dive into the rich and often contentious history of Macedonia, exploring the complexities of historiography and the narratives that shape our understanding of the Balkan region. Join us as Dr. Brown shares his unique journey into the study of Macedonia, revealing how personal and historical narratives intertwine in the pursuit of knowledge. ABOUT THE GUEST Keith Brown is the Director of the Melikian Center: Russian, Eurasian and East European Studies, and Professor in the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University. During 2021-22 he was on research leave as a Core Fellow at the Collegium for Advanced Studies at the University of Helsinki. He holds a PhD in anthropology from the University of Chicago and a BA in classics from Oxford University. His work focuses on history, culture and politics in the Western Balkans, with a particular emphasis on 20th century Macedonia. He has spent extended time in the region, and his published works include The Past in Question: Modern Macedonia and the Uncertainties of Nation (Princeton University Press, 2003) and Loyal Unto Death: Trust and Terror in Revolutionary Macedonia (Indiana University Press, 2013). PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on December 02, 2023 at the ASEEES Convention in Philadelphia. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Host/Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Host/Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce Assistant EP: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Production Assistant: Faith VanVleet Production Assistant: Eliza Fisher SlavX Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Alex Productions, Blue Dot Sessions) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com

On this episode, Nick speaks with Susanna Weygandt a scholar studying performance theories of Russian and East European theater. She discusses the work of Anatoly Vasiliev, famed Russian theater director for the Moscow School of Dramatic Arts. Thanks for listening! ABOUT THE GUEST: Elena Susanna Weygandt analyzes and documents performance theories indigenous to Russia and East Europe that have not yet been documented. She draws on methods of interview and ethnography as well as digital display in her research on contemporary topics. In her soon-to-be published book with the University of Wisconsin Press, From Metaphor to Direct Speech: Drama and Performance Theory in Contemporary Russia, she identifies the main writers and performance theories of the vibrant movement, Novaia Drama, and situates this pioneering literature in the contemporary Russian literary canon, the Performance Studies field, and within Post-Soviet studies. The New Dramatists assert that it is precisely in the theatre, with its inherent form of critique and reflection provided by the stage, where the contemporary moment of the present can be held at arm's length away, which creates enough of a distance from the present for a historical perspective about it to emerge. This research has shaped her into a scholar and teacher of visual language, the body, feminist art, gender, exhibition on digital platforms, and all genres of documentary and realism in Russian and East European literature. Her publications on these topics of cultural history in Russia and East Europe from 1953 to the present appear in The Russian Review, Studies in Russian and Soviet Cinema, TDR: The Drama Review, Apparatus: Film, Media, and Digital Cultures in Central and Eastern Europe, and in a co-edited anthology published by Columbia UP. She received her training in Slavic Languages and Literatures from Princeton (PhD 2015; Graduate Certificate in History of Science 2015). At Sewanee: The University of the South she teaches all levels of Russian in the Russian Department and her joint affiliation in the Humanities Program. https://new.sewanee.edu/programs-of-study/russian/faculty-staff/susanna-weygandt/ If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Assistant EP: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Associate Producer: Eliza Fisher Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Assistant Producer/Videographer: Basil Fedun Social Media Manager: Faith VanVleet Host/Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Beat Mekanik, Crowander, Dlay) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com

On this episode, José Vergara (Bryn Mawr College) delves into the challenges and rewards of teaching literature in a carceral setting and his continued exploration of novels born behind bars. From the haunting prose of incarcerated writers to the innovative realms of digital humanities, Vergara shares his many projects such as the Encyclopedia of the Dog (https://encyclopediaofthedog.com/) based on the iconic novel "Between Dog and Wolf" by Sasha Sokolov, and the Reactor Room, an immersive Chernobyl Exhibition (https://digitalscholarship.brynmawr.edu/reactor-room/). Thanks for listening! ABOUT THE GUEST José Vergara is assistant professor of Russian at Bryn Mawr College. In addition to his work as a scholar and teacher, he enjoys collaborating with others to advance and support Slavic Studies and the Humanities. He has organized numerous guest lectures, a teach-in on the centennial of the October Revolution, and a symposium on the state of Russian Studies today. As advisor to the Swarthmore Project for East European Studies (SPEER), he has worked with students to develop conversations on campus about the region and its culture and politics. Visit his personal website for more on his teaching, research, events, and upcoming projects: https://josevergara.net/ PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on December 1, 2023 during the 2023 ASEEES Convention at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Host/Assistant Producer: Eliza Fisher Host/Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Assistant EP: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Assistant Producer/Videographer: Basil Fedun Social Media Manager: Faith VanVleet Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Beat Mekanik, Crowander, Dlay) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com

On this episode, Misha and Cullan speak with Fabian Baumann, a research associate at the University of Heidelberg, whose latest book Dynasty Divided (2023, NIU Press) uniquely approaches the nuanced history of Ukrainian and Russian nationalism through a prominent Kievan family of journalists, scholars, and politicians. Thanks for listening! ABOUT THE BOOK From Cornell University Press: Dynasty Divided uses the story of a prominent Kievan family of journalists, scholars, and politicians to analyze the emergence of rivaling nationalisms in nineteenth-century Ukraine, the most pivotal borderland of the Russian Empire. The Shul'gins identified as Russians and defended the tsarist autocracy; the Shul'hyns identified as Ukrainians and supported peasant-oriented socialism. Fabian Baumann shows how these men and women consciously chose a political position and only then began their self-fashioning as members of a national community, defying the notion of nationalism as a direct consequence of ethnicity. Baumann asks what made individuals into determined nationalists in the first place, revealing the close link to private lives, including intimate family dramas and scandals. He looks at how nationalism emerged from domestic spaces, and how women played an important (if often invisible) role in fin-de-siècle politics. Dynasty Divided explains how nineteenth-century Kievans cultivated their national self-images and how, by the twentieth century, Ukraine steered away from Russia. The two branches of this family of Russian nationalists and Ukrainian nationalists epitomize the struggles for modern Ukraine. PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on December 1, 2023 at the 2023 ASEEES Convention in Philadelphia. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Assistant EP/Host: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Associate Producer/Host: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Assistant Producer: Basil Fedun Assistant Producer: Eliza Fisher Social Media Manager: Faith VanVleet Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce SlavX Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Beat Mekanik, Alex Productions) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. Special Guest: Fabian Baumann.

On this episode, Kseniya Yurtayeva joins Taylor and Basil to discuss her work on cyberaggression, hybrid warfare, and the difficulty of creating and enforcing cyber law in the midst of a global conflict. ABOUT THE GUEST: Kseniya Yurtayeva holds a PhD in criminal law, criminology and criminal-executive law and is a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan with support from the Weiser Diplomacy Center. Her current scientific interests focus on cyberaggression as a method applied in contemporary warfare and on engaging post-truth for impediment administration of international justice. Yurtayeva teaches the course “Theory of Hybrid Conflicts in the Context of Russia-Ukraine War” in CREES . Yurtayeva is an associate professor in the Department of Criminal Law and Criminology at Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs. She holds a PhD degree in criminal law, criminology and criminal-executive law from State Research Institute at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and an LLM degree in international and comparative law from Chicago-Kent College of Law. The topic of her PhD thesis is “The Place of Commission of Crimes of International Character.” She also teaches courses in criminal law, criminology and cybercrime prosecution. Professor Yurtayeva is a certified trainer at the National School of Judges of Ukraine and developed a course in cybersecurity and human rights in cyberspace for the judiciary candidates. Department of Defense Disclaimer: The views and opinions presented herein are those of the speakers and do not represent the views of the US Army or the Department of Defense. PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on December 1, 2023 at the ASEEES Convention held in the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Host/Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Host/Assistant Prodcuer: Basil Fedun Assistant EP/Host: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Assistant Producer: Eliza Fisher Social Media Manager: Faith VanVleet Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce SlavX Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Beat Mekanik, AlexProductions, Aldous Ichnite) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. Special Guest: Kseniya Yurtayeva.

On this episode, Taras Fedirko from the University of Glasgow joins us on the Forty Acres to share the multilayered story of post-Soviet media in Ukraine and its dramatic transformations from Kravchuk to Zelenskyy. ABOUT THE GUEST Dr. Taras Fedirko is a Lecturer in Organized Crime and Corruption at the University of Glasgow. His current research focuses on the political economy of war in Ukraine since 2014, with a particular interest in the transformative effects of war, e.g. in the new elites and political alliances that emerged from the war in Donbas and are currently leading the response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Check out his website: https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/staff/tarasfedirko/ PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on April 15, 2024 at the William C. Powers Student Activity Center at The University of Texas at Austin. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Assistant EP/Host: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Assistant Producer: Basil Fedun Assistant Producer: Eliza Fisher Social Media Manager: Faith VanVleet Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce SlavX Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Audio Editor I: Ben Geraci Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Audiorezout, Beat Mekanik, Alex Productions, Ketsa Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. Special Guest: Taras Fedirko.

On this episode, attorney and business consultant Daniel Satinsky shares about his new book, which tells the story of American participation in the dismantling of the Soviet economy and the creation of the Russian market economy in the 1990s. Creating the Post-Soviet Russian Market Economy: Through American Eyes is based on more than 100 interviews with citizen diplomats, entrepreneurs, bankers, consultants, and aid program administrators active in Russia in those years. The book chronicles the real-life experiences of these Americans as they participated in building new sectors of the post-Soviet Russian economy in finance, investment, stock trading, real estate, restaurants, public relations, law, and media (television, radio, newspapers, and movies) at a time of historically unprecedented collaboration and interaction between Russians and Americans. ABOUT THE GUEST Daniel Satinsky is an attorney, business consultant, and independent scholar. He first visited the USSR in 1984 and was active in business there and in Russia from 1990 to 2014. He is the co-author of "Hammer and Silicon: The Soviet Diaspora in the U.S. Innovation Economy" (2018). He is also former president of the board of the U.S.-Russia Chamber of Commerce of New England (1998-2014) and a Davis Center associate. He holds a master's degree from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy and a JD from Northeastern University Law School. PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on February 16, 2024 via Zoom. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Host/Assistant EP: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Host/Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce Assistant Producer: Basil Fedun Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Assistant Producer: Eliza Fisher Assistant Producer: Katherine Birch Social Media Manager: Faith VanVleet SlavX Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by kaleidoplasm, Holizna, Crowander, Blue Dot Sessions, Ketsa, Eazy) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. Special Guest: Daniel Satinsky.

On this episode, Pjotr Sauer shares his firsthand experiences and reflections on reporting on Russia both before February 24, 2022 from within the country and then after, reporting from outside of the country. He elaborates on the difficulties for all journalists in navigating the challenges and constraints in Russia and expands on the plight of his friend and colleague Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street journalist who has been officially imprisoned by Russian authorities for one year as of March 29, 2024. Thank you for listening! ABOUT THE GUEST Pjotr Sauer is a Russia affairs correspondent for the Guardian. His work can also be found in The Moscow Times, The Telegraph and Het Parool. He has been a guest on the BBC, NOS, Al Jazeera, among other outlets. He is on Twitter @pjotrsauer. PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on November 09, 2023 via Zoom. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Guest Host/Producer: Anton Shingarev Assistant EP: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Assistant Producer: Basil Fedun Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Production Assistant: Faith VanVleet Production Assistant: Eliza Fisher Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce SlavX Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Charlie Harper, Damiano Baldoni, Alex Productions,) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. Special Guest: Pjotr Sauer.

On this episode, Valeria Sobol of the University of Illinois Urbana Champaigne talks with us about her 2000 book "Haunted Empire." Dr. Sobol guides us through the tapestries of Imperial Russia, where crumbling estates and eerie figures cast long shadows over the pages of history. Drawing on her meticulous research and profound insights, she unveils the intricate interplay between Gothic motifs and the imperial legacy, offering a captivating exploration of power, trauma, and the uncanny in Russian literature. ABOUT THE GUEST Valeria Sobol is Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She is the author of Febris Erotica and a coeditor of Interpreting Emotions in Russia and Eastern Europe. Check out her book Haunted Empire on the Cornell Press website: https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501770104/haunted-empire/#bookTabs=2. PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on December 15, 2023 via Zoom. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Host/Assistant Producer: Eliza Fisher Host/Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Assistant EP: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Assistant Producer/Videographer: Basil Fedun Social Media Manager: Faith VanVleet Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Audiorezout, Beat Mekanik, Damiano Baldoni, Alex Productions) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. Special Guest: Valeria Sobol.

On this episode, independent journalist Terrell Jermaine Starr shares his experiences covering Ukraine since Russia's invasion in 2022 and explaining to Americans the importance of the nation for global security, democracy, and humanity broadly. "We all need to be invested in each other's safety and security... Ukraine is the exact place I feel that I need to be to tell the story of how we can be better human beings to one another, and that's what my journalism is about." The #Connexions Experts speaker series is dedicated to providing accessible and engaging discussions for a general audience on critical issues pertaining to media, technology, and information globally. ABOUT THE GUEST Detroit native Terrell Jermaine Starr is an independent American journalist widely known for his coverage of the current Russian invasion of Ukraine. He is the founder and host of Black Diplomats, a weekly podcast reporting on foreign affairs and Eastern European politics. A former Fulbright grantee, Terrell is currently a nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center. Conversant in Russian, Ukrainian, and Georgian, he is a recognized authority on Ukraine-U.S. relations, Georgian politics, Central Asia, and American democracy. Visit his website https://terrellstarr.com/ and follow him on Twitter @terrelljstarr. PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on March 6, 2024 at The University of Texas at Austin. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Assistant EP: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Assistant Producer: Basil Fedun Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Production Assistant: Faith VanVleet Production Assistant: Eliza Fisher Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce SlavX Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Main Theme by Charlie Harper Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin.

On this episode, we speak with Lieutenant Colonel Martin Wroblewski, PhD, a seasoned officer in the German Army with deep insights into the intricacies of European security dynamics. We delve into the German role in NATO and in the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. LTC Wroblewski shares his expertise on the importance of developing interoperability within NATO forces, the strategic partnership between America and Germany, the critical role of information operations in modern warfare, and strategies for enhancing resiliency in the face of evolving threats particularly in the cyber domain. Thanks for listening! ABOUT THE GUEST LTC Dr. Martin Wroblewski is a native of Germany and a graduate of the University of Bonn, Germany. LTC Wroblewski joined the German Army as an active duty officer in 2016. He graduated from Infantry School in Hammelburg, German Army Officer School in Dresden and the German PSYOP Officer Qualification and Advanced Course in Mayen. Additionally, he attended various courses on Human Intelligence, Behavior Analysis, Advanced Target Audience Analysis as well as several PSYOP- and INFOOP-related trainings at the NATO School in Oberammergau. During his service at the Bundeswehr Operations Communication Center in Mayen, he served as an Information Environment Analyst and as the Sub-Unit Leader Target Audience Analysis of a Psyop Company. In 2019/2020 LTC Wroblewski was deployed with the 6th German Contingent to Enhanced Forward Presence in Rukla, Lithuania. There he held the position of Chief Information Operations. After returning from deployment his duty focus was on the refinement of TAA processes, eFP-related instructor duties, and product development in regards to hybrid threats with a regional emphasis on eastern Europe. In June 2021 he successfully completed the PSYOP Qualification Course at USAJFKSWCS. Starting in September 2021 he serves as an XO with the 6th Psychological Operations Battalion (Airborne) in Fort Liberty (previously Fort Bragg), NC. LTC Wroblewski holds a Master of Arts in Medieval and Modern History, Constitutional, Social and Economic History as well as Modern English Language and Literature from the University of Bonn, Germany. In 2016 he graduated from the PhD program at the University of Bonn in History after an extensive research project with the German Foreign Ministry. Before his career as an active duty officer, LTC Dr. Wroblewski had several years of experience as a private school teacher and public relations consultant. His military awards and decorations include the German and Lithuanian Deployment Medal, the German PSYOP Badge in bronze as well as other medals and awards. PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on December 22, 2023 at The University of Texas at Austin. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Assistant Producer/Host: Basil Fedun Supervising Producer/Host: Nicholas Pierce Assistant EP: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Assistant Producer: Eliza Fisher Social Media Manager: Faith VanVleet Production Assistant: Gloria Wang SlavX Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Beat Mekanik, Alex Productions, Dirk Dehler, Linn Friberg, Joey Hendrixx) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@MSDaniel) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin....

On this episode, we speak with Lieutenant Colonel Martin Wroblewski, PhD, a seasoned officer in the German Army with deep insights into the intricacies of European security dynamics. We delve into the German role in NATO and in the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. LTC Wroblewski shares his expertise on the importance of developing interoperability within NATO forces, the strategic partnership between America and Germany, the critical role of information operations in modern warfare, and strategies for enhancing resiliency in the face of evolving threats particularly in the cyber domain. Thanks for listening! ABOUT THE GUEST LTC Dr. Martin Wroblewski is a native of Germany and a graduate of the University of Bonn, Germany. LTC Wroblewski joined the German Army as an active duty officer in 2016. He graduated from Infantry School in Hammelburg, German Army Officer School in Dresden and the German PSYOP Officer Qualification and Advanced Course in Mayen. Additionally, he attended various courses on Human Intelligence, Behavior Analysis, Advanced Target Audience Analysis as well as several PSYOP- and INFOOP-related trainings at the NATO School in Oberammergau. During his service at the Bundeswehr Operations Communication Center in Mayen, he served as an Information Environment Analyst and as the Sub-Unit Leader Target Audience Analysis of a Psyop Company. In 2019/2020 LTC Wroblewski was deployed with the 6th German Contingent to Enhanced Forward Presence in Rukla, Lithuania. There he held the position of Chief Information Operations. After returning from deployment his duty focus was on the refinement of TAA processes, eFP-related instructor duties, and product development in regards to hybrid threats with a regional emphasis on eastern Europe. In June 2021 he successfully completed the PSYOP Qualification Course at USAJFKSWCS. Starting in September 2021 he serves as an XO with the 6th Psychological Operations Battalion (Airborne) in Fort Liberty (previously Fort Bragg), NC. LTC Wroblewski holds a Master of Arts in Medieval and Modern History, Constitutional, Social and Economic History as well as Modern English Language and Literature from the University of Bonn, Germany. In 2016 he graduated from the PhD program at the University of Bonn in History after an extensive research project with the German Foreign Ministry. Before his career as an active duty officer, LTC Dr. Wroblewski had several years of experience as a private school teacher and public relations consultant. His military awards and decorations include the German and Lithuanian Deployment Medal, the German PSYOP Badge in bronze as well as other medals and awards. PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on December 22, 2023. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Assistant Producer/Host: Basil Fedun Supervising Producer/Host: Nicholas Pierce Assistant EP: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Assistant Producer: Eliza Fisher Social Media Manager: Faith VanVleet Production Assistant: Gloria Wang SlavX Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Beat Mekanik, Alex Productions, Dirk Dehler, Linn Friberg, Joey Hendrixx) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com

On this episode, renowned historian John Connelly from the University of California, Berkeley, talks with us about the growth of fascism from democracy, the roots and justification narratives of anti-semitism in Germany and elsewhere, and the development of nationalism in modern history across Europe. Thanks for listening! ABOUT THE GUEST John Connelly is the Sidney Hellman Ehrman Professor of History and Director of the Institute for East European, Eurasian, and Slavic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned his BSFS from Georgetown University, an MA (in Russian and East European Studies) from the University of Michigan, and a Phd from Harvard University. His scholarship focuses on the history of East and Central Europe, with special concern for problems of religious and ethnic identity in multinational space. He has published Captive University: The Sovietization of East German, Czech and Polish Higher Education (Chapel Hill, 2000),From Enemy to Brother: The Revolution in Catholic Teaching on the Jews (Harvard UP, 2012), and From Peoples Into Nations: A History of Eastern Europe (Princeton, 2020), and is at work on a history of democracy in Europe, 1076-present.. https://history.berkeley.edu/john-connelly PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on December 1, 2023 at the 2023 ASEEES Convention at the Philadelphia marriott Downtown. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Host/Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Host/Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Assistant EP: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Assistant Producer: Eliza Fisher Social Media Manager: Faith VanVleet Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce SlavX Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Beat Mekanik, Kevin Bryce, Makaih Beats, Ketsa, Broke for Free) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. Special Guest: John Connelly.

On this episode, poitical scientist Serhiy Kudelia of Baylor University speaks with us about multiple topics on Ukraine from the prospects for Ukraine in the long-term, depending on continued western support, to the political effects of the war on Ukrainian leadership. Dr. Kudelia discusses the likelihood of Ukraine gaining any security guarantees from the West and under what conditions Putin might deploy strategic nuclear weapons or perhaps advance his military campaign beyond Ukraine. Thanks for listening! ABOUT THE GUEST SERHIY KUDELIA is associate professor of political science at Baylor University. His research and teaching deal with the study of political regimes, revolutions, armed conflicts and political violence. His primary research focus is Ukraine and his articles appeared in numerous academic journals including Comparative Politics, Journal of Democracy, Current History, Post-Soviet Affairs, Problems of Post-Communism, East European Politics and Societies, Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Communist and Post-Communist Studies, Demokratizatsiya, Russia in Global Affairs and in several edited volumes. His book "The Strategy of Campaigning: Lessons from Ronald Reagan and Boris Yeltsin" co-authored with Kiron Skinner, Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Condoleezza Rice was published by the University of Michigan Press in 2007. Based on his extensive expertise in Ukrainian politics Dr. Kudelia has also offered commentary to a variety of news outlets including BBC, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Voice of America, Al-Jazeera, NHK, Radio China International, Open Democracy, The Moscow Times, Kyiv Post and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on December 02, 2023 during the 2023 ASEEES Convention at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Co-Host: Basil Fedun Co-Host: Faith VanVleet Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Assistant Producer: Eliza Fisher Social Media Manager: Faith VanVleet SlavX Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce Assistant EP: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Nul Tiel Records, Kaleidoplasm, Broke for Free, Beat Mekanik, Joey Hendrixx) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. Special Guest: Serhiy Kudelia.

On this episode, Francesca Lockhart, cybersecurity professor at The University of Texas at Austin, talks about her unique and prescient cybersecurity clinic that she developed on the Forty Acres after leading the Homeland Security Unit at the Texas Department of Public Safety. Francesca also discusses the role of state and local security units in protecting critical infrastructure and the importance of area studies for the national security community. Thanks for listening! ABOUT THE GUEST Francesca (Chessie) Lockhart is the Cybersecurity Clinic Program Lead at the Strauss Center for International Security and Law. Before joining the Strauss Center, she managed the Homeland Security Unit at the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division, overseeing several strategic intelligence analysis programs covering counterterrorism, counterintelligence, cybersecurity, and critical infrastructure protection for the State of Texas. Previous roles at the Department of Public Safety include supervising intelligence support for region-specific criminal investigations and serving as lead analyst on the counterintelligence program. Francesca received her bachelor’s degree from UT Austin in government, where she was a Brumley Next Generation Undergraduate Scholar at the Strauss Center and an Undergraduate Fellow at the Clements Center for National Security. She also held the Lowell Lebermann Scholarship through the Forty Acres Scholars Program. PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on November 9, 2023 at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, UT Austin. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Host/Assistant EP: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Host/Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Production Assistant: Faith VanVleet Production Assistant: Eliza Fisher Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce SlavX Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Makaih Beats, Beat Mekanik, Alex Productions, Shaolin Dub) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. Special Guest: Francesca Lockhart.

On this episode, Dr. Togzhan Kassenova joined Taylor and Nick for a conversation about the destructive impact of Soviet nuclear testing in Kazakhstan and the figurative fallout of the dissolution of the USSR which resulted in Russia providing security guarantees to "divorced" states in exchange for the surrender of Soviet weapons of mass destruction. Check out Dr. Kassenova's book for more about Kazakhstan's complex nuclear history under the USSR and beyond: https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=33596 Use code KASSENOVA20 to receive a 20% discount in North and South America and code CSFS22AS for all other regions of the world. Thanks for listening! ABOUT THE GUEST Dr. Togzhan Kassenova is a Washington, DC-based senior fellow with the Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES) at the Center for Policy Research, SUNY-Albany and a nonresident fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She is an expert on nuclear politics, WMD nonproliferation, strategic trade controls, sanctions implementation, and financial crime prevention. She currently works on issues related to proliferation financing controls, exploring ways to minimize access of proliferators to the global financial system. Kassenova holds a Ph.D. in Politics from the University of Leeds and is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS). From 2011 to 2015 Kassenova served on the UN secretary general’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters. PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on December 3, 2023 at the 2023 ASEEES Convention in Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Host/Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Host/Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce Assistant EP: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Production Assistant: Faith VanVleet Production Assistant: Eliza Fisher SlavX Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Beat Mekanik, Alex Productions Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. Special Guest: Togzhan Kassenova.

On this first episode of 2024, we reflect on the War in Ukraine and Ukraine's prospects for continued political and military support in 2024 and beyond with Carnegie Endowment's senior fellow and renowned military analyst Michael Kofman. ABOUT THE GUEST Michael Kofman is a senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on the Russian military and Eurasian security issues. Prior to joining Carnegie in 2023, he served as Director of the Russia Studies Program at the Center for Naval Analyses, where he conducted research on the capabilities, strategy, and military thought of the Russian Armed Forces. Widely recognized as one of the leading authorities on the Russian military, and the Russo-Ukrainian War, Kofman has led foundational work in the field, and is routinely cited in major publications. He also regularly advises senior government and military officials. Aside from his work at Carnegie, Kofman is also a Principal Research Scientist at CNA, an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, and a Contributing Editor at War on the Rocks, where he hosts The Russia Contingency, a bi-weekly podcast on the Russian military and war against Ukraine. He previously served as a program manager, and research fellow, at the National Defense University. Past fellowships have included the Modern War Institute at West Point, and the Kennan Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center. PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on December 3, 2023 at the 2023 ASEEES Convention in the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Host/Assistant EP: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Host/Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Production Assistant: Faith VanVleet Production Assistant: Eliza Fisher SlavX Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Beat Mekanik, Jon Shuemaker, Broke for Free) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. Special Guest: Michael Kofman.

On this episode, Eliot Borenstein returns for a fun conversation about the political and historical themes in pop culture and the abundance of Marvel, Harry Potter, LOTR, etc. fan fiction that emerged post-socialism. We hope you enjoy! ABOUT THE GUEST Eliot Borenstein is Professor of Russian & Slavic Studies at New York University. His most recent books include Plots against Russia: Conspiracy and Fantasy after Socialism (winner of the 2020 Wayne S. Vucinich brook prize and the 2020 AATSEEL book prize), and Marvel Comics in the 1970s: The World Inside Your Head (2023). PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on December 01, 2023 at the 2023 ASEEES Convention in Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Host/Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Host/Assistant Producer: Eliza Fisher Assistant EP/Host: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Production Assistant: Faith VanVleet Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce SlavX Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Alex-Productions, Holizna, Beat Mekanik) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. Special Guest: Eliot Borenstein.

On this episode, cyber expert Gavin Wilde joined us to talk all things cyberwarfare. He defined the term and its distinction from information warfare; shared the reasons why he believes studying Russia is important for this complex, actively developing, and hard-to-measure battlefront; and touched on the differences between the US and Russian military cyber and information operations and structures. Follow Gavin on Twitter/X @gavinbwilde. Thanks for listening! PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on December 2, 2023 during the ASEEES Convention at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. Join us in Austin, TX for the 2024 #Connexions Conference, March 18-20, 2024, where we will be focusing on information warfare, cybersecurity, and extremism online. For more information visit https://connexions.ai. ABOUT THE GUEST Gavin Wilde is a senior fellow in the Technology and International Affairs Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he applies his expertise on Russia and information warfare to examine the strategic challenges posed by cyber and influence operations, propaganda, and emerging technologies. Prior to joining Carnegie, Wilde served on the National Security Council as director for Russia, Baltic, and Caucasus affairs. In addition to managing country-specific portfolios, he focused on formulating and coordinating foreign malign influence, election security, and cyber policies. Wilde also served in senior analyst and leadership roles at the National Security Agency for over a decade, after several years as a linguist for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The insights he generated for counterintelligence, policymaking, and warfighting consumers included co-authorship of the Intelligence Community assessment of Russian activities targeting the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Wilde is a nonresident fellow at Defense Priorities and an adjunct professor at the Alperovitch Institute for Cybersecurity Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He previously assessed geopolitical risk for multinational corporations as a managing consultant at Krebs Stamos Group, a cybersecurity advisory. His commentary has been featured in War on the Rocks, Lawfare, Just Security, Barron’s, New Lines Magazine, and elsewhere. Wilde holds a BA in Russian Studies from the University of Utah and graduated with distinction from the National War College with an MS in National Security Strategy. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Host/Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp (@masha_mashenka_ ) Host/Assistant EP: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Production Assistant: Faith VanVleet Production Assistant: Eliza Fisher Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce SlavX Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Alex Productions, Broke for Free, Joey Hendrixx, Cruxorium) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. Special Guest: Gavin Wilde.

In this episode, Bartek Gajos discusses his in-depth research into memory politics during the Soviet period and today, specifically the weaponization of history by the Russian regime, the past's influence on present actions taken by great powers, NATO expansion and EU enlargement, the "armageddon option" taken by Western G7 leaders at Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the questions surrounding Polish-Ukrainian relations. Bartek appropriately quotes Nietzsche: "... the past must be forgotten if it is not to become the gravedigger of the present." Thanks for listening! PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on December 1, 2023 at the ASEEES 2023 convention in the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown hotel. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! PRODUCTION CREDITS Host/Associate Producer: Sergio Glajar Host/Assistant EP: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Assistant Producer: Taylor Helmcamp Production Assistant: Faith VanVleet Production Assistant: Eliza Fisher Supervising Producer: Nicholas Pierce SlavX Editorial Director: Sam Parrish Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Alex Productions, OKAM, Dirk Dahler, KAZKA) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. Special Guest: Bartłomiej Gajos.