Democracy in Crisis: Putin’s Assault (with Anne Applebaum & Michael McFaul)
You and Me Both with Hillary ClintonShow Notes
Over the course of this season of the podcast, Hillary has been examining the challenges our democracy faces. Today, she looks abroad to Russia’s brutal, unprovoked attack on Ukraine, and considers what led to this moment and what’s at stake in this war–for Ukraine, Russia, the United States, and the whole world. Joining her are two experts. First, historian and journalist Anne Applebaum provides insight into Vladimir Putin and the antidemocratic figures he’s inspired in Europe and beyond. Then, we hear from political scientist and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul on how we got to this moment from the fall of the former Soviet Union, what the United States can do to help Ukraine, and how to fight back against Russia’s crackdown on truth and dissent. Bios: Anne Applebaum is a staff writer at The Atlantic, a journalist, and a historian whose work has largely focused on Eastern Europe and the role of democracy. She is the author of four books, including Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-56, for which she won the Pulitzer Prize and, most recently, Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism. She lives in Warsaw and London. Michael McFaul is professor of political science at Stanford University, and a diplomat who served at the National Security Council and as U.S. Ambassador to Russia during the Obama administration. He is also an International Affairs Analyst for NBC News and a contributing columnist to The Washington Post. His most recent book, From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin’s Russia, was a New York Times bestseller. You can find a full transcript HERE.
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More from You and Me Both with Hillary Clinton
For her season finale, Hillary sits down with her husband, the 42nd president of the United States, to continue a wide-ranging conversation they’ve been having together for over 50 years. From their home in Chappaqua, New York, amid the current war in the Middle East, they recall the eight years of work Bill did during his presidency to find a road to peace for the Israeli and Palestinian people. They tackle other pressing subjects like immigration, climate change, and the urgent need for funding the war in Ukraine. And they also look for hope wherever they can find it—including Northern Ireland and Albania, and, closer to home, through celebrating the holiday season and reflecting on the bond they continue to share with one another after all their years together.
Hillary is traveling, and will be back next week with a new episode. In the meantime, we’re bringing back one of her favorites..
The overturning of Roe v. Wade in June of 2022 dealt a severe blow to women’s health care in the United States. Today, nearly half of states in the country ban or severely restrict abortion care. The ripple effects reach far wider: hospitals are shutting maternity wards, and OB-GYNs are leaving states that don’t allow them to provide essential care to their patients.
This week, we bring you the first ever live recording of You and Me Both before a sold-out audience at Symphony Space in New York City. Hillary was joined by singer, actor, and three time Tony Award winner Patti LuPone, while writer and comedian Amber Ruffin served as MC.
A few months ago, Hillary wrote a piece for The Atlantic on what she called “the weaponization of loneliness.” It was inspired, in part, by an important and alarming advisory issued by the Office of the Surgeon General on an underreported crisis in the United States: an epidemic of loneliness that has contributed to increased rates of opioid and alcohol addiction, domestic abuse, suicide, gun violence, as well as diabetes, heart disease, and more. To that list, Hillary added the rise in divisive, even toxic and dangerous, political engagement.