Episode 2232: Mark Galeotti on whether Putin is a prisoner or a master of history

From the introduction of North Korean troops into the war in Ukraine to a budding friendship with Elon Musk, Putin continues to make strange headlines. The real question is whether Putin actually knows what he’s doing or if he, as a wannabe 21st century Russian Tsar, is subject to the same seemingly inevitable historical forces as the Tsars of yesteryear. As both a seasoned Putin watcher and the author of many books about Russia, Mark Galeotti is as well positioned as anyone to determined if Putin is a prisoner or a master of history. Churchill famously described Russia as "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." In his new book, Forged in War: A Military History of Russia from its Beginnings to Today, however, Galeotti unwraps this mystery by seeing Russia as an eternal prisoner of its geo-strategic vulnerabilities and thus, like Putin, always insecure, land-hungry and bellicose. Professor Mark Galeotti is one of the foremost Russia-watchers today, who used to travel there regularly to teach, lecture, talk to his contacts, and generally watch the unfolding story of the Putin era, until the Kremlin banned him indefinitely in 2022. Based in the UK, he is an Honorary Professor at UCL and heads the consultancy Mayak Intelligence. He is also a Senior Associate Fellow with both RUSI and the Council on Geostrategy, as well as a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Institute of International Relations Prague. Before then, he was Professor of Global Affairs at NYU and head of History at Keele University, and was educated at Robinson College, Cambridge, and the LSE. A prolific author on Russia and security affairs, he frequently acts as consultant to various government, commercial and law-enforcement agencies.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe