‘Economic War: Ukraine and the Global Conflict Between Russia and the West’

Have you given much thought to the economic war that rages behind the scenes of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine? You’ve likely read plenty about sanctions. Maybe you know that the likes of McDonald’s and Starbucks have left Russia, and you’ve probably seen some headlines about Europe struggling to break its energy dependence on Russia. But unless you work in this field, it’s easy to underappreciate how crucial the economic war between Russia and the West is to the broader conflict that has destroyed the post-Cold War peace with Moscow.

So, for this week’s show, Meduza spoke with Maximilian Hess, the founder of Enmetena Advisory and a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, about his new book tackling how the West uses its clout and privileged position with international markets to deter and penalize the Kremlin for its aggression against Ukraine. The book, published by Hurst, is called “Economic War: Ukraine and the Global Conflict Between Russia and the West,” and you can find it wherever books are sold.

Timestamps for this episode:

• (2:50) How does Putin understand Western advantages so well but still continuously miscalculate?
• (7:50) Western imperviousness and vulnerabilities
• (16:10) Balancing U.S. gains and responsibilities with European interests
• (21:20) How Western sanctions will hit Russia over the long term
• (25:27) A battle of the wills
• (33:23) How realistic are hopes that Russia will pay Ukraine reparations someday?
• (37:06) Securing peace on the ground in Ukraine by winning the economic war

New episodes of The Naked Pravda are released at the end of every week. Catch each show by subscribing through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or one of these other platforms. If you have a question or comment about the podcast, please write to Kevin Rothrock at kevin@meduza.io with the subject line: “The Naked Pravda.”

Production and mixing by Ania Kovalenko. Sound editing by Kevin Rothrock.