Podcast
Escalation
Hosted by Lawfare & Goat Rodeo · EN
The War in Ukraine has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and left entire cities in ruins. It’s a human tragedy on an unimaginable scale. But beyond the death toll and destruction, the conflict represents something even larger: a flashpoint in the ongoing battle between democracy and authoritarianism, sovereignty and imperialism. Escalation is a gripping narrative podcast that delves deep into the complex and often fraught history of the relationship between the United States and Ukraine. Co-produced by Goat Rodeo and Lawfare, this eight-episode series unravels the decades of diplomacy, political scandals, and high-stakes decision-making that shaped this alliance, now tested by the largest land war in Europe since World War II. This is the feed for Lawfare Presents. A home for limited run series and specials from Lawfare and Goat Rodeo.
Produced by Goat Rodeo.
www.goatrodeodc.com
Lawfare
www.lawfaremedia.org/
This series is made possible by the generous support of DeleteMe. To learn more about DeleteMe, visit www.joindeleteme.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
23episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Escalation Ep 7: Boiling The Frog
Apr 14, 202500:57:26Tap to summarizeIn the season finale of Escalation, Anastasiia Lapatina and Yulia Tymoshenko recount Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022. The western world is shocked, and US President Joe Biden and the US Congress attempt to send weapons to Ukraine to fight back. But fundamentally different perspectives on the fight will emerge and lead to tensions that leave Ukraine's fate uncertain, and its relationship with The United States in jeopardy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →BONUS: Conversation with John Mearsheimer
Apr 14, 202501:01:29Tap to summarizeIn this bonus episode of Escalation, hear our conversation with Professor John Mearsheimer. Mearsheimer is a historian and foreign policy expert at The University of Chicago, and he has some controversial opinions on the relationship between The United States, Ukraine, Russia and NATO. Our conversation with him was at times tense, but always interesting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Escalation Finale Preview: Making 'Escalation'
Apr 7, 202500:55:01Tap to summarizeIn this bonus episode of 'Escalation,' we give you a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the show, featuring a conversation with our reporting and production team of Anastasiia Lapatina, Tyler McBrien, Benjamin Wittes and Max Johnston Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →BONUS: Music from Ukrainian Cultural Forces
Apr 6, 202500:14:09Tap to summarizeIn this bonus episode of Escalation, you'll hear more music from the Ukrainian Cultural Forces. The Cultural Forces are a group of Ukrainian artists and veterans who travel the world as emissaries from the Ukrainian army. In September 2024, they were in Washington, DC, where our production team captured some of their performances. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →
Escalation Ep 6: Nothing Else Matters
Mar 31, 202500:56:48Tap to summarizeIn 2019, the relationship between The United States and Ukraine faces one of its biggest tests during a phone call between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The resulting scandal makes Ukraine a toxic issue for some lawmakers in the US Congress, where Ukrainian veterans are still trying to generate support for the war to this day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →BONUS: Conversation with Evelyn Farkas
Mar 30, 202500:24:54Tap to summarizeIn this bonus episode of Escalation, you'll hear our conversation with Evelyn Farkas, who is the Executive Director for The McCain Institute, and served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia in the Obama Administration. Farkas describes the US government's reaction to the invasion of Crimea, and discussions over aid to Ukraine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →
Escalation Ep 5: Resets
Mar 24, 202500:50:51Tap to summarizeWhen Ukraine’s Russia-backed president refuses to sign a deal with the European Union, millions of Ukrainians take to the streets to force him out. Then the West watches as Russia invades Crimea and parts of Eastern Ukraine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →BONUS: Conversation with Mary Sarotte
Mar 22, 202500:25:30Tap to summarizeIn this bonus episode of Escalation, we're bringing you an extended cut of our conversation with Mary Sarotte, a NATO Historian and International Relations Expert at John Hopkins University. Mary tells us about NATO's history and origins, it's strange relationship with Russia, and Ukraine's murky status in the alliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →
Escalation Ep 4: The Worst of Both Worlds
Mar 17, 202500:39:44Tap to summarizeA dirty presidential campaign in Ukraine culminates in an attempted assassination and ‘The Orange Revolution,’ where Ukrainians stop The Kremlin’s attempts to rig the election. Years later at a NATO summit in 2008, The United States and European allies concoct a high-risk plan to protect Ukraine going forward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →BONUS: Conversation with Daria Kaleniuk
Mar 15, 202500:25:29Tap to summarizeIn this bonus episode of Escalation, we're bringing you a conversation with Daria Kaleniuk, a Ukrainian anti-corruption expert and activist. Daria tells us about Ukraine's history with corruption, the roots in the Soviet system, and the country's efforts to fight it. Stay tuned each week for the next chapter of Escalation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →